5 signs your project is off the rails
TRANSCRIPT
©2010 Lionshare Software, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.lionsharesoftware.com
5 Signs Your Project Is Off The Rails!
Recently I was introduced to a company in Durham, NC that has spent more than 900 hundred hours with
a software developer trying to get a custom order entry system developed. It’s taken nearly 3 years and
they are still unable to launch the tool because of inconsistencies in the way the system handles sales
transactions. Their biggest questions: Why did this happen and how do we fix it?
In my experience, there are some common culprits that cause projects to fail:
1. Missing or lousy requirements
A lot of times the customer tries to reduce costs and some of the first places they look to are Business
Process Review and Optimizations and Requirements Gathering.
2. Scope Creep
Too often, the vendor’s project manager is not experienced enough to lead the customer through the
Change Management process and allows “little requests, just this once” to morph into larger monster
which consume time and resources.
3. Lack of End-User Involvement
Typically we see companies delegate mid-level managers to Core Team roles. I completely understand
the thinking behind this – these are the people who have proven that they can get things done. However,
they are also usually removed enough from the daily transaction of business that they can’t effectively
serve as subject-matter-experts. Without the right people in the right roles, bad decisions can easily be
made.
4. Ineffective Change Management
As mentioned regarding Scope Creep, allowing changes to occur in the scope can easily derail any
project. But Change Control is not the only consideration here. Change Management within the culture of
the organization is a huge ship to sail. Our old friend FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) shows up and
infiltrates the ranks with ease. I have heard the following impressions expressed “This is just another
management bright idea that is going to fizzle”, “This is another way of eliminating jobs”, “Another
whiz-bang system from the IT guys! Remember when we couldn’t ship for a week when they built the
last one?”, “I’m an old dog, I don’t know nothing about these computers”. All of these are statements that
I have heard more than once and they can all lead to resistance or infrequently, sabotage.
5. Poor Quality Control
Technologists left to their own devices may or may not have tight, disciplined quality control
mechanisms. A misapplication of Agile Development could be seen as a developer releasing small pieces
of code that escapes integration testing. Data validation and report validation that is not done in a
comprehensive manner with controls will, of course, lead to errors in the system after GoLive.
Recognizing these characteristics early can help prevent your project from derailing, but what if it’s too
late?
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About Lionshare Software
Lionshare Software Inc., was launched by ERP and CRM selection consultants
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process, our customers have reduced total project costs, had better results,
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