optimize and succeed your next fixed budget project planning process

Succeeding with Fixed Budgets

March 12th, 2014

14NTC


» Quick glance at PrometWhat is a Fixed Budget projectHow to find the right vendor & how to engageHow to executePost Production - this is where the life of the project startsQ&A

Agenda


About me

Andy Kucharski - @akucharski

● President and Founder

● Big Six management consulting experience

● Implemented specialty online eCommerce and B2B

transaction systems for Yahoo, MSN, Sony, Sprint,

Ericsson, Best Buy, and Bank of America

● Introduced and implemented open source solutions

at Sprint and Executive Office of the President

● Frequent speaker and open source evangelist

○ DrupalCons: San Francisco, Denver

○ Drupal Camps: Singapore, Chicago, Bay Area,

Iowa, Washington DC, Ohio

○ Industry conferences: Higher Ed Web, NTEN


About Promet

➢ Founded in 2003➢ Open source technologists➢ Drupal platform since 2008➢ Mobile apps since 2009

➢ Based in Chicago➢ Distributed global team➢ Agile development practices➢ 24x7 support


» Our Specialty – Complex system development and implementation with leading open source software

» Our Experience – We have a strong management consulting & system integration background

» Our Culture – We are passionate about our work, hold ourselves to the highest standards and maintain a culture of continuous improvement

» Our Technology Focus – We have been focused on the Drupal platform for the last 6+ years, and have partnered with agencies to implement hundreds of solutions

» Our Implementation Approach – We have a very strong DevOps culture and our development approach allows rapid release cycles

» Support – We build and support critical applications built with Drupal every day

Key differentiators


A sample of our clients


Quick glance at Promet» What is a Fixed Budget project

How to find the right vendor & how to engageHow to executePost Production - this is where the life of the project startsQ&A

Agenda


» Web design» Web application implementation» Web content migration» Web integration with AMS/CRM» Web site consolidation

And we want to know exactly how long this will take and how much this will cost upfront!

Typical Web project


Fixed price vs. Fixed budget

» Fixed price• Scope, time, and

budget all fixed upfront• Demands complete and

clear requirements defined before the start

» Fixed budget• Budget is set• But at least one or both

(scope, time) are variable


Fixed budget to the rescue

Change your focus» From $ spent to how much

value is being created» From juggling change orders to

expecting and welcoming changes

» From your side vs. my side to to unified project team


How to structure the project?


» When to use Agile methodology» When rapid production is more important than the quality of the product.» When clients will be able to change the scope of the project.» When there isn’t a clear picture of what the final product should look

like.» When you have skilled developers who are adaptable and able to think

independently.» When to use Waterfall methodology

» When there is a clear picture of what the final product should be.» When clients won’t have the ability to change the scope of the project

once it has begun.» When definition, not speed, is key to success

Waterfall vs. Agile

http://www.base36.com/2012/12/agile-waterfall-methodologies-a-side-by-side-comparison/


Quick glance at PrometWhat is a Fixed Budget project

» How to find the right vendor & how to engageHow to executePost Production - this is where the life of the project startsQ&A

Agenda


» Referral/Recommendation» Reputation» Relationship» RFP

The start of a new relationship


» Summary» Scope

» Design» Migration» Integration

» Price» Budget Range

» Timeline» Contractual Terms» Evaluation Criteria

RFP process


Limit Cone of Uncertainty » Someone to talk to» Detailed Scope» Price» Timeline

RFP process - What are vendors looking for?


RFP process - Break it into two?

» Discovery Phase

» Sprint 0» Jumpstart» Audit


» Fit» References» Project Team» Availability & Timeline

RFP process - Don’t cut these corners


» Negotiate for what is important to you:» Timeline» Money» Quality

» Payment terms (holdback)» Warranty period» Definition of what is done» Team (off shore, contractors)

Legal process - Common tactics


» Contract is executed

In a landmark 1995 study, the Standish Group established that only about 17% of IT projects could be considered "fully successful," another 52% were "challenged" (they didn't meet budget, quality or time goals) and 30% were "impaired or failed.

Congratulations - we have a winner!


Quick glance at PrometWhat is a Fixed Budget projectHow to find the right vendor & how to engage

» How to executePost Production - this is where the life of the project startsQ&A

Agenda


Functionality matrix


Remove risk element by identifying which requirements are absolutely necessary to succeed

Working the Project - MoSCoW


High level plan and project lifecycle

Start Here


» Content» Stakeholder buy in» Change Management» LIVE!

Launch!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicwise/


Quick glance at PrometWhat is a Fixed Budget projectHow to find the right vendor & how to engageHow to execute

» Post Production - this is where the life of the project startsQ&A

Agenda


» How long is the warranty period?» What is included?» What was UAT?

» Support» Security updates» Ongoing maintenance» User feedback implementation» Conversion testing

Support & Warranty


My contact info:

[email protected]

@akucharksi

Q&A

» Managed support services for Drupal sites• Proactive (monitor and address issues, provide recommendations)• Dedicated support staff (not pulled from projects)

» 24x7x4 coverage and response to emergencies• Live people (global staff ensures coverage, by phone not just emails or tickets)• SLA (emergency and critical issue response & escalation within 4 hours)

» Development level support• Modules (we will touch the code for core, contributed, and custom)• Systems integration (we will support code for integrating with 3rd party vendors/services)

» QA and testing• QA automatically performed for all updates and changes to site• Custom tests created and run for critical site functionality (integrations)

» Flexible monthly plans• Scaled to meet your organization’s needs• Monthly hours can adjust as required

Key Support Capabilities

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Support/Enhancement Request Process


Agile Building and Review

Frequent Feedback

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