12.23.03
 By
Frank Schmidt
Here’s a scary statistic. According to four prominent research firms,
only around 20% of all IT projects are finished in a timely manner.
By “timely” the researchers mean without loss of quality or being
over budget. They go on to say the average project runs approximately
200 percent late, roughly 200 percent over budget, and contains only
2/3 of the original functionality.
Failure is the norm in the IT industry. But why? And more
importantly, how do we fix it?
There must be a way to dissect the problem, and create a solution
to the diagnosis of “doomed failure.” Trust me, there is! |
Top
7 Problems and Their Solutions
Let’s take a look at the top 7 reasons IT projects are late or over
budget. Then I’ll show you some proven solutions taken straight from
the trenches.
1. Not Enough Time
Whether it’s a misunderstanding of the complexity of computer system
designs or some other reason, many times little time is devoted to
gathering the necessary data. Because this is one of the first steps
in the process, when adequate time isn’t given to data collection,
everything else suffers.
Likewise, enough time is rarely allotted to creating a good design.
While the planning stage may not offer the excitement that development
does, it is equally, if not more, important. Lack of planning in the
design phase almost always leads to ongoing changes during the development
phase. When this happens, budget dollars and man-hours are eaten away.
SOLUTION: Give it more time. This vital step must be given
due consideration. Adjust your schedule as needed, and you’ll find
the rest of the process goes much smoother. Yes, you have to make
it to market before your competition. But if you make it to market
and your product is filled with bugs, what do you get? A pile of returns
and complaints, and a bad reputation.
2. Open the Lines of Communication
It sounds like a cliché, but communication is absolutely vital to
the success of any project. The communication between the development
team and the users, and also the communication inside the development
team must be crystal clear. Does everyone understand you? Do they
know exactly what’s expected of them or have you assumed they know?
Do they communicate well with each other? With users? With other departments?
SOLUTION: Identify communication breakdowns now. These can
only lead to confusion and complications down the road. Never assume
that everyone understands. Take just a little extra time to create
an environment that is destined to produce a product on time and under
budget.
3. Testing a New Program in the Production Server
Testing in the production server leads to a breach of security, which
can lead to “immediate” release without testing which can ultimately
disrupt the production environment.
SOLUTION: There should be specific protocol setup for security
and quality control considerations for new program tests.
4. Inadequate Testing
Experience and studies show that testing is almost always pushed to
the end of the development cycle. Since the development is usually
bad, the testers run out of time. The result? Running over schedule
and over budget. Not to mention the release of an inadequate product.
SOLUTION: Remember problem #1? Ditto! Yes, you have to make
it to market before your competition. But if you make it to market
and your product is filled with bugs, what do you get? A pile of returns
and complaints, and a bad reputation. Test all the way through the
process, and you’ll save a lot of time in the end.
5. Pressing the Budget Too Tight
When you have unrealistic goals for a project’s budget to start with,
chaos is bound to set in. Departments fall behind, resources are slow
to arrive, and - because of budget constraints - the project, once
again, runs off the road.
SOLUTION: Create an accurate budget. Also, outline ways to
develop better upfront planning of the resources.
6. Never/Rarely Checking the Progress of the Project
As the project goes along, the unexpected happens. Various people
implement their ideas as to how to fix these challenges and - when
launch day comes - you’re surprised with an entire list of challenges
that need your immediate attention.
SOLUTION: Define “checkpoints” throughout the project. Give
attention to those things that need to be adjusted along the way,
even if they cause minor delays. Fixing them now, rather than later,
will take less time overall.
7. Not Reviewing Existing Standards
Do most or all of your projects run late and over budget? Do you keep
the same standards in place time after time? How’s that working for
you? If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what
you get. Let’s face it… things change, and if you want to keep pace,
you have to change, too.
SOLUTION: Take time to review the standards used for each and
every project. Keep a running list of what worked, what didn’t, and
how to do it better next time.
The next time your IT project is late, over budget, and looks like
it is never going to work, review this list again. Make the necessary
adjustments, and you’ll be downright amazed at the difference!
About the Author:
Frank Schmidt is a seasoned IT professional specializing in IT disaster
recovery. He has worked with a wide range of companies, software developers,
and human resource personnel to effectively meet the deadlines of
urgent projects. Frank Frank.Schmidt@GeniusOne.com is available to
consult on your next IT project. Visit his site today for additional
details.
http://www.GeniusOne.com
Read this newsletter at: http://www.ctoupdate.com/2003/1223.html |
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| From
the Forum: |
| IE6 URL spoofing patch |
 Sorry if this is not the proper forum, best I could see, but I thought many others would like to know about a patch for the serious URL spoofing problem affecting IE5-6, where it LOOKS like you are at one site when you are REALLY at another one, for those still using IE6 ;). In short, means that you could be giving vital info (credit card, etc.) to a hacker. ...
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