The Management of Projects...
IT projects are notoriously difficult to manage and, truth be told, a large percentage of them do go wrong and worse, end up in failure. The reasons are complex and there is usually no simple explanation. However, at the root of it, 2 causes usually stand out: technical shortfall and bad management.
Technical shortfall occurs when the technical partners aren't invited from the beginning of a project, but only when the business expectations for a particular systems have been allowed to grow way too high. The techies then try and catch up, and try to make the technology achieve things that it simply cannot. While it is true that the technology should not drive what the business want to achieve, the business also needs to be aware of what is achievable and what is not: dialogue from day one is the best way.
Bad management occurs when the project is not properly specified from the start, in terms of scope, business objectives, required roles and time. Usually the symptoms are: moving targets, constantly adding new desired functionality, high staff turnover (particularly in key positions) and obviously conflicts between teams or individuals.
OK, so far so good. What has it got to do with Chevre, you might ask? Well, we believe we have the answers for certain types of projects.
As we are a small company, our consultants tend not to undertake big, long projects (the ones most likely to end in tears!), or if we do, it is as subcontractor for a larger organisation. The way we work consist in breaking down complex tasks into manageable chunks, each of which is properly spec'ed, with expectations, deliverables and timeframes well set in advance, by all parties.
We think visibility is key - visibility of business drivers, technical tools and expectations for every single milestone on a small or large project. Think about it: if you knew the reasons why, the tools used (the "how") and the final expectations for every business function that an IT system will fulfill, then you are unlikely to meet any nasties. This is not unstructured micro-management: everything is still hierarchical and you can choose to have either a big-picture vision of the project, or drill in to details. The point is, you have the choice.
With over 25 years experience between them in successful IT projects, large and small, in countries including the UK, Australia and New Zealand, our consultants are well placed to provide that visibility and that structure.
We usually use a methodology for our projects, simply because it has been proven to be relevant in many situations. We have a methodology for large projects (Oracle Method) that provides the checks and balances we need to make sure nothing slips through the net, that all steps necessary in designing and building something have been followed.
We also have a methodology for small, faster project (Rapid Application Development) which, again, has been proven to be very effective for developing products that need to be put to market fast. This method ensures that only the strictly necessary steps are undertaken whilst still maintaining quality of design, development and test.
However, methodologies cannot account for everything. If they did, every projects would be successful. We believe that we need to go beyond methodology to offer you the experience you expect from your IT partner. Our approach is to work together with you: the success of your project is our success too. We are a young and small company, and we don't want unhappy clients. Our consultants have proven time and time again that they are passionate about client satisfaction. This is the only ultimate goal. Good, transparent project management is our way to ensure that we do things well and you know what we're up to at all times.