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By Carl BreunlinDirector Project OfficeSoftware Architects, Inc.602.776.9555
The 4 Secrets of Project Success
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Premise: What you do before a project starts significantly influences the success or failure of your
effort.
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With that said, there are 4 secrets to project success
AndThey are easy to implement
• Focus on Feasible• Get the Numbers Right• Never Second Guess the Estimate• Don’t Loose Control
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Focus On Feasibility
You can’t determine feasibility until you know the details of a project.
Based on the details you can determine:Technical feasibility
Financial feasibility
Schedule feasibility
Organizational feasibility
FACT:
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System Description - Table of Contents
1.0 System overview2.0 Current system definition3.0 New system definition4.0 Impacts of the new system (organizationally, financially, etc.)5.0 Advantages and disadvantages of new system6.0 Notes
The Easiest Way to Get the Details is to Write a System Description
SARK recommends writing a System Description as a first step in project planning.
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System Description Table of Contents
1.0 System overview2.0 Current system definition3.0 New system definition4.0 Impacts of the new system (organizationally, financially, etc.)5.0 Advantages and disadvantages of new system6.0 Notes
Technical Feasibility
Is the network OK?
Do we have enough processing power?
Are we pushing the state of the art?
Will performance be an issue?
Are there technical limitations?
Has this been done before?
YES NO
Technical X
Financial
Schedule
Organizational
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Financial Feasibility
Is the total budget adequate?
Is the budget per period adequate?
What is the ROI?
When is Break Even?
Are there hidden costs?
What are the intangible benefits
What is the TCO?
System Description Table of Contents
1.0 System overview2.0 Current system definition3.0 New system definition4.0 Impacts of the new system (organizationally, financially, etc.)5.0 Advantages and disadvantages of new system6.0 Notes
YES NO
Technical X
Financial X
Schedule
Organizational
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System Description Table of Contents
1.0 System overview2.0 Current system definition3.0 New system definition4.0 Impacts of the new system (organizationally, financially, etc.)5.0 Advantages and disadvantages of new system6.0 Notes
Schedule Feasibility
What is the drop dead date?
Can the project be completed by then?
When do major milestones need to be completed?
Can they be completed on time?
What happens if the project is late?
YES NO
Technical X
Financial X
Schedule X
Organizational
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System Description Table of Contents
1.0 System overview2.0 Current system definition3.0 New system definition4.0 Impacts of the new system (organizationally, financially, etc.)5.0 Advantages and disadvantages of new system6.0 Notes
Organizational FeasibilityDoes the IT team have the experience for a project of this size?
Do we have a world-class Project Manager?
Do we have experience with this technology?
How will the new system impact the organization?
What impacts are there to vendors/partners, etc.?
How much training is required?
YES NO
Technical X
Financial X
Schedule X
Organizational X
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System Description Table of Contents
1.0 System overview2.0 Current system definition3.0 New system definition4.0 Impacts of the new system (organizationally, financially, etc.)5.0 Advantages and disadvantages of new system6.0 Notes
Feasibility Analysis
Technical
Financial
Schedule
Organizational
Once feasibility analysis is complete, it is easy to put together a plan for any item not feasible or marginally feasible
Feasibility is the cornerstone of early project planning.
“To be successful we need to hire a world class project manager by June who has these skills…..”
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If Feasible, the Next Step is to Get the Numbers Right
If the estimate is wrong, 9 times out of 10 the project is doomed.
SARK has developed a world class approach to estimating that is:
Totally transparent
Extremely accurate
Ties the estimate directly to what users want
Is the basis for cost and schedule control
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You have to spend time up front getting requirements
Only after you have requirements can you create an accurate estimate
The better the requirements, the better the estimate
Before we discuss estimating, a few thoughts:
Analysis is becoming a larger percent of total development time!
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Suppose You Collected These Requirements and Grouped Them As Follows
Shall be able to view general ledger entries in multiple currencies
Shall allow viewing of general ledger entries by invoice
Shall be able to select consumer accounts
Shall be able to select business accounts
Shall be able to create source codes
Shall be able to modify source codes
Shall be able to perform product catalog entry
Shall be able to perform product catalog changes
Accounting
Order Entry
Marketing
Fulfillment
Requirement Design Element
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The project estimate is based on determining how long it will take to implement each requirements
based on a given life cycle.
For example:
It Would Then Be Straightforward to Create an Accurate Estimate As Follow:
Total effort to implement this requirement: 170 Hrs.
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This is How SARK Creates Accurate Estimates
What needs to be built Your life cycle
How much effort is required
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Now that we know about feasibility and estimating, there’s one more project
sinking torpedo to address namely second guessing the
estimate.
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How often does this happen in your organization?
Estimator/PM/Director Etc. – It’ll take $3M and 18 months to do this project.
Boss/C-Level Somebody – Nope, Nope, Nope… not acceptable. Gotta have it done by year end, and by the way the budget is $1.5M. Period…
Estimator/PM/Director Etc. – (after a long pause) Ok.
Later alone in the office to himself/herself
Estimator/PM/Director Etc. – Never going to happen!!!!! Period….
Later either alone or to some higher level boss
Boss/C-Level Somebody – Boy did I do a good job managing those out of control development costs!!!!
Imaging the Following Conversation
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This is called
“Second Guessing the Estimate”
The idea is to somehow fit more requirements into the development effort than the budget
supports.
IT NEVER WORKS!
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Instead of Second Guessing - Use SARK’s Approach to Reconcile Wants with Budget
1. First, double check the estimate for accuracy – be careful
2. Next, analyze expensive features – are they worth it?
3. Then prioritize expensive features – or get rid of them
4. If necessary schedule multiple releases – plan a multi-period roll-out to match budget with needs
You can do the same if you use our estimating approach!
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With this approach, your project is much, much more likely to succeed.
But…compromises must be made.
But…that’s better than having the project overrun.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
If the estimate is accurate… and it should be, don’t demand more for less.
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Now We Can Turn Our Attention to the Last Secret:
Don’t Loose Control
• Control Cost & Schedule• Control Changes• Control Quality
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Controlling Cost and Schedule
$0
$20,000
$40,000
$60,000
$80,000
BCWS $20,000 $28,000 $36,000 $52,000 $68,000
BCWP $16,000 $20,000
ACWP $22,000 $28,000
Jan Feb. Mch. April May
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Controlling Changes
A rigorous change control process assures that all
changes are documented and that the impact of approved changes are
reflected in the cost and schedule baseline.
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Controlling Quality
Building quality into your project from
day one will significantly
contribute to overall project success.
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Summary
The premise of our discussion today is that what you do before a project starts significantly influences the success or failure of your effort.
We have discussed 4 easy to implement strategies to help guarantee that your project completes successfully.
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Questions?Thank you for your time.
Need More Info? Contact:
Carl Breunlin
602.776.9555Software Architects Inc. is a full service software consulting firm specializing in custom application development and application
integration. Please visit our web site at:
www.sark.com
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