The most popular and comprehensive Open Source ECM platform
Let us know more
Technology: Rules of the Road for Keeping Projects On-Track
Have you ever heard of a company where 100 percent of all IT projects have been successful for seven years running?
Sure — the company that hasn’t had any projects over the last seven years. But no — in an article for CIO Insight, the people from USTA actually claim a 100% success factor for all projects undertaken. While the article doesn’t disclose the actual number of projects undertaken at the United States Tennis Association, nor do they fully define what they consider to be a success, they do say that they take on lots of projects every year.
So how have they achieved a perfect record in delivering new projects? USTA’s Larry Bonfonte has this explanation:
1) All projects are viewed as business projects. Every project needs to have a sponsor on the business side, even when technology is the key component to the project. Bonfonte has found that having a business sponsor that can sell the value of the project, nearly all road bumps like funding that often derail or shutdown a project down are eliminated.
2) Not only must there be a clear sponsor for the project; there needs to also be a clear customer for the project. The two are often the same, but not always.
3) Every project needs to define a qualitative or quantitative ROI. And projects need to go through a review board process where they must demonstrate how the project will increase efficiencies or improve customer satisfaction.
4) Enforcement of the process. All projects need to go through a process that allows transparency, comment and a chance to be thoroughly vetted.
Only those projects with a sponsor, a customer, and a strong ROI get the OK to go ahead. The bottom line is that a focus on accountability and metrics is the key to project success.
