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Even though the process, and the project as a whole will never be perfect, it doesn’t mean that we can’t still end up delivering actual value to actual human beings.Īre you working on projects with the goal of delivering value to your customers? Consider our Peer group on Customer Experience, moderated by Bubber There are no garanties for success, but this doesn’t mean that we should give up from the very start. The goal should always be, not just to deliver something that the end users would expect - as in simply not falling short on minimum expectations - but to surprise and delight by making their lives easier, cheaper or just outright better. All too often, the end users are forgotten somewhere along the path, or their input will be disregarded due to economical or internal interests. My final point, which is surprisingly easy to forget, is that you have to keep a strong focus on the users throughout the project. We don’t always know all the answers from the beginning, but with an agile approach, we are allowing the project to be adjusted along the way without laying waste to both budget and deadlines. It is often said that you will get smarter throughout a project. The insecurity will also often be greatest in the beginning, and will in all likelihood decrease as the project is more matured and sharper defined towards your finishing line of creating customer value. Changes to a project are always cheaper in the beginning, before it has taken too much shape. In my experience, it is extremely healthy to have your project challenged - especially in the beginning, so you can steer clear of habitual thinking, and “this is how we do things around here”. The end product won’t look entirely different, but the means of getting there might. This doesn’t mean that the budget or deadlines are not clearly defined, but it allows for learning and new discoveries along the way making adjustments accordingly. Today an agile approach to projects is common. Working agile means becoming smarter along the way This provides continuity across the team and between client and vendor. These criteria should always be well defined, allowing them to be measured or visualized.

If the project changes radically, it becomes extremely important that these changes are also reflected in the criteria for success, which must then be updated, as well as communicated to all those involved in the project. This will ensure that the team is working towards a shared goal, and it will increase everyone’s motivation. I can’t stress enough how important it is, that everyone involved in the project are aware of these, and have understood them fully. In the end, the project will come off as a failure.Īnother aspect in regards to governance, is the criterias of success. If a governance process for effectuating larger changes, isn’t in place at this point, you run the risk of falling short on expectations.

What will often be the case, is that the prerequisites for the project will change quite early in the process, and the project has to adapt to these changes.

The involved managers need to have a mandate not only to make decisions in regards to strategy and funds, but also in a wider context of changes to he overall business. It’s common to have a project manager on both sides, but you should also enable a process that can handle the questions that will arise along the way and process this That could be in a steering committee or similar. One of these is governance, as in is the project organised the right way? This is your foundation for making sound decisions throughout the lifespan of the project. In my experience, it’s often completely different questions that need answering, when embarking on a new project. Is the team structure right? On the client side as well as on the vendor side? Have we clearly defined the project, what about the budget and scope? There is always a lot at stake, when you are starting a new project, and several questions often arise quite naturally. In this article, I will present some of these issues, and try to provide some guidance as to how you can handle them. That’s my experience from the many projects that I’ve been involved in down the years. It will never be perfect, but too many projects today are suffering from the same issues. Article by Karsten Bubber Outzen, independent digital advisor in KBO, strategy and consulting.