Who does the success of the project depend on?
Let’s start with the fact that when we, as a customer, come to a supplier with an idea for a project, we expect that we will simply say what we want, the supplier will implement it for us, and at the end we pay and the topic is closed. In practice, it is not that simple, because each business process is slightly different, the needs of customers are different, and most of all, the goals and benefits that we want to achieve thanks to the tool being built are individual.
So what can you as a customer do to help make the project successful?
Know what you want
The most important point is to determine what goals we want to achieve thanks to the project, what is it to give us, does it save money, or is it supposed to help earn more? I do not mean the described entire business process from A to Z (there is a supplier to prepare an appropriate analysis in cooperation with the client), but what we want to do and why. More on this topic: https://exaco.pl/ile-koszkuje-projekt-it/
Designate a person responsible for the project on your side
The one who will be the final and only person in making key decisions and you will have full confidence in her. Of course, the supplier acts as an aid here, thanks to which the decision-making is limited to accepting or rejecting the idea.
Actively participate in the implementation of the project
On our part (suppliers), we organize regular meetings (usually once a week or two weeks), where we summarize the effects of recent works and present progress in the context of the entire project, including showing where we are and how much work is still ahead of us. This is the moment when customer feedback is extremely important. If you miss a field in this table or in this form, Customer, or anything is unclear, talk about it right away. It will save a lot of time (and your money) if we fix it right away.
Communicate about changes
The customer has the right to submit new ideas. If something is going to turn the project upside down, OK, it’s better to know it today than in six months, when we hand over the project and it turns out that it does not meet our expectations.
Prioritize the execution of tasks
Are you sure that changing the color of the button from pretty to prettier will be more important to you than adding functionality that will improve the work of your employee? Certainly not. Again, the provider is there to help you prioritize these.
Be available
The client should be available to clarify doubts in the project. Without response, we cause the project to catch a delay.
Accept, verify and receive functionalities
An important element in the project implementation process is the involvement of people who will ultimately use the tool, so that we can all be sure that what we do meets our expectations. There is probably nothing worse than the reluctance to use a tool that does not help us, and sometimes even makes our work difficult.
Control
The customer has the right to have constant access to the progress of software development. And at any time, if something does not fit, he should make his comments.
Summary
Based on the Standish Chaos Report, The Standish Group, 83.9% (it is an average, regardless of the size of the project or the methodology in which the project was conducted) IT projects end up partially or completely unsuccessful, more precisely:
- 16.2% of IT projects are successful,
- 52.7% of projects exceeded the costs, implementation time or did not have the promised functionality,
- 31.1% of projects were abandoned or canceled.
Main reasons for project failure:
- Incomplete requirements
- Unrealistic expectations
- No user involvement
- Out of resources
- No management support
- The project was no longer needed
- Changing requirements and specifications
- No planning
- No IT management
- No technical skills
As you can see it doesn’t look very optimistic, but at least we know where to look for improvements. In summary , the supplier is 100% responsible for the implementation of the entrusted project, and the customer wants to have a tool that will achieve the set goals. With a little cooperation and commitment from both sides, the best software can be created.