IT Solutions to Business Problems
How we can help you;
Developing solutions is the most satisfying and challenging aspects of IT and with the exposure we have had our input is invaluable. But first with our help the business problem needs to be defined, along with its indicative costs and the objective, in fairly clear terms.
The next step is for us to brain storm solutions roughly either side of the indicative costs, taking any opportunity to enhance either business practices, or IT services to provide added value, or a more cost effective solution. Our exposure helps us understand the possible, realistic, and indicative cost aspects.
The technical, architectural, and business practices exposures help us to design a solution at a high level, in early stages.
Our Project Management and job estimation skills allows us to place indicative pricing around the solution, in order to present viable options which do not cost more than the problem.
From this point you have enough information to make some high level decisions, and possibly develop a Scope, Requirements Definition, Business Plan or Strategic Plan depending on the the nature of the solution.
While our expert ice does not include software development we can certainly assist in the associated specifications, and Project Management, through to deliver and acceptance.
Why do you need this service:
Every organization has its weak points or problems,
In deciding whether you need Project Scope definition consider the following items;
Do you need to protect yourself and from what ?
Do you have more than two or three departments or companies involved who you do not have direct control over, from all view points, specifically financial and resources management.
Do you believe there are items which should be included that you cant include which will impact the business.
Do you believe the project is bigger (in dollar terms, or time) than your management realize or accept.
Does the project have a high risk
Are you constantly dealing with moving targets that you cant hit.
If the answer to any of these is yes, then to some level you need to define the scope
Still not convinced, well ponder this. In many cases it is impossible to define to the last detail exactly what will or will not be included and how or to what level. A scope provides two important aspects, it enables you to place broad boundaries around the project there by including more items which may not be specifically defined, and to definitively place items outside of scope, provoking more thought, and protecting yourself.
In simplistic terms if you order a new car to replace your aging BMW, you will select a list of options, colours, models, etc, and these will be documented. Some weeks down the line you will be called and hopefully they will deliver your shinny new BMW. But what if you BMW came without carpet in the boot, your laptop would slide around inside the boot. Although you defined the options, and the basic features, some things you took for granted. In the case of your BMW your probably safe, but in the IT world this is not so, and you cant possibly define everything down to dual car horns, with ash trays. Perhaps your a rev head and need to go from 0 to 60 in 2 seconds and you thought your new Alpha with Dual power supplies and CPU's, 4GB of memory, multiple 100baseT network cards and installation and data migration services, would give you a running system when handed over. So vendor installs and migrates data, but your customized or modified scripts that don't run any more become scope creep. Unlike BMW this not something they are liable to pick up and do for nothing.
A scope definition allows you to put broad, and definitive boundaries around these issues, for example, it could say things like "Data migration shall include all centrally located user data and database's, customized systems scripts, and configuration files necessary for the system to function as a replacement for the existing system"
Moreover in your new BMW you were expecting to take out of your old one the new Nomad MP3 player with surround sound which cost you $700.00 when you handed over the old BMW, or the 80Gb tape drive off the old systems. But the sales person had spotted it an factored it into his trade-in price
13/05/2002 04:40 PM