Complex IT Project Management: 16 Steps to Success

4.6 Finding Gaps with the Implementation Strategy

Finding these gaps is a somewhat intuitive process. Perhaps it is best described as the conductor listening for sour notes when the orchestra starts learning a new composition. The dissonance is initially visceral, at least until you hone in on it and discover that the trombone section is misplaying a note or misjudging the beat. ^[2] In IT projects, one should inspect for specific gaps. My favorites are:

• Handoffs. This can be in the form of output, such as data or process. The question to ask is whether given output meets all downstream project requirements, or just those of a parochial team.

• Timeframes. If Joe needs the network up by June, but it will not be ready until August, this disconnect should come to light (it better).

• Duplication of effort. Uncoordinated teams sometimes travel the same road. Team A produces ninety percent of that which Team B will produce at one hundred per cent a month later. Is this a useful condition?

• Risk. Does the output of one team actually increase risk that another team, or the project, becomes vulnerable to?

• Rework. Does a significant portion of Team A's output subsequently require changes by another team? Because, for instance, Team A creates a deliverable that, although functional, does not:

  • Meet production standards

  • Fit business requirements

  • Scale well when deployed into a nonhomogenous global environment

No hard rules can be applied to this process other than to reiterate that when your implementation strategies take shape, this is the perfect time to listen for those sour notes. At this stage of the game, it is a far easier task to bring the trombones back into line than just before opening night.

^[2]Of course, as a savvy conductor/project manager, you may expect this from the notoriously slow-learning trombonists.