Why Projects Fail: Reason #1 Plus a HUGE "fictional" rant! #1 :D
Someday's I want to scream at the top of my Executive Management/Klingon Translator/Psychotherapist/Sociologist GEEK lungs:
STOP the HEMMORGAGING! NOW!
I have seen this so many times in my professional career I can't count...People seem to forget the most basic principles of having a successful on time, budget project:
Listen to your CLIENT!
You are not making this uber cool flashy gadget that doesn't meet the fit, form and function of what is desired by the CLIENT! Turbo Geek!( That's what being a game designer is about!) YOU are creating this product with the CLIENT's FIT, FORM, FUNCTION and PRICE POINT for the CLIENT! (Remember, the guy who is paying your bills)
Cut the project until you realize what your client (internal or external) actually wants AND needs! What does the end product, the tool/infrastructure/process need to accomplish? Fit, form, function with price point in mind.
The ideas for the intended solution are usually well formed in someones head and spot on to solve a REAL NEED. So idealistically this would both translated clearly by the analyst and executed, and implemented by the assigned team. Now back to reality: Pragmatically speaking, during the meetings, which are about upcoming meetings preparing for meetings everything is garbled and lost in translation. The original intent, fit, form and function have been molded into something entirely different than what was actually the business need in the first place.
Nine times out of ten, when I walk into an organization (usually to resolve something no one else wants to deal with A.K.A. they are going for a Executive Director promotion or incentive bonus and don't want to ruffle feathers or say the things that are usually hard for someone in that position to say. Like we are #FAILING to produce a product you actually need...Or we look like we are on budget because we have been cutting corners...
So "we" continue building something that meets some "check in the box" for a milestone (but really doesn't actually because we just skewed the statistics a bit) and looks like a nice shade of Green on the C-Level dashboard for the morning meeting.
The fact that the C Levels usually are so hands off or don't understand what is under the hood is is a good thing for this type of manager. They will most likely get the promotion. The user will be frustrated. The "profit center" will continue to think of the IT Shop as a "cost center" that looks like a bunch of pocket protector douche bags.
Hence, the vicious cycle continues...Economic downturn "profit center" who rules the house says cut "the cost centers" the COO says darn "IT" they are a huge "cost center" look at all that "stuff" they keep buying and OH the care and feeding costs! The CIO is now running around trying to figure out how to strategically keep the business running without people or equipment.
<<<Begin "fictional" rant>>>:
Then, as I like to say: Sooner or later they have a moment of clarity when things start failing and/or falling apart the guy they hired to be the "IT Manager" is now supposed to not only be a manager but SME in Networking, Security, Help Desk, Telecommunications, Fix the BES the CFO's Blackberry crashed. Then you run frantically to try to restore the CEO's hard drive which failed (usually because they were surfing something they shouldn't have been (if only they were security savvy). Of course this all happened while he was travelling. It couldn't possibly be the CEO's fault! CEO get back to the office jet lagged from traveling and starts yelling! Now all of the sudden you are both an A+ tech and a forensics expert. It needed to be done NOW! You now barely audibly whisper "Do you know when you last backed up your hard drive, or plugged it into the network?" RAGE ensues you worthless IT minion!
Back in your office (maybe just a cube now) You begin to try to surf and figure out what is wrong and how to fix it. Is the hard drive spinning at all? Is it the blue screen of death? You call "insert whichever laptop vendor" and pray either it is still under warranty or we have a service contract with vendor X......you sit waiting on the phone for 4 hours listening to elevator music and AHAAAA! you figure it out! Thank goodness!
However, while looking at the log files as to why they failed you realize your has a virus which he successfully installed while traveling in China. The CEO most likely bought a DVD from the "Ubuy DVD Man" on the side of the street in Shanghai bored of watching the only English news station recycle the censored stories for the 50th time. The CEO inserts the DVD which boots up (the embedded exe takes off and viola, phone home to Mao Tse Tung's Momma with all that corporate intelligence) Your "pristine church going" CEO's computer is infected because he watched porn. (How do you look at the CEO the same way without giggling silently under your breath?) You drop a hint he got a virus and VIOLA miraculously the CEO realizes you are NOT an IT GOD/GODDESS that is an SME of everything that plugs in the wall. AND FINALLY they realize they can't function without both the Equipment and IT staff to run it. Sometimes they get away with a "band aid approach of outsourcing for awhile. So everyone is unhappy and nothing useful has been accomplished.
So you wonder how long your job will last.. at the company because the CEO can not have you potentially exposing the secret. Tick Tock Starts the clock....Here we go again.
<<< End of fictional RANT>>>
So my main point is:
It is not technology that solves the problem! It is understanding the people and the processes they use to try to reach the goal! Technology just enables! Understand the people, the processes and the goal and you will WIN! Not the other way around!
More later....I'm tired!
No comments:
Post a Comment