Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
We didn't say anything about 'We're going to transmit your current reports just like we do
in Springfield so we have two sets of arrest reports, incident reports.' No. The timing was
not right to broach that subject in any of the executive meetings yet. I want to get them
happy. I want the Prosecutor to say, 'This is great! I like the way it's working. I need this,
this, and this.' Then we can maybe approach the subject and say, 'By the way one of the
downsides is you're not going to get that report.' Then we can say, 'We're working on this.
We're getting close. Why do it for a couple of months?'
Interestingly, on the IPSI project, the need for adjustment of expectations did not
flow in only one direction. The development team was forced to revisit their vision
of
Enforce
3
platform as the expectations of the agencies became more apparent:
We had big plans initially. Later what turned out was that departments - police agencies
and the police departments and the owners of the data - were in fact a little bit reluctant
to share the data. And that brought our expectations of what we wanted our program to be
down a lot.
The management of expectations between all parties was a constant concern
for the development teams in both environments. Interestingly, the discussion of
expectations was frequently paired with a focus on the evolutionary nature of the
system - perceiving the software as an evolving solution enabled parties to estab-
lish expectations that are more realistic while maintaining the hope for additional
functionality.
5.8 Conflict Resolution
Not surprisingly, substantial conflicts over requirements were observed in both
project settings. In the University SIS project, most conflicts were identified dur-
ing project walkthroughs, which brought together all core project team members as
well as representatives from the schools and functional departments:
It [conducting walkthroughs] got people around a table. Some of them were pretty unpleas-
ant
Somebody would have an idea about how something should be done and Jack [the
Project Manager] would totally disagree and they'd go at it for some time. [Q: How was that
resolved?] Sometimes it didn't get resolved and we'd just schedule another walkthrough
because time would run out. - SIS Communications Lead
When unresolved conflict persisted, it was generally addressed through an appeal
to authority (e.g., relying upon the discretion of the Project Manager, Technical
Lead, or University Registar's Office).
The IPSI project followed a similar pattern. When conflicts arose, the BSI project
team adopted an expressly cooperative stance, seeking to generate a novel solution
to satisfy all parties. A clear perception of the political ramifications of decisions
guided the project team in determining whose positions required the most weight,
while ensuring that decisions appeared to reflect the needs of all stakeholder groups.
The following statement illustrates this sensibility:
If we don't compromise with Springfield, it's not ever going to happen. So you have to
play that game. But you have to be careful because it can't look like it's Springfield's
project because then you have political problems with everybody else in the county. - BSI
Development Manager
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