Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
charter and scope were handed to the project manager to define the project.
A statement of work was not developed, and there was great pressure to just
start working. Development of the project plan immediately identified a major
problem with the project timeframe and budget; and it turns out that it will be
impossible to complete this project as defined in the charter and scope.
Fortunately, the seasoned project manager was able to see how the charter
and scope defined an impossible project, and called a time-out. Additional
research was done to develop a statement of work to identify the actual work
to be completed on the project. The project charter and scope were also revised.
This new, attainable project was approved and the project was able to move
forward. The project manager also pushed to get changes made to the project
methodology.
Freedom for Creativity at Agile, Inc.
In contrast, the smaller company, Agile, Inc., wants to avoid bureaucracy
and empower everyone to make decisions. Teams can form projects quickly,
execute, and then move on to the next thing. While creativity flows, each
individual project stays focused on one narrow objective. This results in many
individual, point solutions that do not work together. More structure is needed
to create and grow a foundation that will support the organization as a whole.
The ability to move quickly also creates challenges for those individual
projects. Ideas come up and work starts. The actual objectives are clear to
everyone, but no one takes the time to formally document them. The objectives
change frequently, depending on what is happening in any given week. It is
difficult to develop a solution to address a moving target. In addition, what
is needed grows each time the business and systems team members meet.
As more thought goes into what is needed, more data and/or reports are
identified. With this happening repeatedly, it is almost impossible to know
when the project is done.
A balance must be reached so that there is some structure to ensure the
long-term viability of the project deliverables. This does not mean that project
methods take over and consume everyone's time and stifle creativity. The
experienced project manager for Agile, Inc., has partnered with the business
champion to restart and run the data warehouse project using a more structured
approach. The executive and IT sponsors have also agreed to try this approach.
The data warehouse project is put on hold for a couple of weeks to allow time
to formally define the project: charter, scope, and statement of work. These
key documents will be used throughout the life of the project to help manage
change and maintain an appropriate focus. In order to maintain flexibility, the
change control process is expected to be used, but will help the organization
to understand the impact that each change will have on the project. This new
