Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
COPING WITH UNCERTAINTY
(continued)
this much uncertainty is openly acknowledging that it exists. There are also
several things that everyone can do to help:
■
Be patient
with each other as the project evolves.
■
Remain flexible—
Realize that it may be best to get started with some
work before you have every ''t'' crossed and every ''i'' dotted. Even if
you achieved that level of detail, many things will change as soon as
you move forward anyway. This does not give the project team carte
blanche to run at full speed without any planning; it simply means that
you must find a happy medium: Do enough planning and design to ensure
that you have a strong direction, yet be willing to adapt as you go.
■
Communicate openly and frequently—
This is the key to ensuring that
progress is being made toward the ultimate goal: a sustainable data ware-
house that helps the business realize concrete value for the organization.
■
Apply sound project management—
Continue to utilize stan-
dard project management techniques to run the project. This
includes maintaining the project plan, watching for scope creep,
administering change control as needed, continuing to conduct
periodic status meetings, and publishing status reports.
Proactive Communication
Project communication should be driven from the project team out. The project
manager is the spokesperson to share progress, concerns, and changes in time-
line, deliverables, or costs. This is often through the standard project office or
project management channels of the organization. Usually, weekly updates
are submitted and included with all of the other initiatives across the organiza-
tion. A one-page snapshot with a few bulleted points and a green/yellow/red
indicator is
not
sufficient communication between the project team and the key
stakeholders of the data warehouse.
During the early requirements gathering and data modeling phases of a
project, there is natural and frequent interaction between the project team
and the business community. Now that the team is focused on ETL system
development, the nature of the communication must change. There will
be many weeks when there are no major issues that need attention and
development work continues. For very large projects, this may go on for
several months. It seems that there is nothing specific to say, other than ''we
are still working.''
While regular status reports are published, there is often a drop-off in other
communications. There are often no executive briefings, and no meetings with
business sponsors and drivers. While these should continue, experience shows
