Lessons Learnt from e-Business Projects Are they any different? Dave Corlett (PMP) & Jane Farley (PMP)

Presentation Outline  Five Reasons why e-Business projects Fail  Lessons learnt:  General  Business Integration  Expectation Management  Project Structure  Project Management Disciplines  Technology and skills  Are e-business projects any different?

Why do e-business Projects Fail? Five of common reasons that e-business projects will fail include: –they’re viewed as an end in themselves –the projects are often managed poorly –they’re launched without clearly defined business goals –they’re not flexible enough to incorporate new technologies –they’re launched with insufficient awareness of what competitors are doing in e-business

Lessons Learnt Ensure Total Management Commitment before starting Identify the Compelling Business Event Solicit Organisation Commitment to succeed Continually evaluate the Business Strategy, the business case and the competitive landscape. Identify all parts of an organization, or external organisations required early in project planning Define resource requirements up front Due to limited/inexperienced resources –Identify contingent resources –Allow additional time

Lessons Learnt: Integrate with the Existing Business Always look outside-in and think Single Customer Experience Involve all areas of the business from Day 1. Integrate and leverage current business processes and knowledge Adopt new processes across the business to integrate the e- business Remember e-business projects are not an end in themselves, rather a vehicle for improving overall business objectives.

Lessons Learnt: Manage Expectations Involve the other areas of the business early Plan to educate the stakeholders early Develop an internal communications plan that regularly updates all areas of the business Produce early; produce often Plan to iterate prior to going live Consider phased implementations of functionality Remember the launch is only the beginning Consider soft launching to a selected audience

Lessons Learnt: Project Structure Project must be lead and managed by the business Ensure business commitment through a Steering Committee Delegate Authority to the Project team One small team - combined business and technical resources All resources available from the start Immerse business operations staff from the beginning Single location Ensure creative design and build go hand in hand Involve your legal experts early

Lessons Learnt: Project Management Disciplines Enforce PM disciplines more than ever but make sure the processes support the speed of the project Make decisions decisively Adopt an attitude of delivering early Consider segmenting functionality through releases or time boxing as a means of managing project results Continually review and manage the project and business risks (at least daily) Implement a process for sharing and managing creative ideas

Lessons learnt: Skills and Technology Design and plan for the future (Scalability) Ideally select and setup the development environment prior to commencement of the project Ensure you have knowledgeable resources in the technology Minimise risk by basing your solution on a completed solution Use n-1 Software level Don’t underestimate the operational changes necessary to support a 24*7*52 day systems Test thoroughly (performance, operationally and security) before going live Plan to stress test early. Know your limitations.

Are e-business projects any different? Based on the lessons learnt, the issues associated with e-business projects are not new to projects or specific to e-business. However, the perceived need for rapid action with a fixed delivery date, the impact and public visibility of associated problems is likely to be much higher for e-business projects than a ‘classic’ project of equivalent size and complexity.