After the Honeymoon - living with your system integrator

So 6 months down the line, the team is in, lots of new faces, a fair amount of business disruption, a few healthy project debates and you've probably run out of desk space - sound familiar?

The honeymoon is over, its now down to business. The board are looking at you to deliver results, the Systems Integrator is still getting its feet under the desk - in fact it looks like there are a lot of feet under several desks, you've already replanned once, the first milestone was hit, although you did push a few things into the next phase, Microsoft Project is still only showing single digits for % complete and its all a bit overwhelming!

Relax - this stuff is easy.

Well it could be and it should be and despite what is being said in project meetings and workshops it inevitably isn't!

The good news is the clues are there, you just have to spot them, interpret and evaluate them and then act on them. Cutting through the positive spins of project reporting is a skill and by spending time listening you'll decipher the issues.

When talking to key individuals on both sides on a one to one basis are you getting conflicting information beyond the usual 'project pains'?

If the Systems Integrator is stating requirements are taking longer to nail down and your business side are saying it seems to be getting too complicated its time to revisit the scope and objectives and review the chief architects findings. It's likely that a key fundamental concept requires more business input than the project team are getting, but there may be other issues running a bit deeper in the project.

Some of the more common issues are

• Lack of familiarisation in core product being implemented

• Lack of business knowledge within project team

• Lack of documented as-is processes

• Lack of business buy-in

• Resource conflicts

• Ineffective decision making process

All of which are easy to resolve and will free up the bottlenecks. When the team are confident and productive then the results will come.

When was the last time you genuinely walked the floor, sat at someones desk and talked openly about the project?

Do it regularly enough and you'll cut through the standard individual issues and a pattern will emerge of where the important project issues are. You'll also find out the people on the project who aren't necessarily part of the reporting and management team who are the ones to seek out - they are always there - the senior tester or the business analyst or programmer who has more of a finger on the pulse of the project - seek them out and weigh up their opinions against the official reporting line.

As a secondary and very beneficial side effect of walking the floor - you'll find team members on the floor who have ideas and options which aren't floating to the surface for various reasons - find them, evaluate them and use them! It doesn't matter how many times you say your door is open or you are always available to talk, you need to go and seek out those gems. Be proactive!

But not everything you hear will be necessarily true or important - you'll need to find your own way of evaluating the real issues from the individual pains but that's management!

Projects always have growing pains, I'm as guilty as the next person for sweating the small stuff. Its a natural reaction to putting effort & energy into the creativity needed to sustain a systems integration programme. I've mentioned before in previous articles about taking a reset - if a particular issue is grinding the programme down - it needs dealt with, regardless of the importance. It may be a minor issue but if the programme has bogged down in its resolution its your job to evaluate the options and push through the decision.

Why projects get tripped up over the small things is because they take a disproportionate amount of energy to resolve - they become a distraction to the smooth running of the project. Get your SI to flag them up to you regularly through your programme and project governance process and take the time to understand them - that way when you make a decision its based on facts and you can swiftly and decisively push the project on and enable the creative team energy to focus on the big issues - the ones which really matter to the business.

So how do you live with your SI?

In an earlier post I stated that I have often heard System Integrators say that the client just doesn't understand them. If the key people all share the key objectives, all care about the business and want a meaningful and longterm relationship then it should be a marriage made in heaven. Unfortunately after the honeymoon the cracks will appear. Communication, understanding and a little give and take will work wonders for a relationship. Working together is much more productive than working against each other, but it doesn't always mean everyone is always right! Get your vendor management right and know your team on both sides - find the strengths and weaknesses, drive your programme governance and focus on delivering.

Keep planning!