Vecta Consulting

Vecta on Rescuing Runaway Software System Projects

Complex software systems often fail to realise their potential, costing far more than expected in time and other resources.

Why?

What can be done to minimise the risks?

Complex software systems can, and usually do, fail for many of these reasons:

poor definition or evolution of the customer's success factors
unsound estimation of required resources due to inadequate relevant prior experience
inadequate understanding of the interaction and interdependence of development tasks
insufficient management attention
ineffective progress instrumentation obscured by "smokescreen" reporting
weak change management
poor monitoring and control of third parties

Overrun pre-conditions exist in all major software system projects:

complexity

components from multiple vendors are often combined with purpose-specific software with execution on multiple platforms

cost

funding for the project may have been under-estimated and may over-stretch the finances of the host company

location

distance between suppliers and deployment location reduces the availability and effectiveness of on-site presence

novelty

uncharted territory may give an advantage but may also carry a penalty

scale

scale inherently adds complexity and uncertainty

Complex projects are sometimes necessary; however objective care should be taken to expose and monitor the risks, especially once any cost, performance or timescale milestones begin to slip. Vecta can help you avoid these problems and, even if you are in deep, help you extricate yourself in a value-effective way.

Our Operations Experts Network is dedicated to exploring developments in process automation and enterprise integration. This involves projecting the evolution of enterprise and plant level functionality and identifying strategic business needs. It also requires identifying issues related to supplier and partner selection.

Our extended network ensures we have the expertise to help you solve just about any business or technology problem.

What is your challenge? Andy.Booth@vecta5.com

Vecta Consulting Limited, Mulberry House, 2 The Spinney,
Cottenham, CAMBRIDGE, CB24 8RN
Tel: +44 (0) 1954 250222, Fax: +44 (0) 1954 252333

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