Troubled IT Projects: Prevention and Turnarounds
An explanation of the 40 root causes of troubled IT projects, and how they can be avoided at each stage.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Troubled IT Projects: Prevention and Turnarounds
Chapter 6: Engaging the Potential Buyer and Bid Planning
Introduction
| I once responded to a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a software strategy study. The potential Buyer provided a national, mainframe-based service. The RFP was clear about what was required; the potential Buyer was seeking advice on the best dbms and software development environment (SDE) on which to base the redevelopment of the applications providing the service. I sketched out the shape of a study, starting with a phase to capture and prioritise the demands of the applications and then evaluating available dbms/ SDE products against these criteria. I proposed to use Smith s Triangle of Needs , a device I had used successfully before, modelled on Maslow s Triangle of Needs for the human condition. In this case, the triangle would show the dbms/SDE needs imposed by the applications of the new system with the most fundamental at the bottom and the nice to have needs at the top. As the existing hardware platform would need replacing and this was a government procurement, it would be important for the dbms/SDE to be an open software platform to allow competition for the hardware sale. I discussed my outline approach with a senior colleague who was planning to lead the study. He had also sketched out an approach to the work, which involved investigating the memory utilisation, CPU loading and disc channel capacity of the existing mainframe and making recommendations for a hardware upgrade. He felt that if the current applications could be made to run better, the Buyer could postpone the... |
Copyright The Institution of Electrical Engineers 2001 under license agreement with Books24x7
