IT_project_rescue

	Home	Information Sources	Training & Seminars	About Btt

System Development - Project Rescue

This is an extract from a testimonial by the Head of European MIS at that time, for Compaq Computer Corporation. It talks about related to the rescue work on a large, troubled, system development project.

To whom it may concern.

Chris Dale came to Compaq Computer GmbH in early 1991 to rescue what was in danger of becoming a runaway system, one which had been required for some time but for a number of reasons had been neither constructed well nor looked like meeting the customers' criterion of satisfying his requirements nor my criteria of timeliness and cost effectiveness.... the project is now drawing to its conclusion, with its major goal successfully achieved, that of giving the customer what he wants.

Here are a couple more extracts from the testimonial which was describing the project management of the team of mixed-nationality software professionals who were somewhat under pressure from a slightly unhappy User community...

...As Manager of Compaq's European Information Management department, I have worked with many in-house professional staff and a sufficient number of Consultants to be able to judge their specific merits. I am more than pleased to write that I have found Chris to be a most constructive, goal oriented, customer-service driven, motivated, listening Professional. I have been able to treat him as one of my sounding boards on business/systems direction within the company and have been impressed with the speed of his understanding, his ability to interpret rapidly and his sensibility to the nuances of working in a sometimes difficult environment.

...Chris's strengths lie in his ability to think abstractly and laterally, while keeping the main direction of the requirements in focus, his ability to transfer that thinking into documents that stand the test of time and deep scrutiny and his ability to maintain the appropriate distance from the subject at hand, when "all around are losing theirs". Added to these is his sense of humour, very British, when delivering information to interested parties, which comes across very well.

A further testimonial by Software 92 plc for this assignment, was provided. (to be added)

Corollary

The btt methods used in this engagement were primarily concerned with: -

re-establishing the project objectives
rethinking the business priorities
redesigning/restructuring the project using evolutionary delivery and then...
reengineering and redeveloping the system.

By taking a different view, we were able to find ways of delivering useful results early and frequently, to what had become, understandably, a disillusioned User community and their even-more sceptical management. This approach allowed us to radically improve the relationships with the project stakeholders/customers and deliver the system. The engagement developed in to further work with Compaq Computer.

________________________________________

Back: btt Client Work Next: testimonial by Software 92 plc (to be added)