Four steps to success of software projects

Many business owners are frustrated with the performance of Information Technology in their business. To some, it is the reliability of the hardware and software, to others, it is the language of IT that gets them. They are trying to run their business and unless they are technicaly proficient, they get frustrated.

The real issue, though, is their sense of value and lack of control. They don't feel that they are getting as good a return on their investments and are frustrated that they can't seem to do anything about it.

This doesn't have to be the case. As a business owner, you don't have to be technically skilled, like you don't have to be a mechanic to drive a car.

The problem is that all of the focus is on the car. If you had to know how to repair a car before you could drive, most of us wouldn't drive. If most of us knew how to repair a car before we drove, car manufacturers wouldn't have to put any effort into preventing them from failing.

Unfortunately, computers haven't reached that place yet. Most computer technicians believe that everybody should be knowledgeable about computers, so they don't consider speaking business language.

In order to fix this problem, we have to change our attitudes. As business owners, we need to insist that software developers and companies focus on the business issues and not just on implementation of the software. If we ensure that they do this, we will increase the value that we receive, decrease the frustration and improve our business performance.

Where do we start?

My approach is to change the sequence. Often a business project that will require software, moves straight into the project development phase and all future focus is on the implementation of the software. This is the problem period and is the source of all future problems.

My approach goes through four steps:
1. Purpose
2. People
3. Process
4. Technology
Yes, technology is the last step. It may be the largest. It may be the longest. Many of the benefits can be received before the software is fully implemented. There are big benefits in the first three.

I will outline each of the steps and their benefits in future posts.