The
key to delivering successful projects is planning. Planning can also be done
for the pre-project
phase to get work done. Getting into the details of the customer
requirements and deriving the scope to be delivered is a key part of the
exercise. In one of the projects we did, we had an 11 month project
plan and managed to go live exactly on the date planned, without any delay.
In
the case of ERP projects where there is fair amount of customization, detailed
testing is the key and having independent testers who can test the work of
developers, as well as perform SIT, can work wonders.
The
usage of CRPs is very important to get the customer concurrence on the
processes and designs provided and have been proved to be very valuable in our case.
The relationship with the customer team is
paramount and having a good relationships across the board as well as
direct lines of communication are extremely helpful.
The
importance of getting the right team cannot be emphasized enough from the Project Manager to
the business analysts, developers and testers, each of whom have well-defined
skill sets and roles. It is the responsibility of the IT vendor to
motivate the team and ensure that any issues are resolved, which can help
result in a successful project, delighting
stakeholders and earning accolades for both the customer and vendor
organizations.