Andrew Lewis

Digital Content Delivery Manager Victoria and Albert Museum, London

linkd.in/andrewlewis

Technology projects - What could possibly go wrong?

November 2012

Today’s mission...

To reflect on types of recurring problems in tech projects

To leave with some ideas for your strategies to defend against them

Format of this session

• Review common technology project blockers

• Describe some broad types of issue

• Share experience of approaches & tactics

• Audience participation

• Questions

NOT in this session

• Not project management theory

• Nor detailed descriptions of change theory

• Nowhere near enough time –

Feel free to ask me stuff afterwards

First, some theory...

What is the nature of technology projects?

The’re tricky!

OK, some theory...

Force Field Analysis (after Kurt Lewin)

ProblemsOrganisational technology

gaps

Trying to copy success

Executive override

Personal opinion

No access to gatekeepers

Technical language confusion

Digitizing the analogue

Brand control freakery

Interdependence

Launching is succeeding

Failing to design support

Measuring success at launch

Performance

Dependence on key skilled staff

Building technology not services

Multiple suppliers

Poor scoping

Scope creep

The stagesof a project

Need itDesign itBuild it

Embed it (or stop it)

Sustainability

Product/Service

Integration

Scoping

GovernanceStakeholders

Wake up – it’s audience participation time

Solutions to governance issues

Neigh-sayers

Executive override

Unrepresentativepersonal opinion

Brand control-freakery

SCOPE CREEP

Free money

Joint projects

Lack of agreementon aims

Have a technology strategy

Only accept money that

supports your strategy

Define your technology governance

process

Define and later defend your terms of

reference

Be clear about responsibiliti

es

Document your sign off

Be strategic about leading partnerships

Do a powerholder/gatekeeper review

Unilateral tech decision making

Solutions to integration issues

Data formats don’t mix

Multiple suppliers

Dependence on uncontrolled tech

Diverse technologies don’t talk

Maintenance demand becomes too large

Key staff in the process are not able to deliver

Scope against your technical strategy

Define your standards

Have a technology road map

Rationalise your technology

platform

Go modular/incremental

Use data driven models

Include staff structural changes needed in your

spec/TOR

Solutions to sustainability issues

Scoping on non-representative prototype

Measuring success at launch

Building bespoke software

Project staff leave who have critical knowledge

Not scoping ongoing costs for staff and support

Reliance on obsolete technologies

Managing in-house

Review and Rationalise portfolio

Data driven model

as default

Have a strategy for bespoke development versus off-the-

shelf

Conduct load testing

Define product lifespan in scoping

Review what can be outsourced

as a commodity (e.g. Cloud)

Test for platform or vendor lock-in

Require a business

model

Solutions to avoid making rubbish services

Uncertainty of technological trends

Digitizing the analogue

Building technology not services

No-one uses the service/product

Trying to copy success

Thinking you’re special

Format dependence

Believing your views represent your

audience’s

Faster, smaller changes

Understand and involve your users

Short planning cycles

Define lifespan

Use betas and piloting

Require data to substantiate claims

Define success in advance

Solutions to scoping issues

Technical language confusion

Delays in agreeing requirements

Trying to do everything

Failure to plan for maintenance

Building bigger better versions of what you already have

Make business

case

Short planning

cycles

Keep requirementsfunctional not specific

Be clear about sign-off

Scope within your technology strategy

Define the maintenance responsibility and revenue

budget

Solutions to stakeholder issues

Unrepresentative personal preferences

Late requests for amendments

Resistance to change

User expectations are not achievable

Technical language confusion

User expectations are not achievable

Establish good staff relationships

Do user testing

Be clear about your strategy

Use audience behaviour data evidence

Communicate strategically

Identify where the real power lies

Develop deflection tactics

Variation in interpretation

Examples

Sustainability

V&A website landscape March 2012

Governance

Incremental continuous development

Evidence-based communication

Facebook

Email newsletter

Site promotional module

All

Twitter

Today’s mission...

To reflect on types of recurring problems in tech projects

To leave with some ideas for your strategies to defend against them

Andrew Lewislinkd.in/andrewlewis@rosemarybeetle

MCN 2012