IT projects rarely hit the wall with a huge bang. More often than not, they start to falter long before that, and anyone looking closely can spot the first warning signs. The IT service provider Avision has compiled nine typical statements that always crop up in IT projects when things are going seriously wrong.
Amidst kick-offs, coordination rounds and frantic status meetings, many projects develop a dynamic all of their own. Problems are all too easily put on the back burner, risks are downplayed, and a not-entirely-warranted optimism gradually replaces any sense of reality. Particularly striking: just before the crash, the same phrases often crop up time and again. Avision has compiled the classics in this category:
Before the project: On your marks, get set, fail!
“First of all, we need to get a complete overview of everything.”
It sounds responsible, but it’s often the best way to never get started. Whilst data is still being diligently gathered, the project is already on hold in people’s minds.
“First, we need a complete set of documentation setting out the technical requirements.”
Completeness sounds professional, but in complex IT projects it is often one thing above all else: theoretical. Whilst the last few special cases are still being documented, the requirements have long since changed again. Anyone who wants to wait until absolutely everything has been clarified before starting often gets off to a false start – or fails to make any headway at all.
“If we’re going to do this, we have to do it properly.”
It sounds sensible and is therefore rarely questioned. The problem is that what exactly “properly” actually means often remains surprisingly open to interpretation. The phrase quickly becomes the perfect excuse for postponing decisions further.
During the project: Stuck halfway through?
“I used the latest version there.”
A phrase that rarely heralds good news. Which new version? And suddenly everyone is working on a different one – just not the one they should be using.
“That’s how we’ve always done it.”
From a historical perspective, that’s certainly correct; from a technical perspective, however, it’s often the starting point for a considerable chain of errors. Routine is only helpful in an IT project if nothing changes. Spoiler: that never happens.
“We haven’t tested the data migration yet.”
A detail that’s often overlooked until the very last minute. That is, right up until the moment when it’s no longer a detail, but a major problem.
As the project draws to a close: a last-minute meltdown!
“We just need to change a few interfaces.”
“Just” is rarely reassuring in IT projects. More often than not, what lies behind it is: we’ve only just begun to understand the problem. Moreover, interfaces are not mere trifles; they are just as important as they are complex.
“We’ll test that later.”
‘Later’ is as optimistic as it is relative. Especially when that ‘later’ is just before go-live. Diagnosis: a classic case of procrastination.
“We’ll sort that out in production.”
Treating operations as a repair workshop: functional in theory, a poor idea strategically, and an operational disaster for those affected. Presumably the equivalent of the old building site adage: “The painter will sort out the rest.”
“Many of these phrases actually sound reasonable at first – and that’s precisely what makes them so dangerous,” says Nadine Riederer, Managing Director of Avision. “But they usually conceal procrastination, downplaying the issue or misjudgements. Anyone who spots these warning signs can still keep a cool head; after all, effective communication combined with countermeasures introduced in good time can still prevent a major disaster.”
This press release is also available at www.pr-com.de/de/avision.
Press contact
Avision GmbH
Christina Karl
Marketing
Bajuwarenring 14
D-82041 Oberhaching
Phone +49-89-623037-967
christina.karl@avision-it.de
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Melissa Gemmrich
Sendlinger-Tor-Platz 6
D-80336 München
Phone +49-89-59997-759
melissa.gemmrich@pr-com.de
