19 September 2010
Mission Creep
23/09/10 20:53
I had an interesting reminder today of how sometimes technical folks run off with a project without first clearly understanding what the project is for. We get so wrapped up in the cool new goodies that the project suffers from “Mission Creep”.
There is a real temptation to try all of the latest technical goodies without consideration to the:
- Cost of maintaining the new technology.
- Complexity of keeping the technology managed.
- Security issues it creates.
- Actual user benefit.
Without consideration for the mission the project is in jeopardy.
Before starting ANY project make sure there is a clear mission statement, that users are on board and management is behind it! Let the need drive the technology and not the other way around.
Not to be a stick in the mud. Technology is cool, but it needs to be useful, especially in a tight economy. Everything needs to be cost justified with real numbers showing a real return on investment. Oh yes, be sure to include the Human Factor!
The Human Factor
23/09/10 20:52 Filed in: Work
So often we get wrapped up in the numbers of business that we often forget the reason we are in business. I am not including the companies that focus on profit instead of providing to the value chain or services.
It is so easy to get caught up in the normal Return On Investment (ROI) schema that we often forget the value of “warm fuzzies” or the Human Factor (Hu). Hu can be defined as:
- Perception of the product, service or project.
- The need to experience something new.
- The sensation (5 senses) that come into play.
- Competition, to have what others want.
Quite often we do not include or discount the Hu factor in our decision making process. As the definition of Hu matures, there someday may be a way to “hard-code” a value and make it easier to incorporate into decisions. But for now, just be aware of Hu and respect its value to your clients.