Successfully execute IT projects by using integrated project plans and standards for measurements

Chapter four of CMMI for Outsourcing: Guidelines for Software, Systems, and IT Acquisition outlines how to execute projects using integrated project plans and standards for measurement. It covers how to manage uncertainty and risk, how to transition to operations, and how to implement ongoing maintenance and support. In this excerpt from that chapter, explore the following insider tips on successfully delivering technology solutions:

• Engage users early and often.
• Throughout the project, frequently expose the technology solution to its intended environment.
• Define skill and capability profiles of the users who will participate in user acceptance testing.
• Consistently enforce rigorous, time-tested validation steps.
• Maximize setup work for deploying technology solutions.
• Thoroughly test and pilot training materials.
• For effective training, combine different types and delivery mechanisms.
• Open mandatory communication channels for all stakeholders during go-live of the technology solution.
• Contractually establish that any significant error found during warranty causes the warranty period to start over.

Title: CMMI for Outsourcing: Guidelines for Software, Systems, and IT Acquisition
ISBN: 0321477170
Published: March 2007
Authors: Hubert F. Hofmann, Deborah K. Yedlin, John W. Mishler, Susan Kushner
Chapter: Chapter 4: Delivering Solutions
Published by Addison Wesley Professional