Scoping is good - it forces you to figure out how much time and effort will be spent on the consultants side as well as the client before work starts and lays it out front.
The article is missing something very important though, criteria of acceptance. This must be sorted up front otherwise everything can be delivered on the document - and still no payment and/or unhappy client.
I've been on lots of projects that have had major problems with payment despite meeting deliverable dates because of this.
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UAT (User Acceptance Testing) comes in as the last stage before product delivery to verify that all the business and functional requirements have indeed been met, and that the stakeholders are identified and sign-off on that fact.
Incorporating UAT into the project can save you a lot of grief when it comes to meeting customer expectations and getting paid!
Incorporating UAT into the project can save you a lot of grief when it comes to meeting customer expectations and getting paid!
Working with the Government, this template would be most useful. We already have a means for addressing the main contract, but once it gets rolling, the Government always comes through with "Do you think that while you're "on-site" you could also do this and that etc?" This would be most useful in these situations.
A PM was fired for giving the store away.
Thanks,
Javier
A PM was fired for giving the store away.
Thanks,
Javier
I noticed your comment about scope creep and agree that it can cause major headaches expecialy if you are trying to AVOID it instead of MANAGE it.
Scope creep is a good thing. Why? Because it allows you to deliver the best value to the customer. Most people can't think of everything they need done up front and have it nicely specified in a fixed, iron clad, document. So, instead of trying to do so, build in the flexibility of managing scope by simple negotiation like this:
Client - "You know, if we added this it would really make it work much better."
You - "Really, ok, let me estimate what that will take and then you can judge what other feature you would like to bump. Unless your willing to extend the project."
granted, somewhat crude example but, if you build this kind of thinking into your project you'll find that you end up delivering better business value to the customer while communicating the impact effectivly and letting them decide.
Oh, did I mention that your customer will be much happier and pleasant to work with? Its really a win-win situation.
Scope creep is a good thing. Why? Because it allows you to deliver the best value to the customer. Most people can't think of everything they need done up front and have it nicely specified in a fixed, iron clad, document. So, instead of trying to do so, build in the flexibility of managing scope by simple negotiation like this:
Client - "You know, if we added this it would really make it work much better."
You - "Really, ok, let me estimate what that will take and then you can judge what other feature you would like to bump. Unless your willing to extend the project."
granted, somewhat crude example but, if you build this kind of thinking into your project you'll find that you end up delivering better business value to the customer while communicating the impact effectivly and letting them decide.
Oh, did I mention that your customer will be much happier and pleasant to work with? Its really a win-win situation.
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