Who can I believe when everyone promises me different deadlines?
In a market with changing rules, whoever has to decide on a technological transformation project receives very diverse proposals, ranging from solving it in days to several years.
There are niche consulting firms that promise rapid results and large companies that offer surprisingly fast turnaround times and costs. Furthermore, the rules are constantly changing: nobody has a crystal ball, and what's the hottest tool today can be outdated in a matter of months.
The organizations that win are those that can adapt and understand these key aspects:
- Promises of timeframes vary from days to years: it is advisable to assess who can demonstrate value and sustain it.
- An initial quick win plus a milestone-based plan reduces pressure without promising the impossible.
- Flexible architecture and a support team are signs of a good provider.
- In large organizations, transformation requires agile decision-making and management support.
In this episode of “Off the record” we explore how to put together a project with clear milestones and concrete, visible results in the first few days.
Show fast, plan long
The combination that works today is Show value quickly and plan for the long term. That means a quick win A concrete plan in the first few days is needed to ease pressure from management and shareholders, along with a plan outlining milestones for what comes next. Those who only promise speed tend to make mistakes quickly, while those who only talk about lengthy processes risk becoming a hindrance. Furthermore, timelines are relative: with new technology, a project went from two months to a couple of weeks.
Flexibility and a supportive team
To evaluate a vendor, look for two indicators: they shouldn't tie the project to a single model, because versions and costs change, and they should include a team to maintain what's been implemented. The one who arrives quickly but abandons the operation is the first to run into problems.
In large organizations, business rules.
In large companies, a component change can take months to be approved, and that's no longer compatible with the pace of the market. The transformation has to be top-down, prioritizing business architecture over technology and adopting more agile decision-making. It's a change in mindset, not just in tools.
