We all know that database projects and other technical/IT projects often fail. They are never completed, the results fall far short of expectations, nobody uses the new application, and so on.
Why? At the end of the day, if we look beneath the surface-level issues, the main reason for database project failure — by far — is poor communication.
Case in point: If a project fails because of technical errors or deficiency, It’s either because the technical resources did not have the right skill set, or the requirements that they were working from were incorrect or incomplete.
If it’s the former, then there was a breakdown in communication between the resources and the project manager regarding the set of abilities that the resources have, or there was a breakdown between the project manager and the business analyst regarding what skill sets were needed for the project. If it’s the latter then there was a breakdown in communication between the business analyst and the project manager regarding what the overall system requirements were.
Another typical project failure involves missing deadlines. Typical causes of missing deadlines include resources not being available when needed, or the infrastructure not being ready when it was needed, or the business users not being ready when needed for testing or migration activities.
Again, in all of these cases the root cause is communication. If one of the parties is not ready when they need to be, it is either because they didn’t know when they would be needed, or they incorrectly stated their availability. If the infrastructure is not available when it is needed, then either the requirements or the deadline for the infrastructure were not properly communicated to the infrastructure team, or the infrastructure team miscommunicated their ability to get the work done in time.
If you look deeper and break down the presenting problems, in almost all cases the root cause of project failures is communication. Often the communication failures occur in the very beginning of the project, during the scoping and estimate or quotation process.
Here are 4 key approaches that I use to mitigate the significant risks to project success caused by poor communication:
- When asking someone for a decision on an important point, I always ask twice. If the two answers differ, I ask a third time. And I continue that process until the answers become consistent. If I receive the two different answers from two different critical stakeholders, I will find a reason to send a joint email or have a conversation with both present, and I will re-ask the question in hopes of gaining consensus. (Political sensitivity and tact is critical here… Perhaps that’s the subject of another blog post…)
- When nailing down an important decision, I follow up in writing to validate and underscore everyone’s understanding, especially for something for which I have received two different answers over time.
- I treat decisions differently than statements of fact. If I ask a client, “Do your customers connect directly to your database?”, this is a statement of fact. There is a right and wrong answer to this question, and it can be validated independently. However, if I ask the customer, “How many customers do you want the database to support in five years?”, this is a decision or a target. There is no right or wrong answer. This cannot be validated except by the same individual (assuming they are the decision-maker).
I treat statements of fact very differently from decisions/targets:- I validate a statement of fact in a variety of ways. I might look at the user accounts on the existing system, or I might ask someone else in the organization, or I might look at the application for clues.
- For decisions or targets, validation can be more difficult. As mentioned above, I ask at least twice for any decision that can impact the scope of the project. If the answers differ, or if I feel like the answer is not solid and may change (based on my client’s tone of voice, hesitation, inconsistencies with other statements or requests, or other factors), I will ask again until I am satisfied that the answer is solid.
- For all important points that can impact the project time or cost estimate, or the database design or implementation, I always validate them in one fashion or another before we act on them. And if I can’t validate them for some reason, I call them out separately as an assumption in the estimate or quote in order to bring it to the client’s attention and to the team’s attention, and then I mention it directly when reviewing the document with them.
To sum up: as you might expect, the antidote to poor communication is good communication. Especially going into a project, keep the above in mind. Get clarity and validate what you’re hearing. This will make you look good, your customers and technical team members will appreciate it, and your projects are much more likely to succeed.
To get optimum value and results from your database project investments, contact Buda Consulting.