requirements
#3: You asked the tourist for directions
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 | EIM, Project Direction, SPM, Top 'n' Lists, Top 5 Mistakes Collecting SPM / EIM Project Requirements, large projects, requirements | No Comments
#3 of 5: Top 5 Mistakes Collecting SPM / EIM Project Requirements
It’s important to identify the true subject matter experts and speak to them. There are a lot of tourists roaming the streets eager to share what they know. Tourists have read all the guides and made a couple of day trips. They know more than you and they can sound very confident, but beware, they don’t live here. They don’t know that 5th Street is a one-way going south of Elm or that the Bob’s Big Boy landmark they’re using burned down two months ago. You need a native to give you details; only a native knows everything. At companies, there are many tourists roaming the halls with abundant enthusiasm and misinformation.
The Problem
Once again we like to pull information from those willing to give it. A fundamental problem with this approach is that it’s often the busiest and least available individuals to whom we really need to speak. I learned my lesson the hard way. This is a true story.
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- #2: You painted the wall from bottom to top - JasonKearns
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#2: You painted the wall from bottom to top
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 | EIM, Project Direction, Top 'n' Lists, Top 5 Mistakes Collecting SPM / EIM Project Requirements, large projects, requirements | No Comments
#2 of 5: Top 5 Mistakes Collecting SPM / EIM Project Requirements
It is possible to collect requirements out of order, and it often happens. Just like painting a wall, there is some strategy involved. When you paint, you typically want to start at the top and work your way down. The reason is simple, drips. Even the most experienced painters aren’t going to be able to prevent all drips, streams and splatters. As you coat the wall you inevitably get streams of paint running down via gravity. If you are painting from top to bottom, it’s no big deal. You just paint over and smooth out the drips as you work your way down. But if you are painting from bottom to top, you have a problem. In order to smooth out the drips you have to go back and re-brush some areas that have already been covered. This amounts to a lot of wasted time and effort.
The Problem
When things get done out of order, it’s usually for good reason. Human nature is to do what you can, as soon as you can, with the least amount of effort. When you painted your first wall you probably started at eye level. You don’t have to bend over and you don’t have to climb a ladder. When collecting requirements, it’s typical to start with the easiest and most readily available information. This wouldn’t be so bad if everything was fully documented and available from Day One. However, in most case this just means you schedule whoever is available and forthcoming. Beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to getting client subject matter expert (SME) time.
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#1: You took the buffalo for a walk
Monday, March 23rd, 2009 | EIM, SPM, Top 'n' Lists, Top 5 Mistakes Collecting SPM / EIM Project Requirements, large projects, requirements | 2 Comments
#1 of 5: Top 5 Mistakes Collecting SPM / EIM Project Requirements
You need to be in control and organized. And if you’ve ever tried to walk a buffalo, you can attest to the fact that you are not in control of that situation. In this metaphor, the buffalo is a requirements meeting without an agenda. They can definitely get away from you and cause a lot of damage along the way.
The Problem
Implementations have a natural order of events.
• Scoping/Budgeting
• Resource Selection/Planning
• Project Start
• Requirements
• Design
• Etc…
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- #2: You painted the wall from bottom to top - JasonKearns
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There’s Value in the Journey
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 | Compensation Plans, Project Direction, large projects, requirements | No Comments
We’ve all the heard of the Law of Unintended Consequences, that is that actions of people always have effects that are unanticipated or unintended. Although this term is typically used to describe government, I’m sure most of us have experienced it. Those of us in the realm of sales compensation know all about this Law. A move that seems beneficial one day can expose massive consequences the next. Conditions are always changing and you can debate decisions for weeks without truly understanding the impacts. But let’s not get too negative here. Why do all Unintended Consequences have to be “Consequences”? Many benefits can also come without warning. The world of R&D is teeming with examples of projects gone wrong leading to breakthroughs in unexpected areas. This kind of serendipity need not be reserved for those in white coats. We should all keep an eye out for the “good” in all this uncertainty. Most of us already agree that all decisions are temporary. That’s why a push to having more system flexibility is vital to having up to date and effective incentive plans.
The need for more flexibility usually leads to a new system altogether. This brings about the most critical decision of all… what do we build and how? So let’s do assessments, let’s do vendor selections, let’s diagram and hypothesize to our hearts content. ROI analysis needs to be done and the numbers have to work. Can we drop headcount? Can we reduce overpayment? What’s the value in turning around plan changes faster? How many hours per day will our sales force rededicate to selling when their reporting is better?
I love the early theorizing about a new system. There is always such optimism. Compensation Managers and Compensation Administrators are usually dying for some sort of relief from their current predicament. I love bringing that relief. I’ve been there and feel for them. That being said, it is rare that the final delivery of a system lives up to these initial dreams. No matter how “realistic” we try to be, the road to get a system up and running always takes a toll on scope and budget.
This is where I offer some encouragement. The Journey brings its own rewards. Often times, we focus so hard on the finish line and lose sight of what we’re learning every day. Take this list of tasks:
· Processes
o Document system workflow for compensation calculations.
o Document business operations workflow for compensation calculations.
o Define ideal skill sets and headcount for IT and business operations.
· Comp Plans
o Obtain catalog of current plan documentation.
o Devise method for managing plan change version control.
o Agree to SLA for turnaround on plan changes.
o Define all key data sources and data elements needed for current and future plan calculations.
· Reporting
o Discover true business critical end user reports and their requirements.
o Investigate need for ad-hoc analysis reporting.
o Define all key data sources and data elements needed for current and future compensation reporting.
· Testing
o Create test cases and methodically test calculation scenarios.
o Identify gaps in automated functionality and devise adjustment procedures that satisfy SOX.
All of these tasks are part of a typical systems implementation. Notice that none of them actually require the building of a new system. Yet, not many organizations can afford to spend time doing all of these tasks without the pretense of a large new system development. What is the value in doing all of these things? In many organizations these would be monumentally valuable especially if you start uncovering gross errors or if your lack of documentation is hurting your ability to handle turnover.
My point is to appreciate the Unintended Benefits of your project—not all unintended consequences need be negative. If you can find a way to predict these benefits, then an ROI case can be made; regardless, at the end of the day going through this process can improve your organization if you take proper advantage.
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