The common view of IT is that projects are notoriously late, over budget and fail to meet customer's expectations. These outcomes are supported by the Standish Group's CHAOS long standing 1994 report. In his article Robin Goldsmith examines what is really behind the Standish Group's 'statistics' and reveals some additional 'truths' about the state of IT. Most projects' schedules and budgets are not well founded to begin with so the issue of being late or over budget is not as critical an issue as learning what really causes projects to fail. (7 pages)
ROI is intended to provide valid and objective information for making business decisions. However, not quantifying the intangible benefits leaves a gap in the ROI analysis that can lessen the value of the calculation. In this article Robin Goldsmith discusses the Problem PyramidTM which can be used to identify the real value of the business requirements. The combination of the Problem PyramidTM and ROI Value ModelingTM can prevent projects which may seem like good business ideas but whose benefits really won't pay off. The article is also available along with reader feedback commentary at the following site which requires free registration http://www.requirementsnetwork.com/node/735 (8 pages)
Low-overhead software process improvement initiatives can offer significant benefits compared with the more formal branded initiatives. In this article Robin Goldsmith reveals the key to identifying the 'low hanging fruit' improvement issues. Short cut approaches provide benefits by forgoing analysis and effectively and efficiently implementing known best practices. (9 pages)
Discovering Real Business Requirements for Software Project Success by Robin Goldsmith
From Amazon: "While a number of books on the market deal with software requirements, this is the first resource to offer you a methodology for discovering and testing the real business requirements that software products must meet in order to provide value. The book provides you with practical techniques that help prevent the main causes of requirements creep, which in turn enhances software development success and satisfaction among the organizations that apply these approaches. Complementing discovery methods, you also learn more than 21 ways to test business requirements from the perspectives of assessing suitability of form, identifying overlooked requirements, and evaluating substance and content. The powerful techniques and methods presented are applied to a real business case from a company recognized for world-class excellence. You are introduced to the innovative Problem PyramidTM technique which helps you more reliably identify the real problem and requirements content. From an examination of key methods for gathering and understanding information about requirements, to seven guidelines for documenting and communicating requirements, while avoiding analysis paralysis, this book is a comprehensive, single source for uncovering the real business requirements for your software development projects."
For more information on software best practices and IT management, please contact Michael Milutis, the IT Metrics and Productivity Journal Executive Director, at michael_milutis@compaid.com
