Requirements gathering the first big mistake.

Many seasoned project managers will start off a project by sending out his business analysis team to carry out requirement gathering.
Sometimes this is the right thing to do, in particular you should do this when you have a successful proven process that you want to automate using IT. Requirement gathering then educates the IT people responsible for system design (the features) on what they need to achieve.

This is a different scenario

Delivering benefits is no longer about getting a system signed off

(Who’s minding the shop?) This blog is an attempt to stimulate discussion and understanding of the balance of responsibility for delivering business benefits from IT investment. It is now fairly widely recognised that this is not as simple as choosing a system, getting it working and reaping the benefits, but as yet we can call … Read more

When is a business case not a business case (part two)

A key to building a rock solid business case is to understand the relationships between requirements, features, benefits and risks and to take a methodical approach to evaluating likely ROI as a key part of the process.