HOW TO CONDUCT AN IT PROJECT IF YOU ARE NOT AN IT WORKER (Part 1)?
Within an IT project, the customer acts as a conductor, determining the goals and directions of the team’s work. However, lack of technical knowledge can lead to difficulties and misunderstandings. This article is intended to help customers without a technical background effectively manage IT projects.
Below I propose to consider the main stages of an IT project and what actions need to be taken at each of them.
Project initiation – determine or prove the need for the project and its viability.
Identify problems or opportunities.
Develop a business case and justification for the project.
Define goals and expected results.
Appoint a project manager.
Allocate initial budget and resources.
Result: Approval of the project and permission for its further planning.
Project planning – develop a detailed action plan to achieve the project goals.
Collect and analyze requirements.
Determine the scope of work (Scope).
Decompose the work.
Evaluate resources and time.
Develop a project schedule.
Plan your budget and costs.
Identify risks and develop a plan to manage them.
Develop a communications plan.
Result: An approved project plan that serves as a guide for the team.
Requirements analysis and definition – carefully collect and document all requirements for the system or product.
Conduct interviews and surveys with users and stakeholders.
Analyze business processes and determine requirements.
Describe the requirements.
Agree requirements with all stakeholders.
Result: Functional requirements that serve as the basis for further development.
System design – create an architectural and technical solution that meets the requirements.
Develop the system architecture.
Define non-functional requirements.
Design databases and interfaces.
Identify technologies and development tools.
Create UI prototypes and mockups.
Prepare technical documentation.
Result: Detailed system design and architecture ready for the development phase.
Development and programming – implement a system or product in accordance with the approved requirements and in accordance with the chosen approach and architecture.
Write the source code.
Develop parts of the system.
Implement integration of various parts of the system.
Implement integration with other systems.
Conducting internal testing by developers (unit testing).
Result: A working version of a system or product, ready for testing.
Testing and verification – ensure the quality and compliance of the system with established requirements.
Develop test plans.
Conduct various types of testing (functional, integration, load, security).
Register and correct detected defects.
Confirm compliance with requirements.
Result: A proven and stable version of the system, ready for implementation.
Implementation and Deployment – put the system into operation and ensure its availability to users.
Prepare the infrastructure and operating environment.
Migrate data (if necessary).
Install and configure the system on a production environment.
Train users and administrators.
Conduct pilot use and collect feedback.
Result: The system has been successfully implemented and is available for use.
Operation and support – ensure smooth operation of the system and user satisfaction.
Monitor system operation.
Provide technical support to users.
Manage incidents and problems.
Release updates and fixes.
Perform backup and archiving.
Constantly improve functionality.
Result: Stable operation of the system and satisfaction of user needs.
Completion of the project – formally close the project and sum up the results.
Conduct final analysis and evaluation of results.
Prepare reports on meeting deadlines, budget and quality.
Record your experiences and lessons learned.
Conduct official project closure and release of resources.
Result: The project is complete, all goals have been achieved or deviations have been documented.
Additional aspects:
Risk management: Conducted at all stages of the project to identify, assess and mitigate potential risks.
Change Management: Includes processes for handling requests for changes to requirements or scope of work.
Communication and reporting: Regularly informing stakeholders about project status, problems and achievements.
Quality: Continually ensure that the product meets established standards and expectations.
Understanding the project goals and requirements
Start with a clear understanding of what problems you want to solve and what opportunities you want to open. There is often confusion between project goals and objectives. It is important to clearly distinguish between these concepts.
Project goals are the general and final results that the customer seeks to achieve through the implementation of the project. They describe the desired state after a job is completed.
Project objectives are the specific steps and actions required to achieve the goals. They detail the project implementation process.
Write down your main goals, objectives and expected results.
Example
When I'm faced with automation for companies with a large volume of paper HR documents that are planning to move to electronic HR, I need to define the expected results.
In this case, the general Goal of the project can be formulated as: “Improving the efficiency of personnel process management through the implementation of an electronic personnel document management system.”
Defining and detailing project goals
Reduce processing time for personnel documents by 50%
Problem: Long processes of coordination and approval of documents.
Target: Speed up processes by automating and eliminating paperwork.
Tasks:
Analyze current HR processes.
Collect and formalize functional requirements.
Optimize approval routes.
Select a suitable information system or platform.
Implement a system or platform for electronic approval of personnel documents.
Set up automatic notifications and reminders.
Train staff to use the new system.
Reduce paper and consumable costs by 70%
Problem: High costs for printing, storing and destroying paper documents.
Target: Transition to electronic document management to save resources.
Tasks:
Translate personnel documents into electronic format.
Implement electronic signatures.
Organize electronic archiving.
Improve accessibility of documents for employees
Problem: Employees do not have quick access to their personnel documents due to the territorial distribution of departments.
Target: Provide online access to personal documents through a self-service portal.
Tasks:
Develop or select a self-service portal.
Ensure secure access to personal data.
Develop integration with existing personnel accounting systems.
Train employees to use the portal.
Making a list of desired features
Electronic signing of documents. The use of an electronic digital signature (EDS) is necessary to ensure the legal significance of electronic documents.
Automation of approval and approval processes. Provide customizable notification routes.
Integration with the existing personnel accounting system (HRM system). Ensuring seamless data exchange between systems.
Secure storage and archiving of documents. Compliance with the requirements of legislation on personal data.
Employee access to personal documents through the portal. Possibility of applying for leave, obtaining certificates, etc.
Requirements prioritization
Adding specific tasks after each goal allows you to more clearly visualize the path to achieving the desired results. This contributes to:
Improved project planning – Clearly defined tasks make it easier to develop action plans and allocate resources.
Increased transparency – all project participants understand what steps need to be taken to achieve goals.
Improved communication – having detailed tasks facilitates discussion and agreement with the team and stakeholders.
The goals, objectives and requirements collected in this way will provide a solid basis for further stages of the project, including development, implementation and evaluation of results. Your active role in this process will ensure that the final product meets the organization's expectations and needs.
Communication with the team
When you understand the main and indirect goals of the project, you need to explain to your working group: project manager, analysts, developers, testers, etc., what exactly you want. It is important to effectively communicate your needs and ideas to the team. Establishing clear and understandable communication with each team member is critical.
Possible roles on the project and how to communicate with them:
Stakeholders
Responsibilities: Individuals or groups of people with an interest in the project (investors, department heads, end users).
Communication: Communicate project milestones and achievements. Consider their opinions when making key decisions. Manage expectations and report on resources used.
Project Manager
Responsibilities: Planning, execution and completion of the project; coordination of team work; control of deadlines and budget.
Communication: Hold regular meetings to discuss progress and issues that arise. Having defined goals and objectives, it is necessary to estimate the amount of work and the required resources. This will allow you to set realistic timelines and budget for the project. Working closely with the project manager will help develop a detailed action plan. This will help you set a realistic timeline and budget for the project. I previously wrote about IT project budgets here
Business Analyst
Responsibilities: Understanding the business processes and needs of the organization; collection and analysis of requirements.
Engagement: Describe your business processes, goals, and challenges in detail. Use real examples and scenarios. A business analyst will help structure ideas and determine the necessary functions to achieve business goals.
System Analyst
Responsibilities: Translation of business requirements into technical specifications; determination of technologies and architectural solutions.
Interaction: Discuss technical aspects of project implementation. Ask questions about the functioning of the system and ask for complex points to be explained in clear language.
Developer
Responsibilities: Creates a software product based on technical specifications.
Communication: Provide clear requirements through the project manager and analysts. In most cases, direct interaction with developers is not required. If the need arises, respect their expertise and ask specific questions.
Tester (QA Engineer)
Responsibilities: Checks the product for compliance and errors.
Interaction: Indicate which aspects of the product are most important. Collaboratively develop use cases to focus on key system elements.
User Interface Designer (UI/UX Designer)
Responsibilities: develops the appearance and usability of the product.
Interaction: Share preferences and expectations. Provide examples and give constructive feedback on mockups and prototypes.
System Administrator / DevOps Engineer
Responsibilities: Providing infrastructure and product deployment.
Collaboration: Discuss system performance and security requirements. Ask questions about reliability and infrastructure support plans.
General tips for effective communication with your team:
Establish regular communication channels, e.g. use meetings, both online and offline, email and/or instant messengers for constant communication.
Be open and approachable and encourage your team to ask you questions and share ideas.
Use visualizations such as charts, diagrams, tables, pictures, screenshots and prototypes – this will help to better convey your ideas.
Avoid technical jargon, if you are not sure of the terms, it is better to explain in your own words.
Clarify and ask again, because there is nothing wrong with asking for clarification of an unclear point.
Understanding project roles and effective communication with each team member is the key to the successful implementation of your IT project. Even without a technical background, you can make a significant contribution by setting clear expectations and maintaining open dialogue.
Feedback and quality control
When a project is well underway, it is important to remember to regularly check the quality of work and get feedback from your team. Conduct daily or weekly meetings or collect status reports. It is advisable to book time with all participants in the process in advance for the entire duration of the project and reschedule meetings only in extreme cases. This approach allows you to discipline the team and consistently receive structured information on time. Use modern communication tools to quickly interact with work group members. Your team may offer valuable insights or spot bugs that you missed for some reason. This will help you maintain the quality of your work at a high level and achieve the desired result. Nowadays, meetings in online conferences are widespread at any convenient time, both together and separately with each member of the working group.
Online conference options
To be continued!
Author: Daria Novoselova, IT-manager
