Successfully delivering IT projects is a tough task, with the vast majority of initiatives ending either in outright disaster or simply not delivering the promised benefits despite the cost, time, and significant effort put in. Too often, the root cause of failures can be traced back to the approach taken for managing the project.
Most organisations don’t deliver major IT projects as part of their routine operations and so don’t have the skills or experience in-house to ensure success, and during the delivery of an expensive, mission-critical IT project is not the time to be learning by doing.
As projects are by their nature temporary initiatives with a definite end goal, it is advisable to utilise an external Project Manager to guide efforts to successful outcomes. A strong Project Manager, skilled and experienced in all aspects of IT projects can ensure that the job gets done.
Establishing Projects
It is essential to understand what your project is hoping to achieve from the outset. Minnock Technologies can assist by acting as an independent and trusted advisor, helping to define the goals and benefits to be delivered and crafting a clear and meaningful business case that specifies the outcomes to be realised and what is realistically required to get the project done.
Minnock Tech utilises proven approaches to managing IT projects off all sizes tailored to the situation at hand. Where outcomes can be clearly defined, the formal PRINCE2 methodology is applied, and for projects in changing environments like software development, Agile approaches like Scrum and Kanban are utilised.
With a solid business case and a well-defined approach suitable for the nature of the project, Minnock Tech can help to get the project underway.
Building Teams
In the ever-changing world of technology, different skills are required in order to deliver successful outcomes. Building teams that can make project goals a reality takes a deep understanding of the technical aspects of the project as well as a balanced approach to assessing the skills available both in-house and in the wider market, augmenting with training or additional resources as appropriate without major disruption being a key element to putting a team in place that you can be confident will deliver above expectations.
Establishing how teams will work is of major importance, with clear ways of working able to remove unnecessary complexity and delays from projects. Getting to grips with team communications patterns and preventing blockers before they happen can increase the speed at which tasks get completed and dramatically improve the morale of the team.
Knowing when to use Agile approaches when working with teams as well as when to use more structured methods really help to set patterns for delivering early and under budget.
Delivering Success
Getting technical projects across the line needs solid communications, well documented processes, and a keen eye for pitfalls and risks. Minnock Technologies provides a suite of documentation and communications for every project undertaken, from high level roadmaps to define the art of the possible, well thought through project plans to keep the initiative on track, timeline visualisations to communicate progress at a glance, and onto risk and communications registers and task backlogs, essential communications and documents aid teams in making the benefits of projects into something you can be sure will be delivered under budget and ahead of time.
Projects Delivered
Minnock Technologies has been privileged to lead the delivery of some amazing technical projects, including:
- A complete migration to the AWS cloud enabling the closure of data centres for a major financial service institution.
- Transfer of services between cloud providers to enable access to improved tech for an automotive systems supplier.
- Large-scale data migration for a nationwide utilities service operator.
- Shop Floor Data Collection implementation for a multi-national manufacturing organisation.
- Development of an integrated insurance platform for a major brokerage.
- Network implementations for manufacturing and services organisations.
- Pre-IPO security enhancements for a leading eCommerce platform.
- Development of a scaled vehicle tracking platform for a specialised telematics provider.
- Implementations of finance and e-procurement systems for a number of public sector bodies.
Contact Minnock Technologies to discuss your Project Management needs and how we can help by emailing: martin@minnock.ie
Please see our Training Services Page for details of how Minnock Technologies can help you build skills in this area within your team or organisation.