5 questions to ask yourself before embarking on a major project!

Too often I’ve heard business leaders say they need to “implement a CRM / ERP / HRIS” or “adopt a cloud platform”. Unfortunately these statements are not business objectives, they are solutions in search of a reason to exist.

⚠️ Definitely don’t let a solution dictate your need!

This rush masks the real questions: What problem are you trying to solve? What business improvement do you want to achieve? And why?

Thinking at the outset of a project is critical, especially in light of the success rate of such projects (which apparently has not improved in over a decade):

• 4 out of 5 buyers of an integrated solution are dissatisfied with the result
• 2 out of 3 are considered failures
• 1 in 2 takes longer than expected and/or exceeds budget
• 2 out of 5 generate generalized dysfunctions at the operations level
• 1 in 5 reap more than half of the expected benefits

My advice: To avoid drift, ask yourself these 5 questions:

1. Are you falling into the “miracle technology” syndrome?

To copy your competitor or your neighbor at any cost, without any real justification, is a very bad strategy. Even if they are comparable, not all solutions are the same, nor are all companies. A good solution for your neighbor is not necessarily appropriate for you, your organization and the achievement of your business objectives. You should not aim to deploy a CRM, you should aim to improve your customer relationship management and sales!

2. Have you done your homework to identify your business needs, success criteria and risks before you start?

It is critical to clearly identify your essential requirements to achieve your business objectives and your desirable criteria before you even identify the solution. Jumping too quickly into the selection process, or worse, acquiring a solution simply on the basis of a reference, usually leads to costly mishaps. Have you clearly established how the solution you are looking for will contribute to optimizing your operations and production (ERP), your sales and your relationship with your customers (CRM), or with your employees (HRIS)? Also how it will impact other areas of your business?

3. Is your project driven by your IT department or is it “pulled” by your business lines?

Unless technology is really at the heart of your business, IT’s role should always be limited to optimizing support for business and operational activities. If your project is not anchored by a rationale derived from specific business line objectives, you need to pause and go back to doing your homework. Above all, don’t buy a “cloud” just because it’s fashionable!

4. Do you have the means to achieve your ambitions and do your key resources have the required availability?

It is common to underestimate the cost, time, effort and stress level that comes with large projects. A project cannot be delivered by committee, nor can it be delivered in “wasted time” and it is always subject to discovery and the unexpected. Many clients tell me at the end of a project that they could never have anticipated the amount of time they had to invest to make their project a success. A successful project often requires at least 50% of the time of your experts and project leaders in terms of communication, mobilization and change management, regardless of their hierarchical level!

5. Do you have a strong case for the degree of disruption your project is likely to cause?

If you can’t clearly explain and convince that it will be better afterwards, you are unlikely to get your management to authorize more funding for overages and your employees to agree to change their work habits.

✅ Clarify YOUR CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS according to YOUR CONTEXT, as well as the conditions necessary for success, and ask yourself these 5 essential questions before choosing a solution and launching a project. While there are other factors that can affect the success of your project, failing to answer each of the above 5 points puts your project at high risk of failure.

Being ill-prepared, poorly organized, or implementing a solution that is ill-suited to your reality, can quickly turn into a nightmare as well as losing key employees in its wake!

To avoid blind spots, it is usually best to be accompanied by a consultant who has a lot of experience with this type of large project.

 

This article was originally published on LinkedIn in November 2021.