This virus has taught us many things, that we aren’t really prepared for a global pandemic, that working from home is largely possible for everyone, that drops is pollution would be huge if we changed our lifestyles somewhat and that humanity is made up of lots of wonderful people and a still substantial chunk of idiots.
One lesson that has been surfacing is that in this time where ‘new’ technology is being rapidly deployed, organisations all around the world are removing corporate blockers, doing away with red tape and bureaucracy, and making decisions much more purposefully.
As someone who has been involved in projects of all kinds, all over the world and from the very small to the very large, this really is showing what can be done when minds are focussed and not diluted by unnecessary project governance. It also highlights massively how many obstacles and much process is put in the path of an organisation by themselves. Maybe this is time for CTOs and business leaders alike to have a look at just how inefficient their IT projects actually are.
Yes, of course you need governance around a project and yes you need business involvement, but take a step back and look at what is being achieved right now by people being tasked to ‘take advice and make a decision’ or ‘make it happen’. This isn’t about cutting corners, it is about removing excess bloat from the project process. Do you really need all these people to make a decision? Think how much quicker projects would be delivered, how much time and effort would be saved, how much more cost effective it is to deliver a project in weeks rather than months.
Organisations, big and small, are making things happen in a fraction of the time, projects that would have taken months are being delivered in weeks or days. So why isn’t this the norm? Simple, nobody takes the time to review how efficient/ inefficient their projects are, and project decisions get made (or not made) by committee.
To all business leaders and CTO/ CIOs etc out there. Don’t just look at this as doing a quick and dirty project to achieve a short term end goal, look at how much of the project governance you employ is really necessary and how project decisions are made. Fresh eyes now will allow you to be far more agile in the future.
Comments