In the last few years, I have often found myself researching application options and tools a customer is interested in. This usually starts with a suggested tool or two that they like (or have a few specific dislikes). Then I am asked to see what is available that is similar but better. The fruits of those little projects are a good start for this article and will likely surprise you. A Target-Rich Environment The first thing that jumps out at me …
Sooner or later we have to consider how to change our systems. This situation can come from growth in business, changes in technology (or requirements), or systems that have aged poorly. When we reach the point of deciding on a move we often have to decide on the incremental vs. all-in approach to achieve our goal. There are times when one choice or the other is obvious. However, I have found that we almost always have both of these options available. …
The amount of time spent on each step of the software development life cycle varies from project to project. However, the implementation phase is always the most significant portion. That means this is the area where projects can fail or succeed. We can ace all of the other steps in the life cycle, and a mediocre implementation will wipe out all that good work. Balance The Effort In my experience, the most impact during implementation is to try for a …
