Many clients do not understand why they should pay for an up-front "scoping" exercise that does not directly result in software being delivered. "Scoping" allows both the software buyer and the software developer to get on the same page by establishing well-defined expectations for the outcome of the project. Proper scoping is crucial to a successful, on-time and on-budget software project.

 

To begin a scoping exercise, a Project Manager will identify the key people involved in defining and ultimately using the software product. The Software Project Manager meets with these stakeholders, documents the existing business processes, discusses ways in which the processes may be improved as a result of the proposed software project, and identifies any other functional requirements of the software. After the meetings are completed, the Project Manager creates a scoping document which describes the solution to be build based on the information gathered.

 

With a scoping document in hand, a software consultant is able to easily develop an effort estimate to implement the project. Scoping projects typically cost no more than 10% to 15% of the actual cost to develop and implement the software solution. As such, a scoping project can generally give a software buyer an "order of magnitude" estimate of the resulting project. Most importantly, however, a detailed scope provides clear direction to the software architects and developers who will be implementing the solution, avoiding unnecessary "back-and-forth" with the software buyer's staff and ensuring that the resulting software solution precisely meets the buyer's needs. The result: better results and reduced project risk.

AT&T once had a slogan: "The System is the Solution." They recognized that repeatability and consistency brought value to the customer and reduced risks to the enterprise. The power of software is that you can buy or build a system that fits your business. It's a lot like buying a suit. The most precise fit will be the system that's built specifically for your business, but sometimes "buying off the rack" and having a good tailor brings the best combination of fit and affordability.

In his bestselling book, "The E-Myth Revisited," Michael Gerber states, "Once you innovate a process and quantify its impact on your business, once you find something that works better than what preceded it, once you discover how to increase the 'yeses' from your customers ... it's time to orchestrate the whole thing."

Automation for you may mean connecting your order entry system directly to your accounting system so that you get bills out faster and without error. It may mean creating a website on which customers can track the status of their projects to replace the multiplicity of spreadsheets on your engineer's laptops.

Without systems, all the knowledge needed to solve a problem must be reinvented with each new challenge.

The bottom line here is that programmers don't make good project managers. The roles and responsibilities of a Project Manager do not cater to the creative capacities and demands that accompany the best software developers. Dedicated project management is ultimately responsible for the lowest levels of project risk, ensuring your solution arrives with a minimum of unexpected challenges.

While certifications are not a guarantee of technical prowess, all else being equal, a certified firm that employees certified professionals gives you some mark of technical reliability. This also shows that the firm invests in the professional development of its employees, resulting in better employee loyalty, which means more resource continuity for your projects.

Each of the major technology platforms discussed in previous posts has a certification program in which any serious midsized firm or larger will surely be well-versed.

The Common Gateway Interface, or CGI, is a methodology whereby programs run on a server which coordinates the flow of information between the client web browser and said programs. Most CGI solutions are developed in Perl, with a minority developed in C or C++. While it is very rarely seen in new solutions, there are many mid 1990s legacy solutions based on this platform.