Don't Break Out the Champagne Just Yet!

 

Many executives evaluate software development projects with one criterion: whether or not it meets its ship date. Agreed, missing your project milestones could be devastating, especially if there are some legal implications tied to a release schedule. However, the ship date is not the only decisive factor you should pay attention to. Ever heard of customer satisfaction?

At the end of the day, if your customers don't like what you've shipped, they're not going to pay for it. And if they don't pay for it, then meeting that important ship date is meaningless.

Unfortunately, too many managers learn this lesson the hard way. They declare the product generally available as soon as it comes out of the validation phase, and immediately break out the champagne. "Congratulations everyone! We've met our ship date! Let's celebrate!"

Wait a minute! Meeting the ship date is like studying for an important exam. Sure, you think you are ready, but don't you think you should wait until after the exam to celebrate? The true test to determine whether or not you've succeeded is not exiting the validation phase; it's successfully completing the customer acceptance phase.

I remember a case where the R&D team was celebrating its success just as the product was being packaged and shipped to the customer. One executive in particular was going on and on about how he played an instrumental …

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