Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
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Defining Boundaries
Mark Mullaly is president of Interthink Consulting Incorporated, an organizational development and change firm specializing in the creation of effective organizational project management solutions. Since 1990, it has worked with companies throughout North America to develop, enhance and implement effective project management tools, processes, structures and capabilities. Mark was most recently co-lead investigator of the Value of Project Management research project sponsored by PMI. You can read more of his writing at markmullaly.com.
One of the more intriguing debates about any project is where it starts or stops. The start is often (relatively) clear in that at some point, someone had an idea that eventually became a project. What is less apparent is where a project finishes. Any given systems development project, for example, could have a range of possible end points:
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Completion of system testing
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Completion of user acceptance testing
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Resolution of all defects
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Installation of the application on the customer’s system
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Completion of pilot usage
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Completion of full user rollout
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Completion the warranty period
Depending upon the size and nature of the project, the range of dates spanning these activities could be as much as a year or two apart. And while many readers may protest that completion points are clearly defined, the reality speaks otherwise.
Particularly in IT organizations, one of the greatest challenges stated is that “projects don’t end.” Whether it is the result of changing business requirements, user dissatisfaction, maintenance being the responsibility of the same team that did the project or just lack of a clear, defined end point, project completion is a tenuous concept.
So just where does the role of transition come in the life of a project? Depending upon where we draw…
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