More Requirements: No Impact--No Problem

 

It is surprising how often I still hear sponsors explain to project managers that additional requirements must be supported if the project is to continue, and the project manger's response is "No impact--no problem," or words to that effect. It is time that both sponsors and project managers start practicing what they are preaching.

Best practices for project management are widely published. There are entire websites dedicated to project management, books are available providing guidance on how to implement these practices, and numerous articles praise the value of implementing these best practices with solid, verifiable case studies. When discussions turn to project management, it is rare for consultants, sponsors and managers to not cite these best practices. It appears, with few exceptions, that everyone agrees that there is value in applying project management best practices. In fact, there are many who state that in today's environment, it is essential that these practices be put into effect to produce a business solution that will provide a substantial return on investment.

Any change to a project has some sort of an impact. It is rare that a project manager is able to, on-the-fly, accurately access the impact of supporting additional requirements that are associated with the business process that the solution is to support. A new requirement may mean custom code, …

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