TeleSynthesis

The Buck Starts Here

The audience for the information on TeleSynthesis.com is the individuals who fund information technology projects.  It is those individuals who define IT project success in terms of the business value the investment returned.

The following criteria define success for an IT project:

• The capabilities delivered are those specified by the project sponsor
• The capabilities delivered function properly
• The cost of the capabilities was within the budget allocated by the project sponsor
• The capabilities delivered according to the schedule defined by the project sponsor

Are Your Bucks Buying Actual Success or Artificial Success?

IT achieves actual success when they deliver the project in accordance to the original success criteria defined by the project sponsor.

IT achieves artificial success when they deliver the project in accordance to redefined success criteria.  Depending on the magnitude of the revisions to the success criteria, the project may have no value at all for the sponsor.

An overwhelming majority of IT projects deliver artificial success.

The Seven-Step Program to Artificial Success

Step 1: Funding.  The Project Sponsor creates a business case with ambiguous or incomplete success criteria, funds a project.

Step 2: IT Optimism.  IT believes they can deliver the required capabilities during the early stages of the project.

Step 3: IT Panic.  IT begins to realize they’ve underestimated the work necessary to deliver the required capabilities.

Step 4: IT Heroism.  IT adds resources to the project, begins heroic deeds during a death march.

Step 5: IT Desperation.  In spite of the heroic deeds, IT hits the wall.  Because the project sponsor's definition of success is ambiguous, IT alters the success criteria to make “success” possible.

Step 6: IT Delivers.  IT delivers the project according to the new success criteria, declaring a victory of heroic proportions.

Adding Insult to Injury.  Because the new capabilities are incomplete and function inefficiently, they compromise end user productivity.  The project sponsor continues to pay the price for artificial success.

Step 7: Funding.  The Project Sponsor creates a business case with ambiguous or incomplete success criteria, funds a project.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”

Conquering the Insanity

A few years ago, TeleSynthesis funded one project too many that resulted in artificial success.  After receiving minimal value for an internal investment, David P. Taylor finally admitted that as the project sponsor he had relinquished key business decisions to the development team.  NOTE: admitting you have a problem is the first step in the cure.

To break the pattern of artificial success/insanity, David Taylor designed and instituted a methodology called Victory by Design.  Victory by Design synthesized the principles defined in:

• The Art of War (Sun Tzu)
• Scientific Management (F.W. Taylor: no relation…)
• Six Sigma
• Earned Value Management

Victory by Design has helped TeleSynthesis achieve a greater degree of actual success on internal projects and for our customers.  Hopefully, the information on the website can assist others in achieving actual success on your next IT project.

“It is insanity to fund IT initiatives that do not comply with Victory by Design.”