1.650.322.0230Reducing project risk
Software is an invisible machine
It’s a risky purchase because you can’t see it directly. Buying software that was written specifically for you only adds to your risk:
- You don’t know if the software is going to work until after you’ve invested time, money, and company resources.
- Your company probably isn’t completely clear on its requirements.
These risks create a disconnect between your investment in the project and a visible, tangible return.
One extreme of this disconnect is when you don't see anything from the developer until the project is completed. It's a black box. You provide inputs like funding and feature requirements and out the other end comes a completed project. This approach is the highest risk because Investment and Visible Return are completely disconnected until the end.
A less extreme disconnect between Investment and Visible Return is when you have periodic opportunities to revise your requirements and to evaluate the progress of the project. The more frequent these opportunities, the lower the risk.
Until finally, in a perfect world, you could revise your requirements at any time and you would always have complete visibility into the status of the project.
Of course, the perfect world of zero project risk doesn't exist. But can you get close? What are risk-reducing characteristics in a software developer that you should look for?
- Iterative development methods – you don't have to know ahead of time exactly what you want. Iterative methods let you try some things early and test them with your customers.
- Start with something small – you don't have purchase an entire project the first time you work with a new developer.
- Ask for tools that give you visibility – you don't have to wait until the project is finished to know if it will work. If the developer uses tools that give you visbility then you'll know the condition of the project at all times.
- Project management that is collaborative – if your developer gives you someone local to work with and provides clear communication paths, you'll have better control over the project, you'll have a better picture of its progress, and you'll be in a better position to foresee and prevent problems.
You can expect that this is the approach Waverley uses. In fact, we've organized the company around reducing your risk. Our intention is to constantly find new ways to approach that perfect world of zero project risk.