Comments on: How Business Automation Projects Fail, Part 2

By: Tanya

Tanya — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:36:50 +0000

If the business owner hadn’t stepped in when he did his entire company could have been at risk. I hope the next time they hire a project planner that knows what they are doing. This kind of project is way to important and expensive to leave to just anybody. If you don’t have anyone in the company that has the talent to do this then outsource it so you know it is done right.

By: Edith

Edith — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:32:12 +0000

This is just amazing, I am not sure what they were thinking when they put something like this in the hands of someone that didn’t really know what they were doing. It is really too bad that the project planner didn’t know enough about this project to make at least an educated decision that would have saved the company in the long run. Thank you for sharing this scary story with us.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:36:47 +0000

Companies and countries continue to invest a great deal of time, money, and effort in improving software quality. But we should try to determine if these national initiatives have directly affected and improved software quality. The answer may depend on how you approach quality improvement. Some companies take a product-based approach, while others focus on process; both strategies have led to awards for overall product quality. No matter how good the software, it must function for your purposes.

By: Brenda

Brenda — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:31:21 +0000

Most companies are affected by the quality of the software because the organization’s viability depends on it. And most software-related tools and methods claim to assess or improve software quality in some way. So a consultant must question what is meant by software quality. A good definition must measures quality in a meaningful way. Managers need to know how the quality that is built in can affect the product’s use after delivery and if the investment of time and resources reap higher profits or larger market share.

By: Carla

Carla — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:59:35 +0000

It sort of sounds like the custom software developer took some liberties when they found out that the business owner only knew so much about the requirements he was asking for. The business owner needed to consult with someone before they got to the software developer to make sure he knew what he was asking for before they ever got started.

By: Irena

Irena — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:59:32 +0000

Although I am sure this was very embarrassing for the business owner I am glad that you shared it with us because I was very close to doing the same thing and you have prevented that. Thank you for the information and the heads up I couldn’t even afford as much as this company owner did.

By: Ronald

Ronald — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:57:11 +0000

You are right this was not as simple a problem as part one was, this could have ended the company before they even got started if he had agreed to go outside his budget and the software wasn’t what he needed after all. It is a good thing that someone like your self was available to come in and save the day and that the business owner knew enough to say no.

By: Debra

Debra — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 06:07:08 +0000

After reading your blog I would say it is a good thing that the business owner knew what he was doing when he started asking questions and it is a really good thing that he knew enough to bring in a consultant that could help him out. Otherwise they would have spent thousands of dollars to get someone in there to fix it and the employee would be without a job.

By: Joshua

Joshua — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:22:10 +0000

I think this is a very interesting problem and the fact that the software people would be flexible on their price is a bit out of character I think. I work for a firm like that and if they were willing to pay me that much to do their program then I would set down myself and see where we could cut corners if need be. It’s a good thing that they brought you in.

By: Delphine

Delphine — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:22:07 +0000

This was a rather simple answer to their standoff wasn’t it? Can you honestly say that you could see someone saying sorry we aren’t flexible on our price when you are talking that much money? I just don’t see it nor do I see a business owner not being a little bit flexible on his requirements. I’m just saying this could have all been prevented I think.