As we all know, many software development projects fail to meet their objectives. In fact, some projects never even define the overall objective; they simply dive in and start coding.
There are many reasons (just google it) why software projects fail: lack of direction, poor specs, an inexperienced development team, lack of any real testing and the list goes on. Any of those issues can sink the proverbial development ship. However, the issues I listed are merely the symptoms of a much larger disease. In fact, many of them will cease to exists if you incorporate a simple principle into how projects “get done”. That guiding principle is “partnership”. Partnership? Yes, partnership. Sounds simple and even over-used, but it’s foundational to the success of just about any team effort.
In a “true” partnership” each party knows what is expected of them. They each know the role they are supposed to play and realistic expectations have been established. Unfortunately, most development efforts never address the importance of business and IT partnering for a common objective. Instead, the coders code and the business people wonder why they don’t see screens yet. This doesn’t happen everywhere, but it’s all too common.
So before you start that next project, set aside time to discuss how the “partnership” will work. Listen and learn about the implied vs. explicit expectations of your partner. For example, in my experience, there are two common implied expectations that seem to exists on any project: 1) the business will always expect to receive a reliable and testable application and 2) IT will always expect the business to provide clear specs and personnel to conduct meaningful testing. Understanding and meeting those two expectations will go a long way to helping you achieve success, but each partnership is different and comes with its on set of rules, so be prepared to adapt.
To often, “partnering” is referred to as boiler-plate lip service or just another over used business cliche’. The truth however, is that no project can succeed without it.