Adam The First Project That Came To My Mind When I Re-Read I
Adamthe First Project That Came To My Mind When I Re Read Through Th
Adamthe First Project That Came To My Mind When I Re Read Through Th (Adam)The first project that came to my mind when I re-read through these was a tasking we received from the project office asking us to figure out a new feature delivered by the prime that had no documentation. While the task didn’t directly align with our lab’s primary functions, there was enough expertise with a little overlap that they figured they could give this work to us. This was right when the first big wave of COVID was kicking off and the prime had sent home all of the people who didn’t need to be in the office. Unfortunately, this included the technical writers who would be in charge of writing the procedures to make the new feature work. Between our experience, our connections with the prime, and our contact with the warfighters, the project office knew we would be able to handle it.
Below I will highlight how the critical success factors applied to us.
Project Success Factors and Their Application
1. Project mission
While the mission wasn’t exactly well defined, we knew exactly what we needed to do. We created our own objectives and assigned them across the team. Creating clear objectives allowed us to focus our efforts and ensure alignment despite the ambiguous mission parameters.
2. Top management support
As contractors, we can’t speak on behalf of the government, but we needed the government lead to approve our involvement. Once they provided the go-ahead, we were empowered to move forward, which was crucial during the uncertain circumstances of the COVID pandemic.
3. Project plans and schedule
We had a plan, yet we did not define a strict schedule. Our team’s confidence in meeting deadlines was based on their experience and understanding of tasks. Flexibility in planning proved beneficial, given the unpredictable nature of the situation.
4. Client consultation
Our reach back to the client, the warfighters, was vital. Due to poor documentation, questions were inevitable. Early involvement allowed us to familiarize ourselves with the feature and to anticipate issues, streamlining subsequent troubleshooting and support.
5. Personnel
Our team’s composition was a key success factor. The team included former soldiers, engineers familiar with similar systems, and senior personnel with historical knowledge of the system’s development. Their combined expertise was critical to navigating the unknowns of the new feature’s implementation.
6. Technical tasks
Technical proficiency was integral. Our team’s deep technical knowledge enabled us to understand and adapt to the new feature rapidly, especially given the absence of formal documentation. This expertise was vital in developing procedures and support resources.
7. Client acceptance
The warfighters preferred working with our team because of their stability and familiarity. In contrast, the prime’s personnel were frequently changing, which could disrupt workflow. Our sustained relationship with the users established trust and facilitated smoother operations.
8. Monitoring and feedback
This aspect was less emphasized during the project. While we provided feedback to the prime, there was little evidence of ongoing monitoring or response from the prime, which occasionally impeded our ability to improve processes in real time.
9. Communications
Effective communication channels existed among all parties. Acting as the hub, our team facilitated knowledge sharing between stakeholders, which was essential for coordinated problem-solving and information dissemination during a period of unprecedented operational constraints.
10. Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting became more significant than initially anticipated. The delivery of the feature lacked user feedback due to COVID, and the developers’ limited understanding of operational realities hindered initial support efforts. As a result, we established a dedicated Level of Effort (LoE) team focused solely on testing and warfighter support, which underscored the importance of having personnel with system and engineering expertise.
Conclusion
The personnel factor emerged as the most crucial success element. The team’s collective knowledge of the system and engineering principles enabled us to bridge gaps created by missing documentation and inexperienced developers. Ranking the applicability of the success factors, personnel (5), technical knowledge (6), communication (9), troubleshooting (10), client acceptance (7), project mission (1), client consultation (4), project plan and schedule (3), top management support (2), and monitoring and feedback (8), reflects their relative impact during this unique project.
References
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