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Factors that commonly lead to the success or failure of a project

Analyze and reflect on factors that commonly lead to the success or failure of a project
Scenario
You have reached the end of Release One of the XYZ Business Workflow project, and your team has faced some challenges during the development process.

One software tester and one developer from your team resigned. You found replacements for both of them. But, the new developer had to be trained by one of your other team members. This affected the team’s productivity.

Also, during one of your status meetings with the client stakeholders, their product owner requested a change in a feature that was almost complete. They were also very resistant to give any additional time for the first release. As a result, you had to add extra hours to your development time.

To accommodate these changes, your team worked extra hours and even some weekends to complete the project. Finally, you managed to deliver the first release according to schedule.

Although the release goes fairly smoothly, after a few days, the customer reports that their users are facing some issues with the software. They also have a list of changes and two new features they would like to see in the software before your final rollout in Release Two.

Directions
Analysis and Recommendations
Your executive team has asked you to prepare a report summarizing your analysis of the first release of the XYZ Business Workflow software and recommendations for how you think Release Two of the project should be planned.

Think about the project charter, the initial project plan you created in Project One, and the challenges the project team has faced so far. What steps did you take to manage these challenges? In retrospect, can you think of some other strategies you could have used during project planning and/or risk mitigation for better results? Specifically, your report should include the following:

Reflect on the project so far and provide your analysis of what went well and what could have been better.

Outline what you think were the successes and failures of the project.
Identify major challenges your team faced in completing this project and describe how you handled them.
List some alternate strategies you could have used during project planning and/or during risk mitigation for better results.
Based on your experience with Release One, provide some recommendations for managing the second release of the XYZ Business Workflow software, including the methodology, change management, and quality control strategies.

Sample Answer

The first release of the XYZ Business Workflow software was a success in that it was delivered on time and to budget. However, there were some challenges that the team faced that could have been handled better.

One of the biggest challenges was the turnover of two key team members. This caused a disruption in the team’s workflow and required the other team members to take on additional work. This could have been mitigated by having a more robust succession plan in place.

Full Answer Section

Another challenge was the change request that was submitted by the client stakeholders late in the development process. This change required the team to rework some of the code, which added to the project’s timeline and budget. This could have been avoided by having better communication with the client stakeholders and by getting their approval for all changes early in the development process.

Despite these challenges, the team was able to deliver the first release of the software on time and to budget. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team.

Outline of successes and failures of the project

Successes:

The project was delivered on time and to budget.
The software met the client’s requirements.
The team worked well together and overcame some challenges.

Failures:

Two key team members left the project, which caused a disruption in the team’s workflow.
A change request was submitted by the client stakeholders late in the development process, which added to the project’s timeline and budget.
Some users reported issues with the software after the release.

Major challenges faced by the team and how they were handled

The two major challenges that the team faced were the turnover of two key team members and a change request that was submitted by the client stakeholders late in the development process.

The team handled the turnover of team members by having the remaining team members take on additional work. This was a temporary solution, but it allowed the project to stay on track. In the future, the team should have a more robust succession plan in place so that they are prepared for unexpected turnover.

The team handled the change request from the client stakeholders by working extra hours and even some weekends to complete the project. This was a difficult situation, but the team was able to deliver the project on time and to budget. In the future, the team should get the client’s approval for all changes early in the development process so that they can be incorporated into the project plan.

Alternate strategies that could have been used during project planning and/or during risk mitigation for better results

There are a few alternate strategies that could have been used during project planning and/or during risk mitigation for better results.

The team could have had a more robust succession plan in place in case of unexpected turnover. This would have allowed the team to continue working without disruption if a team member left the project.
The team could have gotten the client’s approval for all changes early in the development process. This would have avoided the need to rework the code late in the project.
The team could have conducted more user testing to identify and fix any issues with the software before the release.

Recommendations for managing the second release of the XYZ Business Workflow software

Based on the team’s experience with Release One, here are some recommendations for managing the second release of the XYZ Business Workflow software:

Have a more robust succession plan in place in case of unexpected turnover.
Get the client’s approval for all changes early in the development process.
Conduct more user testing to identify and fix any issues with the software before the release.
Use a more agile methodology, such as Scrum or Kanban. This will allow the team to be more flexible and responsive to changes.
Implement a change management process to ensure that all changes are properly communicated and implemented.
Use a quality control process to ensure that the software is free of defects before it is released.

By following these recommendations, the team can increase the chances of success for the second release of the XYZ Business Workflow software.

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