How to rate success indicators for an IT project

Before any project is launched it is critical that the success indicators are agreed upon by the Project Manager and the Owner and Sponsor of the Project.

Not only what they would be, but also how they would be rated, should be documented before the project starts.

The Owner and Sponsor of the Project could be two separate individuals or it could be the same person. Image by rstrawser.

What are success indicators?

Success indicators are those things that are vital for the project to be considered a success when completed.

Although success indicators are unique for each project, they could include:

Project to be completed on the agreed target date
Project to be completed within budget allocated
Project to deliver all the outcomes which was agreed upon
Good relationships are maintained with the team as well as business associates

How are they rated?

If we lived in a perfect world, with perfect people and perfect predictions, we may be able to expect that all those indicators should be achieved 100%. Reality is that that would be totally unrealistic.

In order for the Project Manager to have a crystal clear understanding of where there are some leeway and where not, ratings needs to be made.

Let’s discuss some examples:

Project to be completed on the agreed target date:

If this was for example a Y2K project, this would be a non-negotiable. 100% compliance would be required. Even if the project would require additional funds not budgeted for or that some feelings may be hurt due to the pressure placed on everybody to be done on that day, the target date can not be moved, else the entire project fails.

Project to be completed within budget:

Usually there should be some scope for the Project Manager to go a little over in case of an absolute emergency. Making the rating for example on this one 80% does not mean that the Project Manager doesn’t aim to work within budget, but it does mean that if for example a small extra amount on the budget could result in a significant improvement to the quality, that he would have the leeway to spend the extra money. Where there absolutely is no more money available than budgeted, this indicator would be placed at 100%.

Project to deliver all the outcomes that were agreed upon:

These outcomes would for example include the features of the software that are required. If the purpose of the project is to program software that would enable

a register to be kept and updated of fixed assets that is in the building and
where employees book these fixed assets out (for example where a laptop is taken home) that their names and the date of issue and expected return are indicated, this would be agreed outcomes of the project. For some projects all of them are 100% important and can not be negotiated, and for other projects there are more leeway. It may even be necessary to do a rating for each of the outcomes separately, as some of them may be absolutely essential while others may be “nice to have’s”

Good relationships maintained:

If the Project Manager would put such pressure on the team to work for example incredibly long hours, that the end result of the project is that key staff resign, this would not be good. In pushing for certain deliverables it is easy to compromise on soft issues and the human element. Project managers should have the overall interest of the organization and its people and business relationships at heart when managing the project.

By Yolande Kleynhans
(yolandek ‘at’ mtn.blackberry.com)

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