8.2 Tasks Completed During End of Life

Companies tend to overlook EOL, since a project that has ended is typically not being used or a new application has taken its place. It is worthwhile to create and implement an end-of-life procedure. Companies fail to take into account all of the hidden costs of maintaining a project, such as sustaining IT, end- user training, and ensuring there are knowledgeable Help Desk people available. Projects that are not being used can impact the efficiency of a company. There are many reasons to end a project: The project now costs more to support than new applications; end users are still using this application when new, more efficient applications are available; the technology has become obsolete; and it is expensive to continue to pay for support. New project releases usually render an existing release obsolete. Many times the old project is automatically EOL when the new release becomes available. If this is not true, at some point the old project needs to be EOL.

During EOL, the Project Manager reviews the project s financial history, comparing forecasted costs to actual costs. The Project Manager prepares a statement defining why the project is being EOL. The company needs to decide how to pull the plug.

Help Desk has the key position in EOL. During EOL, Help Desk prepares a list of all the current users and the cost of supporting these users. Help Desk s cost should include IT s sustaining efforts. Help Desk creates a plan that outlines how it will discontinue support. All users need to be notified that at a predetermined date the project will no longer be supported.

The Project Manager and Help Desk department review with the legal/contract administrator all existing contracts to ensure that they are not required to pay support on a project the company no longer supports. If there is a conflict, a recommendation is presented on how to resolve it. Executive staff is responsible for approving the project for EOL.

Many times management is not aware if a project slated for EOL is costing the company money. By creating an EOL presentation, the information necessary for successful business decisions can be made available. For a project that is draining cash, management can make an informed decision to ˜ ˜pull the plug.

8.2 in a Nutshell

There are hidden costs to maintaining old projects:

• Time Help Desk spends supporting users

• Support costs paid to software companies

• Maintenance costs for older hardware