2.3 IT s Role in Project Design

IT has the central role in Phase 2. The design of any project is the foundation of the project. A bad design produces a solution that will not meet the needs of the company. The project design might be for new software, for integration of new hardware and software, for upgrades to existing hardware and software, or for the purchase of new software. Amateurs and people unfamiliar with professional development don t necessarily understand the need for project design. They don t understand why the process takes so long and IT can t create a solution faster. The design process is analogous to buying a car. Only a foolish person walks into the first showroom he sees and purchases the first car he test drives , paying sticker price. A savvy buyer searches the Web, checks out different models, and researches the costs. Only after he has a good idea of the type of car he wants and of the costs and features of each car in that category, will he test drive the top candidates, and then negotiate a price with the dealership . Buying IT solutions is more complicated than buying a car. The time spent doing one s homework ensures a good, well-thought solution in the long run. For example, any new solution that needs information from the company s database may look easy to create but take months to develop. The last thing a company wants is a messed-up database. Data integrity is foremost to any organization s survival. A slight error can erase a sale or provide a hole that a hacker can use to steal company records. Design gives IT time to ensure the information is gathered in a safe manner that will not affect other applications or corrupt the database.

IT reviews the Business Requirements Document and Feature/Functionality Report created in Phase 1. During Design, a deep understanding of the project s requirements is sought and a plan for developing a solution is created. Design does not include purchasing equipment or programming. The person responsible for Design will need to identify minimal and optimal requirements and crucial issues. Often prototypes will be created in the Design phase so the designer can ensure her ideas are workable . Never confuse prototypes with development. The goal is to ensure the idea works, not to develop a solution.

Creating a Good Design

Design is the most important step in developing any solution. It is important to take the time up front to develop a successful design. Here are some standard, logical steps that if followed will ensure a successful design.

1. Great designs don t come from committees ”they come from great designers. It is impossible for multiple people to create a good design. Designate one senior person to design the project. The Design team may consist of a manager who will go to meetings, a ˜ ˜designer in training to assist the designer, a person responsible for documenting the design, and a person responsible for developing design tests.

2. Clearly understand what the short- and long- term goals might be for this project. A good design allows for future growth. If Microsoft viewed DOS as a strategic long-term operating system would they have designed it differently?

3. View the design from many angles. If all the constraints were removed would the design be different? If so, it is beneficial to reevaluate the design. For example: In the heat of the space race in the 1960s, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration decided it needed a ballpoint pen to write in the zero-gravity confines of its space capsules. After considerable research and development, the astronaut pen was developed at a cost of $1 million. The pen worked and also enjoyed some modest success as a novelty item here on Earth. The Soviet Union, faced with the same problem, used a pencil.

4. Designing is an interactive process. Designers should continually test their design theory. The adage goes: How do you eat an Elephant? One bite at a time. A practice that will lead to a good design is to design, test, design, test. . . .

5. Aim for a clean, simple design. If the design is too difficult or too ˜ ˜ brilliant it will be difficult to develop and debug the project. When the project goes to users bugs may be difficult to identify and fix.

6. Beware of shortcuts ”they usually don t save time. Many companies use ˜ ˜free ware to save time. Since the code was not designed or developed by a known entity, the code may be difficult to debug, may not have the necessary features for growth (scalability), and often does not include any support.

After the team members are assigned, the Project Manager reviews with the team each member s role, responsibility, and Phase 2 deliverables. The critical path member of Phase 2 is IT.

2.3 in a Nutshell

In the design phase, IT is the core member of the product team. The rest of the team members are waiting on IT s design so that they can identify their functional area s responsibility. IT is responsible for:

• Reviewing the estimates created in Phase 1.

• Performing an in-depth review and design of each of the features and functionalities for the project.

• Using the Feature/Functionality Report created in Phase 1 as the basis for the Design Document.

• Presenting the minimal requirements for an appropriate Design Document and identifying what issues are crucial to the project s design.

• Creating a good design.