The sun doesn’t always shine. There is nothing like the autumn weather to remind us of that.
Putting it in the context of our conversation – following the last few articles, I had an interesting discussion with readers about cloud projects.
Projects don’t always work out
Everyone starts out with good intentions. There is always a plan, there are tools, there are people who did it before. Well – that last bit is not always the case when we’re talking about projects delivered in the cloud.
When everything is planned and prepared, and it comes to execution, the outcome is not always what was intended, in terms of time, money spent, or – worst-case scenario – what was delivered.
Let’s talk about it!
I’m not a great project manager. It is likely I’m not even a good project manager 🙂 I leave this task to others, who are much better at it.
And let’s be honest. It is not that every project we do is a great success. The “owner” approach is really important when something goes wrong. You can turn around and say: “Well, this happened”.
I will not delve into project management itself. It was already covered by myriads of resources. But having 10+ years at Predica in cloud delivery engagements, I think I can share some thoughts about them from a practical perspective.
Over the next few articles, I will cover exactly this: a practical take on why projects, especially cloud implementation projects, fail, and our lessons on how you can prevent it.
Here are a few quick thoughts as to why a cloud project might go awry.
If your organization hasn’t moved far in its cloud journey yet (and I’m thinking of a deliberate execution of the cloud as a strategy), you may approach a cloud implementation project like any other. And in some aspects, it is similar. In some – it will be different.
Here is where a lot of projects fail right out of the gate – the assumption that the cloud is another server room. It might hurt you badly. The cloud is a new model of delivering computing power, and you need to adjust to it by:
And it will not come in a blink of an eye just because you need it.
The cloud is still relatively new. Take your time and do the research
“Everyone goes cloud! We will go cloud too! The next strategic business initiative looks like a good target.”
I don’t know what your next big initiative is, but all too often, organizations pick one as a target for implementing a new cloud model.
“It is the flagship project of digital transformation.”
“It will move us into a new, modern era.”
Until it doesn’t!
Don’t try to achieve too much at once.
Don’t take on too ambitious goals. Start small instead
This one is the mother of all failures. A team needs to understand why they do it. It has to be said, written, and understood.
The goal is not a fancy new technology. It is not for the IT department to just learn something new and cool (and if it is, let’s say it honestly).
Two simple questions that often lack an answer are:
Once you have answered these two questions, you can move on to: “How can I solve them with the cloud?”
Make sure the cloud solution fits your business problem, and not the other way around
There are stories behind these lessons. And they were learned the hard way. Luckily, there are tools and patterns that can help you deliver reliable projects in the cloud.
More to come!
In the next few articles, I will talk about:
Everything I will cover will be based on true stories. I will not lie, some consultants were harmed in the delivery of those projects, and not everything was perfect.
There is no need to sugarcoat reality. Projects can be successful, they can fail, or land somewhere in the middle. Sharing lessons from them will help us all to deliver more reliable projects based on the (Microsoft) cloud.
What else would you like to know?
Here is your chance to get those answered! There is one important condition though – we need to know what your question is!
Ask it below or click here to send your question. Simple as that.
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