How to end the project effectively--a summary of the experience of a tax MIS system project

At the beginning of the myth of Man and the Moon, the author Frederick P. Brooks, Jr. wrote: No other scene in prehistory is more shocking than the death throes of the beasts in the tar Pits. God has witnessed dinosaurs, mammoths, and saber-toothed tigers struggling in tar. The harder they struggled, the tighter the tar was, and no beast was strong enough or skillful enough to break free, and they sank to the bottom of the pit.

Frederick p. Brooks Jr. Write down the text above to illustrate our software project, which, once started, is similar to the struggles of various animals in the tar pits. Excitement and excitement at the start of the project quickly turned into a hopeless curse and despair at the end of the project.

For many of the current domestic software projects, this seems to be the law, no matter how you struggle, the project is unable to end, only rely on and users to compete patience, expect 6 months of project, do 18 months is often the case. I also experienced countless nightmare projects, for how to effectively end a project, after learning Pmbok, I would like to combine the recently completed a tax mis project, to talk about their own views.

In Pmbok, the stages of the project are divided into the following five sections:

I will basically follow these five parts to describe how the project ended in this project.

1. Start

The customer of this project belongs to our company long-term cooperation customer, the customer and the sales manager is very close, the customer needs to develop this software, directly found our company, I as the technical person and the sales manager and the customer exchanges the software situation. In the first contact, I felt that the customer is not very clear about the software they are going to develop, but the client's project manager, the information Center Director of the Inland Revenue Department, has extensive experience in software development, and has been involved in the development of large-scale software such as the Gold Tax project. This makes me feel that this kind of customer is more easy to communicate. This is true, and after several exchanges with the client, the project is basically certain that I am assigned to the project manager of the project and responsible for the development of the project.

In this process, I think as the project manager, there is a thought must be clear, that is the goal of project management is to achieve the objectives of the project, the end of the project. This concept should be throughout the project management, so, in the initial communication with the user, we have to consider how the project can end, it needs to reach what kind of target users to be able to recognize, the overall cost of the project is how much, the company for the project development cycle has no limitations, The risk of the project exists as the project team can withstand and so on.

Specifically to this project, at the outset, I found the biggest risk in the project with the user that the project is very simple, while the demand is still relatively vague, of course, this is the common problem of most projects, I admit that this project and the gold Tax project is really very simple (compared to the gold tax project is not much more complex j), But if the user is holding such a mentality, will inevitably appear when the project development rush period, the late bug everywhere, the need to change to change, the user many complaints, the company reward sales, a research and development personnel in the case of surgery. Therefore, I would like to find a suitable opportunity to project the development of the difficulty and the concept of project management to communicate with users.

In my distress, the user suggested that their information center technician would like to have a training to master the Java technology in the project. I know, the opportunity to come, in the 10 days of technical course arrangement, I specifically took a day to explain the project management, the course arrangement sent to the user, the user found my little secret J, specifically call me to ask me to use a day to explain the project management is necessary, seize this opportunity, I first told the director of the Information Center about the importance of project management, as well as the difficulty, risk, and cycle of the software, allowing users to agree to the request. In the beginning of the project, it is very necessary to obtain the approval of the client project manager, if your idea and practice in the beginning to make the client's project managers feel very difficult to recognize, I think, the project will be very difficult to do.

Next is the signing of the contract and a 10-day training, in the training, I will pmbok project management concept throughout the training, especially the final project management of the explanation, basically achieve the expected effect, so that customers realize that the development of software is not a program to write, it involves all aspects, A successful project without the cooperation and participation of customers is very difficult to succeed. For the end of the project, I have also communicated with the Director of Information Center, the two sides have a basic understanding of each other's needs and ideas. This has laid a good foundation for the success of the project later on.

From the start of the project, I found that if there was a condition at startup, a training for the customer would be very beneficial to the project's success. In the course of training, can and customers become friends, at the same time the development of their own project team and customers to make a serious exchange, so that customers recognize the development team, but also through the buffer of training time, on the one hand, can organize other technical personnel for the project may appear in the technical difficulties to break through, On the other hand, it is possible to communicate the project needs privately with the customer, this informal exchange of requirements is often more than the formal needs of communication easier to know the original intention of the customer initiated the project and the customer wants to achieve goals.

2. Plan

At the beginning of the planning phase, a rough plan should be made for the general understanding of the requirements during the start-up phase, and the end date of the project should be defined, and the program should be submitted to the user on the one hand, and the project team members and the company's project management or company leaders. Of course, the definite project end date here is generally quite different from the actual end date of the project (so far I have not encountered a special case), it does not matter, because at the end of the demand research, will also refine the project plan, re-clear the project end date. However, no matter how clear, this time the project end is often due to customers, companies and other aspects of pressure, the plan is always in accordance with an ideal situation, such as the following is my project plan after the end of the demand:

This project plan is made under the double pressure of the customer's leadership and the company, at this time, the project manager must keep a clear mind, regardless of the planned project end time, the heart must be clear the actual completion of the approximate time and the planned time gap, and the gap between the client company can withstand. In this way, in the process of the project, and then according to the circumstances of the plan gradually adjusted to the customer and the company to report the reasons for adjustment, easy to reach the customer and the company both sides are basically satisfied with the outcome. If the gap is too large, it is necessary to argue for the adjustment plan, of course, this is more difficult, but compared to the end by the customer and the company double censure, or more worthwhile.

The above plan to submit, I estimate the final end time is about 5 weeks later than the plan, mainly for the system repair, that is, after the start of the trial run, the user will have to make a lot of comments, 2 weeks should not be completed, but if the plan for 7 weeks of time, the user is absolutely unacceptable, the company can not accept , the project may be stuck, under pressure, I've done a 2-week fix, so what happens then? My usual practice is, in trying to strive for long repair time, first of all to ensure that the pilot run the basic on time, this, I believe most project team can guarantee, and then, in the development of a multi-version on-line approach, as far as possible to allow users to propose changes as early as possible to start changes, third, after the start of commissioning User comments, timely adjustment of the project plan and timely notification to users, so that users understand when his opinion is adopted, the project end time will be postponed to when, to the user a certain amount of pressure, can reduce the number of views, the early conclusion of the project. What's more, it's important to try to communicate the actual estimated time to your supervisor, and get his support, if possible, to ensure that you have no worries (which is a matter of fact, but it depends on your relationship with the leader J).

After hindsight, my initial estimate is basically right, the project end time is about 4 weeks later than the planned time, this is due to the user's familiarity with software development and cooperation, if the more troublesome customers, the time will be a little later, but as long as there is sufficient estimate beforehand, will not rush.

3. Implementation

The implementation process is relatively smooth, because and the customer maintained a good relationship, has been the strong support of customers, basically did not put forward tricky questions. In this process, at the beginning of the section, we were developed in the company, this process, we developed some modules, as version 0.1, to the site to be installed to the user.

In doing so, I think there are several benefits, first of all, you can let users feel that the project has been in progress, without destroying the trust relationship with the user, and secondly, you can understand the actual situation at the scene, if you find problems, adjust the direction of development in a timely manner or let users adjust the site environment. Again, you can let the user to some of the modules as early as possible to propose changes, in the development of the rest of the module, you can modify this part, while the comments throughout the other modules to reduce the time for later modification.

After the development of the general end, we go to the scene to the user for installation and debugging, and then system modification, this is the most difficult period, at this time, the user, the company, the project team are easily tired, bored, angry, desperate, and put all these sins on the head of the project manager. Therefore, as a project manager, to maintain a high level of vigilance, must have a complete project log, record daily progress, must maintain good communication with the user's project manager, at any time to the problem and progress report to the customer and the company, let them understand the daily project team is doing, why the end time will push and push , it is necessary to observe the members of the project team and to prevent the loss of staff due to exhaustion; it is important to remind yourself that the goal of the project is to end the project and that everything is done around the end of the project.

In this process, our project team basically boil over, in my expected time to end the project, although there are many unsatisfactory, but after all, with the end of the project, everyone's pressure to reduce, you can better experience.

4. Control

In the process of the project, there will be a variety of imagined problems, encountered this unexpected situation, the project manager needs to be resolved in a timely manner.

In the process of this project, at the most critical moment of development, the technical backbone of the project team abruptly proposed to leave, which I was not prepared beforehand, if he really quit, will cause great trouble to the project. This time, I and he had a long communication, understand the reason for his departure, if can retain, try to retain.

After the exchange, found that he proposed to leave is based on three reasons, one is the company's long-term dissatisfaction, in a company long will have a variety of dissatisfaction with the company, it is human nature, although I proposed to increase wages and improve the position, but it is difficult to let his dissatisfaction with the company is fundamentally resolved, the second is the pressure of concrete life In our two-tier city, the salary is difficult to solve the specific pressure of marriage and purchase, so he hopes to go to Beijing such a better salary, which is our company currently facing a major challenge of the loss of personnel, but this problem in the short term there is no better way, three is the yearning for the outside world, In a two-tier city for a long time, for Beijing such a close to the national Information Center must have a yearning for technology, ideas and other aspects can be promoted in Beijing.

These problems are also common problems, I can not all solve for him, but for the project, after persuasion, due to the usual relationship is very good, he promised to stay for about one months or so, to solve his part of the technical problems, while doing a good job handover. For the project, the crisis was lifted, because there was a one-month period in which everything could be arranged.

In response to such a crisis, I think, as a project manager, one is usually to pay attention to the relationship with team members, when there are various situations, even if the use of human, can also help themselves through the crisis; second, for many problems, in peacetime to understand the needs of team members, can help you solve, and try to solve, Do not wait for the problem, it can not solve, to let everyone know the company's difficulties and specific environmental constraints, do not let everyone bear grudges company; The third is to remember that the core of team building is the individual development of team members, to give each member the space to grow, including technology, salary, position, etc., otherwise, Once the team members reach the peak of development, they will feel no future, leaving is probably the inevitable choice.

5. Finishing Touches

What is the biggest difficulty in the finishing phase? Progress! At this time, the face of the project is over, everyone will be very concerned about the progress. How to persuade users to end endless changes and to successfully end projects is a problem that every project manager must face.

In this project, due to a large number of early work, in the near end, we prepared a complete document, solve the current bug, and committed to the future service, both sides are more satisfied, successfully signed a preliminary report, the user also paid the project money, the end of the project.

So, I think, the smooth end does not depend on the end of the work, but to the completion of the work through the project always, if the preparation of the full, the end of the biggest conflict, progress, will not become the project manager the biggest problem, on the contrary, if the closing stage to start thinking about how to close the project, I'm afraid the end of the project will be a distant one.

This project currently in addition to routine maintenance and simple changes, there is no significant work, although the project has been a smooth end, there are many accidental factors, such as the user's active cooperation (this is rare in other projects, is generally the user's obstructive), but I think he still has some small and medium-sized projects common characteristics, As a project manager, I proposed to share with you the purpose is to hope that we experience, can jump out of the project Tar Pits, successfully end each project.

How to end the project effectively--a summary of the experience of a tax MIS system project