TechStat Update

Back in March I wrote about a new initiative from the CIO Council called TechStat. It was an interesting scenario because the project was clearly in trouble. It was behind schedule, over budget and still held a significant amount of risk. Flash forward 7 months and, I wouldn't say it is in the clear, but I think it is safe to say that the mood has changed.

I read this article from FCW this morning which touched on the Web-Based Supply Chain project under USDA. What they wrote is accurate. The initial plan for the project was to have a 1-time cut-over switching from the old mainframe system to the new web-based one. In order to make that happen though the data conversion aspects needed to go smoothly. They didn't, which put the project into a tough position. The business process automated by this system is a lengthy one, more than 2 years. What they chose to do was to let users close out last years and current orders with the old system but require the new orders to go into the new one. This allows the team to avoid the pain of the data conversion while realizing the value of the current investment.

I don't think WBSCM is going to be the darling of the administration, but I am pleasantly surprised by the turn of events. What is also surprising is that the project was able to make some recovery. My opinion is that when a project is under that much pressure and scrutiny it can't recover because nobody is able to make a decision; everyone is so worried about making sure that they aren't to blame that decisions that would actually help the project recover never get made. It is refreshing to see that someone is making the tough decisions that are likely to get the project to the finish line.