On 2020-09-09 08:49, Tom Worthington wrote: >> ... a successful IT project only requires knowledge of the technology (i.e. >> vocational training) and strict adherence to the correct project methodology >> ...
I'm most certainly not advocating that idea!! > No, as I tell my students, most IT projects fail, even if you do the > technical bits right. They usually go wrong due to a failure to understand > who the client was and what they needed, not because of some technical detail. That's exactly right, and I can think of some spectacular examples. In many cases the real problem is that the customer doesn't understand their own requirements properly. There can also be tension between desire to win a contract and proper negotiation of requirements, especially when egos and/or "process" become involved. I was involved in a Software Engineering course which took student project-teams through the whole "waterfall" process, from clarifying customer requirements and writing a System Requirements specification through architectural & system design, implementation, testing, and documentation. It was quite intensive, and I can think of some quite revelatory moments for students. In some cases I suspect the lessons learned were inversely related to their marks! I could write a book.... David Lochrin _______________________________________________ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
