Well-planned IT projects drive innovation and productivity. They improve efficiency and help you to run your organisation more effectively. However, not all projects are created equal – some fail to meet their objectives or can even threaten the stability of your technology infrastructure. You need to know what questions should you ask about IT projects in order to avoid these common pitfalls. So here’s what questions you should ask about IT projects before undertaking them in your organisation:
Is Your IT Project Feasible?
Having ideas for IT projects is the easy part, but is your project likely to succeed? You need to make sure that:
The Project Is Aligned With The Business Strategy
It’s a simple question but one that can have a big impact on your company’s success if you don’t consider it carefully.
Does the project support your organisational goals and objectives? Will the benefits outweigh the costs? Does the project answer your business needs?
If you have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve, then you’ll be able to make better decisions about how best to deliver on those goals.
You Have Sufficient Funding And Resources
When initiating a new IT project, making sure you have sufficient budget and resources is one of the top priorities.
You need to guarantee that your project can be completed to the standard you want, without negatively affecting the rest of the business or taking away from everyday operations.
You Have Access To The Required Skills For The Project
Planning your project is crucial, meaning you need to know exactly where the individual skills are coming from for each step of the project.
Making sure you know those skills are reputable and reliable is just as important as locating them in the first place.
Do your research if you’re bringing in an outsourced partner to support the project, and ask for samples or reviews of their work as proof of quality.
The IT Project Aligns With Your Organisation’s Current Technology
It’s important that any new project aligns with your overall business strategy and doesn’t threaten your technology operations. A new project should not be a distraction from existing technology operations, but rather, it should enhance them.
If you’re having to seriously change operations and processes during business hours or even outside of them, staff can become irritable and demotivated as their jobs become more difficult.
Conclusion: What Questions Should You Ask About IT Projects
In summary, it’s important to ask as many questions as possible before embarking on a new IT project.
This enables you to best plan how the project will affect operations, and mitigate possible issues before they even happen.
You need to be confident in making informed decisions and allow your team to see a clear goal in order to implement a successful project.
To find out more about implementing successful IT projects, take a look at our dedicated page:
IT Projects Management
