System Improvement for Environmental Regulations

STRONG LEADERSHIP EARNS ITS PROPS

Respect: If you don’t have it, better roll up your sleeves and earn it. We had to with this project.

A federal utility was having problems meeting and implementing legally mandated federal environmental requirements. Senior management had limited visibility into status information and had to make ad-hoc data requests. They needed to increase transparency, uniformity, consistency and access to key information (budgets, metrics, project status).
ACME was brought in to help solve these problems. We tackled the issues using an agile development methodology, addressing the highest-priority needs first.

Our approach entailed the following: leverage our client’s existing systems to rectify business problems with process and technology improvements; partner with an IT organization to achieve a viable solution; and promote ongoing alignment with wider organizational goals.

But it wasn’t trouble-free.

The technical team comprised contractors who held little allegiance to the organization and the project. Alignment was a struggle. Turnover was frequent. And the atmosphere suffered from clashes among strong, sometimes conflicting personalities.

At one point, our project manager had to call out some folks. He made a wise move by promising to keep the team together if they put their heads down and delivered the goods on time. They respected the honesty – and accepted the challenge.

When the QA lead left for a long vacation, the PM jumped in and tested code. When business analysis faltered, he took over requirements analysis in order to keep the developers going. It showed he was willing to do anything needed to complete the project and he earned a lot of respect doing it.

Sometimes leaders must wear many hats – and roll up their sleeves.

In the end, we were able to create dashboards with reporting capability to meet legal requirements and improve management decision-making. Functionality, efficiency and the relationship between IT and the business division were substantially improved. And the project was delivered under budget within one month of forecasted completion.