André Leclerc informatics consultant

Conditions that must be in place to ensure the success of a project whose main goal is to define, specify and model the business components of an information system

1.  A well defined and supervised project

  1.1 The project must be sponsored by one or more units or departments directly related to the business of the organization, and not by the people responsible for that organization’s information technology.
  1.2 A project charter must be drawn up in a proper form and approved by all parties involved or having a stake in the project.
  1.3 This charter must grant a high priority and a good visibility to the project.

2.  A well planned and organized project

  2.1 A detailed plan, including descriptions of the steps and deliverables, clear dependencies and deadlines, and precise resource allocations, must be developed.
  2.2 The project must count on a good representation and a good participation of experts in the areas of business defining its scope.
  2.3 The work group sessions must be scheduled in a good timely manner and take place in meeting rooms that have all the required equipment.
  2.4 The project must be managed by an experienced project management team.

3.  A simple approach focused on the essentials

  3.1 The main subject of the project’s activities must be the business components themselves and not diagrams showing graphically those components and that are difficult to present, share and manage.  The components of an information system do not necessarily require a graphical representation in order to be well specified and understood.
  3.2 The business components must be defined in a detailed, precise and clear manner, in the context of the business areas defining the scope of the project.  These definitions are essential as they form the baseline for all communications between all parties involved or having a stake in the project.

4.  A good monitoring of the project during its execution

  4.1 Complete progress reports must be submitted at regular intervals.
  4.2 The problems that are encountered must be documented.
  4.3 The necessary corrections must be identified quickly and enforced with rigour.
  4.4 The project plan must be updated when changes to its contents are required.

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