Project start with a system: The route for successful IT projects

Imagine you are planning a family vacation. Before you pack your suitcases, the most important question is: Where should you go? Once this decision has been made after intensive coordination and the different wishes have been reconciled, the vacation seems within reach. Ready to leave? Not quite yet.

Even in IT projects, once the goals have been clarified, it is often urged to start directly with requirements gathering and development. In the following blog post we would like to show why it makes sense to consciously take time at the beginning for a practical project setup for successful IT projects.

Current studies also show that this phase should not be underestimated: According to one Survey by BITKOM eV, around 75% of all IT projects fail due to errors in the initialization phase. A lack of clarity about the project goals, inadequately defined requirements and an unclear distribution of roles and tasks lead to expensive delays and improvements later on.

A well-founded project setup helps to avoid these typical pitfalls. It ensures that everyone involved has the same expectations and a common understanding of procedures and responsibilities right from the start. In this way, you lay the foundation for successful project implementation – efficiently, resource-saving and with a clear focus on project success.

What does project setup actually mean?

As consultants, we often notice in projects that many companies do not define basic processes for collaboration, or only define them inadequately. This means that the project goal is often inadvertently jeopardized right from the start.

To draw the line to the holiday example – before you get into the car with your family, you should usually clarify a few important questions:

• Who will take the wheel and do we take turns driving?
• How do we find the best route – classically with a map and street signs or conveniently using a navigation system?

A well-designed IT project works in a similar way. Here too, those responsible must set the course before the start:

• Who are the relevant stakeholders who are involved from requirements gathering and development to technical testing and go-live?
• When and how are tasks handed over to the next stakeholder group, and who makes the necessary decisions?
• Which tools do we use for collaboration – do we rely on professional solutions like Jira or do we stick with classic Excel tables?

A project should be designed as early as possible in such a way that the rules for collaboration are clearly defined, the meeting structures are established and a mutually agreed process for processing tasks (e.g. via a ticket system) is established.

This is the only way to ensure that everyone involved knows the same route, uses the appropriate navigation system – and your project doesn't come to a standstill at the first intersection.

Components of a successful project setup

A well-thought-out project setup forms the basis for structured and efficient collaboration. Below we explain the central elements that have proven successful in our projects:

• Project Stakeholder: Right from the start of the project it should be clearly defined who will actively participate in the project (e.g. project management, development, test management) and who will simply be informed (e.g. company management). This transparency is crucial in order to make requirements and decisions comprehensible across all project phases – from creation to operation.
• Duties and responsibilities: Those responsible clearly define and document the tasks, responsibilities and decision-making authority for all identified stakeholders. This means everyone involved knows what contribution they make to the project and at which points they make decisions.
• Collaboration process: In order to ensure effective collaboration, a common process is defined based on the stakeholder analysis, which can later be mapped in a ticket tool. It must be determined when and how requirements are passed between the stakeholders and who is responsible for the respective process sections.
• Communication channels and meeting structures: Process handovers often take place during meetings in which binding decisions are made. In order for these handovers to go smoothly, the meetings must be decision-making — that is, all relevant stakeholders should be present. A standardized meeting process with a clear agenda supports efficiency. In addition, a central system should be defined in which all decisions are documented. This prevents information from being scattered unstructured across emails, ticket tools or text documents.
• Technical implementation: Especially when there are a large number of stakeholders, it is recommended to use a tool such as Jira or GitLab as well as a central documentation platform (e.g. Wiki, Confluence). Since the technical infrastructure varies from organization to organization, those responsible ideally select the appropriate tools early on and coordinate their use with the internal IT.

A clearly structured project setup is essential for project success. Our experience shows that consistent consideration of the above-mentioned elements contributes significantly to the quality and efficiency of collaboration. However, it is important to regularly question the setup and, if necessary, adapt it flexibly to the requirements and goals of the project.

outlook

We hope our explanations have given you an insight into what is important when setting up IT projects. Whether it’s a vacation trip or an IT project – careful preparation is the key to success.

Our tip: Make sure you take your time with the project setup and anchor the elements described in your project plan early on. If you notice as the project progresses that individual aspects of the setup still offer potential for optimization, don't be afraid to sharpen them specifically. A good setup thrives on continuous adjustment.