The Seven Deadly Sins of IT Project Delivery

How many of the seven deadly sins do you commit when it comes to IT project delivery? We’ve seen pretty much everything over the years here at Grant McGregor and thought we’d share some thoughts, tongue is firmly in cheek!

1)      Greed

Getting greedy with IT projects and taking on too many at once is a sin that will come back to bite you! Whilst it’s great to have a number of different projects to work on, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and confused, resulting in poor project deliveries and unsatisfied clients.

Often find yourself in this position? Lighten your workload by learning to say no or outsourcing work to make your working life more digestible.

2)      Lust

There’s a saying that goes a little something like ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Know the one? IT managers have the tendency to seek out the latest hardware and software in order to keep with the times, even if their present IT system is working just fine. Whilst there are many benefits of upgrading to higher spec software and hardware, you have to take the increased costs and burden of re-training employees into consideration. In order to justify an upgrade, it has to be practical and necessary for the success of your business. Seek practical advice where needed to make the best investment decisions

3)      Wrath

Whilst computers are great, they aren’t magical, meaning that sometimes things do go wrong (we’re sorry but they just do!). As an IT project manager, you should expect to hit bumps in the road during the lifespan of your project. Rather than getting wrathful and pointing the finger at members of your IT team when things go wrong, keep a calm head and think about what can be done to rectify the problem.

Temper tantrums in the workplace are a big "no no" and blaming members of your team will not make you a popular leader. Remember that you will be relying on your IT team to help you deliver the project so if you upset them with your wrath; it’s unlikely they are going to be committed to meeting your deadline.

4)      Sloth

Are you lazy when it comes to testing software and IT systems? Testing is one of the most fundamental parts of IT project delivery. If you do not carry out appropriate testing and something goes wrong, you will be held accountable. Seeing as it will be you who has to fix the problems anyway, you may as well be proactive in ensuring everything is in working order before you hand over a completed project. Here at Grant McGregor we can help with our dedicated testing services, which are well “tried and tested” across many customers over the years.

5)      Gluttony

Are you an IT know it all? Whilst you may be in charge of a particular project, this doesn’t mean you have to handle all aspects of it yourself. Sharing your knowledge with others and delegating tasks will achieve the most productive results.

Hoarding information won’t give you job security; instead it’ll cause your business costly problems. Say for example you fell ill and weren’t able to complete a client’s project. This may be because you hadn’t shared your knowledge with other members of your team or delegated them any tasks, no one would be able to get the work done, resulting in a very unhappy client come delivery day!

6)      Envy

Has one of your subordinates come up with an idea for the IT project you are working on that is far better than your own? Although you may feel envious of their idea and wish you had thought of it yourself, you’ve got to keep in mind that it’s not about you, but your client! As envious as you might feel, give the employee credit for their idea and let them take the lead. Being able to delegate work will make you a much better IT project manager.

7)      Pride

There’s no shame in outsourcing IT projects that you cannot complete to a high standard in-house. Maybe you don’t have the level of technology required to do the project or perhaps one of your key IT workers is currently on holiday. Whatever the reason, don’t let your pride get in the way – outsource the project work to an expert IT company that can deliver the desired results in a timely fashion.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this article, which although intended to be slightly humorous does have serious intent behind the surface. If any of these seven deadly sins resonate with you contact Grant McGregor today on 0131 603 7910 and we’ll do our best to give you an IT sin-free working life!