Why they say Bigger Projects always fail...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0612170278dec17,0,61792.story?track=rss ...just a perfect example of why they say bigger projects have one sure fate; "to fail" more often than not. interestingly, this could be a perfect case study for anyone in the industry; just enough failures to keep every discipline get a handful of learnings...software version control or change control failure, absence of a technology assessment board, lack of agility in process, One-shot approach..let me explain some of them in little more detail:

Absence of a Technology Assessment Board
As per the best practice, every organization should maintain an approved "Technology Stack" at the enterprise level. The "approved technology Stack" contains the list of softwares (or hardwares may be) and their "Version Numbers" that can be used by any projects going on in the firm. Any entity in the organization, be it an SBU (Strategic Business Unit), suppliers in the extended enterpise, partners who associate with the project or any individuals or contractors should adhere to the compliance standards of this stack. Having established a stack, the owner of the stack should be resposible for scheduling a periodic audit or review of the project to ensure the compliance.

Lack of Agility

If turbulence and turmoil define the problem, then agility is key to the solution http://www.awprofessional.com/articles/article.asp?p=25930&rl=1 . Agility is a hot word in IT these days. However, it is a must and can be very easily deployed in such a "Jumbo" project like that of A380. Just look at the number of problems this approach could have solved for Airbus. The "progressive elaboration" can only go in perfect blend with a phase-wise approach.

Theory of Constraints

Theory of constraints (TOC) is an overall management philosophy that aims to continually achieve more of the goal of a system. If that system is a for-profit business, then the goal becomes one of making more money, in the present as well as in the future http://www.goldratt.com/. The bigger the project gets higher the need for following the fundamentals.

Using the Right Software

Most OEM has a tendancy to have a "lock-in" to a particular software vendor. This is attributed to the fact that their engineers and analysts are comfortable using this software having used the same for long. However, it is not just the efficieny that matters here. OEMs have to keep re-evaluating their technology stacks at regular intervals for the emerging technologies and softwares in the industry that makes them more efective. One classic example for a revolutionary product in the Virtual Product Development industry is "SimEnterprise" suite from MSC Software http://www.mscsoftware.com/products/?Q=131

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