Are there issues lurking in your templates that could affect project profit?
Have you had a red project because a deliverable wasn’t comprehensive enough? Did you lose money or profitability on this project?
Now ask yourself these questions:
-Where are your templates?
-Does everyone use the same ones?
-Is there a consistency for repeatable elements of them (i.e. version control section, approval section, summary, table of contents, definitions and out of scope).
-Are they consistently branded and is the client’s name and logo on the main page?
Most consultancies have a mixture of strong templates and those needing improvement.
Here’s a real life example I experienced with a fortune 500 company. It illustrates when hidden “issues lurk in your templates”. I was called in to help fix a red project. Here’s what I found, and the impact on our company.
User Stories
- WHAT: The user stories did not contain acceptance criteria.
- WHY: A duplicate was made from a prior document the consultant was given. it was lacking in the acceptance criteria and several other key elements that help manage scope.
- THE RESULT: Never ending user stories. The client pushed back on what was delivered stating that it wasn’t what was in the user story and they wouldn’t accept what was built. The team kept building and rebuilding.
Test Strategy document
- WHAT: A very basic template was used, stating they’d do UAT, but no definitions or processes were outlined.
- WHY: Staff used what they had locally. They did not use the template from the central repository.
- THE RESULT: Client decided to do whatever testing they wanted when they wanted. They tested items out of scope and reported “defects”. In addition any new feature they wanted was labeled a defect-because there was no clear definition of it.
The Overall Result
Several highly expensive delivery team members and myself were put on the project to turn it around and close it. Our work was all non-billable. The value of the senior staff placed on this project in a non billable capacity was worth more than $700,000. It also meant they could not be put on other projects in a billable capacity.
Comprehensive templates drive consistency throughout your entire practice. This is especially important when you have remote and dispersed teams. Less experienced consultants will see what is expected in a deliverable, and everyone in your practice will deliver consistently. And most important, your clients experience a well delivered project of high quality.
Below are some core elements, every template must include::
- Correct branding
- Version control log
- Approval log
- Table of contents
- A non technical overview of what the intent of the document is and what is being documented and how it will be used in the project.
- Definitions
- Diagrams (as needed)
- Out of scope section
- Detailed specifics for each template type
For qualified consulting executives, Order in the House is offering a free health check of your templates. Contact me at [email protected].