Project Scale
Although SPRINT offers a method for measuring progress against both internal and external targets, its modular nature allows it to be applied at different scales of complexity.
Click on the links below to see how SPRINT might apply to a particular type of project and to identify potential problems with each type of project.
- Large Scale Projects - e.g. a complete business area; long timecale; substantial resource requirement
- Small Scale Projects - e.g. defined business area: short timescale; able to utilise existing resource
- New Projects - e.g. a new business area or process
Large Scale Projects
Project Description
The project is concerned with re-engineering a complete business area or is a cross-cutting project that goes across many parts of the organisation. The timescale is likely to be longer term and require substantial resource.
Essential Requirements
- A high level steering group is critical.
- User buy-in at director level
- Availability of substantial resources
- Long term commitment to the project
- Steering group must be 'hands on'
- Good project management
- Clear documentation and milestones
- Formal communication between different stakeholders
- BPR tasks undertaken by large team and over a long timescale
- Need for staged design and implementation
- Implementation requires specialists
- BPR team have important review role
Potential Problems
- Steering group does not meet often enough or is 'rubber stamping' rather than 'steering' the project
- Unavailability of resources because of conflicting priorities
- Lack of continuity within user departments (e.g. staff changes)
- Large scale of project delays delivery (e.g. bottlenecks)
- Increased likelihood of technical problems
- Lack of high level commitment leads to abandonment or scaling back of implementation
- Project drowns under bureaucracy/paperwork
Small Scale Projects
Project Description
The project is concerned with a particular business process or defined business area and the timescale is likely to be short term and utilise existing available research
Essential Requirements
- Steering group may be 'hands off' or overseering a number of projects
- Project team will take on project management and steering roles
- May be able to divert existing resources rather than allocate substantial new ones
- Informal communication between different stakeholders
- Quick implementation - Short timescale
- Able to pilot solutions that can be used elsewhere
Potential Problems
- Lack of steer leads to poor project planning
- Not enough consideration of different re-engineering options
- Failure to accurately estimate resource needs compromises solution
- Too dependent on a few individuals
- Potential for "Ad hoc" rather than cross-cutting solutions
New Processes
Project Description
The project is concerned with a new business process or a new business area and therefore can 'stand alone '
Essential Requirements
- Steering group needs to be committed to supporting innovation
- Constitution of project team is crucial
- Needs dedicated resources
- Emphasis is on radical design rather than existing processes
- Accelerated development - to indicate viability
- Implementation likely to require new skills
- Post-implementation phase crucial
Potential Problems
- Difficulty of co-existing within existing structures (e.g. steering group may not be able to think 'out of the box')
- Danger of 'lone wolf' innovators not being 'team players'
- Technology for technology's sake! (Is there a need? Who is the customer?)
- Not being radical enough - replicating existing ways of working
- Cost/Resource/Time overuns because of unrealistic project management
- Failure to put in place a training and dissemination strategy
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