In a study done by CA towards end of last year, one third of all projects end up over budget and spend typically 10-20% of the original budget.
This is a typo, Mary; should be
"
over-spend typically 10-20% of the original budget."
Wouldn't it to great if most projects
spend typically 10-20% of the original budget!
A great article, Mary! I agree that you really need to see first hand how things have been done in the past, especially in an industry you're not experinced in. How
you would organize data entry, and how a company's staff have been doing it for years, might be different. Keeping things as close to the past as possible (without redundancy, of course) on the GUI causes less resistence to the new system. A data entry sequence that flows the same way as hard copies used for reference is a real plus.
And I'm a real believer in being up front about costs. When you define the scope of the project and put in that bid, make sure they understand the costs associated with changing the scope/specs after that point. And, if at all possible, get in writing
who has the final say on changes.
Linq
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