I've learned a lot in my professional career, and one important lesson that no matter the project, industry, or country is that we always make assumptions. When managing projects, and especially development, the only way to meet deadlines, specifications, and client expectations is to ensure that we don’t assume what is needed.
It reminds me of a lesson I learned when first living in the UK. As you may know, I'm American, and moved here about 3 years ago to be with my wife. In my first day here, my soon to be wife offered me some “squash”. I as a picky eater, turned down the nice offer and had some potato chips (crisps). A few days later I was at her parent’s house, who also offered me some squash which I politely refused, and thought “The British really love squash!” A few days later I went on a night out and stayed at a friend’s house in London. The next morning, the first thing that they offered me was squash. I stopped them and had to ask what the reason for this obsession with squash was! They gave me a puzzled look, and after a confused conversation, I learned it was a drink, and not a vegetable that you eat at thanksgiving!
Working with projects can be a lot like this in many ways, as clients have an idea of their requirements, and assume that others will understand this. This can be dangerous if time is not taken to ensure that the requirements and needs are fully understood and documented, as neither myself nor the client will be the one implementing and testing the solution. A large part of my job is to ensure that all assumptions and understandings are documented in a way that can be passed through the life cycle of a project, to ensure that the development team are able to make an excellent system, that meets and exceeds our customer’s needs and expectations. To do this, we use many different tools and techniques, and most importantly we welcome the opportunity to sit down with a client and learn more about their business and ensure that a system that we implement works for them and their needs!
Luke Stegall
Project Manager
Zipporah Ltd is an established and leading supplier of online solutions to both public and private sector organisations. Our products include E-Booking, E-Commerce, Leisure Management, Queuing, Scheduler, All in one and One Stop Shop Applications – working to streamline processes, reduce costs, improve profits and optimise service management, facilitating a faster, more effective and efficient approach to business operations.
