Adopt a Practical Approach

Adopt a Practical Approach
After the entire project management principles are enunciated, numerous planning methods are described, and several theoretical nuances arc explored. a practical approach is still best for achieving results. Do not get bogged down in the strictness of the principles, rules, and methods. Adopt a practical approach to managing the project. Results alone matter: just being active and running around chasing the theoretically principles NVIII not produce the desired outcome.

A practical approach is simply a common-sense approach that has a nice blend of practical wisdom and bard-core theory. While using a practical approach, you are totally results-oriented. You constantly balance the significant activities against the less important ones and adjust the priorities. You are not driven by technology just for the sake of technology itself: you are motivated by business requirements. In the context of a data warehouse project. Here are a few tips on adopting a practical approach:

• Running a project in a pragmatic way means constantly monitoring, the deviations and slippage, and making iii-flight corrections to stay the course. Rearrange the priorities as and when necessary.
• Let project schedules act as guides for smooth workflow and achieving results, not .just to control and inhibit creativity. Please do not by to control each task to the    

Figure 4-13 Analysis of a successful data warehouse.

• Un-test detail. You will then only have time to keep time schedules up-to-dale, with less time to do the real job.
• Review project task dependencies continuously. Minimize wait times for dependent tasks.
• There is really such a thing as "too much planning." Do not give into the temptation. Occasionally, ready-fire-aim may be a worthwhile principle for a practical approach.
• Similarly, "too much analysis" can produce "analysis paralysis."
• Avoid "bleeding edge" and unproven technologies. This is very important If the project is the first data warehouse project in your company.
• Always produce early deliverables as part of the project. These deliverables will sustain the interest of the users and also serve as proof-of-concept systems.
• Architecture first, and then only the tools. Do not choose die tools and build your data warehouse around the selected tools. Build the architecture first, based on business requirements, and then pick the tools to support the architecture.

Review these suggestions and use them appropriately in your data warehouse project. Especially if this is their first data warehouse project, the users will be interested in quick and easily noticeable benefits. You will soon find out that they are never interested in your fanciest project scheduling tool that empowers them to track each task by the hour or minute. They are satisfied only by results. They ate attracted to the data warehouse only by how useful and easy to use it is.

Anatomy of a Successful Project

Anatomy of a Successful Project

No matter how many success factors you review, and no matter how many guidelines you study, you get a better grasp of the success principles by analyzing the details of what really made a real-world project a success. We will now do just that. Let US review a case 

study of an actual business in which the data warehouse project was a innuendous success. The warehouse met the goals and produced the desired results. Figure 4-13 depicts this data warehouse, indicating the success factors and benefits. A fictional name is used for the business.

Success Factors

Success Factors

You have followed the tenets of effective project management and your data warehouse is completed. How do you know that your data warehouse is a success? Do you need three or five years to see if you get the ROI (return on investment) .proposed in your plan? How long do you have to wait before you can assert dun your data warehouse effort is success-ful. Or, are there some immediate signs indicating, success? There is some such indications cii success that can he observed within a short time after implementation. The following happenings generally indicate success:

Figure 4-12 provides a list of key factors for a successful, data warehouse project.

• Queries and reports, rapid increase in the number of queries and reports requested by 01..2 users directly from the data warehouse
• Query types—queries becoming more sophisticated
• Active users:- steady increase in the number of users
• Usage— users spending more and more time in the data warehouse looking for solutions
• Tionumund times marked decrease in the times required for obtaining strategic information

Figure 4-12 provides a list of key factors for a successful, data warehouse project. By no means is this list an exhaustive compilation of all possible ingredients for success. Nor is it a Magic wand to guarantee success in every situation. You very well know that a good part of ensuring success .depends onl your specific project, its definite objectives. and its unique project management challenges. Therefore, use the list for general guidance.

Warning Signs

Warning Signs
As the life cycle of your data warehouse project runs its course and the development phases are moving along, you must keep a close watch for any warning signs that may spell disaster. Constantly be looking for any indicators suggestirtg doom and failure. Some of the warning signs may just point to inconveniences calling for little action. But there are likely to be other warning signs indicative of wider problems that need Corrective action to ensure final success. Some warning signs may portend serious drawbacks that require immediate remedial action.

Whatever might he the nature of the warning sign, be vigilant and keep a close watch. As soon as you spot an omen, recognize the potential problem and jump into corrective action. Figure 4-11 presents a list of typical warning signs and suggested corrective action. The list in the figure is just a collection of examples. In your data warehouse project, you may find other types warning signs. Your corrective action for potential problems may be different depending on your circumstances.