What model of a lifecycle should IT projects follow?
In software development, one has the RUP, or the waterfall model for the application lifecycle. In my experience, IT projects differ widely from them, however, they rarely follow a set pattern of requirements sign-off, careful design, proper reviews and implementation after testing, documentation of lessons learnt, etc. Nor do many IT projects use proper scheduling tools like Microsoft Project.
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ASKED:
March 24, 2009 9:49 AM
UPDATED:
April 1, 2009 3:53 PM
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Answer Wiki:
Perhaps this is subject to experience. For the most part, development and infrastructure project IT lifecycles or frameworks/methodologies are the same. Loosely speaking, in the development project lifecycle, there are the discovery, design, development and release phases with sign-off/approval stop gates between each phase. In infrastructure, there is also a discovery and design phases; however, the development and release phases are commonly referred to as the build and deploy phases respectively. Good examples of methodologies to use are the Microsoft Solutions Framework/Solution Delivery Methodology which consists of envision, plan, build, stabilize and deploy phases.
I think that if one steps outside of the specific activities of a development framework/methodology and takes a more abstract look at the process, and management thereof, then it becomes apparent that many of the same principles can be applied.
There are more methodologie and frameworks out there and the correct one for a given IT infrastructure project will depend on the size, scope and complexity of the project itself.
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I agree with Wrobinson. In general, the same principles can (and should) be applied to software projects and infrastructure projects (and projects in general).
In my opinion, the fact that many infrastructure projects are not really managed as ‘projects’ is not a rule, but a bad practice.