Lessons Learned for More Successful Joint Project

1. Define clear path to identify, report and resolve resource (people) issue crossing organizational boundaries
2. Define, communicate, and clarify roles and responsibilities upfront
3. Allow time to ramp up and prepare before starting a major work packages
4. Plan and execute incremental reviews for major deliverables
5. Vet project schedule by work package owner
6. Plan and execute regular review of plans to identify and capture changes
7. Establish clear criteria for change request
8. Encourage collaboration in preparing change request
9. Share resource availability crossing organizational boundaries

The Tech Disaster Awards: What You Can Learn from IT's Biggest Project Failures

By Jake Widman

1. IBM's Stretch project: Try to salvage something of lasting value from the wreckage, even if you don't meet your project's main goals.
2. Knight-Ridder's Viewtron service: Sometimes you can be so far ahead of the curve that you fall right off the edge.
3. DMV projects -- California and Washington: (a) Don't place your future in the hands of one supplier. (b) When a project is obviously doomed to failure, get out sooner rather than later.
4. FoxMeyer ERP program: Make sure your operation can survive the failure of a project.
5. Apple's Copland operating system: Keep your project's goals focused.
6. Sainsbury's warehouse automation: Problems that go unaddressed at rollout will only get worse, not better, over time.
7. Canada's gun registration system: Define your project scope and freeze specifications before the requests for changes get out of hand.