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Overcomplecting* Some make serious money out of scope creep in IT projects. Sometimes I think that this must be how the major consultancies are sustaining them

Overcomplecting* Some make serious money out of scope creep in IT projects. Sometimes I think that this must be how the major consultancies are sustaining themselves. Someone wrote that the /average/ IT project ran 10x over budget. This would be completely unacceptable in any domain but IT.

avn2109 11y ago
In fairness, plenty of "real engineering" project have similar outcomes. See for example Boston's Big Dig or the DoD's Joint Strike Fighter.
- rch 11y ago
  Keep in mind the often-huge software budgets within those projects.
joshuarrrr 11y ago
Hi, I'm one of the authors of the piece. As my co-author would say, the industry is fueled by failed projects. But because outright failure is common, huge overruns can be seen as a success when they actually manage to deliver anything of use.
sjbase 11y ago
I worked at a major consultancy and this is definitely true. The major parties in a large enterprise IT project are (in shit-rolls-downhill order): 1: The enterprise itself 2: Strategic advisors (consultancy) 3: Integrators (often the same company as #2, or a competitor) 4: Software vendors (note the plural) 5: Third-party QA All but #1 have a structural incentive to make projects bigger the same way a mechanic has a structural incentive to "find new problems." The client always has final say, but people underestimate how hard it is to keep saying "no" to multiple reputable firms all warning you against going too small. That said, this kind of swindling is far from ubiquitous. There's a philosophy that blindly upping scope is shortsighted, and you do better in the long run by actually representing your client's best interest. Where I worked, I found it pretty easy to surround myself with people who thought this way.
- ep103 11y ago
  Don't forget that many enterprises end up replacing their own staff completely with people on the consultancy payroll. Apparently it can make the company look better on wall street's books? So the end result is that 1 and 2 become the same people. ISPs are rife with this.
Doctor_Fegg 11y ago
Muphry's Law strikes again. Overcomplicating.
- fnordsensei 11y ago
  Although complex != complicated.

avn2109 11y ago

In fairness, plenty of "real engineering" project have similar outcomes. See for example Boston's Big Dig or the DoD's Joint Strike Fighter.

rch 11y ago
Keep in mind the often-huge software budgets within those projects.

joshuarrrr 11y ago

Hi, I'm one of the authors of the piece. As my co-author would say, the industry is fueled by failed projects. But because outright failure is common, huge overruns can be seen as a success when they actually manage to deliver anything of use.

sjbase 11y ago

I worked at a major consultancy and this is definitely true. The major parties in a large enterprise IT project are (in shit-rolls-downhill order): 1: The enterprise itself 2: Strategic advisors (consultancy) 3: Integrators (often the same company as #2, or a competitor) 4: Software vendors (note the plural) 5: Third-party QA All but #1 have a structural incentive to make projects bigger the same way a mechanic has a structural incentive to "find new problems." The client always has final say, but people underestimate how hard it is to keep saying "no" to multiple reputable firms all warning you against going too small. That said, this kind of swindling is far from ubiquitous. There's a philosophy that blindly upping scope is shortsighted, and you do better in the long run by actually representing your client's best interest. Where I worked, I found it pretty easy to surround myself with people who thought this way.

ep103 11y ago
Don't forget that many enterprises end up replacing their own staff completely with people on the consultancy payroll. Apparently it can make the company look better on wall street's books? So the end result is that 1 and 2 become the same people. ISPs are rife with this.

Doctor_Fegg 11y ago

Muphry's Law strikes again. Overcomplicating.

fnordsensei 11y ago
Although complex != complicated.