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Don't Ignore the Small
Projects
 I'm amazed by
how many requests for small system fixes I find in companies. I'm
talking about things like requests for repairs to make something
work the way it is supposed to, and installations of processing
capabilities that were meant to be included in Phase I of a major
project but were postponed to Phase II… and Phase II was never
completed. The reality is that these small-project requests seldom
get appropriate attention.
The reason they don't get much attention or priority is
simple: they are "nit" problems. Things like a system that
incorrectly translates data or codes it and spews unusable
documents. Or, a system that doesn't produce data in a format that's
needed within the organization, necessitating a manual build of an
Excel or Access table. In one client organization where the PCs had
not been networked, workers printed out the faxes they wanted to
send and then gave the paper versions to another department to fax.
These types of problems are varied but have two things in common:
they are small in scope, and workers have found ways to handle them
("workarounds").
Why should you care about these projects when there are so
many big IT projects linked to corporate strategic initiatives? The
answer is that when the small projects are added up, the cumulative
costs of not doing them can be significant. What are the costs? To
name a few, they are unnecessary work hours related to extra
processing or accommodating workarounds; preventable processing
errors that translate into rework and potentially dissatisfied or
lost customers; the extra time it takes to deliver timely outputs;
and, last but not least, workers' frustration at having to perform
extra processing steps or to redo transactions.
Every company has these small projects. What's amazing is
that they don't get fixed quickly. If the problems were with our own
home, they would not wait long for repair—even if a major remodel of
another part of the home was underway. We would not, for example,
try to get by with a TV remote that didn't work, wouldn't go long
without changing a broken light switch, and wouldn't wait months to
have a water heater repaired. But at the office, the workarounds are
somehow acceptable.
Considering all this, what does a company do about it? There
are easy steps to take to see if this issue plagues your
operations:
- Find out if you have a problem. Assign someone to compile a
list of the small projects that have been requested. Review the
log, then ask the workers to add any requests for projects that
are not on the list.
- Evaluate the costs for each workaround by getting two pieces
of information: the time that each transaction or occurrence of
the problem adds (you might ask, "How long would it take if you
didn't have to do that?") and the total number of transactions or
occurrences of the problem. Next, calculate the cost by
multiplying the transactions (per year) by the time per
occurrence. Multiply that by the cost of a worker and you have
your cost for that workaround processing. Be sure to include the
cost of benefits in the worker costs (typically, 22-35 percent of
the worker's salary per year).
After these two
steps, you will see how much those workarounds are costing you. If
the cost seems significant, it's time to look for fixes. Pick the
workarounds that carry the highest cost and have IT do a quick
estimate of what it will take to fix each. Compare the cost of your
workers to the IT hours and decide if it's worth it. The higher the
payback, the more priority should be given to eliminating that
workaround. Continue until all significant problem areas have been
evaluated.
By paying attention to these smaller projects and problem
fixes, you can get multiple benefits in worker productivity, service
levels, and customer satisfaction. It is well worth the time to
decide which problems should be fixed and to get them done. You'll
thank yourself for taking the time.
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