A good foundation is just as crucial in implementing a technology, like Single Sign-On, as it is in building a sturdy structure. In implementing a technology initiative, that foundation starts with acquiring and documenting the business and technology requirements in a clear manner. All too often the lack of properly documented requirements right from the start in the Business Requirements Document (BRD) leads to scope creep and a host of implementation issues. Without that foundation, it’s like trying to build a skyscraper in sand.
The Project Management Institute (PMI) states that poor performance results in over $110 million in losses for every $1 billion invested in projects and programs across the corporate sector. Very few organizations can afford losses like that on every new project, and even the biggest companies will feel the drain from that level of losses over time.
These issues are part of the requirements quagmire and poor project management. PMI’s 2014 Pulse Report on the Profession equates that more than half of strategic technology implementations fail to meet their original goals and business intent because of the gap.
Typically, the main principal causes of scope creep are:
- Deficient requirements analysis;
- Failing to involve end users in the requirements and design phases;
- Failing to properly estimate the complexity of a project;
- And a general lack of process with tracking changes within a project.
Hypersocket Single Sign-On Addresses the Requirements Gap
At Hypersocket, we believe that strong project control needs to be established in order to mitigate the requirements issue. This includes defining a project’s scope in an initial phase, months before build, and extends to making sure that all stakeholders are appropriately identified, communicated to, and have approved the initiative.
We also believe that it becomes essential to control change in the early portion of the development cycle. Therefore, having a board of stakeholders and business-unit leaders who approve all change requests is essential to leading to a smooth build.
Another part of navigating this issue is a robust business case for executives and other top managers to firmly get behind the project. This includes a succinct business case that establishes a clear view of the project’s strategic value, including a focus on the implementation and adoption plans, business objectives, timeline, risk assessments and communication plan.
By implementing these procedures and plans, companies can help to build a solid foundation from which projects can grow. Doing this should reduce, if not eliminate, much of the millions of dollars lost due to the poor performance of projects. Once that solid base is in place, we believe that further help can be found by implementing a single sign-on program. All those important stakeholders and business unit leaders can thus examine how the program is proceeding and offer support and feedback without having to go through an entirely new logon procedure. Having the new project seamlessly integrated into the existing corporate communications infrastructure, even as it is still being built, can only increase the support given to it and increase its overall chance of achieving a successful conclusion. In that way, single sign-on technology can also help reduce the financial drain associated with too many new business initiatives.
At Hypersocket, our view of single sign-on technology is to make it full of features, affordable for its users, and scalable. We also help navigate the requirements hurdle by supporting unlimited users and offering features like an ISO download, which means no office is going around confused or lost as to how to download and use our services, whether they are working on projects that have existed forever, or building on new initiatives that will become the foundation of an organization’s future success.
This Blog was brought to you by Hypersocket and its CEO, Lee David Painter. With over 20 years of industry experience as a pioneer in IT Security, Lee developed the world’s first OpenSource browser-based SSL VPN (SSL-Explorer). Today Lee runs Hypersocket, a leader in virtual private network technology.
