Foremostco Inc A Case Solution

1. Why did this project get into so much trouble?

This project got into trouble for a lot of various factors. For instance, the decision to create an entire system from scratch while an off the shelf solution was already available was not a very wise decision considering there was no evidence that an in-house development would be a more successful project compared to opting the off the shelf option. Furthermore, the off the shelf solution was much cheaper in comparison to building an entire system from the scratch likewise, it would have also consumed much less time. Similarly, one of the reasons which also contributed to the failure of this project was the lack of training of employees for using the newly installed system. The firm did not spend enough time or resources to make sure that the employees are familiar with the new system which was a massive mistake on the part of the senior management. Besides repeated delays to the project led to timing constraints which meant that sufficient time and resources could not be devoted towards testing the system which further exacerbated the crisis. Another factor which contributed greatly to the entire fiasco was that the activation of the new IT system was rushed greatly. Generally, when a new IT system is installed, it is usually a step-by-step process meaning that while the new system is activated the old system should be kept running. This is done to monitor the performance of the new system and once it is deemed to be successful the older system is then deactivated. Foremostco Inc did not undertake such measures which added to the crisis and finally, Foremostco Inc did not have a backup plan either in this entire scenario. Not a single disaster recovery plan was set up so that the crisis could be mitigated as much as possible. 

2. How would you have ensured that progress was being made in the development of the new system?

a. How can the progress on technical IT projects be made observable?

There are a lot of avenues through which progress on IT projects could be made observable. The first step which helps in measuring the progress is by checking in with the project team regularly. The senior management of Foremost Inc made the mistake of not checking up on the IT team’s progress on the set deadlines up until the project was close to its deadline.