Challenge

As a Project Leader in an international IT organization, I design, implement and deploy IT applications  for clients in financial control in the aim of helping them in their decision-making.

The applications we develop are based on an innovating cloud-based solution. Our projects consist in  building specific applications to our customers needs, from a common platform (e.g. of application:  Financial planning, People planning, profitability modeling,…).

Selection

The Learning Launch consists in a prototype to test key customer, execution and defensibility  assumptions. It involves quickly engaging with customers.

I selected the Learning Launch tool because it is very useful for expose part of a development in real  usage conditions and with the presence of stakeholders (including future users). This tool is part of  an iterative development process which allows us to correct and enhance the prototype while the  project is running.

Application

The projects I lead are based on Agile method. With such a method, the first phase consists in  identifying project community, gathering client needs, define objectives and critical success factors.  Then, the project is sliced into lots called “Tracks”. Each Track can be seen as in an iterative and  incremental sub-process with a strong involving of stakeholders which allows a high reactivity.

In our project management, the Learning Launch is used as the final step of a Track. Indeed, a live  demonstration is organized in the real usage conditions with all the stakeholders. Customers and  users are invited to react and interact. It allows my project team to consider all the remarks,  regarding the displaying, ergonomics, workflows,…

The remarks are included as optimizations and enhancements in the following Tracks. At the end,  when the application is deployed, our developments are already optimized and experienced taking  the stakeholders remarks into account.

Insight

The using of the Learning Launch tool allows improving my project management with Agile method.  It allows increasing the involving of the stakeholders.

The slicing of our developments into lots combined with a Learning Launch for each lot allows  involving all stakeholders by increasing the exchanges and the sharing of informations. My team and I  can lead IT projects with a high implication and consideration for business problematic.

Furthermore, it allows us to better identify our customers needs and key successes and consequently  avoid the tunnel-effects.

Approach

The next step to continue to improve my project management is to increase the using of the  Visualization tools during the design process.

The Visualization tools are ludic and powerful tools which allow better exchanges and a better  understanding about an idea or a concept. They are complementary with the using of the Learning  Launch in our approach which consists in entering the customers' perspective and involving  stakeholder from the beginning to the end of the designing process.

