Delivering software on-time in spite of hurdles (Part 1)

Get Stuff Done (GSD)

A key trait, — something that I always look for while hiring my team — is the ability to Get Stuff Done. I had been brought in to several rescue efforts where key commitments got delayed in spite of having a technically brilliant team, using Agile, DevOps, etc,  only because the GSD attitude was missing across the enterprise. I realized this is not something that is taught in any class or course, but this is what truly makes or breaks the on-time delivery. Hence this series of posts.

GSD is particularly critical in eCommerce programs which represent integrating many different technologies and systems. For example, integrations into catalog, inventory, product content, marketing content, product imagery, recommendations, analytics, pricing, promotions, shipping, taxes, ERP, CRM/MDM, network, security, etc, often have to come together to form one cohesive customer experience, consistent across all these subsystems, while making it available 24X7.  This is the reason why eCommerce programs are of an entirely different level of complexity than other IT programs which only impact a few technologies /towers. The digital “face” of the entire organization is on the line!

This presents its own class of challenges especially in a large enterprise where different groups build and operate these systems with their own priorities, budgets, and roadmaps.  So how do we navigate these and yet deliver our program on time, even though we have no control? Whether you are an external consultant or even the VP of eCommerce/ Digital Transformation, you certainly will not have complete control of all of these areas but are expected to deliver to key timeline commitments from the C Suite.  There are various tricks of the trade that I have successfully been able to rely upon which I will be publishing in this series of articles. Each one states the principle along with an example where I was able to successfully solve for it. Please do let me know your experiences and hopefully, this will become a compendium of this kind of knowledge.

a ) Proactive risk management 

b) Reactive handling: Going around walls

c) Persistence – Extracting a “yes” out of a “NO”

d) Less is more (coming soon)

e) 80-20 rule (coming soon)

f) Upfront Stakeholder alignment (coming soon)

g) Strangler pattern – or -Micro-services journeys of large retailers (coming soon)

Feel free to reach out to me if you have specific questions in the meantime. Also please don’t forget to  Like and share if you find this useful to others.