Following Edge

I decided near the end of last week to plan a "rollout" of the project Keith and I have been working on. On any project, working to perfect the rough edges of the system competes with resolving problems and adding features as requested by the users. On a project like ours, where it is not yet being used, that balance is missing and you have to purposely put an end to perfecting in order to get the system into use, so the balance can begin.

As of 8 days ago, there were at least 8 significant milestones that needed to be completed. With only 7 work days remaining before the planned "rollout", the schedule was very, very aggressive, but I felt that was needed to respond to criticism about the long development time and to get the system in use very soon. By Wednesday, we had gotten through 6 of the 8 milestones, so I felt things were mostly on track.

Then, I visited the department that would begin using the system and was presented with both a lot of useful feedback and also some real inflexibility, with the manager of the department even feeling that the rollout would be a disaster and wanting changes that would mean months of further delay (which I think would be the end of the project). This was really demoralizing and, as I talked to Keith while I was returning, he caught the "demoralized" virus and felt similarly down (which I think is understandable given the long, long days we've been working this week on the project).

Part of the whole problem, I think, is that I was picking up and responding to the users' difficulty wanting to use a system that was different from the existing one. The biggest problem with the existing system is that it has been in operation for roughly ten years. The way all of these people work is tightly tied to the way the current system works and all of the crazy and convoluted workarounds that are used to accommodate problems in the current system seem comfortable and logical to the users. That has caused most of the difficult work and the long development time. Developing a totally new system is so much easier than replacing an existing one.

It's a bad situation. Have you ever continued to use something (computer, clothes, eyeglasses, or other) that you know isn't the best anymore... just because it's more comfortable to stick with what you are used to rather than get something new and "better"? I'm sure you have. It's so common and powerful that I know I can't lay down the law with the "new way" and expect the system to be successful and well accepted.

While I have been working to make the new system work in a familiar and comfortable way for the users, there are some things that I know we must do better in the new system in order to avoid building a system that's just a more modern broken system. This conflict (my long range vision and their short-term discomfort) are the areas of the biggest concern.

After being sad and tired and almost immobile last night, I am feeling a bit better today about the whole situation. I have found ways to compromise on some of the issues to keep the system "good", but make it work in a more comfortable way. Unfortunately, it has increased our milestones again from 2 to 7. We're going to have to really crunch to make the deadline.