Part one: The most common mistakes during tender documentation
What is there to prepare and think about before you start working on your project? Don’t wait to learn from your own mistakes — it can cost you a fortune!
They say that learning is best by making your own mistakes. That is true, but doing that while starting a project can really be a blow for your company wallet.
Be one step ahead and learn from people who have already made their costly mistakes, so now they know exactly what to look out for.
In this series, our colleague Martin Vecera will share with you his own experiences with leading teams on various projects. As he himself said: “I have already learned enough the hard way, now is the time to share this knowledge with others.” Training and lecturing are his passions, so aside from programming he is also very active in education, team leadership and mentoring in an internal project. He has a key role in moving the project forward and maximizing time as well as work efficiency.
So, what do we need to think about before a project is realized?
What are the most common topics that need your careful attention before you start?
Why is it important to think about them and isn’t it just a waste of time?
We’re bringing you an overview of the most important points that should not escape your attention.
The basis of project preparation is the tender documentation. You think it isn’t that complicated? Well, you’re wrong. This is where the first inconspicuous mistakes begin, and they can break your neck later.
Incomplete documentation
We think we will add it in time or during the project implementation. Even if you are trying to manage the project in agile, each sprint must have a clear assignment, and if it doesn’t, the code will have to be rewritten later, which will cost you a lot.
Wrong choice of terminology
This can also be a big problem and lead to a consequent misunderstanding. Companies often use their own terminology, and this can lead to errors in interpreting the documentation.
Time-consuming documentation requirements
Some requirements are often unnecessary, it is possible to replace them with less demanding ones. It is necessary to go through everything and think about the possibilities where the result could be achieved in a simpler and faster way. It’s not always possible, but there is always something that can be done cheaper, more efficiently, easier and in less time. It’s necessary to find the time and discuss the most demanding assignment activities with the right people.
Incompetent documentation author
It can happen that the author of the documentation is a person who does not have enough know-how of the company to do the documentation really well and to be able to process and grasp it correctly.
Bad time estimation
Unfortunately, this happens very often, and there are a lot of other economically demanding things involved. Time estimation needs to be discussed with more people who have experience and can more accurately plan out time consuming activities. An incorrectly estimated project timeline causes unrealistic expectations. Failure to do so results in frustration and stress, and we also lose other funds that we did not expect to lose at the beginning.
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