Aldi Nord is not alone: Industrial principles in enterprise software projects can prevent failure

A failed software project is currently delaying the purchasing integration of Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd. In SAP projects, the rule of thumb within the industry is that about half of the projects take longer and cost more than planned. In the end, the functional scope of the new software is often less than hoped for.

Project risks are inherent in every enterprise software project – every CIO is also familiar with the weak track record of migration and implementation projects, for example. Despite high failure rates, however, such projects are seen as unavoidable because companies that evolve always have to update their application landscape as well. Many companies even go one step further in the context of digital transformation and realign their business processes in parallel.

It is precisely this parallelism of the many strands of action and their respective complexity that leads to the high error rates. Clients and contractors lack standardised process models for the implementation of such projects and fail due to avoidable challenges.

Solution approach: Implementing software projects according to industrial principles

Consulting and solution providers specialising in enterprise software, such as mgm, use their years of project experience to transfer methods and technologies into standardised process models. The combination of technology, tools and methods in all project phases and targeted orchestration significantly reduce project risk – from analysis to completion. Project results and software become higher quality, more user-friendly and more secure.

Standardised process models mean following the principles of industrial production: Optimisation of repetitive work steps, reuse and clearly defined processes based on division of labour. Transferred to software projects, this means systematically processing the knowledge and experience from software projects and making it available for follow-up projects. The result is a clearly structured procedure for all project phases – from analysis to successful going live.

These project modules are an integral part of our successful process model

Strategy for digitalisation

• Creation of an individual digital strategy
• Provision of a method suitcase for agile project set-ups

Requirements and product management

• Determination of optimal requirements for products and services
• Support in translating functional requirements into technical work orders

Consulting for low code approaches

• Provision of an enterprise low code platform
• Modelling business logic for fast and high quality software development

Coordination of IT, business and organisation

• Integration of software solutions into business processes
• Holistic coordination of the digitisation of the organisation

Sustainable software development

• Development of software according to industrial principles
• Use of an enterprise low code platform for independence, autonomy and data sovereignty

Agility in projects and organisation

• Effective and efficient integration of agile methods
• Focus on value creation to create optimal results

Change management

• Convincing users and stakeholders through structured change management
• Creating added value through the use of the software

Training and communication

• Enabling employees to make optimal use of the solutions
• Activating communication for value-adding anchoring in the company

Rollout & operations

• Structured rollout and future-proof operation of the software
• Establishment of suitable structures and processes in cooperation with the customer

Conclusion

Companies need to understand that it is not just about IT: the successful integration of business, IT and organisation is the key to success. And the realisation that the wheel does not always have to be reinvented in a software project.

More information: Digital consulting for successful enterprise software projects