I recently read a post on the PM Blog relating to Data Integration Management Processes. In the post, the author details the seven steps in the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide relating to a Data Integration project for completion of a project. The steps are pretty much what you would expect-- develop a project charter and scope, develop the project plan, implement change control, etc.-- for any project, not just Data Integration. I found one of the steps particularly interesting for what it left out:
The italicized statement is a huge assumption-- it supposes that the manager and team knows what tasks are required, how they are related, how long they should take, and why they are required. In other words, it supposes that the project manager can answer the famous "six questions" that all reporters ask about a news story. Unfortunately, many times this is a faulty assumption, since project managers do not necessarily have experience in data integration solutions, and may not have access to this expertise.
At Baseline, we answer these questions every day:
- Who - Who should be involved in each step of the implementation process
- What - What should be done to successfully accomplish the project, based on vast experience in developing and implementing industry best practices
- When - What sequence in which the tasks should be performed, and how they are related to each other
- How - The skills required to accomplish the tasks, and the ability to identify these skills in client staff
- Where - Assumed to be the client site (the least important question)
- Why - How detailed tasks relate to a proven project implementation methodology that has been developed by Baseline
The simple act of answering these six questions puts you well on the road to successful project completion. Of course, that?s not all there is to it, but it?s a good start?one that a surprising number of experienced project managers forget!
Stephen Putman has over 20 years experience supporting client/server and internet-based operations from small offices to major corporations. He has extensive experience in a variety of front-end development tools, as well as relational database design and administration, and is extremely effective in project management and leadership roles.

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