Why projects fail and how to improve outcomes with Elastic Teams
14 Jun 2023
In an enterprise ecosystem where 70% of IT projects fail according to McKinsey, it’s critical to get strategy right at the outset. Especially considering the time, resources, and budget that go into a large-scale project, enterprise leaders must take the necessary steps to reach a successful outcome.
With Elastic Teams from Distributed’s Talent Cloud, enterprises are able to work with a dedicated and curated team of experts who have been hand-selected to match a company’s business needs. Through an outcome-based management style, Distributed helps clients get where they need to go based on holistic goals, not just talent needs. In this article, we’re breaking down how most factors that result in poor project outcomes can be avoided by leveraging an Elastic Team—a flexible, scaleable team of experts curated from a community of developers ready to focus on meeting clients’ business needs, skill gaps, and brand requirements.
Establish your project goals before anything else
Another recent McKinsey report showed that IT executives named unclear objectives and lack of business focus as the top drivers behind most project failures. With the success of IT projects relying on a strong strategy at the outset, executives must decide on these goals and guideposts before kicking off work.
Before engaging an Elastic Team, enterprise leaders are connected to the Distributed Fulfilment Team, which works to fully understand project goals before curating a team, ensuring successful alignment between Elastic Teams and the outcomes expected.
Identify the main stakeholders and pull them in at the right times
The art of knowing how and when to loop certain stakeholders into your project timeline is a nuanced process. On top of that, making sure the stakeholders have general visibility into the project’s progress and process directly impacts the health of any large-scale endeavour.
For sensitive timelines, it’s important to wrangle stakeholders throughout the feedback cycle in order to avoid bottlenecking. That’s why Managed Services from the Distributed Talent Cloud is often key to keeping a project on track. For enterprise executives who need to focus on the larger picture while still maintaining visibility on a critical project, Managed Services with Distributed offer special oversight across delivery of outcomes, talent productivity, timelines, or the entire project itself.
Get a clear understanding of the skills and expertise that you’ll need
Being able to leverage the right talent at the right moment makes all the difference when going from brief to launch. For enterprises pursuing ambitious projects, leaders must consider what the needed skills are before diving into the talent search. Too often, leaders may end up searching to fill the wrong role or settling for talent that won’t meet their needs.
61% of C-suite executives reported in a recent Robert Half survey that they’ve made hires who fall short of the role they were hoping to fill. 42% agree that compromises shouldn’t be made when identifying the right skills, experience, and knowledge.
As traditional recruiting methods continue to cost time and money, the Distributed solution of leveraging Elastic Teams from our Talent Cloud offers more precision with matching for skills and experience. Since each Elastic Team is tailored with a client’s specific needs in mind, there’s less room for skills misalignment when it comes to building the right combination of talent.
Give your projects the best start to drive successful outcomes
With money, time, and resources on the line every time a large project is underway, there’s a need for detailed precision and understanding before any work is started. Between knowing the goals and understanding the skills needed, enterprise leaders have an opportunity to work seamlessly with Elastic Teams from Distributed to ensure the best possible outcome for their projects.
