Understanding Tasks

Over the course of a project, many questions will be asked, and, hopefully, they will also be correctly answered. Being able to deliver the correct answer is more than just skill and experience; it requires the right prerequisites. A project’s life is akin to a chain, the soundness of each link requires the soundness of the one before it. This is why we, at BLT, place an inordinate amount of weight and effort on understanding the tasks you want us to complete, before creating even the first mark.

Business Objectives

What is it that you want us to complete? This seemingly obvious question is often more nuanced than at first glance. As the client, you obviously know best what you business needs. But does that translate to your technology needs on a 1:1 basis? Just like airplanes don’t flap their wings to fly, your business needs could more than likely be satisfied without having technology simply mimic the way they are currently met. Technology advances constantly and exponentially. We are here to work with you to discover what is best for your business needs, from the technological standpoint of not only today, but also the projected lifespan of your project.

Constraints

What are the constraints around this project? A project without constraints is pure fiction. At the very least, time and budget will heavily influence on how a project can be accomplished; and there are likely many others. It is paramount to not only know what we are up against, but also how the constraints interact and affect each other. For example, projects universally have a “drop-dead” date and a budget cap, but does that mean we are free to run all the way up to the “drop-dead” date and the budget cap? It would be wonderful if that’s the case, but it never is. We are here to work with you to discover the options that truly work for you… within the confines of available technology.

Approach

Now that we understand our objectives and constraints, how should we actually approach this project? “This is for you to figure out,” as most companies would say. But to the contrary, this is as much of a collaborative step as those before it. A project does not exist in a vacuum; it has stakeholders, predecessors, successors, and other externalities. It is important to find an approach that is not only viable, but also properly positioned within the context framed by the externalities. Only you can tell us what those externalities are, but we are here to work with you to discover the most well-rounded approach that leaves no concerns of yours, present or future, unattended.

Agreement

So, we have reached a solid mutual understanding of our objectives, constraints, and approach. It’s time to memorialize everything and cement the foundation of this project. As an indispensable part of the BLT onboarding process, we have, over the years, developed and refined a suite of documents, comprising of master service agreements, retainer agreements, statements of work, and other necessities, to advance projects forward in the most fair, agreeable, and straightforward way we are aware of. We created these documents with one single goal in mind: To keep the project at the forefront of our view, instead of petty legalities. Here are the latest editions of our documents for your review:

• Master Service Agreement
• Retainer Agreement
• Nondisclosure Agreement
• Statement of Work

Advancing Forward

Having established a mutual comfort to work together on this project and with everything fully solidified in agreements, it’s time to get started! We are excited to work with you and your organization, and we look forward to a fruitful and long-lasting relationship. Please continue to the next topic to see how we ramp up the project and get it flying!