How can you ensure secure and reliable software consulting engagements?

Software consulting engagements are no different to any other product. Here’s few tips: 0. Start with WHY - Understand goals and objectives. Understand business outcomes. 1. Keep it simple - Do not over engineer workshops and solutions 2. Listen more than you speak - During engagements, keep your expertise on solutions with yourself, focus on what customer think, feel and do. 3. Keep up the pace of change - Businesses demand changes often. Be adaptable.

Focus on: Clear Objectives: Defining scope and deliverables upfront. Effective Communication: Keeping clients informed with regular updates. Quality Assurance: Rigorous testing and adherence to coding standards. Risk Management: Proactively identifying and mitigating potential risks. Compliance: Aligning with industry standards and regulations. Security First: Implementing robust security protocols and regular audits.

Companies that are going anywhere do a lot of due diligence and evaluation analysis before committing to any software or software vendor for that matter. This is enough work to ensure that the software itself is secure and reliable. But then comes the implementation and subsequent ownership management aspect. These day most software implementations are resident in the Cloud. If the Cloud platform provider is a reputable company it helps. However, if you have all these boxes checked yet you do not have competent personnel (in-house and consultants mix) it will undermine the security and reliability of the consulting engagement greatly. Consulting competency should be assesed regularly and not just with a hub and spoke mechanism.

Software should be viewed as a tool to enhance process performance in terms of time to completion, cost effectiveness, quality outcome, and above all to maintain the tenets of Organizational Culture. The need for an appropriate software emanates from their strategic intents. In order to elicit departmental and organizational needs, one should start with a brain storming session with the top and middle management to understand the strategic direction of the company and their underlying Processes to support their strategic intents. While documenting the system requirements, you will need to assess the risks of expectations creeping of the requirements as you start implementing the chosen software. Get the needs document signed.

Kindly consider resources who have the blend of business, operations and technical experience. In my view gone are the days where consulting is confined to providing recommendations. Instead implementation is the key. Hence actual implementation experience equally matters. Emerging & disruption technologies make it much more pertinent to get the right resource in place. On the security, apart from the list of normal protocols & tools kindly have a testing expert thru out the project. In other words consortium of resources for consulting engagements with a lead to secure your project is worth considering. I also observed that evaluation of products, vendors, tools, etc is a separate skill and maybe looked into.

setting clear client expectations is crucial in any software consultancy. I'd emphasize the importance of managing expectations by outlining what the software can and cannot achieve, avoiding commitments to unrealistic timelines, and highlighting the need for adequate time in major transformations. It's crucial to stress understanding the client's needs thoroughly for a secure and reliable consulting engagement. This involves transparent communication, managing expectations realistically, and allowing sufficient time for the process to ensure a successful outcome.

It is important to compile all of the available data prior to any testing process. It is okay to postpone one phase if it will save rework. My recent experience showed that not all parties had contributed to the collation of data, which delayed the completion of integration testing as the results would have shown incomplete or no results. Delay in one phase doesn't necessarily impact the overall project plan schedule as less time can be spent in rework and final test/Go Live can be shorter. With early success in the project, UAT and integration can be fast tracked.

Software development should start with a conceptual design and a decision about whether to buy an existing software or to go for a full cycle Software development. Another decision should focus on whether to go for prototyping or a detail design. In both cases, the decision should be bssed on the high level conceptual design of the system requirements. Get the clients involved in the decision making process to enhance the sense of belonging of the client. Such involvement of the client will help you delegate some of the key functions to the Client Team later during the implementation phase. Each phase of systems development and implementation should adhere to the industry standards including systems testing, data validation, parallel.

We can follow our own methods for a project. But it is suggested to follow the standard procedure which are tested and practiced by several other people successfully. The Mehods should also meet the customer expecations and deadline

As an innovation consultant in low voltage design and Tech, ensuring secure and reliable client engagements involves clear communication and trust-building. Use encrypted channels for sensitive data exchange and maintain regular, transparent communication. To stay abreast of the latest trends and standards, I continuously educate myself through industry publications, seminars, and networking with peers. Participating in standard development committees and attending trade shows keeps me updated. I integrate this knowledge into my consultancy, ensuring that clients receive advice based on the most current best practices and innovations in the field. This approach helps me provide clients with cutting-edge, compliant, and efficient solutions.

There is nothing known as less communication when it comes to projects and initiatives. Always over communicate about: 1. Process 2. Timeline 3. Status so far 4. Any blockers This not only helps you get brownie points but also surprises Stakeholders that they don’t have to ask.

For a project to be successful, the customer needs/expecations should be fulfilled. In order to achieve this we should have clear communication with customer to understand the basics/needs and expecations.

Ensuring secure and reliable engagements in low voltage design consultancy involves establishing clear, transparent communication channels with clients and stakeholders. Regular updates, meetings, and concise reports are key to effective communication. It's crucial to listen actively to understand the client's specific needs and tailor solutions accordingly. Using secure, encrypted channels for sharing sensitive information is vital for maintaining confidentiality. It's also important to be responsive and accessible, addressing concerns promptly. Building a relationship based on trust, clarity, and mutual respect is essential for successful engagements and achieving the project's objectives efficiently.

Keep your message straightforward .This could be weekly meeting , weekly reports or the one suites the project timeline. Construct a feedback loops that encourage your clients and stakeholder's to share their thoughts and concerns , it helps to course-correct if needed .One of the important factor, set the expectation clearly so that it prevents any disappointments .If possible establish a SPOC , it avois confusion tat information flows smoothly.

You have to interact with your client on a frequent basis. At the beginning, you should define the overall target of what is to be implemented. There is no need to specify each and every detail at this stage yet, but it is important to have a common mission statement about what you are going to achieve. Once this is done, break down the work into logical packages and teams to track the progress and resource situation. After this, start with a specification, from a high-level overall view towards a granular, sprint packaged view. Once you gete here it is important that after every spec change or sprint planning, you talk to your client to ensure that you are moving in the right direction.

Documentation should occur continuously and delays in communicating decisions can lead to stakeholder misalignment. Meeting notes should be completed within 24 hours all meetings and status reports should be forward looking and present how the week's activities impact the overall timeline. Lower risk items with the potential to become high risks should be identified.

Every phase of Software design, development and implementation should be documented and signed by the Client. Make sure to develop a document for systemic controls and internal Controls of the software systems. User manuals should be easy to understand by the non technical users of the software functions. Systems documentation should carry enough process flow diagrams and its integration with the departmental responsibilities.

I once worked on a complex project for a healthcare client. After delivery, we provided ongoing support and maintenance under a well-defined SLA. Unexpectedly, a critical bug surfaced, affecting patient data processing. Because of our proactive monitoring and rapid response commitment, we were able to identify and fix the issue quickly, minimizing disruption. This incident underscored the importance of continuous support; it not only safeguarded the software's reliability but also strengthened our client's trust in our services, leading to more engagements.

Parallel Processing is a key function of a successful systems implementation. There should be lots of hand holding of the client during this phase. Most of the systemic problems occur during the parallel processing phase that need to be addressed immediately. The systems support will be an ongoing function to ensure smooth operations once the old system has been cut off. A separate contract is desirable for ongoing support to run the software after the system has been successfully implemented.

Doing a retrospective session with the client when possible has always proven to be worth it, in my experience. An effective way is to do it with sticky-notes. In it's most simple form, have the team write down on sticky notes: -What went well (Why did it go well?) -What should be improved (How to improve?) Then have your facilitator talk over the sticky-notes and find emerging common themes, and with the team formulate an action plan for improvement. Typical themes I have seen are for instance Communication, Planning, Resourcing and Testing. By having the team come up with the problems, and solutions, you empower the team and create trust. The facilitator's role is key - they need to be someone capable of surfacing those insights.

Establish the change management strategy and tactics before execution, because projects don’t fail only from their technical pitfalls but can mostly fail because of the resistance to them and their application. Always remember this principle (people support what they help create). Leaders are responsible for planing and change, thus apply a pragmatic change management levers to achieve success. And remember continuous improvement is a master key of success.

Customer feedback and continuous improvement cycles can help make the implementation sustainable: Actively seek customer feedback and inclusion and use it to continuously improve the quality of services and software. This helps immensely with buy-in and ownership of successful outcomes and software utilization to achieve objectives.