SME bottleneck

[xux42]

Our project is struggling. There are 6 onshore subject matter experts who are the only people who throughly understand the system being amended 'across the piece'. They have to sign off the changes being made by 40 offshore developers who can code just fine, use change control software and have OK procedures but do not know the system they are changing.
There is no video link, so communication is by phone calls/conferences and email.
The SMEs also have to support the BAs who also do not know the system being changed.

Bottom line: the SMEs are overloaded.

There must be people who have experienced the same problem. Is there a solution?
Our target dates make no allowance for this bottleneck, but the project has already slipped 1 year. What can we can do other than slip the dates?
We cannot recruit more SMEs these are people with 3 or more years direct experience of the sytem.
The project is in phases so we could park phase 2 work & allocated 'semi-SMEs' to some of the SME work but that is just kicking the can down the road.

[Pondlife]

You need to ask yourself, What would Suity do?

HTH

[TheFaQQer]

If you have a problem.

If no-one else can help.

And if you can find him.

Maybe you can hire - this guy.



From here, he's your only hope.

[Mich the Tester]

Our project is struggling. There are 6 onshore subject matter experts who are the only people who throughly understand the system being amended 'across the piece'. They have to sign off the changes being made by 40 offshore developers who can code just fine, use change control software and have OK procedures but do not know the system they are changing.
There is no video link, so communication is by phone calls/conferences and email.
The SMEs also have to support the BAs who also do not know the system being changed.

Bottom line: the SMEs are overloaded.

There must be people who have experienced the same problem. Is there a solution?
Our target dates make no allowance for this bottleneck, but the project has already slipped 1 year. What can we can do other than slip the dates?
We cannot recruit more SMEs these are people with 3 or more years direct experience of the sytem.
The project is in phases so we could park phase 2 work & allocated 'semi-SMEs' to some of the SME work but that is just kicking the can down the road.

Hire a decent test manager and he can tell you how thoroughly fooked you really are!

[eek]

To be honest you are fecked.

Eventually testing will consume all the SMEs time which will stop all the development work.

You only real solution is to ensure the SMEs are

1) not still doing day to day work
2) delegating simple tasks to the semi SMEs

and reducing everything into achievable deployable chunks if at all possible.

oh and ensure the original project manager is carrying the blame (assuming its not you).

[xux42]

Thanks for responses

To be honest you are fecked.

Eventually testing will consume all the SMEs time which will stop all the development work.

You only real solution is to ensure the SMEs are

1) not still doing day to day work
2) delegating simple tasks to the semi SMEs

and reducing everything into achievable deployable chunks if at all possible.

oh and ensure the original project manager is carrying the blame (assuming its not you).

Good stuff all.
No I'm not the PM just a humble BA casting around for ideas.
I will suggest Mgt. press the SMEs to release anything they can to others - over time it will extend the SME base.
Sadly I suspect that the SMEs are quietly happy about their monopoly of project critical knowledge in the current climate.

[Mich the Tester]

Sadly I suspect that the SMEs are quietly happy about their monopoly of project critical knowledge in the current climate.

You need to get that too!

[original PM]

interesting - my brother is currently an SME on a large project for a multinational and he has been completely removed from any day to day tasks to support the project and now spends half his time in America/Mainland Europe.

I think it just needs to be added as a risk to the register and the project plan needs to adjusted to take into account the resources you have to complete the task required....

if you need a decent Pm then errr try jobserve!

[alreadypacked]

Our project is struggling. There are 6 onshore subject matter experts who are the only people who throughly understand the system being amended 'across the piece'. They have to sign off the changes being made by 40 offshore developers who can code just fine, use change control software and have OK procedures but do not know the system they are changing.
Bottom line: the SMEs are overloaded.Our target dates make no allowance for this bottleneck, but the project has already slipped 1 year. What can we can do other than slip the dates?
We cannot recruit more SMEs these are people with 3 or more years direct experience of the sytem.
The project is in phases so we could park phase 2 work & allocated 'semi-SMEs' to some of the SME work but that is just kicking the can down the road.

Do you have a set of requirment?
Have you developed user stories for the system?
Find an SME who know an area well and get the requirement into a user story.
Try to get at least one user story finished and get the team developing it and get it into test.

Sometimes a project seams so big and may have problems that people put off really getting into the project.
You need to get the ball rolling, I sometimes say I am doing a pilot study so I can document the process, or whatever you need to say.

Main thing is to start small, take something that can be delivered and deliver it. Tell everyone it's a pilot study, ask them to help.

[EternalOptimist]

why not let the database do it ?