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The Pitfalls of Posting an Online Application - The Devil's in the Details!

by Brent Hoffman
Project Manager at Kansas.gov

The rollout phase of a project is when all the phases of that project come together with a beautifully synergistic symphony to display upon the horizon of the World Wide Web as a pioneer of technological genius...

At least that is how I want the partner to see it. As a project manager my goal is to create an environment that allows each person to use their talents and skills to the best of their ability and to keep everyone on track. No matter how well I think I may be at doing this, the harsh reality is that I do have room for improvement. When I reflect upon the times my capacity for improvement was most obvious, I realize that many times "the devil was in the details." So I began to wonder, "who is this devil residing in the details?"

I looked back at my projects over the years and found some projects with assumptions made, lack of documentation, and weak task assignments. I found that the presence of these items contributed to bumpy rollouts. I came to the harsh reality that I was the devil in the details. I was the one constant across all my projects. Arthur Bloch, Web designer and publisher, said, "If your project doesn't work, look for the part that you didn't think was important." Don't you think if you look back at the assumptions you've made, or the weak assignments and documentation, you could say I didn't think it was that important enough at the time?

Here are a few tips that have helped me battle the devil in the details:

1. Consistent project updates! Listen for keywords from others like, "We should," "I think," and "I agree." Document who said what, what was agreed would happen, and how long they thought it would take.
2. Never assume - even if you know the answer. It's safest to verify your answer.
3. Everything is important until you are done. Keep all documentation of identified issues in your project updates until the project is complete. A good place for these items would be under Risk Management.