Some solid advice and lessons for IT, from eWeek (The Best IT Advice I Ever Got by Deb Donston):

1-     Don't prematurely optimize. Prove something works first and then optimize, because you'll never guess where the true issues lie and will waste a lot of time in the process

2-     Don't irritate the CFO. (Or, don't irritate the one with the money.)

3-     Multiply the estimated time by 3.5.

4-     Take calculated risks, or you'll be obsolete.

5-     Listen to your customers. They often are not involved soon enough in new initiatives.

6-     Managing IT = 80% people, 20% technology.

7-     The best leaders start with “How can I help?” and not “Follow me."

8-     Keep it as simple and as consistent as possible. Fiber-optic cable and wave-division multiplexing have terrific economics.

9-     Always check the punched cards.

I can’t speak much to punch cards and wave division multiplexing doesn’t resonate with me but I can sure speak well to the remaining points. Particularly 80% people, 20% technology (this is particularly true of intranets) and underestimating project time.

For example, the average intranet redesign time is about 9 – 18 months. There’s just too much to do and account for – it’s complex, really complex. And when a project is 80% people and you’re managing a political football like the intranet, then you better believe it will always take longer to fix than you can imagine (though not always 3.5 times longer than the initial estimate).

Most clients balk or try to bargain when we (Prescient) state that a proper intranet assessment and plan takes 3-4 months. They try and negotiate less time and that’s fine – the client has pressing priorities that we strive to make. But it is almost always the client that can’t move any faster than that – particularly when it comes to scheduling meetings of the project team and stakeholders. It often takes 3-4 weeks just to find a meeting where everyone can get around a table at one time. The other big time waster is approvals – getting internal approvals and team consensus always take 3.5 times longer than you think!