August 2009
Beginner
252 pages
6h 2m
English
Content preview from 97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know
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Chapter 31. A Voice from the Other Side
WHILE IT'S GREAT TO HEAR FROM DEVELOPERS and software project managers, you might find it equally advantageous to hear from the guy with the metaphorical purse. I'm the customer.
Software developers have now infiltrated the realm of nonprofit and government sectors, with promises of low-cost, web-based ways of doing business using fancy technologies that have heretofore have been too expensive, too elaborate, and beyond the comfort level of our employees and constituents.
Nonprofit and governmental agencies, subsisting on a shoestring and a few paper clips, can be seduced by these automated possibilities, but there is a trap. In an attempt to have it all, you can end up with nothing workable and longing for the days of a shoebox and a pack of 3×5 index cards to house your data.
For example, my agency decided to move from a paper-based grant application process to an online one. Forms would be submitted directly to the agency and downloaded into our database, avoiding manual data entry errors, lowering cost, and bypassing mailing inconveniences for constituents. We could also view applications online during their preparation process and provide assistance before submission.
Our software developers were eager to point out how they could automate additional aspects of the grant application process, such as vetting potential organizations ...