Projects, small and large, need to be managed from inception through to conclusion. We have seen the results of unmanaged projects that lack specifications, communications, clearly stated goals and objective granularity. If you have a lot of money to waste, by all means, just go for it and you will.
We follow a tried-and-true process derived from the same methodologies used by NASA and leading technology companies to achieve such feats as landing humans on the moon or landing rockets on earth. There is no need to reinvent a process that has survived contact with reality through untold numbers of projects in every major industry.
Of course, we adapt the methodology based on the scale, demands and requirements of the project. In that sense, a consumer product is different from a commercial/industrial project, which, in turn, is different from an aerospace project.
In rough terms the approach follows a standard and common-sense set of phases, each of which results in analyzing, verifying and reporting on the work and findings up to that stage. Subsequent stages lean on prior work to move forward.
In rough terms, the sequence of events goes something like this (again, modified based on the kind of project we are doing):
- Concept Review
- Requirements Review
- Definition Review
- Preliminary Design Review
- Critical Design Review
- Production Readiness Review
- Test Readiness Review
- Acceptance Review
- Operational Readiness Review
- Handover