It is our mission at Potencia to empower trade and logistics companies towards success by offering what was never available to them before – customized software projects.
The ability for small to mid-sized companies to distinguish themselves by leveraging technology is now a key determinant when considering the longevity of any service provider in this industry. Technology is now pervasive in allowing your company to satisfy your clients. For your company, it literally is adapt or perish.
We recognize that the undertaking of a software development project is something new to most trade and logistics business owners. That’s where our unique experience comes in.
Our team’s experience includes software development and project management with a solid understanding of key industry processes and practices. We help you to identify and streamline project objectives and goals, key operational processes, and software requirements. We then take all of this into account to organize and execute the project.
Learn about: COMMON MISTAKES WHEN HIRING A TEAM FOR YOUR LOGISTICS DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
But just like any other legendary project, it takes a complete team to pull it off. Have you ever listened to a great symphonic orchestra? Did you hear the coordination in the music that they are producing? Well, in order for them to ensure a successful concert on a nightly basis the delivery of their service must be choreographed and executed precisely. If just one note is off, if just one instrument is missing then the whole concert is at risk of failing. And while the conductor is there to ensure proper execution, it is up to every member of that orchestra to deliver on their key responsibilities to make the performance a success.
Well, a software project is not that much different. The project team is a cohesive unit led by a passionate leader with the same goal in mind – to make your company stand out from the competition. Everyone knows and understands their roles and responsibilities and the focus is on successfully completing each objective.
We have provided what we like to call the “five pillars” that define a successful project here at Potencia. We hope that the following information will help you understand how we define success, so that you may make the best decisions while the company moves forward.
PILLAR I: You have a solid “WHY?”
We have designed our project management methodology to be simple – but in no way does this mean that a software project is easy. We like to be absolutely clear about this with all prospects:
You are going to be working hard.
As author Simon Sinek says, “working hard for something that we do not care about is called stress”; working hard for something we love is called passion.”
Chances are you are going to face challenges and obstacles during this project which begs the question, WHY are you taking this project on? This is the first and most important question that you will need to ask yourself as you engage with us on a potential project.
We have found that the most successful product sponsors are those Who feel a strong emotional connection to their business. This very emotion is what drives the passion needed to push through the difficult moments that will inevitably be encountered at some point during the project.
We invite every prospect to evaluate their underlying motivation(s) for starting this project. We then ask each prospect to consider whether this motivation is strong enough to lead your company through this monumental but impactful change in their business.
PILLAR II: They choose the right Project Leader
You have evaluated your “Why?” and you have determined that it is strong enough to push past any potential barrier that you may encounter during the project’s life cycle.
It is now time for you to evaluate who on your team has the passion, discipline, and fortitude to work with our Project Manager, and successfully guide your team.
At Potencia every project involves three key roles:
- The Project Sponsor (You)
- The Project Leader
- The Potencia Project Manager
Our Project Manager is accountable to the project leader at your company, who inherently is responsible to you, the Project Sponsor.
The person that you select will be meeting with the project manager on a regular basis and will be required to become very familiar with their company’s processes. They will need to meet regularly with the project manager, meet project deadlines , and be a team player.
This will require you to assign this key responsibility to someone you trust will meet the project’s demands. At times, our past clients have decided to lead the project themselves. Some others have decided to hire an external project manager. Either way, it is critical to have a leader who you trust and will have the passion and skills required to lead the project successfully.
PILLAR III: They understand and manage their project’s budget
In the past our best clients have typically invested between $42-$52,000 in their company’s software. These business owners are typically committed to the long-term vision for the company and are interested in a return on investment for their efforts.
Still, we recognize that this is a considerable investment and while we offer flexible payment options, it is critically important to secure funding prior to accepting the project. We typically recommend securing 150% of the project’s budget. This is to cover any changes to the software and any potential overruns.
Missed payments can significantly alter the project timeline and cause potential delays which impacts the project momentum. By selecting our auto-pay feature, you can feel secure knowing that your project is free of any risk of delays for lack of payment.
PILLAR IV: Making all meetings and meeting all deadlines
There is now a famous saying amongst Potencia and its client base:
“A successful project happens with the client, not for the client”.
This means that your participation in the project is expected and required. A missed meeting or deadline has the potential to delay multiple facets of the project which then threatens the entire timeline. In order to minimize such occurrences Potencia’s methodology incorporates two important safeguards:
- Predetermined Schedules and Deadlines
- Penalties for missed meetings or no shows.
We feel that it is necessary to incorporate such safeguards in order to protect the integrity of the project. As we work with multiple customers at any given time, our ability to coordinate and communicate with our clients is key to our ability to provide quality service and deliver value.
Our most successful clients have committed to their project schedule for meetings and deadlines because they realize the impact of such a commitment is a trusting, positive working environment that serves as momentum to carry the project to completion.
PILLAR V: Successful Configuration, Testing, and Validation
While our team does everything it can to ensure quality and its product it is critical to the success of the project that your project leader be willing and able to perform all assigned tasks that are required to move forward with the project.
This may mean that they must sit in training sessions, analyze a current internal process, obtain customer and vendor lists for configuration, or test a particular module and validate its design against the original requirement.
Each of these tasks mentioned above are critical to the success of the project and must be performed efficiently and on a timely basis.
The successful Project Leader stays in tune with the project schedule, is in constant communication with their Project Manager, and keeps the Project Sponsor informed regarding the progress of the project.
Summary
While there are many factors that go into any successful project, the Five Pillars mentioned above can go a long way in determining your eventual success with a customized software project with Potencia. We encourage you to review this article as often as needed to clarify the success factors that you will need to take your company’s software to the next level.
