The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Posted On: 12/15/2006
"Performance on the Cheap" got me thinking about the not-so-cheap aspects of PeopleSoft project. And the most egregious offenders
are easily identified: next to the PeopleSoft Support Contract, the biggest waste of money is consultants. Here's how some of my
clients have run their implementations.
The Good
One of my clients did it right: before they implemented PeopleSoft, they learned that when you’re installing and customizing new
software, you need a mix of consultants. Their approach was to get an Integrator, to use PeopleSoft Consulting, and to hire experts
from small firms. The Integrator was used for the sell job. They ran the Program Office, and did all the communication: the
dog-and-pony shows and the PowerPoints. The Big Six (at the time) is really good at this stuff; they’re just lousy programmers.
PeopleSoft Consulting was used, but not as developers. They were brought in to (ab)use their contacts in Walnut Creek (pre-Pleasanton).
For this task, they were uniquely qualified. The bulk of the development was then done by consultants from boutique firms. Most
of these people were former Big Six and former PeopleSoft who realized they could make more money on their own. This client understood
the notion of the “hired gun” and exploited it perfectly. They implemented on time and on budget.
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