Meet Gayathri Venkatraman, a senior project manager based in Chennai, India. She has been with Perficient for eight years, and during that time, she has had the opportunity to grow professionally, take on leadership roles, and mentor others in their own career journeys. 

In this People of Perficient profile, we’ll get a glimpse into Gayathri’s role as a senior project manager, learn about her proudest accomplishments both personally and professionally, and discover how her experiences at Perficient have shaped her growth.  

What is your role? Please describe a typical day in the life.

In my role as a Senior Project Manager, a typical day involves balancing a mix of leadership and individual responsibilities. I start the day by reviewing ongoing projects, ensuring deadlines are on track, and addressing any issues. I often have meetings with my team to collaborate on project goals and offer guidance where needed. Mentoring plays a significant part in my day, whether during one-on-one sessions or informal conversations where I help team members with career advice and skill development. 

How do you explain your job to family, friends, or children? 

I help teams plan and organize their work to complete projects on time and within budget. It’s like being a coach — making sure everyone knows their role, keeping track of progress, and solving any problems along the way. I also ensure we follow all rules and regulations, similar to a referee in a game. I review processes and policies to ensure we’re doing things the right way and avoiding any legal issues. 

What are your proudest accomplishments, personally and professionally? Any milestone moments at Perficient? 

One of my proudest personal accomplishments is that I’m pursuing my passion for dance while working full-time. This involves effectively managing my time, dedicating evenings and weekends to classes and rehearsals, and finding ways to integrate creativity and rhythm into my leadership style. I use the discipline from dance to enhance my organizational skills.  

I am deeply passionate about dance and teaching underprivileged children. Dance allows me to express creativity and maintain a sense of balance and joy, while teaching children gives me the opportunity to make a direct impact on their lives. I find immense fulfillment in helping them grow, learn, and discover their potential, especially in situations where resources or opportunities may be limited. It’s a way for me to give back and contribute to my community. 

I’m also proud of being a working mom. I balance family and career by prioritizing tasks, setting boundaries, and staying organized while also making time for self-care and involving my family in the planning. 

Professionally, I’m proud of being a good leader and prioritizing team development as well as process improvements. One milestone moment I’ve had at Perficient is when I received an Extra Mile Award for my contributions, which validated the hard work I put in. 

What has your experience at Perficient taught you? 

My experience at Perficient has taught me the importance of adaptability in a fast-paced environment. I’ve also learned the value of collaboration in problem-solving and how to communicate complex technical concepts clearly. Additionally, my experience has emphasized the significance of continuous learning and staying updated with industry trends to drive innovation and efficiency. 

What advice would you give to colleagues who are starting their career with Perficient? 

Focus on continuous learning, build meaningful connections, and always be open to feedback and new opportunities. You are in the best place to grow, so make use of the opportunities! 

Learn More: Perficient’s Award-Winning Growth For Everyone Program 

What is the culture like on your team and at Perficient?

The culture at Perficient emphasizes open communication, continuous improvement, and a strong sense of mutual support. My team is dynamic and diverse in terms of skill sets, which helps bring fresh perspectives to problem-solving and innovation. We maintain a balance between being results-oriented and fostering a positive, relaxed atmosphere where all ideas are valued. Overall, the culture promotes inclusivity, professional development, and a healthy work-life balance. 

See More: Perficient Prioritizes a People-Centric Culture 

Why are you Proudly Perficient? 

I proudly represent Perficient because of its commitment to innovation, collaboration, and colleagues’ professional growth. The company fosters an environment where creativity and diverse perspectives are valued, allowing me to meaningfully contribute to impactful projects.  

Additionally, Perficient’s focus on work-life balance aligns with my personal values, enabling me to pursue passions outside of work, such as teaching underprivileged children and dancing. Being part of a team that prioritizes both colleague development and community impact makes me proud to be a part of this organization. 

Read More: Discover How Perficient Colleagues Are Giving Back 

What motivates you in your daily work? 

I find motivation in solving complex problems, collaborating with talented colleagues, and learning new skills. Knowing that my contributions help drive success and growth — whether it’s for the company, clients, or my personal development — provides a sense of purpose and keeps me energized. The culture of support and recognition encourages me to push boundaries and improve every day. 

How have you grown your career with Perficient? 

I’ve focused on taking advantage of the opportunities for professional development, mentorship, and hands-on projects. I’ve sought out challenging assignments that allow me to expand my skills and take on more responsibility. 

I’m proactive in learning new technologies and methodologies, which align with my team’s goals and the broader business objectives. Through this, I’ve been able to steadily progress in my role. Additionally, the support from leadership and access to a collaborative network of colleagues have been instrumental in my growth within the company. 

With Perficient’s mission statement in mind, how do you shatter boundaries? 

I consistently push myself beyond my comfort zone, take calculated risks, and embrace challenges that require innovative thinking. By staying curious, asking questions, and learning from those around me, I’m able to break through limitations and discover new opportunities for growth.  

I look for ways to collaborate across different teams and disciplines because diverse perspectives often lead to groundbreaking solutions. Staying open to feedback and being adaptable are key components that help me continue to challenge and exceed expectations. 

If you had to define yourself using one Perficient value, which would it be and why? 

Pride. I take great satisfaction in the work I do, the values I uphold, and the positive impact I strive to make. Pride, for me, stems from knowing that I am always giving my best effort, supporting my team, and growing both personally and professionally. It’s about having confidence in my abilities while remaining humble and eager to learn. I am proud of the resilience, curiosity, and adaptability I bring to challenges, which helps me push boundaries and continue evolving. 

What’s one thing you wish your colleagues knew about you? 

One thing I wish my colleagues knew about me is that I’m always eager to mentor and support them in their professional growth. I enjoy helping others navigate challenges, share insights, and develop their skills to advance in their careers. 

SEE MORE PEOPLE OF PERFICIENT  

It’s no secret our success is because of our people. No matter the technology or time zone, our colleagues are committed to delivering innovative, end-to-end digital solutions for the world’s biggest brands, and we bring a collaborative spirit to every interaction. We’re always seeking the best and brightest to work with us. Join our team and experience a culture that challenges, champions, and celebrates our people.   

Visit our Careers page to see career opportunities and more!   

Go inside Life at Perficient  and connect with us on LinkedIn,   YouTube, Twitter,   Facebook,  TikTok, and Instagram.   

As project managers for website implementations, we oversee the user acceptance testing process (UAT) to ensure the development lifecycle is successful. Conducting UAT for your website is a critical phase in your project. For many project managers, this process can feel daunting because they must figure out all the areas that need testing and determine how extensively to test them. Additionally, they often find it challenging to identify the systems, customers, and internal resources that should participate in this testing. If you’re wondering how to start planning, I’ll share the steps I follow to get started.

• Identify All Systems Impacted

  Determine all systems impacted by your project. Even if these systems or integrations are not changing due to your project, you will still need to validate that data is updating accurately and within the expected timeframe.

Some of these systems are but not limited to:

• • • PIMs (Product Information Manager)
    • DAMs (Digital Asset Management)
    • CRMs (Customer Relationship Management)
    • OMSs (Order Management Systems)
    • Analytics Tools (GA4 and GTM)
    • Marketing Platforms
    • Payment Gateways
    • 3^Rd Party Search Tools
    • Accessibility Tools

• Document Test Cases

  After you identify the impacted systems, contact the product owners or subject matter experts for those systems to assist you in writing test cases. You can involve anyone in the process of writing test cases, including business analysts, product owners, subject matter experts, quality control engineers, and others. Start this process by outlining a step-by-step description of what the user should experience and what the end result should be. If any integrations change, the business analyst or project manager must answer questions as you write test cases, since the expected results might shift due to the project.

  Pro-Tip – Write out the step-by-step approach in a document stored in a shared repository. This could be a spreadsheet on a shared drive that multiple people can access. This setup will allow team members to update the document with test cases, rather than having different versions floating around in everyone’s inboxes. It may also be easier to have separate documents for each system or major functionality you are testing. Users testing only one system or major functionality might feel confused when they look at test cases for areas they aren’t familiar with. Separating everything will help reduce this confusion.

• Begin Testing

  Once you’ve received approval to begin testing, have the tester refer to the document with the test cases. As they go through each step, they can mark it as passed or failed. If they fail a step, they should provide a comment explaining why and include a screenshot if necessary.

• Prioritize Feedback

  After testing is complete, review the feedback in the test case documents and set a priority for each of the failed test cases with your team’s input. These priorities can be classified as critical, high, medium, or low. Critical and high priorities indicate key steps that are showstoppers for launching the project. Assign these when key functionality severely impacts the customer or business experience and prevents users from completing their intended goals, such as placing an order or viewing incorrect information. You can assign low priority to cosmetic issues that do not hinder user engagement on your website.

• Collect Estimates

  Make sure to collect estimates from your team regarding the level of effort required to address the feedback from UAT. This is important for tracking the timeline and budget for your launch. Once you’ve received the estimates, you can assign estimated completion dates based on the level of effort and available resources.

• Retest

  As you resolve and review feedback from retesting, continue to prioritize it and collect estimates.

• Involve Customer Service Representatives

  Once you feel your site is in a great place, invite customer service representatives or anyone in your organization who interacts with customers to test it. This will allow them to familiarize themselves with the changes and test what they interact with. If you are a B2B company, it might be beneficial to get feedback from a customer you work with consistently while you are conducting UAT for your website.

Have any other tips or ideas on how to approach conducting UAT for your website? Feel free to leave a comment! Make sure to checkout additional blogs on website project management such as Website Project Management Tips.

Are you a project manager who has just been handed a new website implementation or redesign project for the first time? Maybe you have a project assigned to you, but you don’t usually manage projects. If so, here are five website project management tips to keep in mind as you run your project:

1. Identify Key Stakeholders

   Identify all key stakeholders who need to know about the project but aren’t involved in the day-to-day work. As you work closely with many resources on your project, remember that other departments and individuals in your organization will also feel the impact of the changes. Keep these departments informed about the changes and ask for their feedback. This will encourage them to champion your project and adopt changes sooner. It also allows them to make necessary adjustments on their end before you complete your project. Waiting to inform key stakeholders later could delay the project launch if they need to make critical adjustments.

2. Arrange Meetings in Advance

   One of the toughest parts of being a project manager is finding time for everyone to meet. I joke that that its like solving a Rubik’s Cube. The more stakeholders you have, the harder it is to schedule meetings, especially at the beginning of a project when you’re collecting requirements. A pro tip is to block recurring meetings ahead of time for requirements collection. You might not have all the topics fully identified, but scheduling these meetings in advance will speed up the process and prevent scrambling to arrange ad hoc meetings.

3. Collect Data Early

   As you start a re-platforming project, identify all integrations and data that are crucial to your website. Often, data is inconsistent or needs cleaning. At the project’s outset, review all data points with your team and architect to identify what you need to clean up. Depending on the scope, this can take significant time. Assign someone on your team to handle the data cleanup and estimate how long it will take. Waiting until the end of the project could impact your launch date.

4. Create an Action Log

   Develop a centralized action log that everyone on the project can access. When development work is ready for testing, you’ll receive feedback from multiple team members. Having a single document for feedback allows team members to input their comments and track progress on fixes. This reduces the chances of team members mentioning the same feedback multiple times. If team members start sending emails, you might lose or overlook action items, especially if you leave some members off the email chain. A centralized document provides visibility for everyone and streamlines communication.

5. Schedule Regular Updates with Senior Leadership

   Regular check-ins with senior leadership are essential for you to showcase the great work your team is doing on the project. Even if there are hiccups or things aren’t going according to plan, keeping senior leadership in the loop is important. You never know what valuable input or advice they might have. They can also help identify or unblock major risks that arise during your project.

There are many other tips I could share to ensure your project’s success, but these are the key items I recommend based on my years of experience managing multiple website implementations. Stay tuned for more insights and website project management tips, or feel free to leave a comment with any questions or suggestions!

The emotional finale is here! Don’t worry, this isn’t about curling up in a ball and crying – we’ve already done that. This final installment of my series on project estimating is all about navigating the emotions of everyone involved and trying to avoid frustration.

If you’ve been following this blog series on project estimations, you’ve probably noticed one key theme: People. Estimating isn’t just a numbers game, it’s full of opinions and feelings. So, let’s dive into how emotions can sway our final estimates!

Partners or Opponents

There are many battle lines drawn when estimating larger projects.

• Leadership vs Sales Team
• Sales Team vs Project Team
• Agency vs Client
• Agency Bid vs Competing Bids
• Quality Focus vs Time/Financial Constraints
• Us vs Ourselves

It’s no wonder we all feel like we’re up against the ropes! Every round brings new threats – real or imagined. How will they react to the estimate? What will they consider an acceptable range?

To make matters worse, everyone involved brings their own personality into the ring. Some see negotiations as a game to be won. Others approach it as a collaboration toward shared goals. And then there’s the age-old playbook: start high, counter low, meet in the middle.

Planning the Attack with Empathy

Feeling pummeled while estimating? Tempted to throw in the towel? Don’t! The best estimates aren’t decided in the ring – they’re made by stepping back, planning, and understanding the perspectives of your partners.

Empathy is your secret weapon. It’s a tactical advantage. When you understand what motivates others, new paths emerge to meet eye to eye.

How do you wield empathy? By asking real questions. Don’t steer people to what you want, instead ask open-ended questions that encourage discussion. How does the budgeting process work? How will you report on the project? How do you handle unexpected changes? Even “this-or-that” questions can help: Do you prioritize on-time delivery or staying on-budget? Do you want quality, or just want to get it done? Let them be heard.

Studying the Playing Field

The good news? Things tend to get smoother over time. If you’ve gone a few rounds with the same group, you already know some of their preferences. But when it’s your first matchup, you’ve got to learn their style quickly.

With answers in hand, it’s time to plan your strategy. But check your ego – this still isn’t about you. It’s about finding the sweet spot where both sides feel like winners. Strategize for the win-win.

If they have a North Star, then determine what it takes to follow that journey. If budget is their weak point, consider ways to creatively trim without losing the project’s intent. If the timeline is the pressure point, then consider simplifying and phasing out the approach to deliver quick wins sooner.

Becoming a Champion

Victory isn’t about knocking your opponent out. It’s about both sides entering the ring as a team and excited to start. The client needs to feel understood, with clear expectations for the project. The agency needs confidence that it won’t constantly trade quality to remain profitable.

Things happen though. It’s inevitable. As in life, projects are imperfect. Things will go off-script. Partnerships are tested when hit hard by the unexpected. Were there contingency plans? Were changes handled properly?

True champions rise to the occasion. Even if the result is no longer ideal, your empathy and tactical questions can guide everyone toward the next best outcome.

Conclusion

Emotional tension almost always comes from a lack of communication. Expectations were not aligned and people felt unheard.

Everyone is different. Personalities will either mesh or clash, but recognizing this helps you bob and weave with precision.

Focus on partnership. Ask questions that foster understanding, and strategize to find a win for both sides. With empathy, clear communication, and a plan for the unexpected, you’ll look like a champion – even when things don’t go perfectly.

……

If you are looking for a sparring partner who can bring out the best in your team, reach out to your Perficient account manager or use our contact form to begin a conversation.

Let’s be honest – if you’ve ever thought that Quarterly Business Reviews (or QBRs) were a huge headache, you’re not alone! A QBR is an alignment meeting that’s held every three months between a company like Perficient and its clients.

When my director first introduced us to the idea, the team was skeptical. It seemed like just another box to check, and my first few QBRs felt more like a chore than an opportunity. No surprise when they didn’t lead to much account growth! Over time, though, I realized what a gift they are, and everything changed. Let me tell you why QBRs matter and how to make them work for you! 

There are three parts to a productive QBR – showcasing successes, offering recommendations, and reviewing goals. Let’s dig into each part individually. 

Part 1 – Showcasing Past Successes

The first step in any QBR is what earns that “quarterly review” name. This is where you get to show off the Perficient team’s accomplishments over the previous quarter. What were our big wins? What cool new features launched? Sometimes we have quieter quarters than others, but there is always something you can display as an achievement. Get creative and be sure to lean on other team members for suggestions!

When you’re showing off the team’s wins, make sure you keep in mind that not everyone on the call has the same role. One fantastic benefit of QBRs is getting to present to VPs and other executive leadership who may not be involved in the day-to-day engagement. However, they may not really understand the impact of a statement like, “We successfully implemented a multi-instance deployment strategy leveraging Sitecore’s xDB architecture, optimizing the content delivery network integration for enhanced latency performance.” 

There’s a reason that KISS is such a popular principle– keep it simple! Use non-technical language as much as possible and remember to tie your achievements back to how the client benefits. We all know Perficient teams deliver maximum results, but how does that really impact your client’s bottom line? Explain exactly how this past quarter helped contribute to their success, through wins like boosted site security or reduced costs.

Part 2 – Offering Thoughtful Recommendations for Improvement

Now we head into everyone’s favorite part – offering recommendations and driving new business! This is where you start looking ahead to the upcoming quarter and thinking about The Next Big Thing. Sure, it might be tempting to think this is your chance to push all those shiny upgrades and premium options that will help pad your pockets (kidding!). But in reality, that’s not at all what a good QBR is about.

What really drives success is understanding your client’s story. A sales leader I admire once said that you can’t be truly successful at selling unless and until you deeply understand someone’s story. What motivates them? What do they look back on at the end of the year and feel proud of? When you understand these things about your client, you open the door to making thoughtful recommendations that actually offer value.

It’s not about making the sale – it’s about taking care of your clients. It’s about understanding their business, their needs, what their frustrations are, and what will really drive their growth. Pushing that flashy new tool may net you a bigger commission check, but when you get to next quarter’s QBR, are you going to be able to show that it helped your client meet their long-term strategic goals? Or is it going to be something you sheepishly leave out of the QBR, because your client spent a bunch of money and had nothing to show for it? 

Part 3 – Aligning with the Client’s Business Goals 

By the time you get to this stage of most QBRs, you’ve been presenting for about 45 minutes straight. Now it’s your client’s turn to shine! You want to ensure that you’re aligned with their business strategy, so kick this part off by asking them what the future looks like. Some good example questions are –

• What specific outcomes do you hope to achieve in your business over the next quarter, the next six months, the next year?

• Are there any challenges you’re currently facing that you believe could impact your goals? 

• What does success look like for your business a year from now? 

What may surprise you is that if you’ve done your homework and put in the time to understanding your client’s story, this part of the conversation should be a close mirror of Part 2. If they bring up challenges, you should ideally already know about most (if not all) of them. When they talk about new initiatives, hopefully you’ve already considered those and included them in your earlier recommendations. 

What you don’t want is for the client to surprise you with goals or challenges that you’ve never heard before. This can potentially mean a misalignment in your understanding of their “big picture”. But don’t panic if this happens! Think of it as an opportunity to realign and dig deeper into their evolution. This is your chance to recalibrate and ensure your team’s work stays focused on what truly matters to your client. Sometimes, these surprises can open the door to even better growth and collaboration. 

Why QBRs Matter for Long-Term Success 

Here’s the crux of the matter – when you’re deeply aligned with your client’s story, sales don’t need to be forced.

They happen naturally. 

Once your clients see that you genuinely understand their business and aren’t just trying to make a quick sale, they start to ask for more on their own. Since adjusting my own frame of mind, I’ve had clients come to me directly asking for additional services, because they trust my recommendations and know I have their best interests at heart. Nurturing this kind of credibility comes from consistently delivering value and keeping the focus on what matters most to the client, rather than pushing unnecessary upgrades.

QBRs aren’t just a quarterly obligation. They’re a critical part of building lasting relationships with your clients. When done right, they help you showcase Perficient’s value, offer strategic recommendations, and ensure that both you and your client are in sync on the path forward. 

By shifting your mindset and treating QBRs as a tool for building trust, you’ll find that sales and client loyalty come naturally. And trust me, once you’ve experienced that shift, you’ll never look at QBRs as a headache again!

In this third installment of my blog series on project estimates, let’s dive headfirst into the murky waters of assumptions and uncertainty! Think of these as the gremlins of project planning – they are full of secrets and laugh along the way as they trip you up. If you’ve read my other blog posts, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of transparency. Those gremlins are hiding behind your assumptions, and if you don’t shine a spotlight in the shadows of uncertainty you’ll have some BIG holes in your project plan.

Making a Fool Out of You & Me – Assumptions

Identifying and removing assumptions should be a priority for all project planners. Let’s face it, if you are running on assumptions, then you are flying blind. And if you allow those assumptions to remain, then your whole project is going to go into a tailspin. Project leadership is not a place for stunt pilots!

Unresolved assumptions can take many forms. You often notice them when someone seeks clarity but doesn’t receive a clear answer. “We’ll figure it out later” can lead to a crash landing for your project estimate. Take time to clearly outline what’s out of scope in the SOW. Clients may have unspoken expectations around best practices, while agencies focus on budget constraints. Be explicit about what’s not included.

With assumptions in place, your project plan will be incomplete. Your project estimates will be ripped apart. So how do you avoid this turbulence? Ensure you map out your flight plan! Use a “discovery phase” or a “sprint zero” to make sure you cover details early before the project implementation begins. During these planning sessions, your team and the client can get a clearer view of the skies.

The Uncertainty Paradox

Like the fate of Schrödinger’s cat, certainty in project management and estimation is elusive. If you don’t manage uncertainty, you might get scratched!

After your team provides their best estimates, you often hear, “They’ll never go for that.” Then you reduce the cost before showing it to the client. Congratulations! Now you’re negotiating with yourself – cutting scope or profit based on a gut feeling. Your uncertainty limits the project before the client even sees it.

Negotiations with the client can also add a layer of uncertainty. The agency gives an initial estimate, but the client has their own view of the final outcome. The usual approach of starting high, countering low, and meeting in the middle may seem straightforward, but it often undermines the project goals because it is based more on financial desires than on clearing up uncertainty in the project. Once the contract is signed, other choices arise and the limited budget weighs heavily. Schrödinger’s cat is still purring, and the outcome remains unknown.

Executive Summary

Executives love to start project requests and then pull a disappearing act until it’s time for final approvals. When you hand them the packet, they’ll flip right to the end to check the bottom line – skipping that executive summary conveniently placed on the first page. It wasn’t added as a diversion tactic! Yes, their time is valuable, but an executive’s decision to skip the details comes at a cost.

Savvy business leaders know how to interpret estimates. The best ones coach their teams to expect overages – there is no crystal ball for the real world. Ideally, you’d include contingency lines for those unknown-unknowns, but if the bottom line is shown without contingency reflected clearly, the busy exec will be left with assumptions.

Some business leaders push for “not to exceed” contracts to avoid surprises. But imagine the shell game the agency has to play when the funds run out. The team will scramble to figure out how to balance quality with on-time delivery and prevent the project from losing money. There’s no fluffy rabbit to be pulled from that hat!

The winning strategy is to keep it clear and concise. Transparency is best. Show the bottom line, add a contingency allowance, and note the change management process for when the project unexpectedly shifts.

Conclusion

Don’t let the gremlins of project estimation hide behind your assumptions. Kick off with a discovery phase to remove uncertainty, include what’s out of scope, and ensure everyone knows how contingency is being handled. Your SOW should be backed by a change management process because even the best-laid plans can change. And remember, executives are pressed for time, so make it easy for them to review what their team is signing up for!

……

If you are looking for a partner who strives to remove assumptions for the sake of clarity, reach out to your Perficient account manager or use our contact form to begin a conversation.

Continuing our dive into project estimating, let’s talk about two more problem areas: dependencies and project creep. These two can turn your pristine project plan into a tangled mess.

No matter the size or scope of your project – whether you have just a few dependencies or tight integration with multiple systems – you’ll be faced with sneaky requests. They may start out as good intentions but they can erode your plan, leaving your project teetering on the edge of a sinkhole.

Everything and the Kitchen Sink – Dependencies & Follow-Through

In large digital projects, the possibilities for functionality and integrations are endless – but time and money aren’t! Your team may dream of a high-end Mediterranean cruise, but the budget says you’ll be camping in the backyard this summer.

Trying to squeeze in “everything and the kitchen sink” can sink your entire project! In a client/agency relationship, this tension is real. Palpable. Clients want as much as possible, while agencies have to balance the extra work required – not just to build it, but to test and support it too. This is why many digital teams opt for MVPs (minimally viable products) and agile project management! Focus on the must-have dependencies and save the nice-to-haves for later.

Tough conversations are unavoidable – dodging them only makes things worse. Nail down expectations early. Spend the time upfront to follow-through on unresolved discussions (making sure the client feels heard) and setting realistic boundaries (ensuring the agency isn’t expected to perform miracles).

I’m a Creep – Scope Creep Management

In the immortal words of Radiohead, “But I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo. What the hell am I doin’ here? I don’t belong here.”

As a project leader, you have to be firm when a request doesn’t belong in the project scope. This is tough! Most of us are people pleasers, and no one wants to be the department of ‘no’. But we all know that “just this one little thing” can unravel an entire project. Beware of the word “just” – it’s sneaky!

This is where SOWs (statements of work) and CR (change request) forms save the day! They set clear boundaries: this is what we agreed on, and any extras will cost time or money.

I have seen new team members join after a website launch, making demands for flashy UI/UX, extreme accessibility, top-tier security features. They always make it clear that they expect all new sites to have these things. Without a well-defined scope of work, the agency is left with a black eye. But with a clear SOW it can be understood that this is what we agreed on and anything else is out of scope.

Conclusion

To keep your project on track, start by broadening early discussions to cover all possible dependencies, then narrow your final scope to avoid project creep from sabotaging your success. Perfection may not be worth the squeeze.

It’s not easy, but avoiding conversations will only cause more pain. As Abraham Lincoln said, “If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six sharpening my axe.” Enter every new project well prepared! It will save you time in the long run.

……

If you are looking for a partner who is well prepared, reach out to your Perficient account manager or use our contact form to begin a conversation.

Did you ever feel tense while taking your exams? Or you must have watched the Olympics or other sports events like cricket, football, etc. When you focus on national players during significant events, you can observe stress and anxiety in performing at that level. Similar is the situation of an IT professional during a production deployment call. This moment is crucial because it represents the end of months or years of effort, the results of which will be evaluated by those involved. The stakes are high because the quality and success of the deployment can have a huge impact.

Teams follow a multi-step process called the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) model to manage this stress and increase success. These standards provide a framework to guide process improvement, reduce risk, and streamline deployment. The team’s goal is to follow this process and deliver quality software that meets the needs of stakeholders.

Some of the major SDLC models are:

1. Waterfall Model
2. V-Model
3. Incremental Model
4. RAD Model
5. Iterative Model

Each SDLC model is suitable for a certain type of project. We can take the example of the Waterfall Model.

The SDLC Waterfall Model

1. Requirements Analysis: Gather and document what the system should do.
2. System Design: Outline the architecture and design specifications.
3. Implementation: Write and integrate the code according to the design.
4. Testing: Evaluate the system to ensure it meets the requirements.
5. Deployment: Release the system for end-users to use.
6. Maintenance: Address any issues or updates needed after deployment.

Structured approaches like SDLC emphasize planning, alignment, and risk management to ensure successful deployments. However, gaps can still lead to failures and negatively impact the client’s perception.

It is always a hassle when it comes to production deployment. It is simply your code for a service that will run as you developed it but in a different organization or environment. So, what’s the drill?

I can answer this by noting down some of the points I have understood from my IT experience.

1. Insufficient Requirement Gathering

Sometimes, demands are not appropriately explained in the documentation, stories, or any part of requirement gathering, but for some tasks, we just don’t have standards to track but understandings. If the process gets carried on, we may face delays in production planning or issues in production if deployed in such a case. Also, it can cause recurring problems in production.

For example, in one of the requirements meetings, we asked the client for the parameter’s details, but the client had no such information, which caused a delay in deployment.

2. Incorrect Dev/Sandbox Testing

Developers often test the service until a successful response and move it directly to production by getting approval. For TL/Manager, it is a win-win situation because service is delivered before the deadline until clients start playing Russian roulette.

Your (developers) poor approach is exposed now, and fixtures are happening live now in production. This affects the value of the business and the relationship with the client.

3. Inconsistency Between the Code in Lower Environment and Production

Most of the time, developers have to make changes to production services due to certain reasons, whether by team or client. At that time, it is necessary to have those changes tested in the Dev Organization/Environment first. Directly implementing those in production because of short-term liberty and approvals may do justice with the client and TL/Manager but not with your junior folks. They may not understand why code differences are there.

4. Improper or incomplete testing by the client

Note: This may be more for the production manager type of folks.

I have been through some of the developments and have reported the same behavior from some people that sometimes clients also rely on the developer in the testing part. The client knows the end-to-end project, and the developer is responsible for some part of it. So, the client side of testing is essential.

5. Pre-production testing

In most cases, the client doesn’t have test data for Pre-production to confirm the end-to-end working status of the service. This may cause failure of service. Always ask the client to do pre-production testing with real-time data and confirm the status of the service.

6. Load testing

Often, load testing is avoided when requirement gathering itself. It is necessary to have the service go through load testing so that if, at the production level, services start to receive more traffic than usual, we can trust the service’s capability to handle such cases.

That’s a wrap!

These gaps or processes need to be properly followed for a successful and hassle-free production deployment.

Perficient + Apigee

At Perficient, we create complex and robust integration solutions in Apigee, which helps our clients address the full spectrum of challenges with lasting solutions.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you to implement integration solutions with Apigee.

This post is the first in a series of four about estimating project hours. Part 1: Sandbagging & Lowballing Part 2: Dependencies & Creep Part 3: Assumptions & Uncertainty Part 4: The Emotional Conclusion

Estimating is a precarious business – part science, a lot of guesswork, and a bit of psychic magic! The goal is to forecast the effort, time, and cost of a project with enough accuracy to avoid disaster. Project managers use some go-to methods to estimate projects. Some approaches are scientific while others are based on gutfeel and experience. And if you know people…there’s a little humor in the chaos too!

Project managers (PMs) and business analysts (BAs) typically coordinate, and subject matter experts (SMEs) add their fears. These initial estimates get blended, adjusted for unknown surprises, and finalized – sometimes after fighting it out in a debate, or we might get fancy with an adjusted average from three-point estimating.

But everyone brings hidden biases to the table. The purpose of this series of blog posts is to dive into these hidden factors that shape estimates.

CYA – Sandbagging Estimates

Overestimating happens a lot. Sometimes it’s intentional, to cover your @$$ (CYA), which is known as sandbagging. But sandbagging throws a wrench in the system, messing up tracking and comparisons (as covered years ago by Perficient’s SVP of Corporate Operations and Global Delivery, Kevin Sheen). When multiple SMEs sandbag, you end up with a flood of unnecessary hours.

A better approach is transparently including contingency. This shows everyone the real estimate, highlights the allowances made, and gives better data for analysis.

Sometimes things just end up easier than expected, so the overestimation was not intentional. This is fine, it happens. But whether an agency bills for it depends on the contract. If it was written up as fixed fee (FF), then the hours may still get billed. But for time and material (T&M) agreements, the unused hours may get cut out before invoicing.

This’ll Be Easy – Lowballing Estimates

Underestimating is another problem. You’ve probably started to assemble some Swiss flatpack furniture, ignoring the instructions – only to realize it’s way more complicated than you thought. Even the Christian Bible warns against under estimating, with Luke’s tale of building a tower without counting the cost first. In this verse, it goes so far as to say you will be mocked for starting a project you can’t finish.

ERP migrations are a great example. Unfortunately, in the corporate world, many of us have seen an ERP project fall apart – the estimates blown out of the water! With past employers, I’ve seen multiple cases of this where the project is either scrapped entirely or drastically scaled back. If assembling a bookshelf can be tricky, imagine how off an ERP estimate can get! Millions of dollars spent before realizing it won’t work as expected. They should have used Perficient!

For larger projects, it is imperative to allow more time for estimating and built-in safeguards. You can do this by using the more scientific forms of estimation, gathering multiple perspectives, and allocating contingency time for those inevitable “unknown-unknowns.”

Conclusion

Early in my career, I felt terrible when my estimates weren’t accurate. I thought perfection was the expectation. But then a colleague who led our PMO group surprised me. He said he didn’t want all projects to come in under budget. He didn’t like to see his teams sandbagging. Instead, he aimed for half the projects to come in under and half over – reflecting honest, accurate estimating.

Speaking of honesty, I once had a client who overshared. He bragged about quoting a freelance project high – a yearlong engagement – which he finished in half the time and took the rest of the year off. He was proud of it! A few years later, he applied for a job at our agency, but we remembered that story. His questionable integrity caused us to pass on his application.

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If you are looking for a partner with integrity and honest estimating, reach out to your Perficient account manager or use our contact form to begin a conversation.

This post is the first in a series of four about estimating project hours. Part 1: Sandbagging & Lowballing Part 2: Dependencies & Creep Part 3: Assumptions & Uncertainty Part 4: The Emotional Conclusion

“Double, double toil and trouble,” is a line repeated by the witches in Macbeth as they lay out the ominous prophecies of greatness and dire consequences for the titular character. Macbeth’s ambition envisions a perfect ending though desperate actions and moral weakness ruin it. So too are the misguided actions in pursuit of perfection which can set expectations and pressure that lead to unwanted results.

The Tantalizing Idea of Perfection

Most of us love the concept of perfection. The idea that something out there can be perfect is comforting – the perfect diamond with the perfect wedding. We search for perfection in the world with symmetry, circles, triangles, and the golden ratio. Maybe you still try to stop the gas pump on a round number when you fill your car.

As a designer in my early career, I sought perfection. The dimensions in the design would be perfectly round numbers. The typography would be perfectly kerned, with hanging punctuation, and the proper quote marks and dashes! I’ve ruined my family members who now share the same disdain for sub-par designs we see. But honestly, no one else cares. Even many designers overlook the same nuances.

I remember hearing the story of a watchmaker known for exceptional craftsmanship. He would inscribe the smallest of gears with the words, “God is in the details.” This was seen by almost no one, left only as a testament to his meticulous nature. I had once admired this story – whether true or not.

A Perfectionist’s Agony

As we see in Macbeth, a desire for such perfect outcomes can turn sour. One can become so focused on perfection that the vision can’t be realized. If it is attainable, the cost may be too high.

An author, artist, or musician who endlessly adjusts their work and is never satisfied to release it to the world. It becomes a mental block where the vision is likely impossible to achieve.

There is always more to do and more that can be done. Perfection is a moving target, and the pursuit can be an endless endeavor.

Destructive Perfection

Much like Macbeth’s ambition leading to his downfall, a perfectionist can suffer the same fate if the pursuit gets in the way of the goal.

Apologies to Shakespeare for making a comparison between Macbeth (1606) and a goofy modern comedy, but I think it’s fitting here. I love the diner scene in the movie Tommy Boy (1995) with Chris Farley. Tommy is the main character who is trying to become a great salesman. In this scene, Tommy describes how he inevitably ruins his perfect sale. He destroys his chance of closing the deal because he loves the idea of the sale too much.

Here at Perficient, we do a lot of digital and web work, and the same can play out in this industry. I’ve seen groups focused so heavily on earning perfect scores from scanning tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, Siteimprove, or other validation services. Someone on the client team wants to arrive at perfect front-end performance, accessibility, or security marks. Any site you put into these tools will fall short of a perfect score. The effort devoted to trying may prevent other improvements from being made.

Not Perfect Enough

That’s not to say we shouldn’t ever strive to be better. Of course we should!

You may be familiar with the frequently shared idea around 99.9%. Two million documents will be lost by the IRS each year if 99.9% is good enough. Over a thousand phone calls will be incorrectly routed every minute, and twelve babies will be given to the wrong parents each day. I have no idea if these numbers are accurate, but you get the idea.

There is a time and place where the goal is near perfection. Risk, regulation, and legal compliance, for instance, need to be near perfect. But in all cases, there should be checks and balances to make sure that the pursuit is justified. Does the level of effort make sense? Is the juice worth the squeeze?

The Happy Medium

We want to encourage healthy ambition but not let it become a destructive obsession. With the pursuit of perfection, you do not want to cause more harm than good.

Are there times when something can be perfectly imperfect? I think so.

There is a popular meme format that describes the cycle of a beginner, an intermediate-level professional, and an expert. The joke is that a beginner will be naïve and not understand something important that an intermediate-level person obsesses over. But as one becomes an expert, they realize the obsession wasn’t that important.

Conclusion

“Out, out brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow…” is the line where Macbeth realizes the futility and limited extent of his achievements. Is the long path worth the result? Could the results be as sweet and sometimes attained more quickly if we let up on perfection just a little bit? Yes.

Facebook once publicly stated that they “move fast and break things.” But with more scrutiny around regulations, they’ve stopped saying that. There is a time and a place for both. Find your perfectly imperfect zone of success and ensure that you spend time where it makes sense (consider the Eisenhower Quadrants of Productivity).

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If you are looking for a perfect fit for your next project, reach out to your Perficient account manager or use our contact form to begin a conversation.

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Do you ever wish you had more time to focus on strategic thinking, to wrap your arms around a long-term vision, instead of spending your days drowning in administrative tasks? Digging deep into your idea factory takes time and energy, and a never-ending cycle of burn reports, meetings, and timecard approvals can drain both – pushing innovation to the back burner. Recently, I watched a colleague receive glowing praise from a client for his track record of providing stellar strategic insights. This made me reflect on how often I get too busy with the nitty-gritty to focus on the bigger picture that clients value most. If you can relate, keep reading for 3 smart ways to reclaim your time, ditch the admin chaos, and get back to thinking big!

1. Recognizing The Problem

Recognizing the need for strategic thinking is the key to breaking free from the daily grind; as they say, the first step is admitting there is a problem! Lacking strategic thinking means failing to proactively identify risks and address root causes, leading to a cycle that can feel like a real-life Groundhog Day. If you find yourself constantly putting out fires or focusing only on immediate deadlines, it’s a clear sign you’re stuck in reactive mode! Inconsistent project outcomes, overwhelming task lists, and the absence of a clear roadmap are also red flags that you may have lost sight of your clients’ ultimate goals. By identifying these signs, you can acknowledge the need for change and begin shifting your focus from merely surviving each day to driving long-term success and value for your clients. 

2. Mastering Prioritization

To reclaim time for strategic thinking, mastering prioritization is essential. Patrick Lencioni (author of The Advantage) wisely noted, “If everything is important, then nothing is.” Start by prioritizing tasks using Eisenhower’s Principle, which categorizes your to-do list based on urgency and importance, ensuring you “reduce the unnecessary” and focus on what truly matters first. 

Where possible, leverage project management software to streamline admin work, and delegate the less critical tasks to your capable teams. (An additional benefit of delegation is that it empowers your team to make decisions and grow themselves as well.) If you’re anything like me, delegation can be HARD! But part of being a leader is learning to trust your teams; if you feel that you can’t for some reason, then your most urgent task should be whatever coaching is needed to get them to that place. Being able to delegate is a crucial part of freeing up more of your brainpower for big-picture planning. 

Next up? Carve out specific time blocks for strategic thinking – and guard this time like it’s the last cookie in the break room! Habits are built through repetition, so schedule these blocks on a recurring basis; preferably daily, but certainly at least once a week. Decline any meetings during this time and shut down Outlook / Teams! Whether you prefer to sit in silence or need music to boost your creativity, use this time to let go of the chaos and prioritize bold innovation.

3. Learning Continuously

Finally, cultivating a strategic mindset goes beyond just managing your time in the day-to-day – it also requires continuous learning and fostering a culture of innovation across your teams. It involves a complete mind reset and refocus, especially if you’ve spent months or even years stuck in reactive mode. Be your own champion! Invest in your professional development by attending industry conferences, taking relevant courses, and keeping up with the latest trends. Regular self-assessment and seeking feedback from client stakeholders can provide valuable insights into how well you’re aligning with their strategic goals, a key measure of success. 

Encourage your teams to think creatively and challenge the status quo; consider creating regular opportunities for virtual “coffee chats” or idea-sharing meetings. Conduct regular retrospectives so you can reflect on your most recent wins and challenges, and identify improvements for future sprints. By embedding strategic thinking into your daily routine, you’ll drive long-term success and inspire your team to do the same. You may even see a boost in team morale and cohesion, as everyone works together towards common long-term goals.

Balancing daily project administrative tasks with strategic thinking is no easy feat, but it’s essential for delivering real value to your clients. By recognizing the signs of a lack of strategic focus, implementing effective prioritization techniques, and fostering a culture of continuous learning, we can reclaim our time and energy for big-picture planning. Remember, it’s not just about getting through the daily grind and escaping the Groundhog Day cycle – it’s about steering our projects towards sustained achievement and wowing our clients with forward-thinking solutions. You’ve got this!

Quality innovation is not for the weak at heart! Innovation myths may have you thinking it is for the lucky or the extremely talented – that’s not true. Pablo Picasso said, “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” Thomas Edison quipped, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

In this blog post, I want to focus on a different quote with the same intent. Linus Pauling was an American scientist who was awarded a Nobel Prize not just once, but twice! You might not recognize his name, but New Scientist called him one of the 20 greatest scientists of all time. He once shared, “The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away.” Pauling’s career overlapped those of Picasso and Edison and included the same concept that working hard generates quality innovation.

Let me walk you through how steady effort (work) creates a lot of possibilities (quantity) and then how you can churn out great ideas (quality innovation) through your idea factory (innovation system).

Working for Innovation Quantity

In my experience, the level of innovation correlates to the effort put in. There’s a reason for this. Lots of people (your competitors) are willing to put in a little bit of work. Far fewer are willing to put in significant work – most people won’t.

Furthermore, what I’ve found to be true is that your first ideas are seldom the ground-breaking ones. Your first ideas are the easy connections. The first-round ideas are often the same solutions everyone else can easily produce. Your goal is to connect the dots that others have not.

Significant innovative solutions come from stress testing the ideas and iterating. Not once. Not twice. But continually. Have a hundred ideas and throw away the bad ones. Things aren’t going to be perfect anyway. Take the best ideas and try to poke holes in them until you can evolve them to be strong.

When Quantity Goes Wrong

I wrote another blog post on lessons learned while managing corporate innovation. Lessons #1 and #2 explain what can go wrong when you have a large quantity of ideas being generated by a team. Either people toss out ideas they don’t intend to pursue themselves (they just want credit), or others won’t search if someone else has already shared the same or similar idea (redundancy).

You don’t want the quantity of ideas to become another barrier. You’ll be swimming in a sea of half-baked ideas with no connection between related concepts. You’ll drown. It needs to be managed in order to be successful.

In this blog post, I won’t focus on the management of team innovation – that’s what my lessons learned post was about – so instead, I’ll discuss what Linus Pauling was referring to when he said you should have lots of ideas.

Your Idea Factory

The benefit of having lots of ideas yourself, rather than as a team, is that your train of thought inherently has some relation from one concept to the next. One idea begets the next, and then you can mix-and-match and quickly iterate without considering outside opinions.

This form of “lots of ideas” is fantastic because you can move fast and throw away bad ideas without worrying about what others will think of the concept. You can have really bad ideas that are simply not feasible, but then those unrealistic thoughts can spur others that will work.

Free yourself to experiment. Suspend reality without fear of failure. You’ll surprise yourself with the ideas you generate! Have a bunch of these ideas, then throw away the bad ones. It takes work but you can then find the signal among the noise.

Quality Innovation

The quality of an innovative idea is measured against what else is out there (competition). The quality is perceived differently when it first comes out versus years later when your competition has emulated or evolved in response. It isn’t just an initial effort, but an ongoing one.

There are stories from Apple, Google, Facebook, Tesla, and many more about their crunch times, trying to separate themselves from the competition. Even Thomas Edison talked about working through thousands of iterations to land on one good one.

And for good reason…consider the story of Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray racing to the patent office, only for Bell to file mere hours earlier, locking his place in history as the inventor of the telephone. Quality innovation is valuable, there is urgency, and you want to iterate through ideas as quickly as possible.

Conclusion

Quality innovation is a rarity, but it is attainable for anyone. If you view it like winning the lottery, then you can appreciate how buying more tickets (generating more ideas) gives you an advantage in finding the one that wins.

So, give it a try! If you feel blocked, I have suggestions on getting unstuck. They say that practice makes perfect, so hop in and practice generating ideas!

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If you are looking for a quality innovation partner, reach out to your Perficient account manager or use our contact form to begin a conversation.