What does Boiling A Frog have to do with systems development and implementation? I think it might be an interesting approach. At the conference I listened to Tim Shinkle of Perpetual Logic talk about how his team completed the successful implementation of a fully automated compliance framework using a BETA version of Documentum RM 5.3.3 at Fannie Mae.

How'd they do it? Shinkle's team designed, developed and deployed in small increments. They built small, but scalable, solutions which they then deployed to a small group. Once the solution was accepted, they had two outstanding steps forward to choose from- they could build upon it or extend it by deploying it to another small group. Sure beats rolling-out a solution that "doesn’t give you everything we promised" or delaying delivery again and again.

And guess what else Shinkle's team was able to successfully shrink? Training time. While they had initially planned to train users for an hour , they discovered that six to seven minute "how-to" sessions supplemented by training videos and flip charts worked better.

What are the big wins in this approach?

By getting "it" right the first time, even when the "it" is small, you win confidence, trust and acceptance.

You, your project, and your team gain credibility.

And that's good for your project, your promotability, and your career!