Question

Assume that you are the project manager for an upcoming new information systems project designed to replace your organization's old inventory management system. The server and database will also be upgraded. Name one risk of project derailment or failure that you might anticipate? How might you mitigate this risk?

Answer 1

Replacing the new information system from the old inventory management system will require transfer of data from old systems to the new one. This is the part which is most crucial in implementing the new system and holds the most risk of errors that can effect the use of the new system effectively. Inventory data is not small and carries minute details of the goods like date of manufacturing, its basic features like weight, volume, storage requirements, date of expiry etc. Each topic has detail in numbers and literature. Copying all of it down into the new systems will be tactful and time taking. If the personnel not properly trained and careful about feeding the data then errors can be occured which will result in failure of the whole project.

To mitigate this risk more time and space has to be given for this task of transfering the data. Skilled and trained staff should be hired for the job and the system should have the process of double check and verification of the data on daily basis. There can be two process running for the project, one which feeds the current data directly into the new system and one that feeds the previous data coreectly so that both dont effect the working of other. These steps can help in mitigating the risk error in transferring of data.