A well-formulated IT project doesn't start the day the technical teams get to work. It starts long before that. Proper planning helps define objectives, scope out needs, plan resources, and anticipate risks. Conversely, poor planning often leads to delays, budget overruns, and difficulties for users.
Every decision made during the planning phase has an impact on project's success. Discover the essential steps to prepare your IT project effectively.
Why preparation is critical to project success
Long before the first technical configurations, the decisions made upstream already shape the success of an IT project. This is the stage where objectives, needs, resources, and project organization are defined. This phase helps align teams, plan key milestones, and anticipate risks.
Why some projects go off track from the start
In many companies, difficulties appear well before the first technical configurations. The objectives aren't fully defined. Some stakeholders get involved too late. Dependencies on existing systems aren't identified until the project is already underway. Little by little, the scope shifts, timelines stretch, and the budget starts to drift.
In most cases, these situations stem from mistakes that could have been anticipated:
- Defining objectives that are too vague or purely technical, with no link to business needs;
- Underestimating the time and resources required;
- Falling to involve the right stakeholders from the outset;
- Overlooking dependencies with existing systems;
- Neglecting risk analysis to save time.
The consequences extend far beyond the IT team. Insufficient preparation can lead to service outages, financial losses, or a degraded experience for users and customers.
The numbers speak for themselves
This isn't just based on anecdotal experience. Several studies show that preparation and management play a decisive role in an IT project's success:
- According to the Standish Group (CHAOS report), only 29% of IT projects are delivered on time, within budget, and with the expected features.
- The Project Management Institute (PMI) estimates that poor project management represents an average loss of 11.4% of organizations' investments.
- A McKinsey study, conducted with the University of Oxford, also indicates that large IT projects run over budget by an average of 45% and run an average of 7% behind schedule.
Spending more time on planning may seem counterproductive. In reality, it's often what prevents delays, cost overruns, and unpleasant surprises a few weeks later.
What is an IT project?
A well-formulated IT project (ou projet informatique) désigne toute initiative qui fait évoluer le système d’information d’une entreprise. Son objectif est d’améliorer les outils, les infrastructures, les applications ou les processus afin de répondre à un besoin métier.
In practice, an IT project can involve anything from modernizing infrastructure to rolling out new enterprise software or strengthening cybersecurity. So it's not purely a technical matter. Behind every project, there are users, teams, and operational objectives.
Among the most common IT projects are:
- A migration cloud pour transférer des applications ou une infrastructure vers Azure, AWS ou Google Cloud ;
- A well-formulated renouvellement d’infrastructure afin de remplacer des équipements vieillissants, moderniser des serveurs ou renouveler un parc informatique ;
- A well-formulated déploiement réseau, par exemple pour connecter plusieurs sites, ouvrir de nouveaux magasins ou sécuriser les accès ;
- A well-formulated projet de cybersécurité, avec la mise en place d’un pare-feu, d’une solution EDR (détection et réponse aux incidents sur les postes de travail) ou d’un SIEM (gestion des événements de sécurité) ;
- The integration of software, such as a CRM (Customer Relationship Management), an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning System), or a collaborative tool designed to make teams' work easier.
Every project has its own constraints, level of complexity, and objectives. One thing, however, never changes: a project's success rests above all on quality planning.
The 7 steps to preparing an IT project successfully
Effective preparation isn't improvised. It relies on a clear methodology, tailored to the company's objectives and end users' needs. This phase helps structure project management, anticipate risks, and lay the groundwork for a successful rollout. Here are the seven steps we recommend for preparing an IT project under the best possible conditions.
Step 1: Define the business objectives
Before selecting technologies, software, infrastructure, or a project management method, ask yourself a simple question: what problem is this project meant to solve?
A well-formulated business objective isn't “migrate our servers to the cloud.” It's more like “reduce infrastructure costs by 20% within 18 months” or “enable field teams to access business tools from any production site".
The difference matters. The first describes an action. The second defines an expected outcome. It's that concrete outcome that will guide technical choices, project organization, and trade-offs throughout the project.
Step 2: Identify the stakeholders
An IT project rarely involves just one team. Senior management, the IT department, business teams, users, service providers, or partners: each has a different role, expectations, and level of responsibility.
Taking the time toidentify stakeholders helps you:
- Know who makes the decisions;
- Identify who approves key deliverables;
- Understand which users will be affected;
- Anticipate potential sticking points.
A common example: an ERP migration is launched without involving the accounting teams. Partway through the project, they discover that their month-end closing processes are no longer compatible with the new software. A few workshops held during the scoping phase could have saved several days of fixes and meetings.
Step 3: Assess your current environment before choosing a solution
Before defining the target solution, take the time toanalyze your current environment. This is where you'll often uncover the constraints that will make all the difference a few weeks later.
IT infrastructure, existing applications, data flows, dependencies between systems, or regulatory requirements (GDPR, industry standards, audit obligations): every aspect should be considered.
In our experience, we regularly see the same scenario play out: a poorly documented legacy system, an in-house-built interface, or a forgotten technical dependency ends up slowing the project down.
Identifying these points from the outset helps avoid delays, cost overruns, and last-minute changes.
Step 4: Assess the risks
No IT project ever unfolds exactly as planned. The question, then, isn't whether unexpected issues will arise, but whether you've anticipated them.
The main risks generally involve:
- Technical aspects (incompatibility between systems, data loss, unavailability of test environments);
- Human aspects (resistance to change, skills gaps, departure of a key team member);
- Timelines (equipment delivery, dependence on a service provider, peak activity periods).
For each identified risk, assess its likelihood, a level of impact, and a mitigation plan. A risk matrix shared with decision-makers makes it easier to track the project and make the right decisions at the right time.
Step 5: Develop a realistic project timeline
A realistic timeline is always better than an optimistic one. It's the one that reflects reality on the ground. It should notably factor in:
- Team availability;
- Dependencies between the different tasks;
- Time set aside for testing and user validation;
- A buffer to absorb unexpected issues.
Also plan clear milestones throughout the project: phase sign-off, go-live, training, or user acceptance testing. They make it possible to track progress and quickly correct course if needed.
In our experience, it's almost always the testing and integration phases that take longer than expected. We therefore recommend building in a 15 to 20% buffer for these steps.
Step 6: Plan the necessary resources
A project's success also depends on the resources committed to it. They need to be identified and confirmed before launch. This includes:
- In-house skills available;
- External service providers;
- Software licenses;
- Hardware equipment;
- The budget allocated to the project;
- Training activities;
- Any migration costs.
An oversight during the planning phase often leads to a budget overrun or a delay.
In the field, we regularly come across the same point of caution: user training gets pushed back to the end of the project. Yet it plays an essential role in the adoption of the new solution.
Step 7: Define from the outset what success looks like
How do you know if your IT project is a success? This question deserves an answer even before execution begins.
Performance indicators (KPIs) depend on the type of project. They might include, for example:
- System uptime rate;
- Processing time for an operation;
- Reduction in the number of incidents;
- User adoption rate;
- Savings achieved;
- Adherence to rollout deadlines.
These indicators make it possible to track progress, adjust priorities if needed, and measure the value created once the project is complete.
What is the role of the IT project manager during this phase?
Planning an IT project isn't just about drawing up a roadmap or organizing meetings. It's also about making sure everyone moves in the same direction. That's precisely the role of the IT project manager.
From the scoping phase onward, they translate business objectives into technical requirements that development, infrastructure, or cybersecurity teams can understand. They also make sure every stakeholder's expectations are taken into account before the project launches.
Their role is also to facilitate communication between people who don't always share the same priorities. On one side, business units expect a solution that meets their needs. On the other, IT teams have to work within technical constraints, limited resources, and sometimes tight deadlines.
Day to day, this coordination happens through scoping workshops, decision summaries, regular progress tracking, and transparent communication with all stakeholders. An effective project manager quickly spots sticking points, facilitates trade-offs, and anticipates changes before they slow the project down.
At Digital Novva Partners, we support our clients from the very first steps of their IT projects. Our role is to provide a clear framework, coordinate teams, and secure every phase of the project. The goal remains the same: turning a roadmap into a well-managed, realistic project aligned with the company's priorities.
Planning IT projects in critical environments
Planning an IT project matters in every company. But in certain sectors, a preparation mistake can have an immediate impact on the business.
This is particularly true in retail, banking, or insurance. A service outage can prevent a store from processing sales, block a bank transaction, or make a business-critical tool unavailable. In these environments, every decision made upstream counts.
Anticipating risks before they impact the business
In a critical environment, the question isn't whether something unexpected will happen. The real question is whether you'll have anticipated it.
A dependency between two applications, a delayed equipment delivery, or an intervention scheduled at the wrong time can quickly disrupt the business. That's why risk management is an integral part of preparing an IT project.
In practice, we notably recommend:
- Mapping out the main risks as soon as the project launches;
- Identifying dependencies between applications and systems;
- Preparing a rollback plan in case of an incident;
- Testing the most critical scenarios before going live;
- Scheduling interventions during low-activity periods;
- Clearly defining everyone's role in case something unexpected happens.
This kind of anticipation helps secure the project, but also limits the impact on users, business teams, and customers.
Aligning business and IT teams
An IT project is never purely a technical matter. It also depends on teams' ability to work together.
Yet in many companies, business units, the IT department, and technical teams still operate in parallel. Each pursues its own objectives, with its own constraints. The result: some decisions are made too late, or without a shared vision of the project.
Bringing stakeholders together from the scoping phase onward helps avoid these situations. Needs are better understood, choices are more easily shared, and users are involved from the very start of the project.
In practice, this collaboration often takes the form of:
- Scoping workshops bringing together all the stakeholders;
- Regular check-ins to share the project's progress;
- Demonstrations of the solution as it's being developed;
- Testing phases with users before going live.
These exchanges make trade-offs easier, reduce misunderstandings, and encourage adoption of the solution once the project is rolled out.
Working with a partner who understands your challenges
Preparing an IT project for a major retail chain, a bank, or an insurance company doesn't involve the same constraints.
Beyond technical expertise, it's essential to understand the specific challenges of each sector. Business continuity, data security, regulatory constraints, managing multiple sites, or peak activity periods... All of these factors shape how a project is prepared.
At Digital Novva Partners, we've helped organizations in these environments for several years. This experience allows us to anticipate points of caution, ask the right questions from the scoping stage onward, and adapt our methodology to the realities on the ground. Because no two companies run an IT project the same way.
Conclusion
A successful IT project doesn't rely solely on the technologies chosen. It rests, above all, on the quality of its preparation. Defining clear objectives, involving the right stakeholders, anticipating risks, and planning each step help secure the project from the moment it launches.
Every project is unique. Needs, constraints, and challenges vary from one company to another. That's why a clear methodology, tailored to your context, remains the best starting point.
Are you preparing an IT project, a cloud migration, an infrastructure rollout, or an evolution of your information system? The Digital Novva Partners teams support you from the scoping phase onward to secure every step of the project and help ensure its success. Discover our expertises or contact our experts to discuss your project.
Q&A
How long does it take to prepare an IT project?
Preparation time depends on the type of project, its scope, and its complexity:
- A migration cloud d’envergure ou un déploiement multisite nécessitent généralement plusieurs semaines, voire plusieurs mois de préparation.
- À l’inverse, un projet informatique Conversely, a smaller-scale IT project can be scoped in a few days or a few weeks.
In any case, it's best to avoid cutting this phase short to save time. Delays, last-minute adjustments, and budget overruns often cost far more than a few extra days of preparation.
What are the success factors of an IT project?
The success of an IT project rests above all on good preparation. Clear objectives, realistic planning, regular communication between teams, and structured risk management form the foundation of a successful project.
Change management and user adoption of the solution are also key factors. A high-performing solution only creates value if it's actually used day to day.
Qui doit piloter un projet IT ?
The pilotage est généralement confié à un IT project manager. Son rôle est de coordonner les équipes, d’assurer le suivi des tâches, de gérer les risques et de veiller au respect des objectifs, des délais et du budget.
Depending on how the company is organized, this role can be handled by an internal resource (IT department, PMO, or IT project manager) or by an external partner.
What's the difference between an IT project manager and a CIO?
The DSI (Directeur des Systèmes d’Information) définit la stratégie informatique de l’entreprise. Il pilote les investissements, les choix technologiques, la gouvernance des systèmes d’information et leur alignement avec les objectifs de l’entreprise.
The IT project manager intervient quant à lui sur un projet précis. Il coordonne les équipes, suit l’avancement, organise les différentes phases du projet et veille au respect des délais, du budget et des objectifs.
These two roles are complementary: the CIO defines the long-term vision, while the project manager turns that vision into concrete action.
When should you bring in an IT consulting firm?
Bringing in an IT consulting firm is strongly recommended when a project exceeds the skills or resources available in-house, or when it involves complex technical environments.
Their involvement can cover:
- Scoping;
- Project management;
- Rollout oversight;
- Stakeholder coordination;
- Or change management.
The earlier a firm is involved in the project, the better positioned it is to anticipate risks and secure the key milestones.