"+20% on the quote after signing."
A story from the field
A CIO was hit with 120 extra person-days by his integrator during the framing phase, without the technical means to challenge them.
Without a neutral eye on the client side, real needs often give way to the supplier's sales sheet.
The issue: can you be both player and referee?
The integrator (the delivery contractor) and the client (the project owner) work on the same project, but not toward the same goals.
The integrator
Seeks to maximize the allocation of its teams and the sale of modules and licenses.
Commercial optimization
The client
Seeks frugality, cost control and fast business value.
Frugality & value
"Two business models aligned on opposite objectives."
This is not a question of honesty; it is a question of business model. Asking the integrator to both deliver and control its own work means asking it to arbitrate against its own interests.
The answer: the winning duo of an IT project
Two distinct roles, two complementary responsibilities.
Client-side advisor: governance & business
Neutral.
- Protects the budget
- Filters the real need
- Validates the quality of deliverables
Integrator / vendor: technical execution
Delivers.
- Delivers the code
- Configures the systems
- Meets the deadlines
Decision-maker checklist: 3 questions before launching your project
- Who objectively validates the real need for additional person-days?
- Is application acceptance testing handled by an independent third party?
- Are your architecture choices driven by your needs, or by the supplier's skills matrix?
Over to you: have you ever seen a quote slip after signing?
The series "Selecting and choosing IT solutions"
Digital transformation: insights on selecting and choosing IT solutionsEpisode 1
Consulting vs integration: why handing governance to your integrator is a strategic mistakeEpisode 2
The art of the RFP: proof before promiseEpisode 3
Independent testing & PMO: the shields of your budgetEpisode 4
Licenses & contracts: the hidden price of Day 1
Large consortiums
Program Management & Recovery
Executive steering of complex programs, PMO, recovery of troubled IT projects and IS modernization.
Fakhri Essedik
Founder of EDX Advisory
For more than 25 years, Fakhri Essedik has helped executive teams and CIOs steer major Digital, Data & AI programs across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.