In large-scale Maximo^® implementations, it is common that the main elements of the project are outsourced to one or more consulting companies. One of the key issues in such projects is to find a way to manage the different contractors. There are three main aspects that demand careful control: the costs, the schedule and the quality.

• Cost Control
  Independent appraisal of cost estimates provided by contractors or third-party developers and integrators.
• Schedule Control
  Independent evaluation and monitoring of work programmes or project plans provided by contractors.
• Quality Control
  Independent examination of the quality of work being delivered by your appointed contractors.

If your contractors are working on a time and material basis, as is often the case, it is crucial that you have a good understanding of the complexity of the proposed solutions and reliability of proposed effort estimates. As the contractor is not directly affected by providing incorrect estimates, there can be a tendency for estimates of effort and cost to be over-optimistic.

With fixed price projects, the most critical point is when the contract is negotiated, as it is at this point that you need to have a good understanding of what is proposed by the contractor. As there is more than one way to do almost everything, it is entirely possible that the lowest bid will not offer the best quality solution — and this may not be apparent until you are at a late stage in the project. Our experience can help you to identify the bid that offers the best overall value.

Even with the best combination of cost and quality, the schedule needs to be closely examined as it may be incorrect (e.g. it may not possible to complete the project in the proposed time scales), which in turn can have a knock-on effect on the parts of the business that are dependent on the Maximo^® implementation schedule. During the course of the project, you need to be in a position to independently assess the risk of the contractor not meeting deadlines - and we can help you with that assessment.

Maximo^® is a very flexible and powerful tool and there can be many different ways of using it to achieve the business requirements. For those clients who do not have previous experience with Maximo^®, it is important to have an advisor with knowledge and experience who will scrutinise solutions offered by the contractor and judge whether they are optimal.

Code Development, with its longstanding experience in Maximo^® implementations and knowledge accumulated since the early 90's, is well placed to provide you with independent, expert advice in these and all issues relating to Maximo^®. You can be confident in the knowledge that you will have a well-informed and independent third-party looking out for your best interests during contract negotiations and contract management.