I recently completed a contract at a small financial company (let's call it OldCo). After a much-needed vacation, I then started a new contract at another small company (NewCo), which is in the marketing industry. The two companies couldn’t be more different in their approach to technology; it is like night and day. I sit here today basking in the warm sun, after almost a year of almost freezing to death in the dark.

It’s odd. You’d think the financial company would recognize the necessity of information technology more than a marketing firm. But the marketing firm has some extremely smart IT people on staff, and what they are doing here is amazing.

When I arrived at OldCo in mid 2003, I knew they had some major IT issues that needed some attention. At first, I looked at these problems as an interesting challenge that I could overcome with determination. By the end, I realized that an outsider’s determination would not be enough, and these problems will eventually be their undoing.

OldCo is a classic example of the way some family-run companies are run. The owners of OldCo trust noone but themselves. They are deeply involved in the day-to-day operations, and no decisions are made without their approval. In fact, if you were to draw an org chart, it would be extremely flat – everyone reports to the owners.

This works well for a 5-person company, but becomes a bit more difficult to manage for a 50-person one. In order for this organization structure to work, a company has to be extremely good at communications and have efficient business processes in place. OldCo was lacking in both areas.

Working at OldCo taught me several important lessons. Some of them related to the specific project I was on. I learned the importance of identifying issues before they became problems. And I saw how important strong and clear leadership is to project success. 

The way the company itself operated also provided some important lessons for me. These have to do with understanding how important management support of IT is for a successful project, and how important a positive office environment is. Lack of either can negatively affect a project. Lack of both spells unavoidable doom.

When I arrived at NewCo this week, I could tell right away they have their act together. This company is about the same size as OldCo, but they are extremely efficient in their communications and have excellent business processes in place. The project I am working on has a strong foundation, and the office environment is very positive.

Only time will tell if NewCo will continue to be a great place to work when the pressures to deliver the project intensify. But it’s off to a great start.