The DA plan - in order to keep the Portfolio Manager happy - projected a return on investment by the end of the first fiscal year, which was 6 months into the DA effort. The return was to be achieved through the identification of common asset needs in two projects, and the adaptation of existing components so that they could meet the needs of both projects. This "rapid domain engineering" effort was intended to ensure the good will of the Portfolio Manager and General Manager and thereby provide breathing space - in the form of additional time and continued funding - for a more thorough domain analysis.
The goal for the first fiscal year's end was not met; but it was close enough for Jane, Derek, and the participating projects to decide to present it to the Portfolio Manager as having been achieved. These players believed that the benefits to the two initial projects would be visible soon enough to ensure the continued support of the domain engineering effort. But this decision also provided ammunition to those who wanted to sabotage the effort. The long term success of the effort was not helped by the fact that, although only two projects had been actively involved until now, significant asset design decisions had already been made. The issues of asset ownership and turf had not been resolved, and the ability of the projects to continue supporting the domain analysis remained in doubt, given their own condition of stretched resources. Jane and Derek themselves became more disillusioned with the effort as they realized that the organization's reward structure was still very much project-oriented.
As we leave the organization, the future of the domain engineering effort is in doubt. It has not yet been killed, but there are indications that it may become the next in the series of process improvement fads that were tried on for size, seen not to deliver enough fast enough, and then dropped. The Consultant, in the meantime, decided to bring this experience to the next WISR to see whether others have similar stories, and to discuss strategies and tactics that could be used to do better.