What We Wish More Clients Knew Before Starting a Major IT Project
Big IT projects are exciting. They can modernize your business, reduce risk, and clear years of technical debt in one bold move. But if you’ve ever lived through one, you also know: they can get messy, fast.
At Ferrous Equine Technologies, we’ve seen it all—projects that ran like clockwork, and projects that felt like herding cats during a network outage. And most of the time, the difference isn’t budget or technology. It’s preparation, partnership, and expectations.
So here’s our honest, from-the-trenches list of what we wish every client knew before launching a major IT project.
📦 Scope Creep Is Real—Fight It With Clarity
There’s a moment in every project where someone says, “Well, since you’re already in there…” and suddenly, the scope doubles.
It’s human nature. You see momentum and think, “Why not tackle this too?” And sometimes, that is the right call. But unless we’ve accounted for the additional time, approvals, testing, and complexity, that innocent request can derail the entire project.
Here’s what helps:
A clear, shared definition of success
A written scope that defines what’s in—and what’s not
A process for handling changes without chaos
We’re flexible—but also big believers in protecting your timeline and your team’s sanity.
⏱️ Timelines Move Fast When Decisions Do Too
Here’s a secret: most project delays aren’t caused by technology. They’re caused by bottlenecks—waiting on approvals, unclear escalation paths, or needing access no one can grant.
Every project needs a point person. Someone empowered to say yes, no, or “let me find out.” If your IT project has to go through six layers of review to get a password reset, the project isn’t going to move.
We recommend:
One decision-maker (or a very small group)
Clear availability for that person during critical phases
Defined escalation paths if someone is out of office
The more accessible your decision-makers, the smoother everything runs.
🗃️ A Little Documentation Now Saves a Lot of Pain Later
You’d be surprised how often we hear, “We think we have three firewalls.” Or, “No one’s sure who set up that server, but it’s working—so we’ve left it alone.”
We get it. Documentation takes time, and when things are running, it’s easy to push it down the priority list. But during a project, lack of documentation turns every step into a guessing game.
Even basic documentation helps:
Network diagrams (even hand-drawn!)
Lists of applications, users, and dependencies
System ownership info and key logins
And if you don’t have it? We’ll build it with you. But fair warning: starting from scratch might extend the timeline—and the cost.
💡 Your Team Needs Buy-In, Not Just Instructions
A major IT project isn’t just about the tools—it’s about the people using them. And people don’t always love change.
That’s why successful projects always include some form of change management. Not just a training link dumped into an email, but actual explanation: What’s happening? Why? How does it make things better?
We recommend:
Early messaging to your team
Champions inside departments to echo the message
Real training, not just PDFs
Empathy for the folks who are stressed by change
When users understand why the change is happening, they’re a lot more willing to help make it successful.
🧰 Projects Can Surface Things You Didn’t Know You Needed
Here’s the thing: projects rarely exist in isolation. That server you’re retiring might be quietly running something no one mentioned. That “quick switch” to a new provider might trigger a downstream system to fail.
We’re not psychic—but we are careful. We build in time for discovery, testing, and asking the awkward “are you sure no one uses this anymore?” questions.
Still, surprises happen. That’s why we encourage every client to:
Leave room in the budget for unexpected needs
Stay flexible with timelines (at least a little)
Be open to course correction if we hit buried tech debt
We’ll always bring you options. But “fast, cheap, and perfect” is a unicorn—and we work with real horses.
💰 Budgeting for Change = Budgeting for Success
Some clients come to us with a number in mind and a vision in hand—and then get stuck when reality doesn’t match the budget.
It’s not because their expectations were unreasonable. It’s because projects often uncover:
Tools that don’t integrate like we thought
Hidden licensing costs
Long-forgotten systems that need replacing
Security gaps no one knew about
Budgeting for discovery, potential add-ons, and post-project support gives you the flexibility to adapt instead of stall. We’ll work with you to prioritize, but building in a buffer makes a huge difference.
🧠 TL;DR: The Best Projects Happen With You, Not For You
We’re here to help you succeed. But even the best MSP can’t deliver a flawless project to you—you have to be part of it.
The good news? You don’t have to be technical. You just have to:
Communicate honestly
Make timely decisions
Share your goals
Trust the process
We’ll bring the planning, the expertise, and the backup plans. You bring your business context, your priorities, and your team.
And together? That’s how great IT projects get done.
📬 Ready to tackle something big? Or just want to know if it’s time to start?
Let’s talk. We’ll help you scope it right—before it becomes a six-headed dragon.
info@ferrousequinetechnologies.com