According to Greek mythology, Sisyphus was punished for repeated deceitfulness by having to push a rock up to the top of a hill.

Prior to finishing the task, I guess he would lose control of the rock and it would roll back down to the bottom.  Sisyphus repeated this task for perpetuity.

For the past fifteen years, I have worked with numerous clients in their GIS implementations.  Not all of these tasks have been “successful”.  In terms of this post, I define “successful” as to include all three of the following items:

• Project completed on schedule
• Client is happy with the delivery/product
• Client using product today

In my opinion, the following six rules would be highly recommended by Sisyphus if he was a GIS Consultant instead of a rock roller:

Sisyphus Rule #1:  Learn the capabilities (or lack of) of the software after the proposal process.

Make sure there is at least a casual understanding of the software being purchased/implemented during the project scoping phase.

This will help prevent potential buyer’s remorse or surprises when it is learned that the out of the box software won’t perform the desired function(s) or not in the desired manner.

It is highly suggested to participate in a live demonstration (instead of canned PowerPoint or screen grabs) which allows for direct questions/answers specifically applicable to the utility.

It is also suggested to make an onsite visit to a utility currently using the desired software to determine how it is being utilized and what they like/dislike.

Sisyphus Rule #2:  Don’t provide input (or fully participate) to the consultant because they are paid to implement the GIS.

Every project must have at least one client representative that gladly takes passionate ownership of the GIS before, during, and subsequent to the project’s implementation.

Lack of input (including the proposal process) sometimes results in an undesired conclusion because the consultant designed the product based upon potentially incorrect assumptions.  Develop a strong relationship with your consultant.

Sisyphus Rule #3:  It is acceptable to rush or skip the Design Phase of a GIS project.

Jeff Meyers (Schneider Electric/Telvent Miner and Miner) wrote a book about a 3D mythology (Design, Develop, & Deploy), and I highly recommend reading it (http://www.amazon.com/Building-your-arcfm-facilities-management/dp/B0006S17GC).

Each step is extremely important and has a purpose, but I would suggest that the Design Phase is the most important.  Without a solid, well thought design, the GIS Project is just a house of cards built on a bad foundation.

Sisyphus Rule #4:  Once the consultant finishes the implementation, the GIS project is complete.

It is my opinion that a GIS is never “done.”

Without the complete buy in of at least one individual and upper management to maintain the system, the data will quickly become “stale,” untrusted, and then unused.

I have seen this on multiple occasions, resulting in my return after a year or so to update the data and/or provide retraining of staff who forgot what they were originally taught.

Sisyphus Rule #5:  Buy the cart before the horse.

I have seen clients so focused on the shiny new software tools, but not have the data to support those new tools.

It is my opinion that projects initially focus on quality data with out-of-the-box software.  This is also something that Mr. Meyers taught me…”Make it Work, Make it Right, Make it Better.”  Software customization should only be considered when the following is determined:

• Data is solid and trusted.
• Business process cannot be modified to support existing software
• Enhancement will result in significant future productivity gains that outweigh the cost.

Sisyphus Rule #6:  Training staff is expensive and should be minimized.

I have seen where employee training is significant reduced or eliminated resulting in subsequent digitizing errors and/or data loss.

This situation results in expensive, time-consuming revisit and/or redo.  Make sure staff are properly trained, and verify that data is being handled properly.

All six of the above rules have at least one thing in common…they prevent or greatly hinder successful GIS projects.

It is quite possible that Sisyphus would have been successful in his “Rock-n-Roll Hill Project” had he avoided his implementation rules.  Maybe he just needed a good chain design (http://unusualkentucky.blogspot.com/2011/03/chained-rock.html).

Have you had any Sisyphus experiences yourself?  Share your pain with us in the comments below.