Keeping the Implementation Plan from stretching and breaking...

I believe adhering to the implementation plan schedule will be the most difficult and potentially disastrous aspect for my venture.  I have not found much guidance on creating a plan that is so heavily reliant on other parties.  Working with government agencies that are tied up in red tape is not the ideal partner for establishing a timely schedule to complete a project.  Furthermore, the major cash inflow for my venture will not begin until a full street lighting system is installed and realizing returns.  Therefore, locating the first few clients will be critical to my success of avoiding too much early debt.

For my venture, I need to find a municipal government that has already renovated their data systems, similar to Pittsburgh’s Open Data legislation.  To complete the full work of Starry Night Consulting Services, we would need access to data across departments that is accessible and integrated.  Otherwise, poor and scattered data could add huge delays of time before implementation (and revenues) could begin.  Cities such as South Bend, IN are considered “beta cities”, municipal governments that are willing to test untested products and services.  They have progressive leadership and have overhauled their data infrastructure in hopes of finding substantial wastes.  Cities such as these would be ideal first customers that would be small enough to be manageable, but organized enough so that replacement of a whole street lighting system would proceed orderly and predictable, and would not cause significant delays that would derail the early implementation schedule.  As Starry Night Consulting began receiving a steady flow of revenue, we could tackle cities with less coherent and integrated data, less streamlined, and more cautious leadership.  Big delays with these cities would be tolerable if revenues are already coming in.

For my venture, it seems like a new implementation plan would need to be created for each client depending on their circumstances and responsiveness.  It would be important to look at their leadership, and their temerity for change, as well as if they are more progressive and less reactionary.  Luckily, more cities are realizing the benefits of organizing their data and streamlining their agencies to allow for large cost savings.  It will be our challenge to locate these cities.