LTV at LTC: A Unusual Start

My involvement in the project started in January 2002. I was managing a modeling / statistical analysis group in the marketing department of LTC. We had a consultant do an initial proof-of-concept and it became my job to fully flesh out the approach and put LTV into production.

Already, the project was off to an unusual start. I was simultaneously

1. The primary business owner/ representative.
2. The project manager.
3. The chief analytic designer.
4. The head of implementation.

Usually, these are four different people. I believe the project's success was do in no small part to all four roles being being condensed into one person. Whenever issues came up I could simply make a decision instead of having to a) document the issue b) have meetings on the issue c) discuss possible solutions d) document the final solution e) get written agreement on the change from all parties f) finally implement the solution.

For larger projects it may not be possible to be as concentrated as this, but I do think there needs to be one vision behind the project, someone who understands both the technical aspects and the business aspects of the project. Without one person that has a deep understanding of the different aspects of the project and can share that understanding with the rest of the team, none of the parts of the project will fit together.