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The events at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 will haunt BA for some time to come. Getting something so badly wrong in public view is not something that is easily forgotten.

If your organisation is considering embarking upon a change or launching a new product, it is a risky business: you are laying your reputation and customer loyalty on the line.

Get it wrong, and your customers may forgive, but are unlikely to forget.

The Terminal 5 debacle goes to show that even one of the world’s most well known companies can get it wrong and there are important lessons to be learnt from the whole fiasco.

There are practical steps that you can take, however, particularly where any kind of technological change is concerned, to stop this kind of disaster occurring.

1. Plan everything

Planning is the glue that will hold everything together, so don’t rush the initial phase in your eagerness to get on with the job.

Involve your team, think carefully about what you will need to do to implement your change successfully, and take time to check the plans in detail.

It is impossible to think of everything, but too much change surfacing later on will cripple your project.

2. Set realistic timescales and budgets

Most things usually take longer than expected, so leave some contingency to fix unexpected issues - somewhere between 20 to 30 per cent.

The same principle applies to budget – the best things take time and money to get right. Compromise on quality and you will simply pay the price later on.

3. Watch out for interdependencies

Most businesses rely heavily on computers, so do not forget that most process changes also necessitate changes to the IT system and vice versa.

They go hand in hand, so ensure they are dealt with in an integrated fashion. If they do not work together successfully, your project will fail.

4. Manage the project

Find an effective and creative project manager who will get their hands dirty and work with the team to sort things out when issues arise.

You are looking for someone who will ensure things get done, not just collate everyone else's efforts and report back to you once a week.

5. Communicate

Have regular meetings with key staff to review progress, risks and issues.

Your team will have a lot of experience and knowledge between them, so put it to best use by listening to them.

If they think something might be wrong, pay attention. Get an effective communications strategy in place, so information can flow freely around the team.

If everyone knows what they are doing and why, you will have a greater chance of success.

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