Agreed, but how much was learned because of this project? A LOT! And not just about the phone systems, but about the society surrounding them. The cost of education is not often considered, but I think of it as very profitable time.
And for the record, they were never "dead in the water". The customers were always operational and kept informed through every step of the way. They had backup plans in place for the phones during the transition, we just had to utilize them longer than was original intended. And place a few other plans in place along the way. The customer was never at risk of losing business, or operating at a decreased capacity. All the issues took place during the physical office move and desks weren't setup anyway for the phones to be used at. By the time that was all done, I had found my answer and they were back to full capabilities.
Though we did cut it a little too close for comfort! (-:
