Managing a software config/dev project as a client?

Hi,

This isn't quite on topic for the sub, but I'm hoping for some dev-side ideas.

My company recently admitted failure on a major software project, and we are going back to the drawing board to start again. I was the technical SME for the project, and will be the project manager for the new attempt.

There were serious issues were on both sides. I am completing an in-depth postmortem on the project right now. Our issues appear to be at least mostly things we can rectify, or plan for. The client side issues were large enough, though, that there was no path forward, even with a total project reset.

The project roughly involves a complex database and front-end with various modules. A general product is sold, and then modified to suit each buyer's business practices. Add new tables/fields, modify various UI pieces, create work flows/calculations/etc, build reports, yadda yadda. Most of it happens within the configurability of the software, but we found ourselves getting to where we would have to make extensive customizations of their base product.

On our side the work is ensuring they understand our business processes and data handling needs, working with them to modify our RFP functional requirements into buildable requirements for their system, adding tons of our own configuration data, and very extensive testing of the finished products with real-world data.

Generally project management material focuses on the development of software, but what we are doing is generally not that. It's managing the developer's performance, ensuring we provide them with what they need, and testing.

I would appreciate any insights that you have had from successful projects working with clients for this? Techniques, methodologies, or any thing you could point me towards.