Day one is behind us with a nice review of what was accomplished. Let’s move on now and discuss each strategy we will be following in the implementation or upgrade. Is there a specific methodology that is used by the client. If so, make sure you have reviewed that methodology before starting this phase of the workshop. This is a good place to start assigning groups to work on areas of interest. Who will finish the strategy document? What are the tasks, timelines, repsonsibilities. Discuss them to make sure all members of the team are in agreement or if not agreement, there is a consensus. What are the minimum categories for developing strategy? You must at least have operating agreements in place, a high level strategy for how conversion will be handled. Do you have a training plan? a testing plan? Have you analyzed business process to identfy areas of improvement? Have you analyzed the relationship between business process and system process to ensure your business process will be effective? What approach will you have for communication? Who, what, when why and how? Weekly team meetings are critical, using immediate communication devices such as twitter can be of value when immediate responses are needed. What is the chain for decision making, the level of financial impact at each level and finally how will you approach upgrades and fixes at the beginning and throughout the length of the project?
Wow, that is the first item on the agenda for Day two…we have lots more to cover so tune back in tomorrow for more suggestions and please feel free to provide additions and comments.
So what should you have completed at the end of the Workshop on the first day. A Goal of the workshop has been established and there is a solid understanding of how to implement or upgrade “right the first time”.
A template with a rough draft of some of the Charter information will be complete with time for review. It is also important that team members understand they may have homework such as reading through draft documents and making comments or edits.
So what do you think should be included in a project charter? I would suggest the following:
1. A mission statement for the project
2. Project Objectives and measuresments to establish when those objectives have been met.
3. A strategy for the project
4. A critical element is the Scope statement. More projects fail from scope creep than probably any other factor.
5. An Issue Resolution methodology with initial issues identified
6. A Risk Resolution methodology with initial risks and level of risk identified.
7. The resource plan with roles, responsibilities and rules.
8. Constraints, Assumptions and a plan for next steps
9. An initial project plan at a high level which identifies critical milestones.
So at the end of the first day the team has started to develop the deliverables and resolve some of the issues that are open. This is the time when the Project Manager should schedule a time for a presentation to the steering committee or management team.
Communication with the team and leadership is critical and the fourth day should be used for that communication with a sold presentation in place. We have discussed the first day and what will be addressed. The timeline for the workshops may vary depending on how extensive in terms of modules and functionality the implementation or upgrade is determined to encompass.
Please make additional suggestions or comments to enhance this program.
The leadership and participation of a project manager or workshop facilitator is critical in the first week of the project. It is important that every team member contribute with all the knowledge and creativity they can bring to the project. Every person MUST contribute as this is truly a team effort.
To be successful it is important to:
1. Create a baseline for the project that includes scope, schedule and resources as well as resource changes throughout the project.
2. Validate the team is working toward a common goal on the project.
3. Ensure everyone develops an attitude of responsibility and focus.
4. Ensure the client provides insight into the organization’s objectives, requirements and operations.
Organizations would be wise to bring in an outside facilitator for the first week of the project to lead the implementation or upgrade workshops. As an outside expert with optimal skills in training, facilitation and presentation, the team can focus on generating the project charter documents. The facilitator can also act as a resource and provide expertise as appropriate.
The team should have significant “buy-in” and “ownership” of the project. This means not only being willing to make decisions but to take responsibility for those decisions as well. Take some time to share experiences with the team and ensure the time in sessions is well spent.
What are some key points to remember in project implementations?
1. Projects will always be a challenge and it will take full participation of the team along with understanding, problem solving, working together and assuming responsibility for decisions that are mutual.
2. Projects have very long term impacts and the results of what a team does or does not accomplish will impact an organization for many years to come.
3. It is critical to have a cohesive team, and a strong leader driving the project.
4. Communicate to management on a regular basis and communicate results not all the details. They will want to know what is happening on a project but on a high level. Bring issues and risks to their attention immediately.
5. Projects are typically very visible in organizations and the team will success will result in awareness throughout the organization of the quality and performance of the team members in achieving their goals.
6. Keep the project on track. Scope tends to creep and it is the responsibility of the team and the Project Manager to monitor very carefully the deliverables expected and the scope as identified in the Charter document which was signed by all of the executive management and presented to all the stakeholders.
Are you using Sharepoint with UPK? We are using it on the project I am currently on to maintain version control on all of our topic files and modules. It has been very effective in ensuring changes are not made and uploaded by two different people, with different versions. Maintaining that “gold” copy is critical when many people are working on the same training module or topic file. Our team is not always co-located so being able to maintain control at a distance is also very important.
What kind of things do you need to plan for in an implementation of PeopleSoft when working with the client and your team? It is important to communicate to your team before they come on site to inform them of the client expectations and your expectations as a Project Manager. Send a letter to the members of the client team as well and explain what the first week will entail. Explain that the first week will be a planning week to ensure that you “Get it Right the First Time.” What do you mean by that? Most projects fail not because of lack of technical or functional knowledge, but due to lack of planning.
So what are some of the questions that must be asked in the first week of team meetings?
1. Is there a direct correlation between the project manager’s leadership and the team’s productivity, effort?
2. Are the project objectives clearly defined and accepted?
3. Is the scope clearly defined and does it match the number of resources necessary and the initial timeline that has been identified?
4. Has a formal issue resolution processand tracking mechanism been established?
5. Has the client assumed ownership and demonstrated a vested interest in the project?
6. Have project performance criteria been established? What are the milestones?
It is important to assist a client in launching their implementation and a process must be in place to build on the initial charter. The charter is a roadmap and a reference for scope. The strategy and overall planning direction should be in the charter document.
One of the deliverables for the first week of planning will be a Charter signed by and agreed to by the client management or executive team for approval.
The first day it is important to communicate to the team the importance of their role and how critical this first planning week is to the ongoing success of the project. This is just the beginning of a discussion on implementation or upgrade planning that I will continue to add to as we go along. Please feel free to comment and suggest additional ideas for the Implementation Planning week for a PeopleSoft Project.
Did you know Phoenix Technologies has developed and introduced a new suite of FREE Microsoft Office-compatible applications? They run on a HyperSpace platform which is an alternative Internet-based operating system. Because of this you don’t have to wait for Windows to boot up but with a key combination can quickly run windows if needed. Phoenix claims the operating systems imposes a much smaller drain on batteries and their life expectancy. If you are interested go to www.phoenix.com. Let me know if you try it and what you think about it.
OIOPublisher is the best solution for bloggers trying to sell direct advertising. Before this awesome piece of software came along, I would always recommend new bloggers use 3rd party ad networks instead of selling ads directly because you need to concentrate on producing content when you’re starting out.
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Possible to integrate the ad platform with any website that uses PHP
Purchase / account pages are now templated, editable within the admin area
Text links are now controlled via zones (like banner ads)
Works with PayPal and PayPal Subscription
Full javascript ad display support
Entrecard Payment option integrated
The software will work on any website that use PHP. WordPress users get an easy to install plugin. OIOPublisher Direct sells for $47 and is worth every penny. However, I have two copies to give away.
How To Enter
To enter for a chance to win one of two copies of OIOPublisher Direct, simply reply to this post. It doesn’t get easier than that! You only need to reply once. Replying multiple times won’t get you more entries. However, if you blog about this contest and link to this post, I’ll give you five more entries. I give you three more entries if you send the following tweet to your followers.
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Our team has been working diligently to complete training for EmpoHR 9.0 for the NFC. It is the NFC’s version of PeopleSoft 9.0 for Human Resources. It is a challenging project in that we so not have access to a training database which makes the development with UPK more difficult. The User Productivity Kit is a great tool though and produces nice training manuals, online training, instructor manuals and job aids. I have enjoyed learning the development side of this application and look forward to more development of training materials and programs.
Waiting to hear how the ELM presentation went for Mark and Diane. I am sure it was great and I feel very fortunate to have been a part of the Water Management District Team. Ciber should recognize Mark for his outstanding contributions to the ELM implementation as he was instrumental in the success of this implementation.
This weeks airplane book was “Shut Up, Stop Whining, & Get a Life” by Larry Winget. Larry is referred to as the Pitbull of Personal Development and has a very direct approach. “What you think about, talk about, and do something about is what comes about.” His recommendation is “when it quits being fun, quit.” How many of us stay in consulting engagements that are not fun, not challenging and downright dull? Having grown up with American Indians in the Dakotas I found the inital quote very dear to my heart. The quote has the spiritual quality that American Indians bring to many facets of life. The quote was from Cochise, a Chiricahua Chief who stated ” You must speak straight so that your words may go as sunlight into our hearts. ”
Larry provides insight into many areas including relationships, business, health, fitness and many aspects of living. He asks a series of questions at the end that you might aske yourself and then determine if you are successful. The questions are:
“Am I happy?
Am I healthy?
Am I serving?
Am I loving?
Am I learning?
Am I having fun?
Am I doing something I enjoy?
Am I prosperous?”
This is just a brief overview of the book and I would recommend it as a book with good advice and some controversy.
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