How will the project be administered?

Projects need to have a governance model and the project team needs to understand the model and agree to work within it’s construct.

How this activity works:
By reviewing the standards of the methodology you are using.  Will it be Compass, Rational, or some similar project methodology.  Many groups are looking to Agile to implement or upgrade faster. This might be a good methodology if your technical team is also solid in understanding the functionality associated with the application.
Reporting relationships will be identified and how status reporting will take place is important to the success of your project.  Do you have a status report template so all reporitng is consistent.

Determine status reporting responsibilities
 How often will you require status reports? Daily? Weekly by team rolled up once a month by Project Manager?  Discussed at weekly meetings?
 What is the format or template that will be used for your status report?  How can you determine at a quick glance the status of the project.
 Who should receive the status reports? How will they be distributed, posted?
• Define project filing system/repository or project diary to maintain all information in a central location.
• Determine meeting schedules and format
• Determine issue resolution procedures
• Determine change request procedures
• Determine configuration management procedures
• Determine quality review procedures
 how often
 who will perform
 what will they review

Management Procedures

Objective
To determine the tools for tracking the project and how we will measure progress and budget
Overview
How this activity works:
This discussion is about the collection of input, processing and reporting of project information and what tools will be used for these activities.  Examples such as Excel, Project, Word, Powerpoint for progress presentations (standard project template, logos etc..

It begins with the your methodology standard as a “straw man”.
Additional Materials
Distribute methodology standards

Activity to follow last post:

How this activity works:

Review the Roles and Responsibilities outcome chart for:

· Major issues

· Items that need further work:

§ Skills development

§ Additional backfill

§ Alternate resources (third party, higher skill level)

The result of this activity will be changes to the roles and responsibilities chart, or affirmation that former discussions were accurate.

Moving on, or in the words of that all to famous movie: Move it, move it, move it…..

How will Success be Defined?

This is the next activity for group discussions and activities.

Objective

At the conclusion of this activity the team will develop the five to ten performance measures that they will recommend to management as the criteria by which this project will be measured. These measurements should support the project’s objectives and provide high level direction to all project activities and tasks.

How this activity works:

This activity is done as a single group. The group will discuss which factors are critical to the success of the project.  Using the 10 to 15 factors that were developed in the discussion, have the team evaluate the pros and cons of each of the proposed measurements.

The team needs to explore the possibility that for any existing project measure its value may be different now than it was when it was first used due to changing business conditions.

Once the initial performance measures have been compiled in a list, the activity leader will give each person a copy of the compiled list.

Each team member will rank the performance measures as to its importance to the company. Once everyone has completed the activity, the totals and averages should be calculated for each measurement. The top five become the team’s performance measurements. Then ask the team how they feel about the top five as it relates to their own function and provide opportunities for small group and large group discussion.  Each team member should be prepared to rank the team’s priorities and to establish how that fits with their priorities for the project or the priorities of their department.  Ask each team member to discuss how the measurements will relate to their function on the team, and in the organization.

What will a deliverable look like?

I am sure you can think of many more items for this list and your teams will surprise you with their contributions.

Let’s talk about some of the roles that you might want to consider for your project.  Depending on the size of the project, you may or may not need all of the roles but someone will have to assume the responsibilities.

Client Executive:  The client executive is responsible for the overall relationship with the customer.  This is the role that would address and resolve issues that cannot be resolved at the  vendor level. They keep the customer aware of new products, services, and software updates as they become available.  They are also the ones who look for opportunities where they can add value to the customer’s business.

Program Manager: The Program Manager may support the Client before and after their software acquisition, especially on large complex projects.  Sometimes called the Enterprise Manager, they would be a part of the Client’s Steering committee and should help shape the project success through the use of best practice, project and business practice.

The Enterprise Manager participates on the Steering Committee, and helps drive the project through to success.  They use industry best business process and practice.  They provide advice that will minimize risk and accelerate the implementation or upgrade.  Many organizations use the engagement manager and project manager interchangeably, however, their responsibilities re significantly different.

Project Manager: The individual in this roles provides the leadership for the project team and produces the status reports, plans, budgets and formal methodology (such as CSC, Compass, Rational) and resourcing.  The Engagement Manager supports the Project Managers both client and consulting in all aspects of project planning and control, and supports the design,development and deployment of a strong quality program.  The Project Manager is responsible for the “care and feeding” of the consulting and client project team members and for supporting the client Project Manager.

Process Specialists (Functional and Technical) Functional specialists are charged with guiding the project team through those steps that require detailed applications functional knowledge and related industry best practices. This consulting-sourced role is usually a full-time member of the project team.

The Technical Specialist executes the technical steps by providing support in the design and management of databases and in tuning the system and architecture. This is a consulting sourced role working in lock step with the client role.

System Engineer The System Engineer designs and creates technology solutions in response to business requirements. They are brought into a project when the solution requires some specific knowledge in the emerging technologies. Skills include: Workflow,  Electronic Commerce; Security including OLAP, Multi-dimensional modeling, compare report decisions, eApplications and solutions to customization requests.

Education Representative This person is responsible for working with the customer to make sure they use the education resources available to them in the most effective manner. This includes executing training plans, setting up on-site classes, and making the customer aware of alternate training formats including stand up training, interactive training, webinars and other venues. It is also the responsibility of this role to have a clear understanding of the business processes used and reflect those processes in User Productivity Kit or Tutor development.

As we move through the discussion on Day 2 and looking at the project scope, constraints will be identified.  Be sure to provide your client and consulting team with examples of what might be a constraint.  A constraint is something that limits your degree of freedom.  Limited development resources might be a constraint.  Constraints might be economic, political, functional, technical and even environmental.  Be sure to document the constraints and work with the project team to ensure they are identified.

Second to constraints would be assumptions.  You make assumptions regarding many aspects of the project.  Assumptions represent opinions that have not or cannot be readily or easily proven; yet they are expected to be true.  An assumption that is often made in organizations is that the executive team is on board and giving total support to the project.  Sometimes an assumption is made that the organization has a specific requirement, only to find out in the fit/gap that the system cannot support the requirement.

So far we have covered many discussion topics in Day 2 and it is important to facilitate interaction and participation by the team.  The one week workshop packs a great deal into the first week that not only sets the stage for the project but also ensures the success of the project.  Think about the deliverables that will be produced as a result of the workshop.

Planning is so critical for a project and what makes a project successful is in the way you approach the first few weeks.  I have conducted these strategy and implementation workshops in a week but the work of the team goes well beyond that.  The first few weeks, however, are what can determine success or failure for a project.  So far we have discussed how important it is to get a project right the first time, the importance of scope, and organizational impact or change.  Another important factor that needs to be addressed in the first week is how you will handle issues that arise during the project and what the process will be for resolving those issues.

If you are working with a standard implementation methodology there is probably a process for issue resolution.  If not, develop a database, excel spreadsheet or similar method for tracking issues.  It is important that you establish what an acceptable time frame is for resolution and what will be done if the issues are not resolved in a timely manner.  What are the roles involved in the resolution process, who identifies, who assigns, who tracks, how high up in the organization will you have to go to find a solution, and finally who determines if an issue is closed.

Issues should be addressed on a weekly basis at meetings.  If critical you might have a process in place to identify them on your project website, or even use twitter to get information out to your team in a timely fashion.

Of course, there is a deliverable that would be associated with this part of the workshop which would be a template for tracking issues.

So we have now addressed one more small part of what would happen in Day 2 of your implementation/upgrade workshop.

Looking forward to any additions you might provide via comments.

More projects fail because of poor change management than probably any other factor.  People do not like change and it is important to develop a change management and communication plan.  Identify that person in your group who loves to lead the charge on change.  Then develop a group discussion on how this project will impact the organization.  Draw an organizational chart on the board and circle the stakeholders.  Look at how the project will impact end users, customers, managers, executives.  How will that change be communicated to each of those groups.

Identify the leader who will begin to develop the change plan.  How will the team be structured to complete this deliverable.  A draft should be completed by the end of the week and a group will need to work on the content and strategy for that deliverable.  You can facilitate discussion in the large group and then assign a small group to work on the deliverable.  Or you can have several groups assigned to change and communication items for the plan.  Don’t hesitate to assign homework so this is completed and ready for presentation by the end of the week.

What are some of the creative ways to communicate to the organization?  Do you want to develop a web page? a newsletter, tweet program, blog, regular program for sending emails?  Will the communication look different for each group?  Let the group help stimulate this discussion and get a feel for the culture of the organization and how it communicates.  My experience in organizations demonstrates how communication differs, a small organization may communicate only by email, others may have formal presentations and still others may have comprehensive web sites.  Stimulate the group to come up with all the venues that they think will work for their organization and then assign a small group to incorporate the ideas into the plan.

One more step in the starting week of implementation/upgrade planning.

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.

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.

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