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.