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.

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.

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.

What are organizations looking for today in terms of training and knowledge transfer? There are so many areas to look at from the viewpoint of the customer, stakeholders, management and end users. How can an organization best meet the needs of each contingency? It is important to provide the right tools for learning and training. One of those tools from PeopleSoft is the UPK. This is a tool that will help encourage employees to learn skills to handle their day to day jobs. It will also instill the business process of the organization.

What is the value to a Manager?

They can help individual employees determine career development directions, develop succession strategies and help the organization deal with, and understand Change.

What is the value to an Employee?

It helps them understand the organizational culture and the business processes. They can also identify the responsibilities inherent in each organizational role. They have opportunities to learn and apply skills in a variety of venues which address the needs of the auditory, visual or kinesthetic learner.

Organizations will need metrics to identify the quality, timeliness, cost and learning effectiveness of their training programs. Have you develop a skill assessment for your training program? Can you explain how training relates directly to your organizational culture and the vision of the organization? And finally, are you looking at training through new eyes taking advantage of all technologies and learning venues?

Think these concepts through as you prepare for end user, or project team training within your organization.

Implementations come in many different flavors.  Consultants exchange templates and information to help with implementations.  If you are one of those consultants who is a “team player” and often helps others, you may find the ebook “PeopleSoft Tips, Tricks, and Templates worth the investment.  This is a compilation of several templates that have been gathered from consultants working on actual implementations.  The book can be purchased at the website Chahinkapa.com.  The book will continue to expand as consultants send examples.  If you have templates that you think are super and they are not copyright protected, feel free to send them to chahinkapa@gmail.com and they will be evaluated for inclusion in future publications.  If your template is included, we give you a free copy of the book and include your name in the credits.

The market seems to be coming back with several public sector opportunities.  DIMHRS continues to provide opportunities for testing and the commercial sector is looking toward upgrades and optimizations.  Let us know about your implementations and how you are viewing the future market for PeopleSoft.

Tropical Storm Fay is at our door and  I am sure she is having an effect on consulting travel.  One of my consulting friends had to drive from Atlanta to Florida due to significant flight delays in Atlanta.  The drive was a bit hazardous with wind, rain, hydoplaning cars and bridge closings.  He did make it home only to find rubble and trees down in the yard.  Whenever someone tells you that consulting is an easy job, remember what travel is Really like!!

Contacts with many consultants indicate an increased interest in Enterprise Learning Management, Absence Management and upgrades to 9.0.  All of the consultants seem happy with the 9.0 changes and many are into testing phases of their implementations.  Training is going on in many of the government sectors and test scripts are being frantically written on some projects.  A good place to look for test scripts is the UPK.  It provides an excellent starting point for testing and they can be easily adapted to your projects.  Give us your thoughts on 9.0, other PeopleSoft tips or tricks and “the lives of the traveling consultant.”

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