JMR UK Consultancy Ltd

Archive for May, 2012

Top Tips for Successful Project Initiation

Sunday, May 27th, 2012

Project Initiation SuccessClearly, it is important that your projects get off on the right foot and how a project starts is usually critical to the eventual success of the project. This series of blog posts will present top tips for successful project initiation and will show you how to make sure that your project gets off on the right foot and hence have a better chance of success. The purpose here is to discuss top tips and some best practices and is not meant to be a formal project management process description. You can find this in the Prince2 methodology.

Introduction to Project Initiation

Project initiation is rarely given the attention it deserves. Project Initiation is often viewed as a necessary step before the “real” project work starts and is frequently rushed through as quickly as possible so that the planning phase can be started. At times it is skipped entirely with some tasks combined with planning process or eliminated entirely. However, project initiation is the foundation of the entire project and Project Initiation is the groundwork that helps ensure success later on. Without a comprehensive project initiation, the likelihood of delivering the project within the scope, time, budget and quality requirements at an acceptable level of risk is diminished.

Project Initiation Defined

Project Initiation SuccessProject initiation seems to have a very different meaning depending on the organisation and who might be involved in the process. Project Initiation is everything that happens before a project is approved, and planning begins (capturing requests, prioritising potential initiatives and determining which will be pursued and which will not).  There is often some confusion as to where project initiation starts – is it with a good idea, a completed business case or something in between? If a project is initiated as part of an annual planning exercise, then there may well be a business case already complete (and you may have authored it, or at least contributed to it). But if the project is the result of an unexpected opportunity, there will likely need to be some kind of business case completed.

Project Initiation Defined using Prince2

Prince2 is a formal project management process and is widely used in the UK and Europe and has a strong focus on project initiation. In Prince2, the Project Initiation Document brings together all the information gathered during the the “Starting up a Project” and “Initiating a Project” processes in a PRINCE2 project environment. The Project Initiation Document, or PID is assembled from a series of other documents, including the Business Case, the Terms of Reference, the Communication Plan, the Risk register, the Project Tolerances, the Project plan, and any specific project controls or inspections as part of a departmental Quality plan or common project approach.

Project Initiation Approach

Project Initiation from JMR Consulting UK Ltd

So as can be inferred from this introduction, project initiation isn’t always a simple process and requires a lot of time and effort. However, there are plenty of tools and formal project management processes available to assist with the work. These tools can help people working on projects collaborate, track work items, support version control, capture risks and assumptions for further review, etc. By using the right tools in the right way, there is no reason why project initiation can’t go smoothly and get your project off to that good start.

JMR Consulting UK Ltd has core project management expertise based on its Financial Services heritage and 15 years of operating in the Finance and IT sectors. Over this period, JMR staff have developed key project management programs and a constant focus on our service philosophy which is at the core of JMR’s business operation.

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IT Project Training Part Two

Monday, May 21st, 2012

IT Project trainingLast week we introduced part one of a two part series on IT project training and discussed the need to build the IT project training schedules into the overall IT project plan. One of the risks we pointed out is that when project time-lines become tight, training can be one area that is cut in order to save costs or meet deadlines. It is important to the success of the IT project to ensure that the end users are competent to operate the new systems and it is critical to ensure that stakeholders understand the cost of training and agree on who is responsible for paying the costs.

IT Project Training Facilities

In order to make the IT project training enjoyable, it is important to choose a facility that will enhance the training experience by making sure the training facility is in a comfortable location. Consider the availability of coffee, tea, good restroom facilities, ample parking and vending machines which all help to keep distractions to a minimum. Training is often more effective when the the training sessions are away from the operational side of the business.

IT Project Training Facilities

If you don’t have in the proper facilities in-house, and you have the budget, then you can rent appropriate training facilities. It is important to solicit feedback after your IT project training sessions to improve the training curriculum. You can use surveys and questionnaires to solicit feedback after training is conducted and cover areas such as:

  • the training curriculum
  • suitability of training facilities
  • the adequacy of the equipment
  • the knowledge of the teachers/trainers

IT Project training requires teamworkOne aspect that we have found very useful when implementing new systems is to have the training material, help desk or on-line support available after training is conducted to supplement the educational process and provide ongoing training. You can consider including business trainers to supplement the technical aspects of training. Make sure your IT project training is repeatable and includes a process to ensure future employees receive training. Change, especially when promoted by IT systems, is not always easy for end users to digest and feel comfortable with, so promote a culture in which learning is valued. You have to make sure that the new systems and ways of working become the norm and that use of the new product/new skills is both expected and supported. Help individuals appreciate what’s in it for them during the learning process and apply new information in their work.

IT Project Training when the systems go live

When IT Systems go live, it is never easy for the end user. Therefore, consider all the ways that you can make this transition more comfortable. For example, put trainers on-site for the first days of system implementation to bolster trainee confidence and provide immediate assistance.

Include outcome performance indicators to measure the impacts or effects of the IT project training program on the end product.Put a mechanisms in place to provide ongoing training and support.Prepare to deal with issues of cultural change and resistance.Discuss aspects of the transition or questions regarding the implementation and transition plan.

JMR Consulting UK Ltd has core project management expertise based on its Financial Services heritage and 15 years of operating in the Finance and IT sectors. Over this period, JMR staff have developed key project management programs and a constant focus on our service philosophy which is at the core of JMR’s business operation.

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IT Project Training Part One

Sunday, May 13th, 2012

IT project training is importantLast week we completed our series of blog posts on the project post implementation review. Many of our IT projects involve implementing new systems and processes and we change the way people work. Therefore, that means that we need to plan for a certain amount of IT project training and this should be built into our planning process. Every IT project is different and there is no one size fits all approach to project training. However, we have pulled together a list of project training considerations can guide you in taking a structured approach to training the end users of your IT project work.

IT Project Training Guide

This list is not exhaustive but will serve as a good IT project training reference guide when planning your project. We hope you find some of the ideas useful for your next project.

  • Train the help desk staff and/or training staff first
  • Train support staff before implementing technology within the rest of the enterprise
  • Identify other employees who need training
  • Tailor the training material to the specific nature of work that the trainee will be performing on the job
  • Involve support staff early on so they have enough time to order licenses, install software and make any necessary configuration changes.
  • Check to see if extra licenses are included or need to be purchased to cover training workstations.
  • Install training software and properly configure workstations

Make sure training staff are familiar with trainees’ work issues so they can use them in their examples during the IT project training course(s).

Don’t Short Change Your IT Project Training

Schedule the IT project training as near to implementation as possible. In the rush to make projects live, training can be one area that is cut in order to save costs or meet deadlines. So it is important to make sure stakeholders understand the cost of training, and agree upon who is responsible for paying the costs. Make the goals of the training clear. When the participants have a clear understanding of what he or she is expected to learn, learning tends to be maximised.

  • Identify training program outcomes as the skills and abilities needed to perform tasks.
  • Test for these at the conclusion of training
  • Adjust the training curriculum to fit varying skill levels of the audience
  • Create a separate training environment so training data is not put into a production environment.
  • Prevent testing and development from conflicting
  • Reset the training environment between courses

IT project trainingIT Project Training is important but can be costly so one of the ideas you can try is to produce more customised training products and cut training costs by hiring in-house trainers and setting up an initial “train the trainer” session to prepare for corporate-wide training. Remember that it is always important to adjust the training to the meet the needs of the diverse levels of positions within the organisation.

JMR Consulting UK Ltd has core project management expertise based on its Financial Services heritage and 15 years of operating in the Finance and IT sectors. Over this period, JMR staff have developed key project management programs and a constant focus on our service philosophy which is at the core of JMR’s business operation.

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Project Post Implementation Review A Summary

Monday, May 7th, 2012

Project Post Implementation Review 101

Post Project Implementation Review SuccessIn the last four blog posts we have looked in detail at how a Project Post Implementation Review (PIR) is conducted. We can now reflect on the main points that we have discussed. The main purpose of the project post implementation review is is to evaluate how successfully the project objectives have been met and how effective the project management practices have been. Therefore, we recommended that a project post implementation review (PIR) should be conducted after completion of the project, but before making any final improvements.

Preferably,after the system has been live enough to allow for assessments to be made about how it will perform long-term. Make sure you document the results of the PIR in a close-out report called the post implementation review report. Conducting a timely and thorough PIR will help identify lessons learned which will assist in making final improvements to the system being implemented. Elements of lessons learned will also assist in planning, managing and meeting the objectives of future projects.

Focus on the project results

Post Project Implementation DeadlineSo in terms of project results, you want to be sure that you understand how technically successful the project really has been in terms of satisfying all requirements and the project’s main goal. Next ensure you understand the business benefits delivered and whether they satisfied the actual intent of sponsors and stakeholders. Finally, gather lessons learned that can be used to improve the future performance of projects and individuals in the organization. Ensure you get input from:

  • the entire project team
  • customers and system system owners
  • and other major stakeholders

The three main steps for a successful Post Implementation Review which have been discussed during this series of blog posts are:

1. Post Implementation Review Corrective actions

With the new system and business process in place, there may be further refinement or the system, process or other environmental factors that could result in increased business benefits.Your recommendations here may go beyond the original scope of the project, but be important to call out as a potential business improvement.

2. Post Implementation Review Requirements Satisfaction

Once the system has been in place for a period, everyone is better able to judge it’s actual impact on the organisation. The issues covered in this section address three major issues:

  • How well do the results match the requirements?
  • How well do the results match the expectations of stakeholders?
  • Are there gaps in the requirements that should be reviewed?

Using a comprehensive approach to reviewing the results allows you to judge the technical success of the project, recognize gaps in requirements gathering that need to be addressed in future projects, and the project’s real impact.

3. Post Implementation Review Lessons Learned – Best practices

Lessons learned are findings that could be useful as input to future projects. Many of the items in the section above can double as lessons learned. They are particularly useful, because they offer hard measures (performance metrics) of success of failure. The approaches below involve gathering information that is often more subjective and unanticipated. It can be equally valuable and often more broadly applicable to future projects.

Post Implementation Review Reporting

Project Implementation Review ReportingEnsure that any findings and recommendations are reported with cost and future savings implications and report recommendations to both project sponsors and current system owners. It is a good idea to attach appropriate documentation, which may a useful addition (adding context or support) to the PIR such as a final Quality Assurance Report, customer survey results, etc. This enables you to constantly add to your organisation’s repository of best practices where you have something new to contribute. Document specific and unique practices and procedures that led to project successes and make recommendations for applying them to similar future projects. Finally, ensure the PIR is recorded and accessible to anyone who may benefit from it in the future.

JMR Consulting UK Ltd has core project management expertise based on its Financial Services heritage and 15 years of operating in the Finance and IT sectors. Over this period, JMR staff have developed key project management programs and a constant focus on our service philosophy which is at the core of JMR’s business operation.

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