So your organization or department has identified an area for improvement – great!  A team is assigned to tackle the challenge – fantastic!  Now, how can you make sure that the team will achieve results?  

A common pitfall of projects is a scope that is either ill-defined or vague or alternately, that is too broad and all-encompassing.  So how can you prevent this?  The key to success is in the set-up.  It’s all about the planning.

• First, discuss the improvement or idea for the project and brainstorm the desired end state.  What will the end state look like when improvements are made?  This becomes your team’s Vision Statement - a vision of what they are aiming towards. 

• Second, elaborate on the vision by defining, in more detail, what success will look like, for example, lower call hold times or increased sales.  Turn these into a Success Statement that will help the team visualize the future end state. Additionally, define key performance indicators or measures, of these successes, that can be tracked.  For example, customer service will be improved and a measure of that improvement might be: 80% of first time calls to the customer service hot line will be resolved when maybe currently, only 50% of first time calls are resolved.

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• Third, create the Project Scope Statement.  The Project Scope Statement will explain what the purpose of the project is, what it will take to perform it and what its expected outcomes will be. The Project Scope Statement will articulate, at a high level, the
  • project opportunity,
  • project success criteria,
  • expected project benefits,
  • project deliverables,
  • organizational impact,
  • project exclusions, constraints and assumptions. 

It is after these three steps that the project team and stakeholders will need to determine whether the “case for the project” is strong enough to be worthwhile, whether the resources and time required are manageable, and whether the vision or the future state successes are clear and measurable. ​

As the project plan, timeline and associated resources are being developed, you have the opportunity to make sure that the vision and objectives are turned into realistic tactics that can be executed.  This is the time when a large scope should be turned into sub-projects or a program with multiple projects; this is the time when an unclear scope becomes clear by defining what is in scope, what success looks like, versus what is not in scope and what is not going to be tackled. 

Remember, a critical element of a project’s success, is making sure that the team sees and feels that they are making progress.  It is better to have sub-teams and sub-projects that have clear objectives that roll up to a program or alternately, that you have clear project phases with clear milestones/results, than a massive team with overwhelming project objectives that cannot figure out how to tactically make progress.

And what do you do if your project has already started and your team is struggling with an unclear or overwhelming scope?  It may be time to take a step back, re-evaluate and determine what needs to change to allow the project and team to continue productively.  It may be time to refine or clarify the end-state, redefine what is “in” and what is “out” of scope and/or possibly add sub-teams and/or sub-projects to make the scope manageable again.  It is better to take corrective actions, at any point in a project, than continue working with a discouraged team, an ineffective and possibly costly project, and unlikely odds of achieving success. 
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What methods or tactics have helped your team manage scope?

​Our comprehensive PMO Framework covers the project lifecycle in 4 phases: Concept, Initiation, Delivery and Close.  Having a clear Framework, with a standard methodology, process and tools, is critical to seeing a project successfully through to the end. 
 
Just because a project has realized its expected outcomes or results, the project is not yet quite over!  The final project phase in our PMO Framework is the Close Phase.  Don’t miss the opportunity to dot the I’s and cross the T’s…there is tremendous value in learning from your project successes and mishaps.  
 
Below, are the key activities we recommend occur during the Close Phase of your project. 
 
PM Checklist for the Close Phase:
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• Obtain Customer & Stakeholder Acceptance of Project Outcome(s)
• Perform Project Performance Review
• Conduct “Lessons Learned” Session(s)
• Document “Lessons Learned”
• Assemble Sign-off Governance Document
• Review Sign-off Governance Document
• Administrative Close of Project

 
Often overlooked, the Close phase of a project is critical to making sure all activities are completed and documented.  Don’t miss the opportunity to bring your team and stakeholders together to learn from the project experience.  And don’t forget to celebrate a project well planned and executed!

What do you recommend occur during the close phase of a project?  Do your project teams perform a “Lessons Learned” exercise?

​Our comprehensive PMO Framework covers the project lifecycle in 4 phases: Concept, Initiation, Delivery and Close.  Having a clear Framework, with a standard methodology, process and tools, is critical to seeing a project successfully through to the end. 
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The “business” of each project happens during this, the third phase of a project: the Delivery phase.  It is during this phase that the actual project outcomes/expectations are created. In other words, this is the build phase of a project.
Whether your project follows an Agile approach or a Waterfall approach, the following PM Checklist applies to you.  See the PM Checklist for the Delivery Phase below:

• Manage the Project
• Complete Assigned Tasks
• Monitor & Control
• Governance Reviews
• Create & Publish Weekly Status Reports
• Monthly Project Steering Committee Meetings

Delivery is the operational part of the project where you execute on the work done in prior phases.  Because this phase is often the longest part of your project, the activities listed above will need to be executed repeatedly in order to effectively manage the project.

Please share your most critical tasks during the Delivery Phase of a project.

​IT personnel are very familiar with computer rooms, data centers, call centers and network operations centers (NOCs).  However, typically only a few IT personnel are charged with the responsibility of actually selecting or assessing such a facility.   This may become necessary due to company growth, acquisition of another company or to ensure that a provider’s facility is adequate to provide services to their customers.  Following a thoughtful approach to performing a site assessment will minimize the risks of having mission-critical systems operate out of a sub-standard facility.  In order to perform a thorough, quality assessment of a technical facility, there are a few key things to consider:

1. Prepare for Site Visits

• Identify point of contact at each facility and have all their contact information
• Obtain clearance to enter each facility ahead of time
• Collect all known records of each site including floor plans, rack layouts, known equipment inventory, etc.
  

2. Conduct the Site Assessment

• Perform a physical inspection of the surrounding area and take photographs
• Conduct an electrical and mechanical inspection including the generator, fiber and power access and egress facilities, chillers, etc.
• Document the physical security protocol, devices and obtain any local procedures or documents pertaining to securing site access
• Inside the facility, sketch the layout of the facility and storage areas, identify fiber and cable entry and exit locations, and perform physical inventory of all equipment, cooling units etc.
  

3. Develop Site Report

• Notate overall risks and gaps including inventory gaps, security gaps, local area risks (theft, parking facilities etc.), maintenance records, etc.
• Summarize external assessment of facility, access and egress, site security and road conditions
• Summarize mechanical/electrical rooms including generators, chillers, cables, cleanliness of area, maintenance records etc.
• Summarize internal facility including equipment layout, obvious structural issues, cabling and fiber runs, environmental conditions (humidity, temperature), security and facility access etc.

Using such a structured approach will ensure that your site assessments are well orchestrated with your site assessors producing the same thorough, quality of end results with minimal need for last-minute decision-making.  What other tips would you suggest to ensure a smooth site assessment?