Clearly define what will make the project a success
In a previous post in this series, we discussed finding the pain points and clearly defining them. Use these pain points to help define what will make the project a success. Some examples might include:
- Reaching a certain level of revenue
- Generating a specified level of market share
- Solving a particular pain point that is critical to the organization
While you don’t want to list every single pain point, finding ones that are critical to the entire organization might be good candidates. Make sure that all of these points are measurable and trackable so you will know when you meet your goal.
Schedule time to improve workstreams
We know your team members are already busy doing their own jobs. However, it is critical that you take time to document and improve your current workstreams.
Many times this requires creating cross-sectional groups that comprise management as well as the people who work on the front line. A good project manager will encourage communication between such a diverse group to uncover existing work flows and create new ones.
Monitor and manage project risk
There are risks for almost any project, and an enterprise transformation has more than your average project. If you don’t identify these risks at the beginning of the initiative, the repercussions can be costly. You don’t want to be the project manager that goes over budget, or worse yet, loses their job because they didn’t monitor and plan for the big risks. Start by identifying the most common risk factors to your project. Some good examples for an enterprise transformation might be:
- What happens if the vendor doesn’t deliver on time?
- What happens if your executive team does not support the project?
- What happens if your training doesn’t occur on schedule and throws off the whole project?
These types of things will happen. Knowing your risk exposure is all about knowing the probability that the risk can turn into a problem as well as the negative consequences for your project if they do. It’s important to manage each risk and have mitigation actions documented in case these problems occur.
Learn from your mistakes
Let’s face it, you’re going to make mistakes; it’s part of being human and of course project managers are no exception. This is why it’s important to do project reviews to document problems that occurred during your project and lessons that were learned as a result. This will help you have a more successful project next time.
There are many parts to a successful project, and following these best practices will help bring you a few steps closer to your project success.