Tag: Logistics of Software Implementation

Life Hack 101: Doing Implementation Documentation Right
The Who, When, What and Where for a Solid Project Doc Strategy

Imagine if your most important photos—your child’s first birthday party, the day you brought home your new dog, that awesome vacation in Europe—were all lost forever. Your computer fell into the bathtub or the hard drive was wiped by an electrical storm, and you didn’t back up your drive. Don’t let this happen to your project documentation. Keep it accessible and functional for the life of your project as well as secure for future use, whether it’s for new end users, future implementations, or even project auditors. Consider the following and you will be on your way to doing documentation right:

You’ll want to figure out the Four W’s- Who, When, What, Where

Who? Who needs access and what level of access do they need? Do they have authority to sign off on documents, or are they just a viewer? Someone who can edit documents and share them? Define a few user groups according to their necessary level of editing rights. Use categories such as content Viewers, Team Members (creating and posting documentation) and Administrators. Also, be sure to get all individuals setup with a secure login so that they can access the information. Line up someone to be in charge of setting up and allowing new access requests for others. Be sure to designate someone that will be in charge of overall organization and version clean-up within the space. Sometimes multiple drafts of one document can get overwhelming, so you’ll want to be sure someone is tidying up along the way so that old versions aren’t confused with the latest drafts.

What? Now we’ll really need a good project tool with all of the built-in capabilities you need to ensure security, version control and ease of use. If the client company uses a Windows-based authentication system, this will work well with a number of collaboration tools, such as Microsoft® SharePoint or JIRA Confluence. These tools also make it possible for contractors, like partner company team members, to have project-specific login credentials.

Selecting a collaboration tool within the overall corporate IT strategy also means that the platform is supported and that retention policies are already in place for later access. Commonly, these collaboration tools are accessible via a secure Cloud for safe remote access and allow you much more functionality than just an electronic “file cabinet.”

As for the “what” to store, I recommend a certain baseline to get started, then some guidelines to execute and finalize the document repository:
- Blank, clean versions of all required deliverables
- Meeting minutes from any meeting where decisions are made and action items assigned
- Project management documentation (such as RACI, team contact list, charter, statement of work)
- One final version of all required deliverables in a folder marked “Final Deliverables”
- PDFs of final deliverables with written sign-offs from required approvers (each page initialed and signed on the approval page)
- Archive folders of older versions of deliverables or other documents
When? When should you set up the collaboration software or a documentation repository? It’s prudent to do this as far in advance of the project as possible so that pre-project kick-off communications or documentation can be posted to have an effective Day 1. Many companies have tools that they use to ensure a current version of the very first documentation. Dangerous gaps can form that leave crucial decisions out of the paper trail.

Don’t worry; you don’t have to have the entire organizational structure of the project down before you build your platform. This is just an address for everyone to visit and build from as you go along.

Where? You’ll need a location that is accessible to both the client and the partner team. If you host on your internal network, you might get into proprietary issues for client-side devices—and your partner team might not have the access they need. Work out any remote login logistics prior to the project start date.

The Email Error

I have seen personal emails between project team members disappear or cause serious problems in a project. Your “where” must definitely not rely solely on one-to-one emails that contain any project information that’s crucial to decisions or outcomes—basically, ask your team to add all necessary communications and information to the project collaboration space. Make it all public knowledge so the private email accounts of your project won’t leave gaps in your project depository.

Having a great place—a “where” that allows you to take action based on the most recent decisions—allows you to trust that your project documents represent all of the deliverables you need to track during the project and ensure that they’re not lost at the end of the line.

One version of the truth

You can tell that the overarching rules for project documentation are visibility and veracity. You need one version of the truth, for the right people, at the very beginning of a project and beyond.

Share your insights and any tricks you might have on project documentation done right. Also, send me any implementation questions or topics you would like to see discussed in an upcoming post. More tips of the trade coming up in future blogs – stay tuned!

Sarah takes a customer-focused and results-driven approach to project management and demand-driven manufacturing systems implementation. With hundreds of projects under her belt, Sarah is fearless when it comes to challenging the status quo and delving into the details to ensure an optimal user experience. As such, her posts reflect tips and best practice advice for managing people and processes through projects – and getting the most out of your systems.
April 14, 2015
Top 3 Communications Best Practices for Software Implementations

In a recent business article out of the UK, the author cites trends such as collaboration and connectivity as hallmarks of the “factory of the future.” I would take that one step further, and add “communication” to that list—especially during implementation.

Smart implementation leaders make sure they are listening to the insights of everyone who will be impacted by their new systems and following solid communication practices throughout the life of the project—and beyond. Here’s what you need to know about the three biggest opportunities great communication practices deliver to your project.

#1 Always be Buying (In)

A continuous goal of all communications is gaining buy-in from all project team members and stakeholders. I make it a personal goal to have all attendees, no matter what their role, walk away from meetings –or after reading emails –more in-tune with the overall project objective. Often we create increased sharing and discussion opportunities, so that communications can continue to be a two-way street.

There is a moment during every implementation where l watch the lines of communication open. I can see a new determination among everyone involved to follow through on our goals. Our communication practices had delivered that elusive element—buy-in—and as a result, each person becomes a project champion. Implementations like these sometimes herald the beginning of a culture change that helps the enterprise continuously improve by listening to and learning from each other.

#2 Living Documents Spur the Crucial Conversations

Setting up a communications plan and documenting results from the communications plan activities can help you ensure that you are in lockstep regarding action items, decisions, and project strategy. Documentation begins with a project repository – an accessible space where content and multiple versions of documents can be viewed, edited, and shared. In my last blog, we discussed how a good, solid RACI can help with workflow and accountability during the project. The RACI can stand as some of your first meeting notes and as a core project document to establish both project activities and communication expectations. A project repository “lives” in tools like SharePoint, Atlassian Confluence, or in other similar platforms.

Security and Sign Off

Documentation access and security should be a primary focus before and during a project. I recommend enacting specific security clearance for known project team members before the project begins to save time. You can always continue to manage access and permissions throughout the project lifecycle as both the team size and number of files may grow. The goal is to make sure your documentation is protected throughout the project, while having a transition plan for making the information viewable by a broader audience after deployment. The repository should be kept somewhere so that even many years after the project ends, the space is still accessible. You don’t want to rely on critical project information residing on an individual’s work station (what if it crashes!?!) so select a place that has staying power within the organization. It could be the only way you can conduct a corporate project audit, find original training materials or design documentation.

Push or Pull?

With all of the project content created, it’s important to decipher what makes good “push” versus “pull” information. Many project repository items will be best with a “pull” method, where users know where and how to go pull the information as needed. In other cases, such as project status updates, you will want to enact a “push” system where you distribute information to people so that it’s in front of them. The more you can schedule this regularly, the better. Often, this information supplies management with what they need to know for broader project statuses, such as reporting beyond their specific business or IT division. Information is pushed to them ready-to-use – don’t rely on people clicking links to be able to see and absorb it. You want it front and center!

#3 Understand (and explain) that Communication Delivers a Measureable ROI

People sometimes think that good communications is a “nice to have” add-on rather than a crucial element of the project plan. The folks at the Project Management Institute (PMI) are the masters at communicating well and at compiling solid research to show the ROI of your communications project. Most of their content is out there on the Internet free for the taking. Like this white paper, which has quotes like the one below:

“Among those organizations considered highly effective communicators, 80 percent of projects meet original goals, versus only 52 percent at their minimally effective counterparts, according to PMI’s Pulse of the Profession™ In-Depth Report: The Essential Role of Communications. Highly effective communicators are also more likely to deliver projects on time (71 percent versus 37 percent) and within budget (76 percent versus 48 percent).”

Those are some pretty solid numbers for building your communications business case, aren’t they?

Definitely let me know what you think about my top three—and if you have anything to add to help our readers make sure communication remains a crucial element in their project implementations. Until next time, then, keep communicating!

-Sarah Huhner

Sarah takes a customer-focused and results-driven approach to project management and demand-driven manufacturing systems implementation. With hundreds of projects under her belt, Sarah is fearless when it comes to challenging the status quo and delving into the details to ensure an optimal user experience. As such, her posts reflect tips and best practice advice for managing people and processes through projects – and getting the most out of your systems.

January 27, 2015
Rockin’ Relationships: People ARE the Project

Logistics planning to enable project relationships – practical directives from an industry veteran.

Part One: Love Your Logistics

At the end of the day, implementation projects end up being about people—their skills, styles, and investment in the project and the project’s success.

As you may well imagine, there are quite a few ways to set up effective relationships. For me, these fall into three categories: Project documentation; communication: and logistics. And whether I am working on an overseas project or around the Midwest, logistical considerations sometimes loom the largest in starting off a project on the right foot.

In the other two sections of this “Rockin’ Relationships” blog series, we’ll discuss documentation strategies and communications best practices. We’ll obviously have some overlap in these areas. But in the meantime, we’ll concentrate on logistics, using the five ”W’s” and the one “H” of journalistic renown.

Who? It’s easier to retain control of a project when specific people become associated with each project deliverable. I also recommend pairing these individuals on-site with a corresponding member(s) of the consulting team. It enables them to cultivate a level of comfort with one another that can lead to open lines of communication – discussions that send so-so projects into the stratosphere.

What? The success of any project depends on how task-oriented its team members are. We’ll talk more during the rest of the series about documenting these tasks, but, logistically speaking, this question has to do with the nuts-and-bolts of the project: What do our teams need to succeed? These items range from specialized laptops to on-site building access cards.

When? Make sure your repository includes timelines for when certain members of the consulting group will be on site. Also get the few selected regularly scheduled meetings on the calendar right away and require that people rearrange schedules to accommodate them. Holding all team members even to an initial, high level timeline will begin to drive the project toward on-time delivery. We’re talking about production software here, so of course, on-time remains a pressing concern for our industry. Don’t let your project be any different.

Where? Make sure the consulting team has a workspace and the proper introductions to the key people responsible for the project. This may seem like a no-brainer, but I have seen consulting teams literally headquartered in a closet, waiting for building or server access for weeks. As you may imagine, this doesn’t help with the project budget.

Why? Logistically speaking, taking the time to explain to members not only what you will be doing but why you have done it this way will help you obtain buy-in—the project manager’s most precious commodity of all. The more people understand the project priorities, the more supportive teams will be later in the process.

How? Crafting a solid Statement of Work document will help you ensure that the people involved with each phase of the project are clear on scope. Approach it like a lawyer would, even perhaps before a lawyer reviews the document. If the Statement of Work has already been established when you join a project, read it through enough times to be able to explain it to someone else at both a high and detailed level. If you have questions, ask your leadership team in case it leads to a potential scope loophole later on. Show the team you have a clean grasp of scope and they’ll feel secure that you know how to get everything done, on time, and with the right resources.

These are just a few of my takeaways from being on my own project management journey. I also urge you to send me some of your own project logistical tips; or send comments or questions about what you’ve read here. I can easily tailor future blogs to address them and would much prefer these pages to reflect a conversation rather than a lecture!

If you are responsible for implementations from a client standpoint or even in another industry or for another vendor, I’d like to invite you to share your experiences, as well. We’ll continue our discussion about managing relationships effectively in the next two blogs. Until then, keep those implementations rockin’!

– Sarah Huhner

Sarah takes a customer-focused and results-driven approach to project management and demand-driven manufacturing systems implementation. With hundreds of projects under her belt, Sarah is fearless when it comes to challenging the status quo and delving into the details to ensure an optimal user experience. As such, her posts reflect tips and best practice advice for managing people and processes through projects – and getting the most out of your systems.

November 4, 2014

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