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Building a Solid Project from Wet Clay: The Soft Side of Business Transformation

Learn the technique for building a successful project out of vague and urgent concerns. Explore the benefits and drawbacks, and discover three case studies that demonstrate the approach. Contact Becky Robeson, PMP at (703) 217-6852 for more information.

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Building a Solid Project from Wet Clay: The Soft Side of Business Transformation

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  1. How to Build a Solid Project Out of Wet Clay – The Soft Side of Business Transformation Becky Robeson, PMP (703) 217-6852

  2. Overview • Challenge • Technique • Benefits and drawbacks • Three case studies • Summary

  3. The Challenge • Vague but urgent concerns. • Limited time get specific. • First exposure to this client. • New team.

  4. The Approach Build in collaborative planning and discovery tasks: • Client can provide further definition and expectations; • Team can adjust to the results; and • Intermediate deliverables can inform client early on.

  5. Start on a collaborative note • Task 1: Conduct Project Initiation (or Kickoff) Session • For stakeholders, including client leadership and project team. • Facilitated workshop to review and expand the known project information. • Team building opportunity. • Follow-up document becomes the conceptual baseline for the project.

  6. Do even more homework • Task 2: Conduct Background Research • Formally request the items you think you need. • Request points of contact to addressunclear information. • Deliver a report that logs all the sources and information you’ve gathered. • Task 3: Conduct Interviews of Key Personnel • Only after Tasks 1 & 2 do you know what you mean by this. • Who do we need input from? • What’s the best method to get this input?

  7. Then “do” the project Execute, Control, Close • Task 4: Develop [process schematics, or whatever] • Task 5: Analyze [blah-blah] • Task 6: Produce recommendations [or whatever] • Task n: Etc. Now you can really get into what the client needs you to be doing – but they (and YOU) are better prepared.

  8. Benefits • Creates rapport and buy-in with the client. • Shows progress early on • Gets the client involved, and gives them credit • Uncovers misconceptions • Enables team to normalize.

  9. Drawbacks • Client may resist being ‘caught by surprise’ • Client not expecting to spend additional time for the ‘getting started’ steps. • Requires sufficient rapport to convince the client that these initial tasks will SIGNIFICANTLY improve the quality of the results.

  10. Case #1- Map AS-IS Cross-Functional Processes Assumed work, per SOW: • Identify and prioritize key C-F processes • Interview process owners • Map processes (8-10 expected) • Identify opportunities for improvement BUT, NO…..

  11. Case #1- Map AS-IS Cross-functional Processes Revised approach: Facilitated a session that identified 30 C-F “processes”; 2 more down-selections to 5 key processes. Researched organization’s background and formal “processes”. Guided 5 mapping sessions, with process participants providing content amid enthusiastic discussion. Converted raw maps to Visio and documented breakdowns and hypotheses. Showed needed improvements at the organization level rather than at the process level.

  12. Case #2 –Project Rescue WAY off track… • Client wanted help in developing performance measures. • SOW also included developing strategic plan, business plan, key processes, benchmarking, data sources, and you-name-it. • Client demanded we deliver everything in SOW but could not find time to participate. • Project failing and relationship headed for disaster.

  13. Case #2 –Project Rescue Intervention: • Determined what client really needed • Reshaped project to provide “Guidelines for Developing Performance Measures” • Original “offending” team members/SME’s worked behind the scenes • Repackaged intermediate deliverables into integrated set

  14. Case #3 –Large, broad and soft Where do we start ? (gulp!): • Five initiatives for transforming the business • Marketing & sales • CRM • Personnel performance • Financial reporting • SOP’s • Each could be a project in itself, but many overlaps • 13 months, 6 core team to define and implement the changes, and to verify sustainability.

  15. Case #3 –Large, broad and soft Solution to get started: • Three weeks to plan and prepare an overall kickoff • Subsequent staggered kickoff meeting for each of the five initiatives (i.e., task areas). • Five team leads assigned (one for each task area), but flexible movement of project team staff among all 5 areas. • Integrated project team meeting once a week to share learning and to re-shuffle as needed.

  16. Summary Task 1: Conduct Project Initiation (or Kickoff) Session Task 2: Conduct Background Research Task 3: Conduct Interviews of Key Personnel Then “do” the project (execute, control, close) Task 4: Develop [process schematics, or whatever] Task 5: Analyze [blah-blah] Task 6: Produce recommendations [or whatever] Task n: Etc

  17. Benefits • Creates rapport and buy-in with the client. • Shows progress early on • Gets the client involved, and gives them credit • Uncovers misconceptions • Enables team to normalize.

  18. How to Build a Solid Project Out of Wet Clay – The Soft Side of Business Transformation Becky Robeson, PMP (703) 217-6852

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