August - 2 - 2010 Comments Off
- Determine the objectives for the project, in terms of business value. This should be done prior to selecting a solution, or at the very beginning of the project. This will provide the ability to keep focus during the project, minimize scope creep, and provide a way to measure results after the project is complete.
- Enlist upper management support for the project – enthusiastic support from the leaders of the company is critical to the overall success of the project.
- Define responsibilities clearly within the organization and, among those, identify an internal Executive Sponsor and a Project Manager/Coordinator.
- Identify subject matter experts and involve them from the start.
- Thoroughly assess and document business processes, agree upon and, if possible, document process changes prior to implementing new software.
- As you evaluate software products, map business requirements to software functionality to assess the degree of fit prior to making a purchase decision.
- Choose a solid implementation partner for the project. Avoid too much focus on the lowest cost provider and instead, focus on an organization with a proven track record, methodology and experienced staff. One which is highly regarded by the software publisher and businesses / clients that have experience with the organization.
- Plan for organizational change when implementing new software, especially changes which may significantly impact business processes and/or organizational structure. Sometimes investing in organizational change consulting, to identify and deal with the changes, may be well justified.
- Avoid imposing artificial deadlines on the project, such as failing to adjust the expected “go-live” date in synch with a prolonged decision-making time frame. Unreasonable deadlines lead to organizational stress, haste, rework and general inefficiency.
- As the project progresses, avoid “scope creep”, requirements / process changes that may divert, derail or increase cost and timeframe for the project. Decide what is most important for the “go-live” version, stick with it and then implement any worthy changes in a second phase.
- Celebrate success