Preparation prevents poor project performance

Over the years, I’ve been involved in setting up numerous projects from both a vendor and customer perspective, and the overriding focus has been on what new capabilities need to be delivered – while the nuances of how the project will be delivered, and the effort required, are overlooked.

It’s critically important to understand the requirements and capabilities the new solution will provide, as it’s these new capabilities the business will use well into the future to grow or sustain the business. However, it's the nuances of the project – where people will be required to spend effort – which will impact on the delivery of the project. If this effort has not been allowed for, then the project has gaps right from the start.

Over the lifecycle of a project, there are a lot of deliverables, services, and tasks that need to be worked on to successfully deliver a workable solution. While each deliverable has an accountable party, it’s rare they will be able to complete the deliverable in isolation and likely they will require assistance or input from another party.

When initiating a project, I create a checklist of all the deliverables, tasks, and services required for the project. This includes things as obvious as strategies, plans, and specifications – and also the often-forgotten tasks of environment builds and user management in the various environments.

I seek agreement as to who is accountable to deliver each item, and more importantly, what level or contribution or support the other party is expected to provide. This provides a means to determine the required resourcing to support the project from both sides – customer and vendor – which can then be built into the agreements.

It’s important to define and agree the level of support and assistance that is expected from each party, ensuring the required effort is included in the project scope and budget. There is usually contention at some point between the vendor and the customer, and this helps ensure the project isn’t distracted from the core deliverables, or from the need to reduce them if the budget suddenly needs to be redirected.

It’s these nuances, often glossed over at the beginning of a project, that can cause larger issues as the project progresses. Taking the time to ensure you’ve thoroughly captured these details ensures your project has the right level of resourcing to run well, and ultimately means the customer and vendor can work together in partnership to deliver the business capabilities.