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New Project Leaders - How to manage the first critical weeks of a new project

(compiled from ProSci’s Reengineering Toolkit series)

The ultimate success of a new initiative is greatly influenced by the decisions the project leader makes during the first 4 weeks of the project. This module addresses the following critical activities for new project leaders, and includes the "must do" items and potential pitfalls to avoid for each area.

• Writing the project plan
  
• Choosing a methodology or approach for the project
  
• Selecting the project team
  
• Identifying and evaluating consultants
  
• Engaging top management sponsors
  
• Determining training needs and arranging team training

 

 

Writing the project plan

Project plans serve two primary roles for a new project: 1) a planning tool for the project team and project sponsors, and 2) a communication vehicle for sharing the project with others. As a planning tool, project leaders should use the project plan to negotiate and reach agreement on key project issues with the project sponsors (those managers or business leaders authorizing the project). During the initial weeks of a new project, the following areas should be addressed and documented in the project plan:

• The business issues driving the project (what is the compelling business need?)
• The project objectives (what are we trying to achieve and how will we measure success?)
• The project scope (what’s in and what’s out?)
• The approach and time frame for achieving results (when do we need results?)
• The budget (what is the investment we can make in the design phase?)
• The project team (who will lead the design and implementation?)

 

Must-do items related to project planning

Communicate frequently with project sponsors. Use the project plan as a tool to negotiate the objectives and measures for success.

Include diagrams in the project plan that show the project scope. Clearly describe what’s in and what’s out of scope in terms of processes, organizations (departments), and systems. Validate your assumptions with your project sponsors.

Keep it short and concise (4 - 5 pages in length).

Talk frequently and candidly with project sponsors to clarify expectations.

 

Potential pitfalls to avoid (things not to do)

• Early drafts of the project plan are distributed widely in the organization causing unnecessary fear and confusion.
• The project plan is shared with employees prior to be shared with their management, potentially creating mistrust between these managers and the project team.
• The project leaders works on the project plan for an extended period of time (3-4 weeks) before sharing drafts with the project sponsors, missing opportunities for critical dialogue that would clarify objectives and expectations.
• The project plan is so long no one takes the time to read it.

 

Choosing a methodology for the project

The methodology is the set of steps or activities the project team will perform to achieve the objectives described in the project plan. Initially the project team should outline their approach at a very high level with no more than 5 to 10 steps. This outline should include the checkpoints in the process for engaging project sponsors in key decisions, and should describe the primary deliverables from each step. Once the project team and sponsors have agreed on the high-level approach and strategy, the detailed activities for each step can be developed by the project team.

Must-do items related to the project methodology

• Choose a methodology designed to produce breakthrough ideas and designs.
• Begin change management (the process of managing the human side of change) immediately; make change management activities an integral part of your project approach.
• Build external focus in the team by engaging customers in the process.
• Learn best practices from competitors and non-competitors.

 

Potential pitfalls to avoid

• The project team spends too much time analyzing the current process and becomes "stuck" in today’s process and issues (many project teams report this to be a common mistake - refer to Prosci’s 1999 Reengineering Best Practices study).
• The methodology does not include the preparation of a business case, and the project lacks the necessary supporting documentation to receive executive approval and funding.
• The team used a methodology designed for continuous process improvement and produced only incremental improvements to existing processes.

 

Selecting the project team

The project leader will need team members that have the knowledge and ability to create the new design, and who have the respect and trust of their peers and managers. These requirements make team selection a challenge for many new team leaders. The most effective teams are small, co-located (all work in the same location), and dedicated to the project. High- performing teams tend to form when they have an aggressive performance objective, and have the necessary time to apply themselves to the project.

Must-do items related to team selection

• The managers or leaders of organizations impacted by the change should participate in selecting the team members from their area (by engaging them in the process, you begin the process of creating buy-in to the project).
• Establish criteria for team members that include: good team players, well-respected in the organization, able to think creatively about new ways to work.
• Include one or more team members that can be objective toward your process; could be someone from a different organization or could be an outside consultant.
• Keep the team small (less than 7 for smaller projects, less than 12 for larger projects).

 

Potential pitfalls to avoid

• The team includes representatives from every possible department or organization resulting in a large and unmanageable team
• Team members were chosen to represent the "interests" of their functional area and not to achieve the overall objectives of the project (can be avoided by using the team selection criteria for team members discussed previously)
• Team members can only spend a small fraction of their time on the project, and are constantly interrupted by day-to-day operational problems and other conflicting work priorities.

 

Identifying and evaluating potential consultants

Consultants can play a valuable role in your project. They are objective and immune to internal politics. They have followed the process before, and they bring information and best practices from other companies. Consultants can also unintentionally create barriers by having the solution being viewed as "theirs" and not "yours", and by taking too strong a lead role and thereby disengaging the organization.

Must-do items related to consultants

• Clearly define consultants' roles. The team leader and stakeholders must decide the role they want the consultant to play, and let that influence the consultant selection process. The better these roles are defined, the better will be your relationship with the consultant. Large firms tend to make more assumptions about their roles and responsibilities, and therefore you will have a greater need for clearly defining your expectations. Three possible roles are:

1. A strong facilitator and experienced practitioner who brings a methodology with them. If you need this type of support, look for consultants who have strong facilitation skills and in-depth process design knowledge.
2. A team member who can be an objective and unbiased contributor to the solution; may fill a gap in your team that cannot be filled from within the organization; should be someone knowledgeable in your industry.
3. A subject-matter expert with knowledge of performance levels and best practices of similar organizations and processes; able to perform specific tasks for the team.

Potential pitfalls to avoid

• The consultant runs the project and makes all of the presentations to the project sponsors; over time the project is directly associated with the consulting firm and rather than project team.

 

 

Engaging top management sponsors

The primary factor for project success as reported by reengineering teams is top management sponsorship (refer to ProSci's 1999 Reengineering Best Practices study). Even though many team leaders and management sponsors want to do the right thing to help their project, they often do not know what is expected of them. Some management sponsors interpret the need for "total support" to be a blank check for whatever the project team wants to do. This is not the case at all, and not what is needed for success.

Must-do items for top-management sponsors (what defines total support):

• Clearly communicate to the organization the business issues and the need for change
• Be open about the cost of not changing
• Talk about the objectives and scope of the project
• Describe the future state(their vision)
• Highlight the external drivers that are creating a need to change
• Acknowledge the success and failure of past changes
• Explain the project and what they can expect to see happen
• Be honest about what is not known.
• Repeat this message over and over again
• Be visibly involved in key meetings and checkpoints for the project
• Help shape the "background conversation" that occurs in the hallways and by the coffee pot; engage the support of other key managers in the organization to do all the steps outlined here

 

Potential pitfalls to avoid

• Managers and project sponsors are only engaged during formal project meetings and do no provide input on an ongoing basis
• Top managers launch the project and then disappear or their level of involvement greatly decreases

 

Determining training needs and arranging for team training

Upfront preparation and training for the team is necessary to make sure the team has the right skills and knowledge. This common experience early in the project also helps bring new teams together and energizes them around the project. Training for new teams can be as little as two or three days, to as much as two weeks depending on their background and knowledge level.

Must-do items related to team training

• Ensure that everyone on the team has training on the methodology and understands the "big picture" process for the project before assigning individuals to sub-teams for detailed work.
• Enable everyone to attend at least one day of change management training

Summary

New team leaders can greatly increase the probability of success for their project by carefully managing these first few weeks of activity as discussed in this module. When done well, these activities will define the landscape and create a strong foundation for a great project.

Related Reengineering Resources

Reengineering Best Practices Study Report
Reengineering Toolkits and Document Templates
Business Process Reengineering Methodologies
Business Process Reengineering Implementation
Change Management Strategies and Action Planning
Process Management and Improvement
Professional Services, Coaching and Training Offers

Send questions to bpr@prosci.com

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