Implementation framework
- Frank Louwerse (Deactivated)
Pending work to be done
Welcome to the implementation framework!
This article contains all relevant guidelines and tools to kickstart your implementation. Let’s break it down into 3 different phases which are best to not initiate in parallel. We’ll go over them in detail later on:
Preparation phase
Let’s do some desk research, before we start, to get to know the client
Definition phase
Enrich your knowledge based on client’s input and start making some plans
Delivery phase
Follow your plan
Respond to change
Properly close the project
Preparation phase
Start exploring the client at hand using public sources. Where is the headoffice, where are the locations situated, what kind of stays are offered, which languages and/or currencies are applicable, can the locations be found via other sales channels etcetera etcetera. Do not forget to align with the sales team to get updated with their knowledge gained so far. Use the business profile template as structure to explore the different elements, start listing your questions and document the draft business profile with placeholders and questionmarks where applicable.
Based on the insights known so far, start forming your view on the ‘project products’ which should be put in operational use during the implementation project. The project you believe that should be delivered can be validated with the client in the next ‘Definition phase’.
REMEMBER! An implementation is typically not 1 big chunk of work with 1 or 2 go-lives, but an ongoing delivery throughout time of business products which can be taken in operational use.
Business profile template | Project products
Definition phase
Time to team up with the client! Make sure to sit down with the client and talk things through. Complete picturing the customer profile and how business is done. Get a sense about maturity, professionalism, capacity, extent of centralized processes, willingness to change processes, project management competence etcetera. This will help to form the project approach and efficient management of tasks.
Secondly, make sure there is functional clarity about the ‘project products' which should be delivered by the team and put in operational use. Define those products in a way it’s clear for stakeholders what is to be done and plot them on the calendar (what should roughly be done by when). Be sure this is done in close collaboration with the client and responsible persons are defined! After all, the project products will be reflected as Jira Epics going forward and are the basis for upcoming focus, monitoring and reporting! (It’s more easy to keep an overview on 5-15 project products rather than 100 individual tickets) So make sure everyone is on the same page. Next, start setting up the Jira Plan for the implementation with those Epics using the standardized ticket list and tailor this overview to the projects need before importing them in Jira.
Last but not least, put some thought into who are stakeholders of the project, how to involve or inform them and how to report on project progress. Best is to put this in a simple communication plan, so everyone knows what can be expected.
Project products | Jira Plan | Standardized ticket list
Delivery phase
Make sure you can really kickstart the actual work based on sufficient time spend on previous phases. It is not how soon you configure something that leads to success, success comes from understanding what needs to be done and doing it right.
Best executions follow these principles:
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Use the insights gained during previous phases to actively seek and setup best practices upfront, both for the project approach as well as system setup, before liaising with the client. Validate the proposed solution instead of designing from scratch. | |
Continuously make sure the project delivers the right outcome, ensuring user acceptance. Reflect on this when a phase ends within the implementation with the Phase-end report. Creating, updating and closing tickets is just a mean and in itself will not lead to a successful implementation. | |
Use experiences from predecessors to your advantage in this delivery phase. And add to this body of knowledge based on your own experiences for others. |
Learn from experience | Delivery guide | Phase-end report template
Project closing
Any project will not close itself. Both successful or cancelled projects require an effort for closing to make sure loose ends are tied up with a proper follow up. Of course make sure to organise a decent handover to the responsible Customer Success team and cleanup Jira, but align with client about any changing process because of this. Think about the point of contact, Kanban board, replenishment meetings etcetera. Also, remember to document valuable lessons learned in the designated location for future benefits.