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Re-aligning Project Objectives and

Stakeholders’ Expectations

in a Project Behind Schedule

Session #ADV12

Thomas Juli, Ph.D., PMPManaging Director, Thomas Juli Empowerment Partners

Outline of Session

Introduction Workshop Simulation Conclusion

1. Project situation

2. Objective of simulation

3. Purpose of workshop

4. Workshop set-up and parts

5. Workshop simulation

6. Workshop outcomes and take-aways

7. Lessons learned from other workshops

8. Q & A

Project Situation (1/2)

Project objective: Replace the proprietary call center and promotion management applications with a new CRM (customer relationship management) system

Project objectives agreed by CEO and every department head

Project duration: 9 months

Atmosphere: good, high motivation

Today, 2 months later

Key requirements of the marketing department have been captured and documented

Call Center and the Billing departments have not concluded documenting

their requirements due to different opinions about the scope and level of

project involvement of their subject matter experts

=> Project is behind schedule and not in budget

Resolution:• New full-time project manager replaces part-time project

manager

• Project manager reporting directly to project sponsor

Project Situation (2/2)

KEY QUESTION: Can this workshop become the foundation of project success

and if so, how?

Mission: Do whatever is necessary to get projectback on track and finish it on time and in budget

First activity: Interviewing department chairs

Insights after interviews: No common understanding of the project objectives

Next action: Invitation to project alignment workshop

Objectives of Simulation

The simulation will– sketch a simple, yet powerful approach to realign project objectives and

stakeholders’ expectations,– outline proven workshop approach,– describe the prerequisites and necessary preparation activities,– delineate the key parts of the workshop,– and sketch possible outcomes.

With your help and active participation*

* Active participation in the simulation may vary depending on the actual number of session attendants.

1. Refined project objective

statement which is SMART

(specific, measurable, achievable,

relevant, time-boxed)

2. Objective statement

mutually understood and

supported

1. Get a mutual understanding of each

other’s expectations about the project

2. Revisit the official project objectives

statement and

3. align it with

a) the present situation and

b) stated expectations

of attendants

Purpose of Workshop

Expected OutcomesObjectives

o Introductiono Breakouts (5 groups of 2-3

individuals each, everyone has decision making authority)

• Discuss and summarize their needs and expectations of the project and its deliverables

• Prepared set of questions serve as guideline

o Presentation and discussion of results in whole group

Workshop Setup & Parts

Prioritizing presented breakout results - based on SMART and other pre-defined prioritization criteria

Objectives:

o Qualify the existing project objectives

o Align with stakeholders’ expectations

o Meet previously set criteria

o Summary of findings

o Review of remaining open questions

o Outlook of next steps

Part I:Introduction & Breakouts

Part II:Prioritization

Part III:Conclusion

Workshop attendants: All affected department chairs*, sponsor, business and technical track leaders of the project team

Workshop duration: 3+ hours. Simulation duration: 40 minutes

* Affected departments: marketing, customer care, Call Center, accounting / billing, IT

Part I: BreakoutsInstructions:

1. Answer the following questions*

a) Purpose: Why do you and your organization need a new CRM system? - List the most important reason.

b) Value: On a scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high), what priority does the new CRM system have for you and your organization?

c) Other projects: What other project(s) is (are) more important to you and why? On a scale of 1 to 5, what priorities do they have? List up to 2 other projects.

d) Impact of delay: What impact does it have to you and your organization if the project is delayed and/or does not meet your expectations (e.g., limited scope)? How do you measure, i.e., quantify this impact? - List the 2 most important impacts and quantify them.

e) Fallback plan: Do you have a fallback plan / solution in place if the project fails? How much would it cost? – Limit your response to 2 options and quantify them.

f) SMART project objective(s): Based on your answers above, phrase the project objective(s), making sure that it is a) specific, b) measurable, c) achievable, d) relevant and e) time-boxed.

g) Critical success factors: What are the top 2 most important factors that have to be met for the project to be successful?

2. Print each answer on a separate moderation card (e.g. 4x5 inch card)

3. Appoint one member to present results to whole group. Presentation limit for simulation: 2 minutes

* Simulation will cover only select number of questions.

o Every participant has 3 votes for various categories

o Votes can be split evenly or allocated to one or more entries

Top entry of each category discussed in group

Objective: agree on a single entry which everyone or at least the majority can support

In case of tie: sponsor decides

(1) Categories Purpose, Other Projects and Impact of Delay

(2) Collected SMART Project Objectives

(3) Critical Success Factors

Part II: Prioritization

Voting RulesVoting & Discussion

Sequence

Prioritization ………………….........

Part II: Possible Simulation Results

Topic Marketing Votes Customer Care Votes Call Center Votes Accounting / Billing Votes IT Votes

Purpose need single application for planning and managing marketing activities which ensures consistent data throughout

6

need single application for all relevant customer data

7

we don't want a new system; it is all too technical

0

consistent data throughout

8

support warranty for proprietary systems will run out in 6 months

4(1) Need for consistent data (2) Need for single customer view(3) Need for single marketing application

Other projects -> to identify interdependencies

marketing plan 2009: 5

5

N/A

0

new training program (curriculum): 4moving to new facilities in same building: 5

1

roll-out of billing application: 5------------------------------SOX compliance issues: 5

5----7

support for roll-out of billing application: 3

6(1) New billing application(2) SOX compliance issues(3) Marketing plan 2009

Impact of delay Additional effort (and hence costs) for planning and mgt of marketing campaigns.--------------------------------Lack of flexibility, 3 week ahead notice required for new campaigns

1---

5 (10)

Need to train new season staff in old applications is costly; staff not qualified enough => Churn: overall customer service suffers leading to unhappy customers

5 (10)

None, will continue to use old applications

0

Inconsistent data may lead to wrong accounting data: legal implications

----------profit loss

.

5 (2)---

5 (4)

1) maintenance costs of old system skyrocket, need to hire external support

4

(1) Lack of flexible marketing campaigns(2) Churn(3) Profit loss due to inconsistent data.

Note: Initial voting resulted in tie, new round results in brackets. Final priorities decided by sponsor breakting tie b/w (1) and (2).

SMART project objectives

Implementation of new CRM system covering all documented key reqs by originally agreed delivery date

6

Implementation of new CRM system which allows single view of customer data (correct and consistent) within 6 months. 5

assess available CRM systems, pick one most suitable to CC

0

Implementation of CRM system which guarantees consistent and correct data throughout all applications. 8

Implementation of new CRM system out of the box with minimal customization not exceeding 1000 person days in development and testing within 4 months

4

Implementation of new CRM system which(1) ensures consistent and correct data(2) covers all documented key requirements for 1st release(3) creates single customer view

Additional sponsor decisions: a) CRM system will be out-of-the box with minimal customization. b) project end date within 5 months.

Critical Success Factor

joint effort of all departments: consolidated, mutually agreed and documented key requirements within 2 weeks

6

accounting for user friendliness in front end design

2

account for training needs (content, headcount, budget, schedule) in project plan and budget

7

Stand-in for SME who has to support project

5

doc of agreed key requirements for first release

5

(1) All key requirements for 1st release documented for IT to proceed(2) Training needs of CC agents accounted for in project plan and budget(3) Stand-in for accounting / billing SME

Groups (each group casted 5 votes per category. In case of tie, sponsor decided) Resulting Priorities

Part II: Possible Simulation Results

Topic

Purpose(1) Need for consistent data (2) Need for single customer view(3) Need for single marketing application

Other projects -> to identify interdependencies

(1) New billing application(2) SOX compliance issues(3) Marketing plan 2009

Impact of delay

(1) Lack of flexible marketing campaigns(2) Churn(3) Profit loss due to inconsistent data.Note: Initial voting resulted in tie, new round results in brackets. Final priorities decided by sponsor breakting tie b/w (1) and (2).

SMART project objectives

Implementation of new CRM system which(1) ensures consistent and correct data(2) covers all documented key requirements for 1st release(3) creates single customer view

Additional sponsor decisions: a) CRM system will be out-of-the box with minimal customization. b) project end date within 5 months.

Critical Success Factor(1) All key requirements for 1st release documented for IT to proceed(2) Training needs of CC agents accounted for in project plan and budget(3) Stand-in for accounting / billing SME

Resulting Priorities

Part III: Summary of Results

Summary of prioritized project objectives and stakeholders’ expectations

Revisit open issues and/or action items -> assign owners, define due dates

Determine next steps getting project back on track.

Possibly

• Establish functional and non-functional requirements• Review the project governance structure• Adjust the project plan to meet the qualified and re-aligned

project objectives and stakeholders’ expectations

Common definition and understanding of the project objectives= critical to get project back on track and foundation for all consecutive project work

Prioritization guidelines for operational project work

Simple and effective team building exercise

Constructs a learning environment => promotes mutual understanding of all parties involved

Workshop Outcomes & Take Aways

Still: Workshop alone is NOT sufficient to re-align the project

objectives and stakeholders’ expectations

Instead: Workshop and outcomes help build a solid foundation to get the project back on track

Lessons Learned From Other Workshops

Workshop approach applicable to many situations

Minimum duration of workshop: 2-3 hours.

Longer = better (the more complex the longer)

Maximum number of attendees: 20

All key stakeholders attend; all have decision making authority

Experienced facilitator

Prior stakeholder interviews -> build trust and understanding

Thorough preparation and team support

Last but not least, every workshop has its own dynamics

Q & A

Available for additional Q&A after workshop session

Contact Information:Thomas Juli, Ph.D., PMPManaging Director

USA:2018 Jeffery Martin Drive St. Louis, MO 63366info@thomasjuli.com www.thomasjuli.com (888) 558-5710 (toll free, US only)

Germany (headquarters):Bahnhofstr. 2468535 Edingen(Heidelberg)info@thomasjuli.com www.thomasjuli.com +49 (0)151-516 333 22