From Budget to Blast-off: A Guide to Successfully Kicking Off Your New Project
Navigating from the budget phase to project action can be a daunting transition.
In professional services firms, more often than not change functions — roles like Project Managers, Business Analysts, and Scrum Masters — are primarily nestled under the umbrella of the IT department.
``Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.``
However, this structure often shifts the focus from their primary goal: to solve business problems by using the right technology. It becomes less about adopting technology and new ways of working, and more about ensuring it fits perfectly within the firm’s technical ecosystem.
A typical trajectory sees projects set in motion, often pre-empting the tech suppliers that already seem to align with the firm’s technical landscape. Driven by briefs from department heads, the project management and tech teams engage suppliers, sometimes prematurely deciding on them. It’s no surprise then that after these implementations, we hear end-users exclaim, “This isn’t what we needed!”
Avoiding these pitfalls requires more than a solo endeavour — it necessitates a symphony of meticulously coordinated, inclusive steps that marry project and change management.
This guide, segmented into four key phases, will walk you through the initiation of your new projects and complex change strategies, underscoring the need to involve the right voices at every step.
Initial Planning: Start with Everyone's View of the Problem
Deep Dive into the Problem from Different Perspectives
Before setting objectives, it’s crucial to fully understand the issue at hand. Engage not just with the department head who has provided the brief but with a cross-section of stakeholders. This broad-based consultation ensures a holistic understanding of the problem, one that isn’t siloed or biased by a single point of view.
Set Project Objectives and Conduct Change Impact Analysis
With this comprehensive understanding of the problem, involve a diverse group of stakeholders to set clear project objectives and key results. Simultaneously, engage various departments to assess the scale and impact of impending changes.
Form a Steering Committee and Identify Change Champions
Form a Steering Committee of key decision-makers from both leadership and management teams who are part of the change journey. Alongside this, assemble a diverse, cross-functional team and identify Change Champions who will advocate for and manage the change.
Co-Create a Project Timeline and Change Roadmap
Develop a timeline that incorporates milestones for both project and change management, created in collaboration with your extended team.
Kick-off: Ignite Team Spirit and Change Activation
Kick-off Meeting and Co-Developed Communication Plan
In your inclusive kick-off meeting with all team members and key stakeholders, clarify project and change management goals. Then, collaboratively create a communication plan that informs and engages everyone involved.
Collective Resource Allocation and Training Budgeting
With input from the team, allocate resources for the project and change management activities. Make sure to budget for training programs that help the workforce adapt to new changes, designed with input from those who will be most affected.
Collaborative Risk Assessment and Potential Resistance Identification
Engage team members in identifying potential project risks and resistance to change, and work together to develop mitigation strategies.
Ready? Let's go!: Launch with Collective Ownership
Mark Initial Milestones and Celebrate Collaborative Change Wins
Celebrate the small victories and milestones in both project progression and change adaptation as a team, reinforcing collective ownership.
Implement a Team-Based Feedback Loop and Employee Support Programs
Establish mechanisms for continuous team-based feedback on project and change progress. Allocate resources for training and support, ensuring employees do not revert to old habits.
Frequent Check-ins with Broad Stakeholder Engagement
Regularly update all stakeholders and team members on project and change management progress to keep everyone in the loop.
Navigating Through: Continuous Collaboration and Adaptive Change
Periodic Team Reviews and Readiness Checks
Regularly convene the team for a holistic review of the project and change management statuses, and make data-driven adjustments to the strategy.
Celebrate Collective Wins and Acknowledge Team-based Change Adaptation
Use milestones and successful adaptations as opportunities to celebrate team achievements and keep team spirit high.
Jointly Adapt and Refine the Approach
As you gather more data and feedback, involve your team in decision-making processes to pivot or refine both your project and change management strategies.
You’re now equipped with an inclusive, collaborative approach for the crucial initial stages of your newly funded projects. The path ahead is paved with unknowns, but with a team fully engaged in both project and change management, you’re more than prepared to navigate it.
Don’t miss our next posts, where we’ll explore the complexities and opportunities that evolve as your projects and change initiatives progress.
In the meantime, why not put these insights into action? We know that this is often times easier said than done. Get in touch at [email protected] for support.
