Project Expansion: Planning, Implementing, and Managing for Success Presented by: US DOL/ETA Division of Youth Services.

Project Expansion: Project Expansion: Planning, Implementing, and Managing Planning, Implementing, and Managing

for Successfor Success

Presented by:

US DOL/ETADivision of Youth Services

Planning for Success

System implementation projects, in general, experience low success rates: 28% of projects meet full success 49% of projects are fully completed, but over budget, over

schedule and lack full scope of planned functionality 23% of projects experience complete failure or are cancelled [1]

Undoubtedly offender-focused programs have even higher failure rates.

[1] Extreme Chaos, 2000. The Standish Group

Planning for Success

The key contributing factors to implementation failure reported were: Lack of planning – unclear vision, goals and approach, not

aligned with vendor/service provider incentives, schedules, other program priorities and other resource responsibilities.

Incomplete, unclear and/or changing requirements.

Lack of executive/community support and commitment.

Lack of resources dedicated to the project (staff, time, money, participant involvement, project management and IT support)

Planning for Success

Other contributing factors to implementation failure are: Unrealistic expectations for what can be accomplished and how

quickly it can occur.

Believing the vendor/service provider will assume responsibility for all tasks

Hoping the vendor/service provider will fix your operational and personnel problems

Fear of change

Fear of technology

Expansion Workshop Goals

Keep you on the right side of these statistics

Help you think through project expansion planning and implementation decisions Understand the options Understand the risks

Position you for implementation success

The Project Expansion Process

Envisioning Evaluating Implementing Stabilizing & Enhancing

Selecting

Defining G

oals

Detailed Im

plementation P

lanning

Initial Workflow

Planning

Identifying Requirem

entsP

rioritizingV

endor Research

Detailed D

emonstrations

Reference V

erificationS

ite Visits

Prelim

. Implem

entation Planning

Refined C

ost Analysis

Vendor N

egotiationIm

plementation Training

Integration/Interface Developm

ent

System

Configuration

Go Live

Dry-R

un

Contingency P

lanning

Staff Training

BuildingCommitment

Com

munity P

R

The Project Expansion Process

Envisioning Evaluating Implementing Stabilizing & Enhancing

Selecting

Defining G

oals

Detailed Im

plementation P

lanning

Initial Workflow

Planning

Identifying Requirem

entsP

rioritizingV

endor Research

Detailed D

emonstrations

Reference V

erificationS

ite Visits

Prelim

. Implem

entation Planning

Refined C

ost Analysis

Vendor N

egotiationIm

plementation Training

Integration/Interface Developm

ent

System

Configuration

Go Live

Dry-R

un

Contingency P

lanning

P&

P C

hanges

BuildingCommitment

Com

munity P

R

Implementation Planning – Steps for Success

Establish an Effective Implementation Team Finalize Project Goals & Priorities Establish Implementation Strategies and Scope Develop the Implementation Plan with a

Realistic Timeline Emphasize Communication Establish Benchmarks to

Measure Project Success

Step 1 - Implementation Team Key Participants

Skilled & Knowledgeable Project Director

Community Leadership Local system

RepresentationJJS, WFD, PSD, etc.

Network/Technical Analyst

Trainer

Step 2: Finalize Project Goals & Priorities

What is the vision for the project? What is needed to help the project achieve?

Sustained quality of service for program participantsEase of expansion and program integration into existing

youth service networkControlled costsHigher ROIOther ?

Which program features &

functions support these

goals?

Some Causes of Scope Creep

When we suddenly realize that our project’s scope has expanded far beyond its initial boundaries –

when we have that how-did-we-ever-get-here feeling – we’re experiencing the downside of scope creep.

Preventing scope creep starts with understanding how it happens.

Scope Creeping

More common sources of scope creep. The unknown

Projects are ventures into unknown territory. Sometimes we underestimate the complexity of the problem we've tackled.

Perfectionism We sometimes forget that good enough is good enough.

Placating conflict

We'll do almost anything to avoid dealing with conflict directly. We'll even expand project scope to satisfy all conflicting parties. When we placate conflict, we run the risk of creating a project that nobody can execute.

Scope Creeping

Assimilation To secure resources, programs sometimes seek partnerships

based on a seemingly "natural fit" or for purposes of "efficiencies." But consolidation isn't free, and the efficiencies are often illusory.

Career advancement By commandeering more resources, the leaders of a project can

enhance their organizational power. Senior managers must learn to recognize these tactics, and approve scope expansions only on the basis of sound management principles.

Scope Creeping

The union of all misunderstandings If scope isn't clearly defined at the outset, misunderstandings

result. When that happens, to preserve consensus that the project should continue, we might have to expand the project scope to include the union of all initial understandings. Making things painfully clear at the outset is worth the effort.

The Donald Crowhurst effect Donald Crowhurst was a participant in the 1968 round the world

single-handed sailing race sponsored by the London Sunday Times. As described in a 1970 book by Nicholas Tomalin and Ron Hall, his life pattern was to tackle ever-larger projects, concealing a pattern of failure. Like Donald Crowhurst, some projects expand their scope to avoid acknowledging failure. Failure or restart must be realistic options for any project manager.

Step 3: Establish Implementation Strategy & Scope

Phased vs. “Big Bang” Implementation Incremental functionality vs. full system implementationPhased participant services vs. immediate full

implementation

Communication Strategy “Go-Live” Date Constraints &

Planning

Implementation Strategy & Scope – Phased vs. “Big Bang” Implementation

Incremental vs. Full System FunctionalityDo we want/need all functions/services available “Day

One”?Can we absorb that level of change at one time?Can we take on that level of implementation work at one

time? If not:

Based on the priorities of project goalsBased on the time and resources that can be allocated What functions do we want/need immediately? In what sequence should we add the other functions? Over what period of time?

Implementation Strategy & Scope Example - Incremental Functionality

Establish Facility location Satisfy logistical requirements

For program, staff, and participants Staffing in Proportion to participants served Provide minimum hardware/software and training material

requirements Staggered enrollments based on growing program

capacity Community-based roll-out

SignageHosted Events

Phased Program Services vs. Immediate Full Implementation Will we be ready for everyone to “Go Live” at the same

time?Can we absorb that level of change at one time?Can we support everyone on “Day One”? If not:

Who/what areas should go first? What impacts will this mix have on the overall design of and delivery of

program components? In what sequence should we add program components, staff,

participants? Over what period of time?

Implementation Strategy & Scope – Phased vs. “Big Bang” Implementation

Program Cross-over/Coverage Participants Sites Programs

Teams Case Management Support staff Technical Support

Maintenance of Mixed Program Elements Labor Distance between sites Cohesiveness and consistency of services

Implementation Strategy & Scope – Phased Participant Considerations

Implementation Strategy & Scope – Communications Strategy & Approach

External PromotionalCommunity Reaction

Internal Employee Reaction

Job loss Role change Technical challenges

Stakeholders

Implementation Strategy & Scope – Implementation Date

When is the best time to implement?

Are there key resource constraints?

Are there any other program activities to plan around?

Step 4: Develop the Implementation Plan with a Realistic Timeline

What specific tasks need to be done?

By whom?

When?

How long will all this take to complete?

Based on the goals and strategies set for the program expansion project:

Developing the Implementation Plan – Conduct Vendor/Service Provider Planning Meetings

Communicate program vision, goals, strategies & approaches

Establish overall project structure & parameters Contacts Escalation

Build relationships Confirm requirements Establish agreement on:

Tasks Roles and responsibilities Time requirements

Facilities/Support xxxx xxxx xxxx

Staff xxxx xxxx

Program xxxx xxxx xxxx

Other Considerations

Developing the Implementation Plan – Confirming Requirements

Workflow Design/Confirmation Policy & Procedure Changes Job Changes Program Design & Configuration Report Design/Project Forecasting Facilities/Support Training Needs

Project teamParticipant

Developing the Implementation Plan – Defining the Detailed Tasks & Responsibilities

Go-Live PlanningStaff schedulesSupportDress rehearsalGo/No Go decision

Flipping the Switch Celebration Stabilization

Developing the Implementation Plan – Defining the Detailed Tasks & Responsibilities

Milestones Tasks Dependencies Responsibilities

Vendor/Service ProvidersProgram Individual

Time requirements

Developing the Implementation Plan – Documenting the Plan

Bottom Up EstimationLet the tasks & resources drive the

timeline ORProvide the resources to support

the tasks for the timeline

Remember Schedule Constraints

Set a “Go-Live” that is Achievable

Communicate It

Developing the Implementation Plan – Setting a Realistic Timeline

Managing Risks

What is Risk?

A risk is something that may happen and if it does, will have an adverse impact on the project.

A few points here; "that may happen" implies a probability of less then 100%. If it has a probability of 100% - in other words it will happen - it is an issue.

A risk must also have a probability something above 0%. It must be a chance to happen or it is not a risk.

Risk?

The second thing to consider from the definition is "will have an adverse impact".

If it will not have an adverse impact, it is not a risk. Suppose we said a risk was that we would find the project less complicated than we thought, and could finish early.

Unless finishing early has an adverse effect on the project, it is not a risk.

The Risk Management Plan

There are four stages to risk management. They are: • Risk Identification

• Risks Quantification

• Risk Response

• Risk Monitoring and Control

Risk Identification

In this stage, we identify and name the risks. The best approach is pull together key players, partnerships, etc., to help carry out this identification.

There are different sorts of risks and we need to decide on a project by project basis what to do about each type.

Business risks

Generic risks

Defining Risk

Risks should be defined in two parts.The first is the cause of the situation (Vendor not meeting deadline,

Business users not available, etc.).

The second part is the impact (Budget will be exceeded, Milestones not achieved, etc.).

Hence a risk might be defined as "The vendor not meeting deadline will mean that budget will be exceeded".

If this format is used, it is easy to remove duplicates, and understand the risk.

Risk Quantification

Risk need to be quantified in two dimensions. The impact of the risk needs to be assessed.The probability of the risk occurring needs to be

assessed. For simplicity,

rate each on a 1 to 4 scale. The larger the number, the larger the impact or

probability.

By using a matrix, a priority can be established.

Risk Probability Matrix

_________________

4 | | |

3 | Med | Critical |

________________

Probability 2 | | |

1 | Low | High |

_________________

1 2 3 4

Impact

Note that if probability is high, and impact is low, it is a Medium risk. On the other hand if impact is high, and probability low, it is High priority. A remote chance of a catastrophe warrants more attention than a high chance of a hiccup.

Risk Response

There are four things you can do about a risk. The strategies are:

• Avoid the risk. Do something to remove it. Use a different vendor/service provider for example.

• Transfer the risk. Make someone else responsible. Perhaps a Vendor can be made responsible for a particularly risky part of the project.

• Mitigate the risk. Take actions to lessen the impact or chance of the risk occurring. If the risk relates to availability of resources, draw up an agreement and get sign-off for the resource to be available.

• Accept the risk. The risk might be so small the effort to do anything is not worth while.

Rick Control

A risk response plan should include the strategy and action items to address the strategy. The actions should include what needs to be done, who is doing it, and when it should be completed.

The final step is to continually monitor risks to identify any change in the status, or if they turn into an issue. It is best to hold regular risk reviews to identify actions outstanding, risk probability and impact, remove risks that have passed, and identify new risks.

Risk Management In Summary

Risk management is not a complex task. If you follow the four steps, you can put together a risk management plan for a project in a short space of time.

Without a plan, the success of the project, and the reputation of your program are on the line. Follow these steps and you will increase your chances of success.

Step 5: Emphasize Communication

Ease concerns Job security Technical learning

support

Tell them what to expect & when

Internal CommunicationEnlist full support

Emphasize Communication

Community CommunicationTell them what you are doing & whyProvide consistent answers to

questions & concernsKeep them informed on progressCommunicate enthusiasm &

confidence Include them in program success

celebrations

Step 6: Establish Benchmarks to Measure Project Success

Measurements based upon goals

Participation Literacy and Numeracy Gains:

Literacy Numeracy

Long-term Placement Recidivism Individually stated goals ?

Planning for Success

Good implementation planning leads

to……..

SUCCESS

Thank You for Participating

For more information, contact:

US DOL at:Richard MorrisSherry WestLaSharn Youngblood

Technical Assistance at:Abt Associates