2023 has come and gone, along with all of those goals that you may or may not have met. Many linger into 2024, some planned to do so, others not. You might be looking at a whole new group of objectives, undoubtedly at least one of which you’ve been asked to fast track or will have some unmovable deadline. If this feels familiar, it might be time to take a look at ways to keep it real in the new year.
This is especially true if you’re planning a big project like a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system upgrade or platform migration, or even an overhaul of a critical business process. Here are some things to keep in mind to help keep your key targets (typically budget, hours spent, delivery dates and milestones) on track with real world expectations.
Understanding Your Project
Maybe you’ve got a handle how to plan your project, but doing some homework at the beginning can save you significant strife later on. This means nailing down the scope as soon as possible, and identifying any hard requirements, such as specific deadlines. If you find yourself short in both time and resources, the scope will have to be tight and fixed. Be up front about that, with both management and your team. And stay firm. Users almost always want to squeeze in something new. Scope creep is like jello without a mold. Don’t let your project lose direction and overrun its preset boundaries.
With the scope now defined, make sure you know the all the steps and prerequisites required for each stage. The more complex the project, the more detailed you need to be. For example, walking into a Conference Room Pilot (CRP) without a test plan (detailing the objectives and scenarios) will be a significant problem in any project – large or small. You’ll need to include prep time in your schedule to make sure you’re ready when the team assembles for testing. Creating a step by step task list early, listing all known requirements for each step, will provide the basis for a realistic schedule.
Allotting Hours
Nowadays, most people’s work includes multiple job functions. Your team is busy, with daily responsibilities that is often time-sensitive. A large PLM project, such as an upgrade or migration to a new platform, will require time from them that most employees can’t or don’t want to spare. This doesn’t bode well for your project, unless you have upper management support you need to make it a priority. You’ll want real numbers in hand, so that everyone is clear on what is expected. Take that step by step task list and run it by the appropriate managers and team members and ask for realistic hours and timeframes related to each task. Not just the hours required to perform the task, but how many hours can you reasonably expect them to put in on a daily/weekly basis. This is their opportunity to provide input based on their real world workload. Let them know you will hold them to it. And be prepared to do just that.
Your Schedule and Milestones
Using your step by step task list and your hours research, you can get started on building your schedule. If there are lead times for materials or resources, be sure to budget time accordingly. You may have schedule restrictions linked to time constrained activities such as the cancellation or completion of a service provider contract, or moving to a new physical location. Be sure to identify any critical path tasks that are necessary to meet those deadlines. You’ll want to track the progress toward any milestone that cannot be missed.
Once you have your schedule together, meet with the team and managers so they can see how the timeline lands. If there are vacations or holidays that fall within the duration, make adjustments as necessary. Be sure to consider other projects that compete with yours for resource time. If your project is not the higher priority, you may have to make allowances in your schedule.
Get a commitment from everyone in the “room”, whether in person or virtual. If anyone has doubts, now is the time to listen to them and create appropriate mitigation plans. Identify the risks, and make sure each one has an owner who will track and regularly report on it to you and the team.
Keeping it Real
All of this may sound like a lot of work. And, it is. But projects need nurturing, particularly ones with either resource or time constraints or, worse yet, both. Your team members, the ones who are going to make this happen, need to be supported when time or other factors are working against them. The more detailed your upfront planning, the better prepared you will be to know what bumps to expect and how to address them.
Most of all, if your project experiences a hiccup, report on it as clearly and accurately as you can. Identify the impact and keep management informed of any issues that may jeopardize key dates, cost, etc. This isn’t the time to gloss something over, or put on rose-tinted sunglasses. When you keep it real, you can minimize upsets, keep your project on track and reduce the stress on your team. And when you look back on your objectives for 2024 at the end of the year, you may be surprised at how happy it was.
Join us for a riveting webcast, “2024: The State of Agile PLM,” Whether you’re planning a PLM system upgrade or a complete overhaul, this webcast is your gateway to mastering Agile PLM in 2024. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to elevate your PLM strategy and ensure a successful year ahead.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Domain Systems. The author takes full responsibility for the views expressed here.
