PROJECT GOVERNANCE

All but the simplest projects need governance.  Project teams can get wrapped up in details that may matter later, but are delaying the timeline, incurring additional cost and leading to frustration.  Our project governance is built on the following foundations:

  • Defines the project’s objectives and project phases, major activities and timeline. This is initiated either from the solution provider’s or PerfOps’ template and then is made specific to the project. PerfOps’ project plans are comprehensive, readable and are updated as needed throughout the project so as to remain relevant.

  • Activity tracking which is actually useful is the cornerstone of day to day project execution. Activity tracking describes activities, sequences and relates them to each other and to project phases and milestones, assigns responsibility and dates and triggers follow ups. PerfOps’ prefers Smartsheet but many other solutions are available. After good project planning, practical and effective activity tracking is one of the keys to project success.

  • A single online document repository is required with version control so there is a single source of the truth for all documents collected or produced during the effort. Ideally the document repository is integrated with the activity tracking solution.

  • Weekly project meetings are held and are coordinated around the activity tracking tool. Project managers prepare for project meetings to keep them short (30-45 minutes max depending on the size of the project) and with any discussions requiring more than just a few minutes being broken out into work sessions.

  • A steering committee including the project managers, the senior-most solution architect, functional owners and owner’s executives is formed with the responsibility of ensuring the project is staying on budget on timeline and to break logjams. Steerco reviews discuss and develop solutions to project risks and constraints. Steercos are important to provide perspectives which are “outside the forest” and to hold project teams accountable on a frequent enough basis to be effective.

  • Budgets and timelines are updated frequently (2 weeks to monthly) and are reviewed in the SteerCo meeting. Such reviews are made at pre-defined milestone meetings along the timeline.

  • Changes are inevitable and should be accommodated in the project plan. A formalized, yet streamlined and flexible change management process is required. Without it, projects delay and run over budget, user’s expectations are not controlled, and this leads to frustration and lack of involvement.

 

Good solution providers have standardized project governance that includes all of the above.  PerfOps’ job is to protect the owner’s interests and the project success by advising and ensuring these activities are taking place to industry standards, while being appropriate to the project and company cultures.  In addition, PerfOps fills resource or design gaps as needed and resolves constraints with creative solutions from our deep experience set.

  • Our professionals work together because they prefer to and not because they happen to be employed by the same firm. PerfOps is a principled organization and our team members meet a high level of standards.

  • While our teams focus on each project’s goals, our team members must also demonstrate a commitment to achieving long-term results for clients beyond each project’s specific scope.

  • The PerfOps consortium is comprised of highly experienced individuals. Most team members exceed 10 years of continuous skills development in their chosen areas of work.

Solutions are the sum of People + Process + Technology. Any combination of these not in balance leads to sub-optimal results at best.  PerfOps’ methods have been optimized in this regard with the objective of leaving the client team better prepared to maintain and improve the solution for the long term.