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Rockin’ Relationships: People ARE the
ProjectSarah Huhner
Senior Consultant
Demand-Driven Matters Blog Contributor
Demand-Driven Matters blog post
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Blog Series: Rockin’ Relationships
People ARE the Project is part 1 of a 3-part blog series
on the importance of good relationships in project
management. In this part, we focus on logistics.
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Love Your Logistics
• At the end of the day, implementation projects are about
people – their skills, styles, investment in the project, and
the project’s success.
• As you may well imagine, there are quite a few ways to
set up effective relationships. For me, these fall into three
categories:
• Project documentation
• Communication
• Logistics
• Whether I am working on an overseas project or around
the Midwest, logistical considerations sometimes loom
the largest in starting a project off on the right foot.
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Love Your Logistics
• In the other two sections of this “Rockin’ Relationships”
blog series, we’ll discuss documentation strategies and
communications best practices.
• In the meantime, we’ll concentrate on logistics, using the
five ”W’s” and the one “H” of journalistic renown.
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Who?
• It’s easier to retain control of a project when specific
people become associated with each project
deliverable.
• I also recommend pairing these individuals on-site with
a corresponding member(s) of the consulting team.
• It enables them to cultivate a level of comfort with one
another that can lead to open lines of communication
– discussions that send so-so projects into the
stratosphere.
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What?
• The success of any project depends on how task-
oriented its team members are.
• We’ll talk more during the rest of the series about
documenting these tasks, but, logistically speaking,
this question has to do with the nuts-and-bolts of the
project: What do our teams need to succeed?
• These items range from specialized laptops to on-site
building access cards.
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When?
• Make sure your repository includes timelines for when
certain members of the consulting group will be on
site. Also get the few selected regularly scheduled
meetings on the calendar right away and require that
people rearrange schedules to accommodate them.
• Holding all team members even to an initial, high level
timeline will begin to drive the project toward on-time
delivery.
• We’re talking about production software here, so of
course, on-time remains a pressing concern for our
industry. Don’t let your project be any different.
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Where?
• Make sure the consulting team has a workspace and
the proper introductions to the key people responsible
for the project.
• This may seem like a no-brainer, but I have seen
consulting teams literally headquartered in a closet,
waiting for building or server access for weeks.
• As you may imagine, this doesn’t help with the project
budget.
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Why?
• Logistically speaking, taking the time to explain to
members not only what you will be doing but why you
have done it this way will help you obtain buy-in – the
project manager’s most precious commodity of all.
• The more people understand the project priorities, the
more supportive teams will be later in the process.
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How?
• Crafting a solid Statement of Work document will help
you ensure that those involved are clear on scope.
• Approach it like a lawyer would. If the Statement of
Work has already been established when you join a
project, read it through and be able to explain it to
someone else at both a high, and detailed level.
• If you have questions, ask your leadership team in
case it leads to a potential scope loophole later on.
• Show the team you have a clean grasp of scope and
they’ll feel secure that you know how to get everything
done, on time, and with the right resources.
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Takeaways
These are just a few of my takeaways from being
on my own project management journey. I also
urge you to send me some of your own project
logistical tips on the demand-driven matters blog
or send comments or questions about what
you’ve read here. I can easily tailor future blogs
to address them and would much prefer the blog
reflect a conversation rather than a lecture!
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Implementations
If you are responsible for implementations from a
client standpoint or even in another industry or
for another vendor, I’d like to invite you to share
your experiences, as well. We’ll continue our
discussion about managing relationships
effectively in the next two blogs. Until then, keep
those implementations rockin’!
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Sarah takes a customer-focused and results-driven
approach to project management and demand-driven
manufacturing systems implementation. With hundreds of
projects under her belt, Sarah is fearless when it comes to
challenging the status quo and delving into the details to
ensure an optimal user experience. As such, her posts
reflect tips and best practice advice for managing people
and processes through projects - and getting the most out
of your systems.
Sarah Huhner
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View Our Other Blogs in this Series
Rockin’ Relationships Part 1: People ARE The Project
Rockin’ Relationships Part 2: Documents Drive the Details
Rockin’ Relationships Part 3: Communications Best
Practices – Coming Soon!
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