Project success plans – planning for success
Because of the emotional focus of a project success plan meeting, it should be held face-to-face whenever possible. This may not be possible for smaller projects, particularly those that involve geographically disperse stakeholders. In such situations, a virtual conference meeting may be the most practical option.
This requires special emphasis from the project manager in facilitating the meeting to validate everyone’s opinions frequently, ensure good feedback, and level set expectations for the project, since the important signs of body language will be missing.
Timing a project success plan
A project success plan should be completed early in the project’s life, as soon as all key members of the project team are in place. Key members are those with a material interest and/or delivery focus in the project. The timing for holding a project success plan meeting can typically be after initial set-up works are complete and the project reaches the start of its detailed planning phase.
If stakeholders change during the course of the project, the project manager should include reviewing and updating the project success plan with the new stakeholders as part of the resource planning.
A project success plan can also be a tool the project manager uses to keep the team focused and engaged. When stakeholders are suffering from project fatigue, the project manager can refer to the plan and use it to motivate the team by reviewing the reasons for the project and what success means to each person.
Structure of a project success plan
All projects will benefit from a project success plan meeting, because it is a mechanism to ensure the following aspects are agreed:
- Do we all agree on the core reasons for the project’s existence?
- Are we all on the same page? Can we agree how to work together (including our roles and responsibilities, team meeting and communications protocols, team member working styles, governance processes and expectations)?
- Are our assumptions about the technical aspects of the project (such as the design, scope, build methodology, work breakdown structure, schedule, budget and method of managing change) clear?
Large, complex projects have many different stakeholders, often spread across many geographic locations. A project success plan for a large project may benefit from being led by a skilled facilitator, and it may need to last several days. Small projects with less complexity will typically not require the same level of detail.
The structure of a project success plan meeting should ensure the emotional success factors are fully aired. It needs to bear relevance to the core deliverables of the project regarding scope, budget, schedule and quality.
An example of a project success plan meeting agenda is shown below, although the nature of your project’s project success plan agenda should be tailored to your project.
Agenda Item
- Project Introductions and Executive Summary
- What is the definition of ‘project success’?
- Our Project Methodology
- Project Fundamentals, Principles & Key Drivers
- Project Assumptions by us all, and how we all work
- Project Scope, Work Breakdown Structure, Schedule, Quality and Budget
- Project meeting, governance and review strategy
- Project Organisation and Role Definitions
- Communications Management strategy
- Tracking Benefits after Go Live
A project success plan is a mechanism to achieve the following positive outcomes for your project:
- Ensure all assumptions about the project, and the meaning of success, are aired and discussed, and any misunderstandings and/or disagreements are resolved early in the project’s lifecycle.
- Ensure project team members get to know how to work with each other so that communications throughout the project are efficient and productive.
- Assist the project manager in keeping the team focused and engaged, especially on projects of long durations.
Done well, a project success plan meeting can help project managers and the entire team understand how to work together successfully, communicate well with each other, and be a tool to keep the team focused and engaged for the duration of the project.
