This is a blog post about surprising resource allocation in IT projects — and about at least one forward-thinking lead project manager who thought differently.
My change management colleague Catrin Brodin recently posted the image above on LinkedIn, and the comments quickly filled up with affirmation. Even though the change leader is not as established a role as the project manager, I am still surprised if this reflects the staffing of IT implementation projects — especially when you read about so many IT roll-outs ending up in the ditch.
At the same time, I feel grateful to have worked with change management in a committed implementation project with a far more forward-thinking lead project manager and a brilliant project management team!
The task was to develop and roll out a document and case management system (together with a new way of working) for more than 10,000 managers and employees, in an organisation with over 30 units spread across Sweden. And with ”successful implementation” as a clearly stated project goal.
The project management team included the lead project manager and the project manager for the agile system development, but also project managers for:
- Change management (me)
- Development of the business processes
- The local implementation groups
- The system roll-out
- Communication
- Training
- Quality assurance
In other words, a staffing with more emphasis on business development and business implementation than on system development!
As early as three years before the planned system roll-out, the rest of the project management team and I developed a change plan, to secure the right conditions for more than 30 local implementation groups.
Our forward-thinking lead project manager, who came from the business itself, secured the buy-in up through the hierarchy, acted wisely throughout the project and stood firm when the wind blew.
Everyone in the project group and all the local implementation leads received early training in change management. From there, everyone took their own initiatives: films, articles and Q&A materials were produced, local implementation groups were staffed and trained up, digital collaboration spaces were set up, the training organisation was staffed with lead trainers from the local units, the project toured all over Sweden and held continuous video check-ins before and during the broad roll-out, and local information and Q&A meetings were arranged everywhere.
This is the short story of what happens when an entire project organisation and over 30 local implementation groups work creatively towards a shared goal: successful implementation!
This is the short story of a project where ”successful implementation” was followed up — and achieved for 97% of all organisational units.