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Prepare to Successfully Deploy PPM Software

Set the stage for sustainable long-term adoption of your new PPM suite through preparation and communication.

  • PPM suite deployments are complicated and challenging. Vendors and consultants can provide much needed expertise and assistance to organizations deploying new PPM suites.
  • While functional requirements are often defined during the procurement stage (for example, in an RFP), the level of detail during this stage is likely insufficient for actually configuring the solution to your specific PPM needs. Too many organizations fail to further develop these functional requirements between signing their contracts and the official start of their professional implementation engagement.
  • Many organizations fail to organize and record the PPM data they will need to populate the new PPM suite. In almost all cases, customers have the expertise and are in the best position to collect and organize their own data. Leaving this until the vendor or consultant arrives to help with the deployment can result in using your professional services in a suboptimal way.
  • Vendors and consultants want you to prepare for their implementation engagements so that you can make the best use of their expertise and assistance. They want you to deploy a PPM suite that can be sustainably adopted in the long term. All too often, however, they arrive onsite to find customers that are disorganized and underprepared.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

  • Preparing for a professional implementation engagement allows you to make the best use of your professional services, as well as helping to ensure that the PPM suite is deployed according to your specific PPM needs.
  • Involving your internal resources in the preparation of data and in fully defining functional requirements for the PPM suite helps to establish stakeholder buy-in early on, helping to build internal ownership of the solution from the beginning. This avoids the solution being perceived as something the vendor/consultant 鈥渇orced upon us.鈥�
  • Vendors and consultants are happy when organizations are organized and prepared for their professional implementation engagements. Preparation ensures these engagements are positive experiences for everyone involved.

Impact and Result

  • Ensure that the data necessary to deploy the new PPM suite is recorded and organized.
  • Make your functional requirements detailed enough to ensure that the new PPM suite can be configured/customized during the deployment engagement in a way that best fits the organization鈥檚 actual PPM needs.
  • Through carefully preparing data and fully defining functional requirements, you help the solution become sustainably adopted in the long term.

Prepare to Successfully Deploy PPM Software 91制片厂 & Tools

Start here 鈥� read the Executive Brief

Read this Executive Brief to understand why preparing for PPM deployment will ensure that organizations get the most value out of the implementation professional services they purchased and will help drive long-term sustainable adoption of the new PPM suite.

Prepare to Successfully Deploy PPM Software 鈥� Executive Brief
Prepare to Successfully Deploy PPM Software 鈥� Phases 1-4

1. Create a preparation team and plan

Engage in purposeful and effective PPM deployment planning by clearly defining what to prepare and when exactly it is time to move from planning to execution.

Prepare to Successfully Deploy PPM Software 鈥� Phase 1: Create a Preparation Team and Plan
Prepare to Deploy PPM Suite Project Charter Template
PPM Suite Functional Requirements Document Template
PPM Suite Deployment Timeline Template
PPM Suite Deployment Communication Plan Template

2. Prepare project-related requirements and deliverables

Provide clearer definition to specific project-related functional requirements and collect the appropriate PPM data needed for an effective PPM suite deployment facilitated by vendors/consultants.

Prepare to Successfully Deploy PPM Software 鈥� Phase 2: Prepare Project-Related Requirements and Deliverables
PPM Deployment Data Workbook
PPM Deployment Dashboard and Report Requirements Workbook

3. Prepare PPM resource requirements and deliverables

Provide clearer definition to specific resource management functional requirements and data and create a communication and training plan.

Prepare to Successfully Deploy PPM Software 鈥� Phase 3: Prepare PPM Resource Requirements and Deliverables
PPM Suite Transition Plan Template
PPM Suite Training Plan Template
PPM Suite Training Management Tool

4. Provide preparation materials to the vendor and implementation professionals

Plan how to engage vendors/consultants by communicating functional requirements to them and evaluating changes to those requirements proposed by them.

Prepare to Successfully Deploy PPM Software 鈥� Phase 4: Provide Preparation Materials to the Vendor and Implementation Professionals
Prepare to Successfully Deploy PPM Software preview picture

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Guided Implementation 1: Create a preparation team and plan
  • Call 1: Create a project team and plan
  • Call 2: Review the plan and timeline

Guided Implementation 2: Prepare project-related requirements and deliverables
  • Call 1: Determine project-related functional requirements
  • Call 2: Determine reporting and dashboard functional requirements
  • Call 3: Finalize the project-related requirements and data

Guided Implementation 3: Prepare PPM resource requirements and deliverables
  • Call 1: Collect PPM resource data and functional requirements
  • Call 2: Define transition and training functional requirements
  • Call 3: Finalize the resource-related deliverable

Guided Implementation 4: Provide preparation materials to the vendor and implementation professionals
  • Call 1: Present your preparation deliverables to your vendor and/or consultants
  • Call 2: Review, assess, and respond to proposed changes to your functional requirements

Authors

Matt Burton

Barry Cousins

Trevor Bieber

Contributors

  • Jeff Berkel, VP Professional Services, Project Insight
  • Angela Bunner, PMP, Senior Director, Clarizen
  • Patty Bush, Director of Enterprise Applications, Des Moines University
  • Ross Eagar, Associate Director, Project Sourcing & Fulfilment Office, ArcBest Technologies
  • Marion Fina, Consultant, Planisware
  • Richard Higgins, Senior Implementation Consultant, Upland Software
  • Alex Gorman, Director of Professional Services, Clarizen
  • Jon Karnofsky, Application Architect, Atlantic Business Technologies (ABT)
  • Steve Mintz, Owner, CLM Perspectives
  • Courtney Snipes, PMP, Services Director, Innotas

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