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IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 35

Tip Today’s project-centric organizations are promoting ex-
cellence in project management and are finding ways to recog-
nize project management excellence within their organization
structure. This can encompass design of the positions and/or
salary recognition. A company-sponsored education program is
an essential part of such a program.

Implementation Plan

Now that we’ve defined our PM methodology, selected tools, and trained per-
sonnel, it’s time to look at how the new process will be implemented. It is imper-
ative to develop an Implementation Plan. There are several components to this
plan, including:

• Directive.
• Procedure.
• Plan.
• Kick-off Program.

First, you’ll need a Directive, from senior management, establishing project
management as a way of life in the firm, and support for project management as a
condition of employment.

Next, develop a set of Procedures, defining the implementation process. Re-
member, the implementation of your computer-based project management capa-
bility is, in itself, a project. Treat it like one, and use this opportunity to test and
improve your process.

Follow this with an Implementation Plan, showing the steps of implementa-
tion and a schedule for their accomplishment. It is not necessary to implement
the full project management process at once, across the firm. It is best to select
pilot projects for implementation. That gives people and the processes time to
come up to speed. The practices can then be fine-tuned as we learn from our ini-
tial experiences.

Start things off with a Kick-off Program. You’re looking for procedural and cul-
tural change when you implement project management. You need to make a big
deal out of it. You need to draw attention to the program and its importance. You
need to make certain that people know that top management is serious about this.
Introduce the Directive, the Procedures, and the Implementation Plan with a
formal program.