post implementation review

Jun 5 2009   10:00AM GMT

Five guidelines for customer project team while filling Post Implementation Review form

Posted by: Jaideep
post implementation review, Project Management, Software Project

The Post implementation review is usually filled collectively by customer project team and signed by the project sponsor, who is usually one of the senior members of management. This form is to be submitted back to vendor (after filling) to serve the purpose of – sharing experience, product evaluation in live scenario, user’s satisfaction, assessment of management itself in understanding the goals assumed or perceived versus the actual goals achieved. The components of this review and WHAT, WHY and WHEN have already been discussed in earlier posts.

Let us now understand - what are the guidelines for management (customer), project team and key users for filling in the Post Implementation Review:

This is not a sports match: The project should not be taken as a sport match where one has to be declared winner and the other loser. In a software project either both teams win or lose. So intention of the review should be taken in right spirit and with right approach.

Be Courteous: Don’t be too blunt while filling in the replies. It could hurt the sentiments of vendor. After all if something has gone wrong, it needs to be analysed and resolved rather than throwing stones at each other. Remember that someone had made a choice at your end for this product and that is why it is here. On the other hand if all has gone well, be generous in praising.

Don’t be a critic: Don’t analyse this product with a critic’s eye. Your goal while selecting this product was that you had a trust in the vendor and this product. Evaluate more on the basis of your key user’s confidence, satisfaction, results, improvements, and product strengths.

Be Transparent: It is good to be courteous, non-critical and not-blunt. But don’t shy away in exposing any weaknesses in the product, the methodology adopted, trainings imparted, or vendor’s team efficiencies. Strike the right ball in right hole at right time. After all it is learning for both the vendor and customer that is helping in product and people maturity.

Ask for more: If you are happy with the vendor, don’t hesitate in asking for more features or functionality (may be as a bonus, if you are able to pamper the vendor enough!)

Jun 3 2009   10:00AM GMT

How to prepare for Post Project Implementation Review?

Posted by: Jaideep
Project Management, post implementation review, project manager, Software Project, project completion, project sign-off, project closure, software implementation, project feedback

Both vendor and customer have to understand that the real journey of a product starts only after a successful implementation of software at customer site. The challenges get a new meaning once the project team leaves the customer site after project sign-off. Both the managements can celebrate the successful completion of project. But it is better to hold on this celebrations for a while, till customer really learns to live with the product, starts tasting the real fruits of the product committed earlier. Let the key users start managing the show on their own, run the complete process in live scenario and get satisfied with themselves and the product. The project team that comes at customer site for implementation has a role related to post implementation review prior they go back home after successful closure of project. Similarly the management (customer) have to clearly understand their critical role once the vendor project team goes back after the completion of project. It is the key users and management (customer) now to run and manage the show. No doubt that the vendor team is always at the back to support and assist them in achieving this. Let us assume that the project is over and team is about to leave the customer site. At this juncture it is the prime responsibility of vendor and customer project managers to shake hands and understand the importance of post implementation review in following terms:

The Project manager from vendor side has to hand over the post implementation review plan to customer at the time of implementation sign off and explain clearly each and every agenda of the post implementation review. The clarity in terms of product, managements, users, usage and product is very important for assessment purposes after a stipulated period.

The project manager from customer end has to ensure to get the post implementation plan for feedback purposes at the time of implementation sign off. This will not only leave the project open for another some time in terms of providing a lease for customer team to assess and experience the product in complete isolation in their own terms.

The purpose ultimately is to share the overall health of product, the key users, and the management.

Jun 1 2009   9:00AM GMT

Ten Components of a post implementation review

Posted by: Jaideep
post implementation review, software business, Software Project, software project management, software implementation, project effectiveness, product usefulness, product maturity, product friendliness, risk perception, Risk Management, key user management, product acceptance, project requirements, product development, product building, team management, project implementation process

What is post implementation review? When it should be done? Why is it required? All this has been discussed in last three posts. Let us now understand what ideally would be the components of a post implementation review. As discussed earlier, some components can be answered immediately at the completion of a project with a formal closure. But for answering some other components, customer needs some time for project to run in the absence of project team, experience it, feel it, see the user’s reaction on the way things are happening in the product when it is in use.

Infact before filling the post implementation review, it is advisable to use the software at its maxima, as extensively as possible, involving all key user’s areas, using all inflow and outflow procedures. The basic guidelines required while filling a post implementation review can be take up in my next post. Let us also understand that this questionnaire has to be quite elaborative and descriptive. Let us first understand the essential components of Post Implementation Review for a software project. The questions can be built as per the need of the vendor and product. The essential components to be covered are:
1. Effectiveness of the Project Team
2. Effectiveness of Customer management in managing Product understanding and implementation
3. Effectiveness of Customer management in understanding the requirements, building the product, selecting the right team and procedure
4. Change management during the complete cycle
5. Issues management
6. Preparedness of key users and management for accepting the product
7. Communication skills and management of vendor team and management
8. Risk perception, risk management
9. Product effectiveness, usefulness, maturity and friendliness
10. Customer management eagerness for future business to the same vendor

These are the core components based on which the elaborative questionnaire can be build to assess customer satisfaction over the product, vendor and team.

May 29 2009   10:00AM GMT

Post Implementation Review – When, ldeally?

Posted by: Jaideep
post implementation, post implementation review, Project Management, project board, project sign-off, project closure, Software Project, software implementation, project acceptance, software performance, product performance

When is to perform a post implementation review? A witty answer could be – obviously after implementation. Ha! Definitely a successful closure of implementation could declare a project closure with a formal project acceptance report or project sign off. So shall we have a post implementation review as soon as we have a project sign off? Nah! That would not solve the purpose. Give an appropriate time to the customer team key users to settle down as the captain of the ship and sail it smoothly. One day or one week smooth sailing will not tell you the turmoil or undercurrent storm about to come in future. Correct. Then future is too long. That means keep waiting for turmoil. But mind it, all ships sailing in the sea do not experience storm. Similarly all products after implementation and project sign off do not guarantee a serious disaster.

Product performance in actual sense requires a certain timeframe to establish and to give confidence to end users. Some part of post implementation review related to team performance (implementation) can be answered quickly, maybe immediately after the project closure. But the other part needs a considerable amount of time to understand the product from different perspectives and accordingly present a right picture in the review report.

Certainly, then, atleast a period of minimum three months is required to experience the product and then fill in the post implementation report. Ideally, I would say, wait for six months, use product in all respects, aggressively, and then the top management need to sit with their key users and project board to evaluate, assess and fill the post implementation review.

May 27 2009   10:00AM GMT

Post Implementation Review – Why required?

Posted by: Jaideep
post implementation review, Project Management, project implementation, Software Project, implementation team, end user, project training, project knowledge, project lerning, software features, software functionality, software performance

A successful implementation does not ensure the completion of project. The reality starts when the implementation team has gone back and users have started using the project in full swing with the help of training material, learning, knowledge and product. The health of users in respect of using the product is sustained, deteriorated, or improved will depend on many factors. A post implementation review is always important to understand the users understanding, pains and delights during this tenure. This will translate further into management’s pains and delights. The overall delight weightage has to be higher than the pain. In a blow of project implementation phase users might feel quite confident regarding the product features, functionality and ease. When the whole thing falls upon them, it usually drive them in confusion, wrong actions or stoppages. Or a smooth drive.

A post implementation survey will help in a real measurement on two fronts. One front will be users’ understanding, ease and comfort (or vice versa). Second front will be product’s stability, performance and functionality. It also will assess the after effects of a successful project implementation.

The conclusions could be misleading although and will require a deep analysis. A user’s lack of understanding may spell into products inefficiency or the opposite of it.

May 25 2009   10:00AM GMT

What is Post Implementation Review?

Posted by: Jaideep
Project Management, post implementation review, project implementation, project sign-off, implementation team

A Post implementation review is conducted after a substantial period from implementation sign-off. This review is to ascertain customer management’s and users’ experience on product in absence of product implementation team. The product has been implemented successfully and the team is gone. Ofcourse sufficient learning, knowledge, exposure and material have been imparted to users by the implementation team.

Post implementation review by the customer management with key users will spell out – user’s depth in using the product and product’s reliability and stability. The format of post implementation review document should be designed by the vendor management for the purpose of understanding the status of project after a certain period of usage post successful implementation. Filled by customer management in agreement with key users’ experience, the report is sent to vendor for their assessment.