software training

Jun 17 2009   10:00AM GMT

Why User Manuals are so important in Software Project Management

Posted by: Jaideep
User Manual, Software Project, software project management, key user, stakeholder, project implementation, post implementation, user feedback, usability, reliability, stability, durability, report, analytic, feel and look, product support, project support, live run, product training, software training, training team, implementation team, project team, project sign-off, sign-off, business scenario

The product owners or stakeholders might be many in a software project, but the real frontrunners who drive, run and use the software product post implementation are the key users and other users. It is their feedback that matters most. They must be the most comfortable lot on usability, functionality, reliability, stability, durability, resultant outputs in terms of reports and analytics, feel and look of the product. They are the one who are going to matter most in the success or failure of a product during and post implementation. The best tool to give them comfort, satisfaction, confidence and support is the User Manuals that they refer to most of the time during post implementation live run.

Even if the product is excellent and trainings are most rigorous ones, in absence of the project implementation team, every now and then the key users will be seeking help from User Manuals. User Manuals are the supporting agents for them at all times. That is why User Manuals have to be perfect in all aspects.

Infact a user manual prepared for product users should be such treated as a replacement of implementation and training team right from the moment the project is signed off and users start using the product in real business scenario.

Apr 20 2009   10:05AM GMT

Role of customer project manager at customer site during implementation stage

Posted by: Jaideep
project manager, Project Management, project implementation, implementation phase, project lead, project ownership, UAT, business study, business need, software training, implementation process, implementation plan, project team, Risk Management, Risk Plan, post implementation, process owner, reconciliation, transaction entry, project sign-off, project closure, project failure, project success

The customer project manager has to take the lead and ownership of product as soon as it is launched at customer site for implementation. The UAT, training and implementation process can only be effective in case customer project team gets fully involved into each and every activity of the implementation phase. Infact the implementation plan prepared by vendor project manager should be the responsibility of customer project manager to execute.

Customer Project manager and management has to clearly understand the risks involved during the business study, implementation and post implementation phase as highlighted by the vendor Project Manager and to act thereupon to overcome those risks with suggestions from vendor project manager.

These risks could be in terms of consequences involved:

if requirements are not complete and well defined,
the involvement of users and process owners during business study, implementation, UAT, masters creation, transaction entry, reconciliation etc.,
if sign-offs not happening in time, etc.

Even if the sign-off is given and product is not put in use, there is a chance of project failure at both ends.