Leading Projects

IT projects at Elon often involve teams of people from a variety of departments across campus. As we continue to strive for consistency and develop standards of work, this article is intended to help those who lead projects without being official project managers.

Project Team

Once a project has been accepted, a project group should be identified. The executive leadership team in IT may help select the project team members including the project lead. Each team consists of the following roles:

• Sponsor - The individual, typically an AVP or above, who provides support for the project and is accountable for its success.
• Stakeholders/Key Stakeholders - Those actively involved and impacted by a project, especially those who determine the success or failure of the project.
• Team members - Those performing the work of the project to achieve its objectives.
• Project Lead - The individual responsible for guiding the project team to meet the project's objectives by coordinating and overseeing all documentation, updates, timelines, and communications associated with the project.

Depending on the nature and complexity of a project, there may be a need for a project team member who is responsible for overseeing change management best practices. Sometimes the Project Lead will initiate change management practices, while other projects may require a designated Change Manager role. When change management processes and tools are applied to project work, the focus is on the people side of change to ensure the project's success. 

Project Process

While each project is unique, we recommend following these five project phases. You may find the Project Leader Checklist helpful during the planning process. Following these phases will ensure project quality and consistency.

1. Initiate - Clarify expectations with Sponsor, Stakeholders, and Project Team Members.
   • Document shared and measurable expectations.
     • Prompt: Complete this ("project scope") statement: "At the end of this project, the following will be true…"
     • During these (one-on-one or group) conversations, your questions will generally fall into 3 categories:
       • General open questions - The what, when, where, why, who, and how.
       • More detailed questions - How exactly is success going to be measured?, "What would it look like?", "When complete, what specific outcomes do you expect?"
       • Clear, closed questions - Ask questions that will elicit a yes/no response. Use the responses to the previous questions to summarize what has been requested and ask for confirmation... "Here is what I heard from you... is that correct?"
     • You may find the Project Scope Statement template a useful tool to download and complete.
2. Plan - Based on your deliverables, create a well-defined time line with milestones, project schedule, and budget (if applicable).
   • Refer back to the above (scope) statement, "At the end of this project, the following will be true…"
   • What needs to take place for the statement to be completed? Remember: Anything not on this list is NOT within scope of this project.
     • Identify and document action items and assign responsibility.
     • Create a tentative time line. What are the milestones that can be mapped out?
     • Identify dependencies. (Activities that are reliant on each other's start or finish.)
     • Identify risks that could derail project success and have a plan for mitigating them.
     • Identify the "Critical Path" - This is the sequence of activities from start to finish required for project success, which determine how long the project will last. If any activity on the critical path is delayed, the entire project will be delayed.
     • Develop a communication plan. Download the Project Communication Plan template for a guide with examples.
       • What needs to be communicated? To whom? When? How? From whom? How frequently or at what intervals?
3. Execute - Engage the project team regularly to make sure everyone is on track.
   • Hold the team (and yourself) accountable during project execution:
     • Coordinate regularly scheduled status updates/meetings so the whole team is aware of activities and statuses.
     • Update time line based on status reports.
     • Keep stakeholders updated on project status and time line adjustments.
4. Monitor and Control - Continue monitoring progress and control the project's direction, while communicating progress to stakeholders​​​​​.
   • Maintain transparent communication among the team, sponsors, and stakeholders. (State the facts. The good, the bad, and the ugly.)
   • When reporting issues or problems with the project, also have a plan for getting back on track.
   • Practice change management to control scope creep. Be nimble, but mindful.
     • Stay neutral while gathering the facts:
       • What is the intent of the change?
       • What is the impact?
       • What would be required to make the change happen?
     • Clarify expectations with person proposing the change(s).
     • Document change request and review with project team to identify possible constraints, risks, etc.
     • Share with stakeholders so it may be approved or denied.
5. Close - Close the project well.
   • Check the results against the identified desired outcome.
   • Confirm completion with stakeholders.
   • Document lessons learned.
   • Recognize and thank the team and other participants.

Change Management and Projects

When applying change management to a project, Prosci's ADKAR Model may be a helpful guide through the stages of the change. The ADKAR Model is a process that can guide people through a change to ensure they embrace and adopt the change, leading to a higher rate of success for the project. Successful change usually occurs when these 5 elements exist:

• Awareness of the need for change
• Desire to participate and support the change
• Knowledge of how to change
• Ability to implement required skills and behaviors
• Reinforcement to sustain the change

Practicing more formalized change management may only be necessary on moderate or high complexity projects. For IT projects, the complexity will be determined during the intake process and labeled in ClickUp for clarity.

Awareness

• Clearly explain the reasons for the change rather than simply that the change is happening. 
  • Why the change?
  • Why now?
  • What happens if we don't make the change?

Desire

• Motivate people to support and participate in the change.
  • Having visible backing by leadership who are also actively supporting the change is important.
  • Think proactively about potential areas of resistance and be prepared to respond.
  • Are there any incentives that can be offered for participating in the change?

Knowledge

• Provide knowledge on how to change as well as how to maintain the change moving forward. There may be a need for:
  • Documentation
  • Training sessions
  • Information on how to get help with questions or troubleshooting
  • Plan for how people and processes will be supported during the transition and beyond.

Ability

• Provide resources and tools people will need to be able to make the change, such as:
  • Time to understand the change and incorporate it into their work.
  • Knowledge resources previously mentioned.
  • Coaching and practice. When available, perhaps a testing environment could be helpful.

Reinforcement

• Take steps to ensure the change is adopted and continues after the project is complete.
  • Can you produce visible measurable outcomes? 
  • How will people be held accountable? Will there be consequences for abandoning the change?
  • Create a space for feedback to be given.
  • Recognize people for their support and participation.