Thursday, July 15, 2010

Project Closing Strategies for ICT Consulting Project Managers Read more at Suite101: Project Closing Strategies for ICT Consulting Project Managers

The primary goal of all Information and Communications Technology Consulting Project Managers is to complete projects on schedule and within budget.

Proper documentation is key to establish the harmonious cooperation of client stakeholders with the consulting company executing the project; get stakeholders to own the project; enable the consulting projects company to collect payments on time and hence manage its cash flow well; and minimize the risks of disputes and probable liabilities.

Presented here are 4 Key Project Closing Strategies as follows:

1. Draft Inception Report with Kick-Off Meeting
2. Final Inception Report with Turnover Ceremony
3. Deliverable Acceptance Sign-Off Log
4. Project Sign-Off Document

Draft Inception Report with Kick-Off Meeting

The Draft Inception Report levels project expectations between the client and the projects company team as well as establishes the responsibilities of project team members from both the client and the projects company.

Likewise, the Draft Inception Report provides the project manager an opportunity to let each project member sign his/her commitment on the project as well as document their participation.

Giving each team member a paper or electronic copy of the Draft Inception Report and letting each member sign an acknowledgment receipt for the copy will prevent possible claims later on that they have not been informed on the key details of the project.

Moreover, formalizing the turnover of the Draft Inception Report in a kick-off meeting documented with video footage or video conferencing logs and still photographs strengthens commitment among all project participants. Social psychologist Robert B. Cialdini has observed in experiments that people who commit in public and whose inputs are accommodated will most likely live up to their commitments. Thus, strong commitments ensure a more successful project.

The crucial parts of an Draft Inception Report to enable a proper Project Closing are:

* List of Deliverables

* List of Responsibilities of the Projects Company and the Client's Personnel

* A Copy of the Signed Contract

* Exposition of Disclaimers and Limiting Clauses

* Comments Template for Issues That Might Be Raised During the Kick-Off Meeting

* Acknowledgment Receipt for the Draft Inception Report

Final Inception Report with Turnover Ceremony

By all means, the Draft Inception Report should already be a complete document on its own assuming that the projects company already did a similar project several times in the past. What needs to be included in the Final Inception Report though are the following:

* Comments of All Project Team Members from the Client's Side

* Still Photographs of the Kick-Off Meeting

* Acknowledgment Receipt for the Final Inception Report

* Digital Media Copy of the Video Footage or Video Conference

Again, the Turnover Ceremony for the Final Inception Report is a social psychology strategy to strengthen commitment on both sides not just on the project but also to the salient points and details of the project.

SOURCE: http://business-project-management.suite101.com/article.cfm/project-closing-strategies-for-ict-consulting-project-managers


No comments:

Post a Comment