Tasks for Senior User >

Manage the provision of resources and support for the Close and any additional support that is required.

As the business representative, the Project Sponsor is going to need your support in presenting to the Programme Board (if applicable) or Strategic Planning department (or similar) to win their support.

Sign off the final acceptance of the operating model on behalf of the business operations and ensure that the new working practices and processes are in place to meet the objectives.

Ensure that the new working practices and processes are in place and stable.

When you sign off this step the support resources will begin to be withdrawn.

This is a big step for you as you are accepting that the operating model has been achieved and things are working as designed in the operating model.

Seek to include as many of the operational managers in the consultation process that leads to you signing this off.

Ensure that if there are outstanding issues that they are captured in the issue register with a plan to resolve.

Manage the operational activities to release any legacy assets and that operating stability remains stable.

When the assets are being removed you need to ensure that changed business processes are now able to operate unsupported by the project or old systems that may have been running in parallel.

There will be parts of the operation that are reluctant to give up the systems or working practices so it would be worth planning to undertake a review/audit to ensure that change has been delivered.

In particular, monitor operational performance information for signs of inconsistencies that could be attributable to instability or inconsistency. 

Provide technical and business input to develop the optimal model for the business solution.

It is important that you take ownership of this step in the project as this is about designing what the business requires and not what the project wants to deliver.

It is very easy to jump to conclusions and think that the change is simpler than it really is. 

If there has been over enthusiasm for a particular approach or people are being unrealistic about what can be achieved this is the point where it can be addressed.

If there is a BCM for a programme, their requirements are critical to ensure that benefit and business change are understood.

Provide the business perspective and ensure options are appraised on the basis of benefits potential.

You are a key player in undertaking this assessment and some of the results may not be popular with people who wanted to see a “pet” solution chosen.

Therefore you need to be in the middle of the decision making process and if you can bring in others to help that will increase the understanding and help with communications going forward.

There may be pan programme or organisational issues that you need to take into account as part of the analysis.

Ensure the selection of the preferred approach is objective and not based on supplier or product preferences.

The recommended solution should be based on what the operation needs and not what the project wants to deliver - you have a critical role as the voice of the business. 

Although the  Project Sponsor is accountable, you are their eyes and ears for this, so you need to ensure that the recommended approach will have the support of business operations and bring the maximum benefit with minimum risk to performance.

At this point, it is only the preferred approach and no final decisions have been made. However, you must be comfortable with the direction the project is taking.

You will need to explain the recommendation to the BCMs in order to gain clarity and receive confirmation that it is meeting their programme level needs and aligns with their Benefits Profiles.

Manage the resolution of actions or issues relating to operational change or benefits within the defined timescales.

As the business representative, the Project Sponsor is going to need your support in presenting to the Portfolio or Programme Board to win their support.

It is essential that, if there is stakeholder resistance to the project, it is understood within the project team. If there are active opponents, their reasons are understood, addressed where possible but most of all, don’t come as a surprise.

Ensure that the business operations resources are included within the project team.

You will need to work closely with your peer managers to find the right people to support the project. 

You may already know who you want, but this will be a time commitment which they may not be able to give.

Consider the backfill arrangements for operational resources, how this can be achieved and how much it will cost.

Sign off the technical design and ensure that it will meet the needs of the business operations.

The end of this step is the sign off, so your role is to ensure that there is adequate experience and knowledge from the operational areas involved in the development.

It is essential that the operational impacts that will result from the specification are documented.

If there are areas of knowledge and experience that you don’t have access to, ensure these are recognised as risks or issues and managed accordingly.

Ensure that the preferred approach delivers you the capability to make the changes and release the benefits.

It is important that you take a lead in this process. There will be lots of procedures to follow around procurement and the project but you must not lose focus on procuring the most appropriate solution to meet the needs of business operations.

The more operational people involved in the process the more buy in there will be to the final solution, however, the more people involved the more complex the management of feedback.

As the business representative, the Project Sponsor is going to need your support in presenting to the Portfolio Board to win their support.

It is essential that if there is stakeholder resistance to the project it is understood within the project team.  If there are active opponents, their reasons should be understood, addressed where possible, but most of all, don’t come as a surprise.

Approve the contract on behalf of the business.

Ultimately you are going to be the customer for this service.

 You and your team should be embedded into this process and assure yourselves that the products will meet your requirements which, in turn, will enable you to release the benefits of the investment.

Review and update the operating model that will be required as a result of the negotiations. Reflect any impacts these will have on the benefits.

You will have been involved in signing the contract so you and the team should have given consideration to the implications already.

This is the more formal updating of the operating model and if there are gaps appearing you should ensure that their resolution is included in the Project Plan.

Once refined, the model should be distributed to stakeholders to identify any new opportunities or gaps.

Manage the activities within the testing and ensure quality plans are clearly allocated and delivered.  Manage and resolve any issues that result from testing.

Depending on the type of project, this could involve a lot of work offsite by a contractor or it could be an in-house team working on it which will be more visible.

Your priority should be on ensuring that there is a clearly defined plan to deliver the capability and that you are tracking it carefully.  Focus on any milestones which could affect your dependencies with other projects, as these delays may have knock effects.

You should also be focusing on evidence based reports to support progress reporting.  Visits and inspections are important if the work is being undertaken at a contractors premises.

Sign off on behalf of the business operations that the assets and services meet the requirements to achieve the Business Operating Model and benefits.

The focus should always be on evidence of meeting the specification and the requirements.

If you haven’t seen it then assume it has not happened.

Your testing may show that there are some areas where the specification has not been met or it exceeds specification which may offer opportunities.

You must satisfy yourself that it is fit for purpose and be confident the areas that do not meet specification can be resolved.

You are signing this off on behalf of the operations, so you must ensure you have evidence to satisfy yourself it will work.

Closely monitor performance and compliance to service metrics and agreed deviation across the organisation.

The level of upheaval will depend on the scale and type of the project.

Where it is a straight forward swap or installation of an asset then it is really about managing the performance of the equipment up to the standards the operations require.

Where business processes and behaviour changes are needed then the challenge will be significantly greater.

You and the team must be right in the middle of the activities to manage the change.

Issues will inevitably arise, it is important that these are managed effectively to ensure rumour and negativity do not take over.

Check that baseline performances are in place against which transition will be monitored.

Ensure service quality is maintained to agreed levels during this period.

You will have to manage the timescales for the project with the rate with which the business can absorb the change.

Closely monitor performance and compliance to service metrics.

This is the point where you agree to accept the new systems and assure they are doing what they are supposed to.

You will be expected to prioritise functionality issues and agree a rectification plan.

From now on your focus is going to be on the performance improvements to achieve the benefits.

Sign off the final acceptance of the operating model on behalf of the business operations and ensure that the new working practices and processes are in place to meet the objectives.

Ensure that the new working practices and processes are in place and stable.

When you sign off this step the support resources will begin to be withdrawn.

This is a big step for you as you are accepting that the operating model has been achieved and things are working as designed in the operating model.

Seek to include as many of the operational managers in the consultation process that leads to you signing this off.

Ensure that if there are outstanding issues that they are captured in the issue register with a plan to resolve.

Manage the provision of resources and support for the Close and any additional support that is required.

As the business representative, the Project Sponsor is going to need your support in presenting to the Programme Board (if applicable) or Strategic Planning department (or similar) to win their support.

Manage the provision of resources with the right skills and authority to accept the final sign off for the product or services.

You should be comfortable that the business is now in a position to operate in the new way and that the outcomes are now stable.

The capability - in terms of process, structures and assets - should now be rebalanced and operating effectively.

Once this final sign off has happened, you will be self-sufficient and only have the support arrangements to fall back on.

Additional resources that supported the transition should be released, once acceptance has been signed off.