Applying Leadership, Governance, and Accountability
Congratulations! Your transformation initiative’s budget has been approved and the project is a Go! Conventional wisdom dictates that you start by bringing onboard a project manager (PM) and begin the project initiation and planning activities. As the person who has overall responsibility for the successful planning, execution, controlling, and closure of a project, the PM is one of the most important roles on the project.
In addition to a strong project manager, you need a consulting organization that has a proven methodology, approach, and tools to ensure the successful execution of a project. Effective transformation oversight requires a consulting company that understands how to deliver success through leadership, governance, and accountability.
Many organizations believe they have the internal capability to fill the project manager (PM) role. If the initiative is an Information Technology (IT) project, the systems integrator (SI) or the independent software vendor (ISV) might have their own PM to manage their team’s activities. While it might be expeditious for you to just rely on their PM, and/or your internal resources, there are serious risks inherent in this approach.
To ensure success, the PM must be willing to hold all parties (external and internal) accountable regardless of their role in the project. Therefore, it is vital that you select an independent company that has no conflict of interest, and a singular focus on driving the project to successful completion.
MSS Business Transformation Advisory (MSSBTA) is a technology-agnostic, trusted advisor to our clients. We place your interest above all else in pursuit of a successful implementation. Our project managers use a project oversight structure called Leadership, Governance, and Accountability (LGA), which addresses critical success factors beyond the traditional project management responsibilities. Properly executed, LGA minimizes risk, ensures sustainable project success, and drives positive business outcomes.
Success Through Leadership
“Most projects are over-managed and under-led,” Jim Highsmith notes in his book Agile Project Management. In transformation projects, when projects run into problems requiring innovative ideas and approaches, the traditional tool-and-process focused style of pure-play project managers will not suffice. MSSBTA’s Leadership ensures:
Clearly defined business outcomes aligned with organization strategy
Complete and validated contracts and a project plan aligned across all stakeholders
One point of contact to oversee and manage all aspects of the initiative
Success Through Governance
Through the second tenet of our oversight structure, Governance, MSSBTA establishes a strong management framework for the project, driven by PMBOK ® leading practices. Effective governance results in:
Clearly defined decision-making process
Roles, responsibilities, and expectations aligned with the project goals and objectives
Clear expectations regarding communication and meeting cadence
Success Through Accountability
With several participants involved in a project, there will undoubtedly be occasions when stakeholders will “pass the buck”. They will blame each other for missed schedule, budget, and quality commitments. It is critical to establish a rigorous Accountability framework. Establish ownership, proactively identify, escalate, and resolve issues. When you choose MSSBTA to manage your project, we take accountability for the overall success of the initiative. We will ensure that:
All contributors are held accountable for meeting commitments
Quality standards are met
Initiative outcomes are delivered within budget
On-time Go-live is achieved
Free PDF: 10 Benefits of Leadership, Governance, and Accountability
In most projects, key aspects of Leadership, Governance, and Accountability are missing or unclear. Experience shows that a structured, disciplined approach to transformation oversight is critical to the overall success of the initiative.
Be sure to choose the right independent advisor for your organization to partner that has the gravitas, experience, executive presence, and training to successfully deliver transformation initiatives using this LGA approach. Engaging them as project lead will go a long way to ensure successful implementation.
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