There you are being given the rains of a project for your company. You have participated in projects before and you have even been a team leader in projects. This time you are no longer the team lead, but the man with the plan. The success of the project is going to be riding on your ability to plan it, communicate the plan, and execute the plan. This is a new world for you. Where do you begin?
Anyone who asks me about planning a project for software deployments, infrastructure upgrades, or anything else requiring a project plan I always tell them to begin with the end in mind. Have a complete understanding of what the finished deliverable will be. It doesn't matter if it's a software upgrade, a server upgrade, or complete technology overhaul and refresh always know what the finished deliverable will be. Without that information there is no effective way a plan can be made.
The next step is to identify the project management methodologies in place. Does your company condense project management to through it against the wall and see what sticks, or is there a proper procedure to follow at each stage of the plan? Some companies have been adopting a method called Agile that indicates there is a collaborative nature to the requirements building and deployment of the project involving multiple stakeholders where requirements are discovered along the way through execution. The traditional method indicates there is a structured approach from the top down where the Project Manager is the primary point of communication for the requirements and deployment of the project before execution begins.
Most projects I have worked with have an Agile feel where the requirements and scope are discovered along the way through the execution of the project. While Agile is the name of this method it can create chaos if the company is not well prepared to work with this type of collaborative and dynamic method. Like wise with the traditional approach companies can get bogged down in the structure and processes in place to identify the correct requirements before moving forward. I personally like the Agile methodology as it allows for quicker migrations and typically invites more communication due to its collaborative nature.
When creating your plan make sure you have the resources available to meet your proposed time line. If you are too aggressive you will miss your end date and if you are too timid you will probably look slow to respond and incapable of meeting business needs. The timeline needs to have an effective schedule that allows use of your resources including time for vacations if any have been approved. Also, ensure you leave time open for vendors known to be late on delivery of services or equipment. These are all risks to your project that could derail the delivery date. make sure your stakeholders are aware of their role in the project either as an affected party, a contributing party, or as a standby party. They need to be aware of their exposure and risks for failing to meet the needs of the project.
Finally, once the plan is together make sure it comes to the end you had in mind. Make sure your risks have been identified and contingencies have been created. If no contingencies are available these are areas of the project to note as potential risk for delivery date derailment. Get commitment from the stakeholders on the schedule and end date to be sure they meet requirements.
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