Handing the Project Over

The way in which a project “goes live” varies from project to project, depending on the nature of its product. With time-critical projects there is rarely any doubt about the “go live” point, but where quality is the critical factor the opposite is often the case, and it takes a conscious effort to mark the point at which a project is complete.

Signaling the end point

Projects are different to business as usual because they have an end point at which they can be declared complete and then have their success evaluated. Even if you are the only person working on a project, it is still helpful to mark the “go live” point, to signal that the project is finished before moving on.

For most projects, implementation should coincide with the transference of responsibility from the project team to an ongoing support function. Perversely, the better you and your team have been at managing the client while the project was underway, the more difficult you will find it to get them to transfer their allegiance to a new group. By marking the “go live” point, you make a definitive statement to your client that the time has come for this to happen.

Marking “go live”

• Have I made a clear declaration to all stakeholders that the project is complete?

• Have I clearly signaled to the client and end users that they are now responsible for the product?

• Have I marked the point at which project personnel are available for other assignments?

• Have I taken the opportunity to say thank you to those who have contributed to the project?

Oiling the wheels

A project manager charged with moving 40 people from an office in the heart of London to more spacious but cheaper premises in a less affluent part of London faced a challenge to ensure smooth implementation: the move was for financial reasons and no one wanted to go. He decided to put together a welcome package for each member of staff and asked every store, bar, café, restaurant, and gym in the area around the new offices whether they would make introductory offers to the newcomers once they produced their company ID cards. On the day of the move, he placed the finished package—worth approximately $200 of discounted goods and services—on each desk in the new offices. The offers it contained actively encouraged people to explore the area rather than simply sit at their desks and complain about their new surroundings. And when they did take advantage of the offers, they found that they were welcomed as valuable customers.

Holding an event

Hold a “go live” event (perhaps couched as a final review meeting) in which you review the whole project. Evaluate the changes and benefits it has achieved. Consider how you can organize or stage manage the event so that there are things for people to see, do, and talk about. However, the watchword is appropriateness—if you overplay “go live” you lay yourself open to accusations of self-promotion. Involve the project sponsor in the event—get him or her to offer an assessment of the project and thank all those who have contributed.

Another pretext for an event might be to introduce the client or end users to the people who are about to take on responsibility for supporting them. Reiterate the post-implementation support that will be available and how post-project support will take place. This period is the time to identify and resolve minor defects that take place during the implementation phase, prior to the project being declared complete. Make sure that everyone understands the part you need them to play in putting the project to bed.

Providing support

In a quality-critical project, the quality of post-implementation support given to the end user is essential to its long-term success. Never declare a project complete until the end user has been trained to use the product and first-line support is available from outside the project team.