The concept of
an Operational Readiness Review originates from a process that is used by the United
States Military and NASA It is used to ensure that all team members are crystal clear
on the details of the mission they are preparing to complete. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_review_(U.S._government).
Everything from
equipment being used, to who will be using them, for what, when and in what
sequence of events.
This process is
one that can be leveraged conceptually for complex project execution like
migrations / conversions for example.
Managing
projects are complex work requiring focus and concentration. Migration /
conversion / on-boarding projects are a good example of complex projects. They
often have direct impacts on your customers if they aren’t carefully analyzed, planned,
socialized, refined & executed.
You may have to
run several of them, and produce increasingly more predictable results with
each pass.
o Operations requires this – manage through change
effectively while maintaining performance within existing SLA’s.
o
Sales needs this – sell a solution to a client
and setting realistic expectations on end product, delivery timing and quality.
o
Customer Service needs this – manage customer
expectations and addressing customer needs.
o
Finance needs this in order to be better
positioned to quantify and predict ROI
Why do I need an
ORR? An ORR or Operational Readiness Review is a process by which the
individual steps of a migration / conversion are reviewed with the core team
members and then documented. It produces a document that details the process; step
by step and in the proper sequence. There may need to be several iterations of
the review process and document updates. Not only for the purpose of getting it
right, but also to allow the process details to be fully socialized with the
core team members who will be executing those individual steps. Nike Project
management (Just Do It) cannot be relied upon for these types of projects. Too
many things need to be planned, anticipated and have back up plans in the event
that something goes wrong. This is highly likely in these sorts of
projects.
Flow chart out
individual execution steps (grouped by resource). The steps are often times
sequential, though many may happen concurrently. There are many steps and
participants who need to be working in synchronicity and on time for a
migration / conversion to be successful. While a document of the steps is
critical and necessary, many people are visual learners and as a project
manager, you need to ensure that you are communicating with all of your core
team members in a language that they understand.
Create document
with detailed steps, owners, dates, times, and comments. A flow chart does not
provide the level of detail that a checklist will provide. Some will need this
level of detail while others will need less. Most often the involved
stakeholders will need the checklist. The informed stakeholders (customer
service, marketing, etc) will not always require the same level of detail but
will want to understand the process. The flow chart is a great tool for
identifying the key checkpoints, exit/entry criteria from one phase of the
migration to the next, and particularly the Go / No Go; Point of No Return in the process. Of course if there is a No Go decision, your
plan must include a roll back strategy otherwise Go / No Go becomes
Go-No-Matter-What. It is important that all understand when this milestone is
reached and that all stakeholders are involved in this part of the process.
They need to assess and participate in the decision making process as it will
affect their realms of responsibility.
Review both
with your execution team and stakeholders. Ensure that all understand the
process, and understand the impacts of the migration to their individual
departments and responsibilities.
Run multiple
phases, tweak and modify the process after each phase. Where possible, break a
migration into multiple phases. Running test phases is akin to warm ups for the
big game. It will allow you to test the process, correct or modify and then try
again. Having a high sense of comfort in the validity of your process is
important not just for you but to instill confidence in your stakeholders who
you will need to support you during the migration, and who will inherit the
outcome.
An Operational
Readiness Review accomplishes many things at once. It ensures that all team
members are on the same page / marching to the same orders; Increases
confidence that all team members know their roles and are well prepared to
execute them correctly; creates a more cohesive team performance and
environment; Increases chances for success / better prepared for handling
exceptions; manages expectations with informed stakeholders.
This process is
a powerful tool to add to your PM tool kit for improving your brand in project
management by increasing your reputation for execution excellence.
For more information on tools
& techniques that you can use to improve your project performance in
increase the value of your brand visit us at www.exorion.net
. Join us on Twitter @exOrionLLC.
by Sean Best, PMP. Owner of exOrion LLC. His 20+ years of project management experience includes work in the banking, payment processing, telecommunication and software development industries. He can be reached at sbest@exorion.net
