Project Risk and the Project Progress Assessment (PPA): Keeping Your Project on the Straight and Narrow
In our last blog about project risk, we made mention of our Project Progress Assessment Workshop which supports risk identification, management and mitigation. PeopleSoft implementations can be complex and challenging with many projects running within the core project. Ensuring that all activities, obligations, project structure and deliverables are met on time is a challenge unto itself. In order to keep the project on track from beginning to end, MIPRO’s SD3 methodology deploys project progress assessments (PPA) at key milestones in the project.
What on Earth is a PPA?
PPAs utilize a combination of a series of pre-set interviews with various project team members in order to gain a better understanding of the effectiveness of the project. The project plan is analyzed in detail in order to gauge plan versus actual progress to date. The key focus areas for the PPA include:
- Overall status
- Infrastructure and Architecture
- Change Management
- Application Configuration and Delivery
- Team Structure
- Project Management and Structure
A detailed report and presentation is given to both the project management and executive sponsors. Within the report, outstanding issues along with mitigation strategies are outlined. Executing on the mitigation strategies allows the project to stay on path. It is very important to note that the PPA findings are written from a very neutral position. Issues identified are not the fault of any one party, the issues are simply project issues which must be corrected for the good of the overall project.
As part of the report, we always report back against the original risks identified within the project charter and outline the status of each.
Additionally, we report against new issues and risks identified and create specific risk mitigation recommendations.
Think of your project as a long journey being off course by only a degree or two. Over time, this will significantly alter your path as it relates to your destination. The PPA allows for course corrections along the way ensuring the project crosses the finish line when and where it was originally intended. The PPA can be executed whether you are implementing on your own or using a partner as these are designed to be neutral in nature.
Questions or comments about what our PPA involves and whether it might be right for you? Please email me and I’ll be happy to chat.
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MIPRO Consulting is a nationally-recognized consulting firm specializing inPeopleSoft Enterprise (particularly Enterprise Asset Management) andBusiness Intelligence. You’re reading MIPRO Unfiltered, its blog. If you’d like to contact MIPRO, email is a great place to start, or you can easily jump over to its main website. If you’d like to see what MIPRO offers via Twitteror Facebook, we’d love to have you.
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