Barbara had also identified numerous department managers and senior customer service representatives who would be able to provide detailed processing requirements. She had divided her list of stakeholders into two groups. The first group consisted of all those with primary responsibility to help define user requirements. The second group included those who not have direct use of the system but would need reports and information from the system. She wanted to make sure the needs of these people were also satisfied.
As an experienced project manager, Barbara had her checklists of things to do. She used a project manager checklist to help her remember all important tasks. Being a project manager was much too critical, and potentially stressful, to do it "by the seat of your pants."
As she reviewed her list, she noticed several activities that she had not yet considered on the CSS project. She was thinking that before she let her project team start to meet with the users, she ought to consider these items and review them with her team. The items that most caught her attention were the following: a) develop a communications plan with the user, b) manage user expectations, and c) control the scope and avoid scope creep.
What would you do if you were Barbara? Obviously, you want to provide the best possible solution for the company, but you also need to control the project, the scope, and the users so that the system will be successful and be installed on time.
1. Identify the major points you would include in a communications plan at this point in the project.
2. What advice would you give your project team to help it manage the user expectations?
3. What early planning can you do now to ensure that the scope is realistic to meet the need but within the time and budget allotted?