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Readiness Services

Readiness involves ensuring that the vision, objectives, people, processes, tasks and timeline are all aligned to begin the project. The scope of work for this goes well beyond the individual project, touching organizational, environmental and strategic areas.

Are you 100% confident in your READINESS to take on that big, complex project?

How are gaps handled?

It is not uncommon for organizations to simply hire a Project Manager and expect them to handle all of the project preparations. These activities can reach well beyond the scope of the individual project.  They may require looking in-depth at all aspects of your organization. While the PM may be well equipped to manage your project execution and keep you on-time and on-budget, advanced project planning and preparation in your unique environment requires special skills and experience. This will be a big influence upon the ongoing health of the project.

I’ve spent a good portion of my career in roles such as Project or Program Manager and have a PMP certification.  For the purpose of assessing and correcting READINESS before the project begins, the broader skillset, perspective and level of experience that I provide makes me the best resource to ensure READINESS. This is work is complementary to project management activities and we would work side-by-side to set your project foundation.

There are a myriad of conditions that affect your READINESS.  Watch this brief video to see some of the most important areas that I would like to address with you.

The list of items shared in the video could derail your project at the start and/or cause surprise impacts throughout, putting success at risk.   This includes delays and limited collaboration across participants.   Further detail on each of the topics in the video can be viewed by CLICKING THIS LINK. Related Blog posts will also be published on an ongoing basis.

The good news is that with proper diagnosis and identification, each of these items can be addressed before you begin.

Consider the application of Readiness Assurance in the context of Mergers and Acquisitions.

Readiness Assurance is start-up due diligence for complex projects. By highlighting intersections, dependencies and impacts, your benefits can include:

  • Reduced obstacles, surprises and delays during integration.
  • Finding and leveraging additional efficiencies / savings opportunities.
  • Achieving shorter time to begin seeing Return-on-Investment.

The graphic below shows the M&A lifecycle with a Readiness Assurance overlay. During Due Diligence, it complements the evaluation process by providing an additional focus on current and future operations. After close, it helps transition smoothly into integration.

If you are considering or starting M&A activities, let’s talk about how this process could provide value.

My approach is to work alongside your team to perform discovery, assessment, analysis, risk mitigation and then the corrections needed to improve READINESS.  If you have already assigned a project manager, or contracted one, I can work alongside them to address these items so that they can concentrate on the lower-level preparations for tactical execution.

Contact me to explore ways that I can help ensure your project readiness and secure the investments you’ve contemplated or already made. Don’t put your project success at risk!

Protect your project outcomes by first ensuring READINESS and then engaging a project manager to drive the project.

Idea to Realization

Transform your ideas into reality.

Have you ever had an important internal strategic initiative or great business idea that was stalled in moving from design phase or idea to reality?

I will help determine what’s essential and what’s perfection, set deadlines that encourage action, identify ownership and deliverables, and create the space for the kind of informed risk-taking that makes progress possible.

As a result, your team will move past the stall causing obstacles and you will realize the vision you’ve been striving for.

Are you a visionary entrepreneur who has great ideas and vision, but doesn’t have time, expertise or the detailed orientation to take an idea to the next step?
  • Have you started, but stalled behind some obstacle?
  • Maybe you just don’t know what to do next.
  • Maybe you don’t have the right dedicated support, including an outsider with a fresh perspective who is not limited by politics, cultural obstacles or sacred cows.

Multiple Competing Projects

Sort, organize and execute multiple projects.

HAVE YOU EVER FELT the pressure of leading one critical project, and you learn that you need to handle another equally-pressing project that’s going to overwhelm your already stretched time and resources?

You’re afraid that this adds an overwhelming level of complexity and challenge.  You’re so deep into the first project that this new one just puts you over the edge.

WHAT I WILL DO IS understand each project from vision to details and timelines, paying special attention to collision points, business and staff impact. I introduce risk mitigation options for most-likely issues and bring problem-solving acumen to quickly resolve unexpected issues.  I bring another set of eyes and fresh perspective unconstrained by politics, cultural obstacles or sacred cows.

WHAT THAT MEANS IS you can continue to focus on your primary business activities, knowing that someone is watching over both of the projects that have interrelated activities, addressing risk management throughout.  This will help get your confidence back, knowing that everything is covered and it’s going to be OK.

Technology Change

My experience as technology supplier, in product development, sales and implementation, as well as, experience managing technology suppliers, make me ideally suited to assist you with this type of change.

if you’ve ever had to buy, replace or upgrade a core piece of your technology or are considering doing this now.

I will understand your needs and direction, be the bridge to your vendor because I speak their language and understand these types of engagements, ensure everyone does what they say they will, and make sure your company is able to meet its responsibilities.

What that means is I make sure that the change is successful in a way that you are not currently set up for.

Project Examples

  • Vendor contract renewal – “seize more opportunities beyond just signing a new legal agreement”.
  • Replace an existing system – support the change alone or a full bid/buying process.
  • Obtain your first system, a new technology for the organization – same as above.
  • Upgrade a system to new release/version and/or add features.

My Activities

  • Vendor bridge – translation, communication and accountability.
  • Organize and manage your company’s responsibilities in the technology change.
  • Develop your change management strategy, plan and execution. Includes organizational readiness, impact assessments, and people side of the project.