This level of impact must be assessed and managed accordingly. A useful checklist of the issues and concerns should be prepared; it should cover the organization, its culture, the people, and, possibly, attitudes that need to change.

Has a Budget Been Allocated for Implementation?

Successfully implementing a new methodology takes time and considerable resources. There will be costs associated with such an implementation.

For example, a consulting firm tried to implement a fullblown project methodology for a pharmaceutical client. Costs were calculated for only the manpower time for this deployment, but the schedule slipped, and unforeseen costs such as documentation, training, and information technology began driving up the original implementation budget. The project failed because of ineffective budgeting. Some of the most important costs to include in a methodology implementation are listed in Table 5.1.

Table 5.1: Considering rollout costs

Implementation Requirements

Certain documentation should be completed before any implementation of methodology takes place. Table 5.2 lists typical documentation.

Table 5.2: Implementation requirements

Implementation Tools

For many companies globally, the prospect of implementing a full-blown methodology for the first time can be intimidating. In addition, if the implementation team does not understand how the organizations processes work and

which tools to use for the actual implementation, things only get worse. I recommend the following tools:

Any project management application (e.g., MS Project, Primavera).

A spreadsheet to track data and key business information (e.g., MS Excel).

Visio Professional or any diagramming application to create flowcharts and processes.

Any software development package that allows development of a customized project methodology with graphical user interface (GUI).

Workflow software to automate the flow of project deliverables or support the established processes between project teams.

An electronic repository for document storage and version control.

A sizable database for storing and querying project data.

Implementation Roles and Responsibilities

In any project deployment, a new project methodology rollout requires a project methodology team, which is assigned a project lead. The role players on the deployment side of a methodology pilot rollout, along with their key roles and responsibilities, are shown in Table 5.3.

Table 5.3: Roles and responsibilities in a methodology rollout