After a thorough selection, you made the final decision. You found the perfect fit for your organization, the contract has been signed and the start of the implementation is just around the corner. You can’t wait to start with the new system. There is one more important task on your list before you can start: selecting the project team. Who needs to be involved during the implementation? And how do you maximize the result?

Get the most out of your solution

The implementation takes place in a relatively short period of time. In a maximum of three months, the new system needs to be operational and your colleagues must be able to use it. That is quite some work, for the people in your organization as well as for the capacity needed to get the job done. Therefore, it is important to select a strong, motivated and balanced team. This team must be capable of making decisions, testing the system, and spreading the solution fluently across the organization. Only then, you can get the most out of your solution and maximize the support of your processes.

The squad

A successful project team brings you closer to a successful go-live. When your implementation progresses fluently, potential errors can be solved directly and your set up will fit seamlessly with your workflow by the time your systems go operational. In this way you benefit more from the implementation when it is over. However, what is the right composition of the team?

The primary stakeholder

First of all, the project team consists of the so-called primary stakeholder, or project owner. This is often the owner or CEO of the company. The primary stakeholder has made the decision for a new software solution and has signed the quotation. As a stakeholder, you make sure there is buy-in among the organization to make sure the colleagues outside of the project team also go along with the changes. Therefore, you are not actively involved in the implementation, but you do stay informed. For that reason, it is important the stakeholder is involved in moments as the Kick-off, SIM1, SIM2 and the go-live.

The project manager

The second important role in the project team is the project manager. The project manager is usually chosen by your organization as a project leader. As the name may foreshadow, as a project manager you manage the project and all the things that fall with that. You facilitate the project: making sure the right people can join on a specific day and the conference room with all the needed equipment. In short, you provide the means for a smooth implementation. In a relatively small organization, the role of the project manager can also be a side task of one of the key users involved in the implementation.

The key users

Speaking about that, the third important role – and possibly the most important role – that we distinguish in the project team are the key users. As a key user, you are trained and educated by Elevate-IT how to use the new system. Besides that, you are responsible for making decisions during the implementation. This is of great importance for a successful go-live. Therefore, it is important to have people in the room who are allowed to make decisions about the set up together with the consultant.

Responsibilities of the key user
Besides making decisions, the key user is also responsible for the import of the master data. The consultant will help with the first contract for example, but the rest you must fill in yourself. After that, the process must be tested in the test environment. Which is another important task of the key user. When everything works as it should, the key users start training the end-users to work with the new solution.

The number of key users in the team
Within the group of key users, different roles in the organization must be represented: from an operational manager to an employee in the warehouse. The size of the organization, the scope of the project, and the number of functionalities determine the size of the project team. To gain the maximum result, this team cannot be too big. During the implementation, you want to prevent discussions that can affect the route to success as much as possible. Nevertheless, the knowledge of different work areas must be present, because the project team is supporting all primary processes. For that reason, the project team consists of two to four key users, on average.

Teamwork makes the dream work

When the project team is selected, you work together towards a successful go-live. Together we make sure all issues are resolved. Do you want to learn more about the implementation? Mail to info@elevate-it.be.