Transition Function Communications Plan example essay topic

GLOBAL TRANSITION AS A FUNCTION? My recommended approach to conducting the Transition Function would be to use a simple iterative framework. Starting well in advance (6+ months where possible) to engage with each site, grow the teams (both Global and Local) and their competency as we grow the knowledge base for that site. In the end, even the best process won't work without the right people with the right knowledge. Breaking down traditional communication barriers between IT, support staff and project people will be a challenge - asking people to work outside their comfort zones will be even more so.

Three main focus areas are defined and planned: Pre-Transition Activities Transition Activities Post-Transition Activities Pre-Transition Activities Location Preparation This is the phase of transition where investigations are commenced to build a location specific knowledgebase on which to construct the Transition Plan. Assessments (audits) of the location architectures are important at this stage, both from a functional and technical standpoint. This is not just an inventory of the hardware on site, but an examination of what state is operational and informational data in? building an inventory of all operational files and databases, current business processes and work practices. The technical audit scrutinizes the underlying technologies that are required to run the applications, such as computing platforms, networks, operating systems, database-management systems, storage devices, and middleware. As part of this exercise, a comparison is run with the Required Technical Architecture documentation for this project so that potentially overlapping or incompatible technologies are identified, and those that do not make the grade become candidates for being phased out. The organizational architecture audit entails a comprehensive examination of current processes, services, organizational structures, roles and responsibilities, and core competencies.

It is this audit which will identify location specific exceptions and expectations - some of which will require additional work by the solutions team to remedy within the applications and some of which will require Project Sponsor remediation to adapt the working practices of the location. User requirements are expressed through an assessment / audit as well - similar to the application development world's "use cases" - these can be a very simple note of a users special needs or a complete process map for a location specific task. The types of questions to be asked at this time are wide ranging: For example o Who controls interfaces and their integrity? o Who do people contact for help? o Who makes sure the controls are OK? o Who makes sure user / data errors are corrected? o Who fixes errors in the system? o Who writes new reports? o Who decides which upgrades to apply & when? o Who does the upgrades? o Who controls access security? o Who pays for all these things? o Who is responsible and accountable for the system utilization? There should be no misunderstanding about the critical nature of these assessments / audits. With the inception of a Location Knowledge Base (Site Bible), we document the "current state of the location" including how technologies are used, where they are deployed (architecture audits) how the location is organized from IT and business perspectives (process mapping of local banking / legislative /governance / practice for example) how the users work in the current state (in particular, what workarounds have they cooked up for themselves and the impact of taking them away) any local projects or plans including environment changes, personnel changes that may impact the project (this should include the impact of the Location Team personnel being seconded off to the project?) qualify the "vision gap" between what management believes and staff know; perceptions regarding the project; basic skills deficits - this is the win the hearts and minds bit that is so very important to the success of any project.

Identify the "necessary initiatives" which are really the basis for a "transition plan". These will range from simple workarounds to system patches and site specific code being written. Identify (or confirm) the Location Transition team, their skills, knowledge and understanding of the role and deliver any training required to support them. Transition Plan The output (deliverable) of the Pre-Transition Activities is the construction of a transition plan. Basically, a prioritized list of initiatives to undertake and the dependencies among them - what needs to be done and what effort is required to do it.

Effort can be defined to include actual cost and time to how much change the organization must endure. TRANSITION ACTIVITIES Set up Cut over Commissioning Post-Transition Activities Communication Communication at the start of the project and at the start of each phase will have been co-ordinated by the Communications Team. Communication addresses two main needs: o providing important information to those who need to know it, and o conveying information to affect the attitude and behaviour of various populations concerned. Communications Specific to Transition It is not wise to deliver every message as soon as it is ready.

Messages should be timed for maximum impact and effectiveness. For each phase of the transition function, the general approach to communication should be reviewed and the Communications Plan drafted to suit. Detailed plans, actions and responsibilities should be defined and agreed. See Outline Plan attached as Appendix A It is inevitable that communications needs will have changed since the original Communications Plan for the project. The plan will need revision and additional detail. Many new messages and information requirements will have become clear.

Discuss needs with the various team leaders and other sources. Review the success of communication to date to see if further reinforcement is required. Within the Transition Function Communications Plan there should be a variety of styles and methods in use - depending on the communication need and the target audience, the appropriate style or method is deployed: Communication at the end of each Transition Function phase Review the success of the Communications Plan and approach. Be aware that it may be surprised how little of the various messages have been digested. Consider what remedial activity is required. It might be something to address immediately or it could be dealt with in the Communication Plan for the next phase.

Communication at the end of the Transition Function Typically, communication reaches a peak at the end of a project. There is a great need for detailed instructions and information. Communication will be required beyond the go-live date and possibly beyond the life of the project. During the early days of live running there will be need to: o reinforce the change messages, o remind users about the new processes and how to use the technology, o identify and remedy gaps in the information that was disseminated, o publicise and celebrate the success, and the people involved RESOURCING The Transition Function would be best staffed from two separate but linked perspectives. What each (location / region ) requires is an empowered transition manager -- an experienced staffer with the clout / connections to get enough knowledge and muscle behind the endeavor. These transition managers must be permitted to operate in a proactive mode.

Proactive transition managers need indepth experience and understanding of their locations so they know where to focus their attention as well as recognize potential issues before they occur. And then they need a workflow / communication system that lets them monitor and inform all affected parties in the most efficient manner possible -- one e-mail among 50 people really isn't enough. The Global Transition Team is more of a "virtual" set. While there needs to be a core team -an overall owner -? two? technically experienced specialists my current view of this team is that it will be very fluid. The idea is to add and subtract people and skills as we move along the timeline of each location and region. The idea would be to maximise the opportunities for both sharing and developing skills.

By engaging the Location Transition Manager for a location further down the list in the work of the current location, and / or by engaging the Location Transition Manager for a completed site as a mentor, we can raise the levels of practice quite speedily. The same approach would be applied to the various project streams whose representation will be required - again, it will vary depending on the needs of the location. Transition Manager Key Skills and Attributes: o Project Conduct experience o Emotional Resilience o Strong Communication (including English / Local verbal skills) o Negotiation / Facilitation skills o Flexibility (both in work practices and environments) This role is not geared to a high-level "hands off" managerial approach - Transition Management is a specific kind of management. The Transition Manager facilitates the process of the transformation and in many instances operates in two different, and often hostile, environments; this ability is essential to creating the bridge necessary for successful transformations 1. it requires that the incumbent be empowered by the local office senior management to go anywhere and engage with anyone, as necessary to ensure the completion of such actions, tasks and issues 2. it requires the incumbent to be ready, able and willing to get involved directly in ensuring that actions, tasks and issues are dealt with fully and completely 3. it requires that the incumbent be able to engage with whomever is appropriate, both internally and externally, so a strong, confident communicator, in both English and the local language (s), is essential 4. it requires that the incumbent be of sufficiently resilient character so as to permit them to seek assistance, stand up to the challenges, react decisively and respond appropriately as called upon 5. it requires the incumbent to be able to work within the disciplines inherent in project conduct, to understand time constraints and have a sense of urgency when needed 6. it requires that the incumbent be flexible in their work style and manner as well as flexible in their physical locations and conditions (in plain Canadian - must be willing to change and adapt as the project demands as well as travel to other sites to learn from their experiences) ENVIRONMENT Consider hardware support contracts. With each location resourcing their hardware independently, there will be a wide divergence in the support available. Ensure that contingency plans are in place.

Consider physical location for Central Command Post Consider the data-conversion process. Convert data early and often. Data elements are often "cleaned up" and improved because every legacy database has tons of irregularities... Moving a huge number of records to a new environment is a big task. Validating the Data Conversion Plan against the Transition Plan is essential Consider disruption / downtime. Backing up, tuning, and upgrading hardware and software will require downtime, but the key question is, how much and when for least business disruption.

Validating the Disaster Recovery Plan against the Transition Plan is essential. Consider restrictions. In particular local or regional regulations or practices which will impact the planning of any activities - eg: all of Rome goes to the lake week of August 15th. Consider testing / monitoring.

Validating the Testing plan against the Transition Plan is essential. Monitoring must be constant, especially during the critical "go live plus one month" period. POST-IMPLEMENTATION MANAGEMENT Well before handover of the new systems, as part of the "location preparation activities" - it should have been agreed how the systems will be managed, maintained and operated. In the days immediately before and after the deployment of a new system there is likely to be a high degree of attention given to the business changes. This will soon fall away unless management actively keep up the pressure to realise the benefits.

One particular point at which benefit should be assessed is in the Post-Implementation Review (PIR). But this should not be the only time. There should be a continuous focus on benefit throughout the life of the solution. However, this will only happen with: o Continuing support and encouragement from sponsors, line management, supervisors, coaches and colleagues o Continuing publicity and communications o Desk side coaching o Departmental champions o Easy access to safe training / testing areas where users can continue to familiarise themselves with the features of the system o Prompt attention and action for all issues raised o Performance measurement with rewards o Continuing training provision (as refreshers and for new joiners) o Continuous Improvement Programme Appendix A Outline Communication Plan Method Comments One to One: Informal interaction between the Local Transition team and the Global team - both on site and London where feasible. The focus is on building relationships and understanding of each others roles and responsibilities Ordinary conversation can be a very effective way of conveying a message - particularly if it is not seen as a "company message".

Good rumours spread quickly in an organisation. With more specific communications, talking directly with the people concerned will be the best way to get the message across and gauge the reaction. Walk round to see them or get on the plane o Social Events Social events are good at developing team spirit and buy-in. They can also be used to spread the right messages. Where there may need to be some bridges built or repaired; or a significant change / restructure incept ed - a team dinner can be an excellent way to start off the new regime.

Recommendation: Within a few weeks of the Global Team becoming a reality, it would be advisable for at least a small representative group to visit the locations with whom they will be working. This first contact visit will be a vital first step in establishing the "virtual" team who will conduct the transition for that location. o Meetings An agreed and published schedule with attendees, location and agenda set on a rolling basis. This meetings schedule is not static - the timing and frequency of the schedule varies according to the positioning of each location on the transition timeline. Meetings need a purpose and should make good use of time. Plan which messages could be conveyed during which meetings and limited the agenda and the attendees to those directly concerned or their designees. Distribute the output directly to the attendees and anyone particularly concerned and ensure a central posting location so that the wider project can keep itself informed if appropriate.

Ad hoc or emergency meetings should only be called if a decision or action has an inflexible deadline or a serious issue has arisen. Recommendation: Locations within six+ months to "go live" = Locations within three+ months to "go live" = Locations within six weeks to "go live" = Locations under "transition" = Locations under "Post-Transition" = for the first 3 to 4 weeks, weekly meetings will be held to progress the "site preparation activities Weeks 5 through 14 - biweekly - in person where practical - agenda published week prior Weeks 15 - 19 - weekly as above - emphasis on completion of site preparation activities Weeks 20 onwards - schedule to include daily / weekly meetings within site transition plan Weekly for 3 or 4 weeks prior to sign off of completed transition o Workshops A workshop format implies free exchange of ideas. It is a very good way of working in a collaborative style. o Training Courses Good training has an interactive nature which will allow you to gauge the degree of success. o Electronic o EMail EMail is often the easiest way to communicate. Set up circulation lists for the various populations that need to receive targeted messages. o Web Site Using CC Connect and creating a micro-site for the Transition function is a good way to provide detailed information for those who wish to know more. As well as straightforward information, we might wish to encourage participation by the larger group of transition support staff in discussion groups and feedback screens. Hard Copy o Project newsletter If the project newsletter is resurrected it may be useful to create a transition page - providing general background, who's who, achievements, information about what is happening now, future plans, and specific information that people need..