I had a project closed after a successful sign off. The project was to roll out an application to 2 clients. Now, after the project is closed, the sponsor / stakeholder, wants to roll out the application to 5 new addtional clients, since the product was good.
The question is, what should be my process.
Thanks. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
After delivery, rollout a product to more clients is not a project. With that said, it could depends on each organization strategy behind it. For example, I worked in some organizations that do that because commercial reasons and risk avoidance. But at the end, what I manage always is not to reopen a project, is to create a new ones. Reopen something is close is not recommendable for things like all type of resources has been released. Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Would concur with Sergio, the old project is past, closed (it's product is not) and any new request should be a new project. New timeline, budget, stakeholders, maybe requirements. Saving Changes...
Sergio,
Thanks. I am a Program Manager on this initiative and this Project was a part of that Program. I was raised questions as why not to consider reopening for the reasons you had mentioned "commercial / risk / etc.". Appreciate the response.
I'll open a new Project.
Thanks.
...
1 reply by Sergio Luis Conte
Dec 17, 2019 1:08 PM
Sergio Luis Conte
...
You are welcome. As I mentioned I wrote about my personal experience only. Regards.
Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Dec 17, 2019 1:03 PM
Replying to Sampath Natarajan
...
Sergio,
Thanks. I am a Program Manager on this initiative and this Project was a part of that Program. I was raised questions as why not to consider reopening for the reasons you had mentioned "commercial / risk / etc.". Appreciate the response.
I'll open a new Project.
Thanks.
You are welcome. As I mentioned I wrote about my personal experience only. Regards. Saving Changes...
I agree with Sergio that this should be opened as a new project rather than re-opening the original one.
It is really a different kind of project now that you have gone from Non-Recurring Effort to Recurring. For the NRE project you developed the first implementation, and for the next project(s) you tailor the product and implementation plan to the new clients.
One way to approach this is to examine your previous WBS, and determine which portions of may be reused for all clients without modification. Then you will have a category of work statement of items which must be tailored to a new customer, such as data tables with their unique customer information, or interfaces with custom applications. There may also be all new functionality required that requires new development. Some of the new work may be common across all the new clients, and some may be unique to them individually.
One of the features of a "product based" WBS, is that you can examine your original WBS level by level and reuse that same organizational structure for the new work. The difference is that some parts of the WBS are already completed on the 1st implementation, some need to be revised, and some new sections may be added. If that previous WBS was already aligned to the organization, budgets, etc. it is a much better starting point than building your SOW from scratch. Saving Changes...
Now that since it is going to be a new project (but a rollout of the same product to new clients), what should be the Project Name?
The reason I am asking is, if I give a different project name, the stakeholders are going to panic and ask me if we intend to change the product?
But, from a Program. Manager perspective, am I ok to use the same project name?
...
1 reply by Keith Novak
Dec 17, 2019 1:37 PM
Keith Novak
...
We call configuring an existing product for a new client a "customer introduction". The project name is essentially Program Name + Customer Name + Cust. Intro.
Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Well, I assume your program has a name. Was is different to the project name? What is the product's name (application). Project name could be like: Rollout productname 2020. Saving Changes...
Now that since it is going to be a new project (but a rollout of the same product to new clients), what should be the Project Name?
The reason I am asking is, if I give a different project name, the stakeholders are going to panic and ask me if we intend to change the product?
But, from a Program. Manager perspective, am I ok to use the same project name?
We call configuring an existing product for a new client a "customer introduction". The project name is essentially Program Name + Customer Name + Cust. Intro. Saving Changes...
