When businesses implement new technology, it’s common to lean heavily on the technical team for guidance, assuming that anyone on the internal team can manage the project itself. However, this is a critical misconception. While your technology consultant is skilled at configuring and building the system, they are not equipped to manage milestones, priorities, or timelines. Furthermore, assigning an internal team member who isn’t a seasoned project manager can lead to missed risks, disengaged stakeholders, and a lack of clear priority for both the vendor and your team.

What’s missing is a project management consultant. Someone who can bridge the gap between your internal team and the technology consultant, ensuring project success while balancing budget, resource constraints, and work priorities. Today, I’d like to share my project management consulting process that has helped customers achieve successful technology implementations.

Step 1: The Kick-Off

The kick-off phase is critical for setting the foundation of your project. It starts with project discovery, where I engage with key stakeholders to understand their vision, needs, and goals for the implementation. During this phase, I conduct a thorough stakeholder analysis, identifying who needs to be involved, at what level, and how often. This ensures everyone has a clear role and that we’re all working towards the same objectives.

I also fill out all required documentation, including project charters, scopes of work, and contracts. This is followed by creating a communication plan so everyone knows how updates will be shared and what to expect as we move forward. Finally, I conduct a project process orientation to familiarize the team with how we’ll track progress, report status, and resolve issues, while also recruiting the project team to make sure the right people are in place for a successful implementation.

Step 2: Pre-Planning

Once the groundwork is laid, we move into pre-planning. In this phase, I focus on building out all the project templates and dashboards that will help us track progress. These tools include everything from status trackers to timelines to task management systems. Checklists, deliverable schedules, and repository systems for documentation are also put in place to facilitate seamless collaboration between teams.

Once this framework is built, I present a walkthrough to the team, providing a clear understanding of how we’ll use these tools to keep the project on track. This early-stage planning ensures we are ready for any hurdles and that everyone knows their part before the project moves forward.

Step 3: Analysis

In the analysis phase, we conduct initial review sessions to examine how your current system is set up and to discuss what you need from the new technology. This is where I work closely with both the internal team and the technology consultant to align expectations and ensure we’re on the same page regarding the new system’s functionality.

These sessions are crucial to identifying gaps and setting realistic goals. We’ll discuss user requirements, desired outcomes, and potential limitations of the new platform, which will feed into the building and testing phases.

Step 4: Building & Testing

This is where the technology consultant begins building the system according to your specifications. But my role as a project management consultant doesn’t end here. Once the system is built, we undergo several iterations of testing. First, we test to see if any configuration gaps need to be addressed, ensuring that the system is set up correctly.

Following that, your team is given the opportunity to log in and use the system in a mock live environment. This allows everyone to test the system in real-world scenarios, ensuring it performs as expected and identifying any adjustments that need to be made.

Step 5: Go Live & Post-Go Live Support

Once the system has passed all testing, we move into the Go Live phase. This is the point where your business will officially start using the new technology platform. However, my support doesn’t end on Go Live day. After the system goes live, I provide post-Go Live support, ensuring that any issues from end users are promptly addressed. From troubleshooting to answering questions, this phase is essential to ensuring the long-term success of your technology implementation.

Ready to Ensure Success in Your Next Technology Implementation?

If you’re implementing new technology and need a steady hand to guide your team through the complexities of project management, SwaLaRue Consulting is here to help. We specialize in aligning project goals, identifying risks, managing resources, and ensuring that your implementation goes smoothly from start to finish.

Fill out our interest form today to get started on managing your next implementation and ensure a successful project outcome!