Of the previous five tips I reviewed last week, the first three are all related to project momentum. Let’s look at a key to maintaining that momentum while also reducing the impediments on your SAP project.
One SAP critical success factor for maintaining project momentum requires SAP project management that is fully integrated in the day-to-day project activities. This hands-on approach to project management is one of the SAP best practices for overall project success. The tools, resources, and templates SAP provides is a key reason for Why to Use the SAP ASAP Methodology .
Unfortunately, few SAP project or program managers are engaged in the day-to-day project execution activities.
SAP Project Management Best Practices
“An SAP project manager or SAP program manager must focus aggressively on removing obstacles, encouraging success, and fighting against those things that would slow momentum” (SAP Project Manager – SAP Program Manager, Lessons from the Trenches).
To successfully manage a project, you must do the following:
- Develop project deliverable and task-tracking tools that are simple, easy to understand, and forward looking. If a status tracking tool has more than ten columns for a deliverable or particular task, it is probably getting too involved. Similarly, if it has over fifteen columns (not task rows but details, status, and note columns), the tool will likely kill any momentum.
- Set, then communicate, then reinforce an expectation that project members must raise concerns about anything slowing down project momentum immediately.
- Create a formalized but simple decision escalation process. If any project execution process is overly complicated, it will reduce momentum or not be used. This is especially true for decision making.
- All project activities must focus on execution, because the execution and action are what maintain momentum.
- Keep the project focus forward looking. Continue to communicate the timeline, and use presentations for all key upcoming project activities. Have templates, deliverables, and instructions in plenty of time for project members to transition to the new tasks (a RACI chart can help here).
A Key Psychological Affect on SAP Project Momentum
Some time back, I read an interesting study by a researcher about high-performance teams that consistently met “stretch” goals. The key characteristic that distinguished consistently high-performing teams was how they approached their assignments. High-performance teams consistently looked ahead at what they needed to do next to achieve their goals. An interesting discovery this study made was when these same high performers were allowed to focus on their achievements and accomplishments, their performance suffered. They discovered when people stop to reflect on how much they have achieved and how far they have come, they tend to become more satisfied where they are and naturally slow down. That sense of achievement causes them to pause and become more content. As a result, their forward-looking productivity suffers.
We see this slow down all the time in the high-performance area of professional sports. How many times have you seen a professional team start out strong and gain a lot of ground on their competitors, only to ease up and then lose that ground by the end of the game? Sometimes, these large gains are even erased, and the other team wins! The team that started strong started to look at where they were and relaxed a bit. Meanwhile, their opponents started to look ahead and focused on how to turn things around. The coaches and players of the team that was behind started looking ahead and planning for how to systematically win the game.
On the other hand, as we will explore in the next post, reflecting on past achievements can sometimes be an effective project strategy to reduce tension and stress. You should celebrate SAP project milestones and achievements, but only as a passing measurement point. Part of that celebration or recognition of a milestone must be about the passing of that mark and looking forward to, or celebrating, how the next upcoming milestone or major achievement will be met. You can also use these recognition events to relieve project stress and pressure at the appropriate times. Looking forward creates and sustains momentum.
Very Informative post… i like your post post content SAP is very useful software for organization… the tips you have explain is also very helpful for doing SAP project effectively….