Project Sponsors, have you thought about how your project ENDS?

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Project Sponsors have a key role in the wider context of a project. Unless they think through how they plan to use the outputs of a project to deliver on their business case, they run the risk of failure in spite of a successful project.

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I'm a project manager. I'm rather good at what I do. (Sorry I'm British, self promotion doesn't come easily!). I will complete the scope, deliver the objectives, meet the timescale, handover to an operational entity, high five all round, log what we've learnt and ride off into the sunset.

CONGRATULATIONS! Project Sponsor, you are now the proud owner of a shiny new capability!

...Do you know how your are going to use it?
 ...I mean specifically, not in broad general terms. 

For example:

Construction projects, where a facility is built, there will be a huge set of activities to undertake to ensure the completed facility is an operational enterprise.

or

IT projects,  where computer systems are built, one needs to ensure users are trained on the new solution and are able to use it in a real world environment, as well as hand over to a service desk for ongoing maintenance.

or

Product launch projects, where a supply chain team makes sure the products are manufactured to spec and delivered to target markets, but from that point on a commercial team needs to make sure the available product is in the retail chain and promoted to its customers.

If the follow-on activities aren't thought through, organised and put in place, you just have a lump of concrete, a pile of silicon chips and copper or plastic and tin foil. Not a facility, a computer system or a launched product respectively.

"A business case!" you declare! But you also need a plan and team to take on your new capability and operationalise it to deliver the benefits outlined in the said business case.

Here's the good news: at the outset of the project, a good PM will help you think this through. 
If they're really good, they'll tell you to stop and work through it with you so that you have a wider practically applicable perspective. They'll flag who they would expect to handover to and what those people as an entity need to do to continue the momentum. They may even recommend you identify a project manager to operationalise the activity (Sorry that's a bit self serving but true none the less!)

But have no doubt, once complete, the onus is on the business and specifically the project sponsor to ensure the new capability delivers the return on investment envisaged at the outset of the project. So make sure you've thought it through. 

Need some help with this? Lets chat...

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