Dynamics 365 projects fail for many reasons.
In ‘Series Intro - Top 10 Governance Structures to Guarantee Dynamics 365 Success’, we outlined how we define a failure in Dynamics 365 (D365) & Power Platform (PP) projects.
Without the correct governance structures in place, common symptoms start to appear and imminent death, project death, is just around the corner.
This death is avoidable through good governance structures, our best practices for which we’ll be sharing throughout these posts.
Each governance structure identified in our series has its own requirements and impact.
In this monthly series, one of our lead consultants, Richard White, shares his real-world experiences of how these structures affect the organisations that use, or fail to use, them correctly.
Following our last post on User Surgeries, the next strategy to avoid project death is Weekly Updates.
Once again, we will look at what it is, the symptoms you will notice from its absence, how you can go about setting the structure up, and the benefits that come from its existence.
What do we mean by weekly updates?
In this context, weekly updates are the medium by which the D365 & PP team deliver information to, and welcome feedback from, the wider organisation. They go out to a broad audience across the organisation as a higher-level summary of the D365 & PP team’s activities.
These updates are also distinct from the project-specific updates we cover in our upcoming post on Agile Project Approach; while those go to specific stakeholders, these are instead a chance to disseminate information to everyone across the organisation who is connected to D365 & PP.
Among the information contained in these weekly updates should be:
Projects status updates,
Change requests updates,
Bug status updates,
Support request updates,
and the latest D365 & PP successes
What are the benefits of sending weekly updates?
When everyone can see the progress being made, it completely transforms their attitudes and enables acceptance.
There are several benefits to making these updates a part of your processes, all broadly linked to visibility and open communication. It’s important that any D365 & PP stakeholder can see the progress being made or how their support requests are moving through the queue.
Sharing successes may feel uncomfortable or even boastful at first, but it truly helps to show the positive effects that the system is having. It also demonstrates its evolution, and helps counter our natural instinct to focus only on what is left to do, rather than how much we’ve achieved.
Transparency around the prioritisation of these is incredibly important, and the updates give people a chance to flag any potential issues. Giving groups an opportunity to see why their issue is a lower priority, or to challenge that assessment, may sound like it’s opening up a can of worms.
But in reality, it will lead to acceptance from those groups that are waiting on items because they can see where they were in the list. They will then understand the more urgent issues the team are working on, as well as appreciating the progress as their own issue moves up the queue.
Part of that visibility is that it builds accountability for the D365 & PP team. Yes, you’re putting pressure on them to deliver on the updates and estimates they’re providing, but meeting those expectations will build confidence in them throughout the organisation.
Giving people a better idea of the D365 & PP team’s workload, which is inevitably considerable, is rarely a bad thing! It will typically lead to a more positive impression of the team and their efforts to build a more fluid, user-centric system.
What are the risks of forgoing weekly updates?
Without the right communication structures, negative vibes can spread like wildfire and bring down an entire system.
I’ve seen first-hand what can happen in organisations where communication between the D365 & PP team and the wider stakeholder groups is lacking. I remember being 6 weeks into a new role within an in-house D365 & PP team, and we were making incredible strides.
Then my line manager stopped me in the hallway and said, “You need to speed up. A lot of people don’t feel like you’re making enough progress.” I was shocked; this was so at odds with what I’d been seeing. The problem was that we weren’t communicating effectively.
I wanted to get the information out to everyone that we were making amazing progress, and allow everyone to see where their items were in the queue, and why others were prioritised above them.
As it stood, despite the steering group and the super user groups, information was not being fully disseminated. This led to people in the organisation thinking that we weren’t working, especially when their items were lower down the priority list.
Implementing weekly updates transformed people’s attitude towards and perception of the D365 & PP team. Suddenly, we were being congratulated for the progress being made, and users were starting to understand our processes far more. This led to greater patience and acceptance when it came to issue prioritisation, and raised the mood around the team and the system’s introduction.
How to implement proper weekly updates
This isn’t a complicated routine to put in place, although doing it well is a somewhat different matter. But since something is better than nothing, we recommend doing whatever’s achievable.
That might just be pulling together what you can of the relevant information and emailing it out on a Friday afternoon—if that’s what you can manage, it’s a good start.
Any weekly update will be an effective way of keeping all stakeholders in the business informed, and if you use a template, that can be simple to produce as well. Consultant Power-Up Course has one such template that makes this process quick and easy.
The D365 & PP manager is likely the best person to distribute the update and they can send this out to all relevant stakeholders. The broader the mailing list, the better here—anyone who might otherwise complain is your target audience!
What are the challenges of putting weekly updates in place?
As with any email update, you run the risk of the information not being read. Even taking that into account, email is the most efficient way to get this information out to so many people, and those that do read the updates will get value from them.
If anyone comes to you with a query that the update will have answered, a gentle reminder that the information is likely to be in their inbox already will boost engagement!
There may also be some frustration when people see their items lower down the priority list or progressing slowly. Managing this isn’t always easy, but it does offer some opportunities as well.
Encouraging responses to the updates and urging people to attend an in-person meeting, be it one organised by the steering group, super user group, or as part of the project approach, will help get them involved. Often, simply feeling like they’re a part of the process will be enough, but it also gives you a chance to uncover potential issues that the D365 & PP team might not be aware of.
For example, after sending my own weekly email in the organisation mentioned above, I had the Customer Service Manager run up to me wanting to know why a high priority bug was way down the list. The truth was, we hadn’t fully understood the issue and its urgency.
The discussion we had was enlightening, and we were happy to bump it to the top of the list after that chat. The Customer Service Manager was happy, and we improved our own understanding of the system and the existing processes, all thanks to the open communication this update facilitated.
This is the power of good communication, and the right structures will help facilitate that.
In the next post within the ‘Top 10 Governance Structure to Guarantee Dynamics 365 Success’ series, we will discuss strategy #7, ‘Project Approach’.
If you want to get these posts straight to your inbox, then be sure to sign up to the mailing list below.
Richard S White
A seasoned Digital Transformation Executive renowned for leading high-performance teams towards innovative and strategic technology solutions. Specialises in steering organisations through complex digital transformations, fostering productive and accountable partnerships. Known for effectively guiding projects to success, aligning them with business objectives, and enhancing organisational self-sufficiency. Skilled in blending technology with business strategy, adept at facilitating candid discussions, aligning stakeholders, and crafting strategic roadmaps, positioned as an invaluable asset for organisations navigating the complexities of digital transformation.
Want help with your specific situation? Connect with Richard on LinkedIn to setup a free no obligation virtual coffee: http://linkedin.com/in/richardswhite/
Comentários