It is Good to be Realistic with Transformation Objectives

Even though there are tomes available on transformation strategy, I still find clients disappointed with the outcome. I believe that following these 3 strategies will help in avoiding the disappointment trap.

• Realistic expectations setting is essential from Day 1. However call it lack of commercial acumen or stakeholder pressure, we often notice a rather greener picture presented to the decision makers. Since estimation is a mix of measurement and experience, I suggest being conservative in the benefit analysis. You can also put in mid point check in the project plan when you can tweak the benefits and all metrics.

• Small wins vs big wins should be clearly identified in the project plan and agreed with the stakeholders. All releases are wins and complexity can tag a win as a big win. The idea is to follow an agile methodology in everything you do – celebrate a string of small wins which leads to a big win. This way, all stakeholders have visibility to the progress and share inputs for mid-stream course correction

• Euphoria trap sets in after the initial win. It is essential to showcase the wins and continue the momentum throughout the project cycle. Dips in euphoria after initial positive outcomes is detrimental to resource and in extreme cases, to the project funding! Hence communication and change management is key to project success.