Conduct project

Project management: The role of the Transition Manager

To carry out a complex business project, it is necessary to break it down into structured stages.

The Transition Manager then finds his place to carry out this strategic mission. He brings an external perspective, sets specific KPIs, structures and manages the project. He puts in place all the elements for the project to be carried out efficiently and profitably.

What is project management?

Project management makes it possible to optimize the performance of the company , by structuring a project defined in different stages.

It is a set of good practices implemented in a specific context.

This procedure plans, organizes and coordinates the activities necessary to carry out a project. The project management mission relies on specific methods, tools and procedures.

In particular, project management is used in the following situations:

• Deployment of new software,
• Change of software or infrastructure,
• Merging of two entities,
• Development of commercial offers,
• Arrival of a competitor on our market,
• Sale Of A Business,
• Implementation of a new service requiring a substantial recruitment and training plan.

Why set up a project management?

Project management makes it possible to optimize the company’s performance, by structuring a project defined in different stages. It also makes it possible to avoid the classic pitfalls: too long deadlines, too late implementation, lack of organization, lack of follow-up and other errors of this type. By implementing a rigorous action plan, management gives itself every chance of carrying out its mission.

The five stages of project management

Project management is a mission that follows a strictly defined and clearly framed procedure. The steps, precisely defined, are always the same:

• 1) Construction of the project

The project construction stage consists of setting up a needs analysis. This phase is necessary to set up the project in good conditions. In agreement with the management of the department concerned, this audit mission makes it possible to set the objectives that the company or department wishes to achieve and to define precisely the means to achieve them. These quantifiable objectives are generally grouped together in a management tool.

The stage of analysis and construction of the project involves preliminary studies, but also the collection of data and information essential to the proper implementation of the project.

• 2) Project planning

Once the needs have been defined and the objectives expressed, the project should be planned and structured in stages defined over time. Each planning stage has specific objectives, with a predetermined time and cost.

The planning is in particular the subject of a precise study of the human and material resources necessary for the successful completion of the project.

• 3) Organization and management of the team dedicated to the project

Project management involves the creation of an ad hoc work team , made up of people with the skills required to carry out the project.

A team is often made up of the following roles:

• The project manager: Director of the mission, he defines the objectives to be achieved, determines the actions to be carried out and supervises the work according to the objectives. He ensures the proper execution of tasks and works. He directs and supervises the work of a team. He ensures that the members of this team carry out their work in accordance with the project plan.
• The technical expert: On complex projects such as the implementation of software, the technical expert plays a key role, by precisely analyzing the Customer’s needs and implementing the means necessary to meet them.
• PMO (Project Management Office) in project mode: The PMO is the project management structure created to ensure its successful completion. Placed under the responsibility of the project manager, the PMO has an execution and implementation role. It ensures consistency and unity in all areas of the project, based on the schedule.
• The “sponsor” acts as an intermediary between the Client and the project team. He ensures that deadlines are met and that budgets are not exceeded.

• 4) Monitoring and steering of the project

The project is then set up, under the responsibility of the project manager. It is up to the latter to check that the real needs of the Client are well understood, but also to validate the deadlines, the budgets and above all the result and the impact of the actions carried out on the project.

• 5) Measurement of results and closure of the project

Once the project is finalized, it is necessary to analyze and measure the results , in order to verify to what extent the objectives have been achieved. To measure these objectives, the project manager can rely on success indicators. He must then convince the client by presenting the results. The project ends finally, with a progress report, then with a final report which allows the project manager to communicate on the results of the project.

The PMO is then dissolved and the people who participated in it can be assigned to other projects.

The role of an Interim Manager in project management

An Interim Manager who wishes to support a company in project management must play a cross-functional role:

• He must ensure upstream that the Client’s needs are properly understood, analyze the situation precisely and set achievable objectives.
• It is also up to him to lead the projects within the company, relying on the various players concerned. For this, he will have to take into account all the factors.
• The Transition Manager must also verify that the project objectives have been achieved: He must report to the Client on the following questions: Was the project carried out on time? Was the budget respected? Are the results obtained consistent with the initial objectives? For this, he will have to present to the Client quantifiable indicators which will make it possible to establish precisely the profitability of the project.

The skills of an Interim Manager to carry out a project are numerous

• Analytical skills to quickly perceive the challenges of a project,
• Ability to set clear, quantifiable and achievable goals,
• Possibility of setting up an exploitable and intuitive management tool in a short time,
• Strong sense of leadership and ability to encourage a team,
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to adapt to various actors.

The role of an interim management firm is to connect a company with an operational transition manager, who has all the qualities required to quickly adapt to the needs of the company.

By calling on an Interim Manager to lead a project , a company is guaranteed to benefit from a structured project, limited in time, efficiently managed and therefore fully profitable.