Navigating Flu Season: How IT Project Management as a Service (PMaaS) Keeps Your Projects Stay Healthy When Your Team Is Not.

As I write, we are clearly coming into cold and flu season!

Television and radio are full of adverts for over-the-counter medicines for coughs, blocked noses and sore throats and my social media feeds are full of home-made remedies – green ginger wine, rum, honey, boiling water, chilli, 2 drops each of rosemary and eucalyptus essential oil – who knew?!

One advert asks, “Are you ready for cold and flu season?”

Let me ask you, as a resourcer of IT Project Management teams – are you ready?

Is your operational continuity secured when your team are dropping like flies, do you have remote options in place to reduce spread of lurgy, are your comms and data up to scratch if team member availability fluctuates? Stoneseed can help with all this and more.

From now until spring, Stoneseed will have a flow as constant as a runny nose (really? – Ed) of enquiries for short term IT project management talent.

Of course, just a day or two off with a bad cold, or a week off with the flu, isn’t a crisis but at critical project times it can cause major setbacks. Having a flexible resourcing partner on your preferred supplier list as a backup, is a great idea. (and a tube of Berocca.)

It is not clear how bad this year’s flu season might be, but the UK looks to southern hemisphere nations, like Australia, for predictions. Australia’s winter flu season looks to be ending, and cases were relatively high. Southern Africa and some South American countries (Chile, Ecuador, and Uruguay) also had high levels of flu.

Flu season in the UK typically runs from October to March, with the peak in December and January. You need to be ready!

Here’s how Stoneseed can help:

1 – Operational Continuity

Stoneseed’s Project Management as a Service really comes into its own at this time of the year. Like in the summer when your ‘A-team’ is lying on a white sandy beach or by a hotel pool, we can help when they’re lying in their sick bed too.

Back-Up: When key talent is off you need to be able to pivot fast to mitigate the effect on your project outcomes. IT Project Management as a Service providers can help with backup resources and can quickly provide additional project managers or support staff if key team members are out sick, ensuring that critical milestones and deadlines are not missed.

Remote Project Management and Delivery: All Stoneseed’s PMaaS services are available onsite or remote, in fact we are experts in Remote Project Delivery. This allows us to continue to manage and coordinate tasks even if internal team members are unavailable due to illness. This ensures that projects stay on track without interruption.

2 – Comms, Data and Documentation

Cold and flu season can feel like a relay race and like the 4 x 4 400 metres, the winners are usually the teams with the most efficient baton handover! When Sarah’s in Monday but absent on Tuesday and Wednesday and Kyle is back from his bug Wednesday but out of action for the whole week before and Mo’s strong and fit at the start of the week but floored by the back end, it’s crucial that you maintain great comms, data and documentation.

Stoneseed’s P3MO Platform is constructed on Microsoft Office 365 technology allowing you to effectively deploy your investment in Microsoft 365 platforms when you need them the most. Cloud Technologies like Planner (Microsoft Project), PowerApps, Teams, Forms, Automate, and Power BI deliver collaboration, automation, integration and powerful business intelligence for your PMO.

Improving your governance and reporting capabilities with established or new toolsets, is a key factor in PMO development and success when your talent are in rude health, it becomes extra important when they are not. Our P3MO platform helps you to track progress and manage tasks. This ensures that even if team members are out sick, everyone can stay updated on project status and priorities in real time. With a centralised project management system, you are less dependent on individual team members for knowledge transfer. Documentation and tasks are well-organised, making it easier for others to step in when someone is absent.

It’s one thing having these platforms, as always, it’s how you use them! Stoneseed offer expert build and rollout for our P3MO reporting platform constructed on Microsoft Office 365 technology.

3 – Temporary Skill Booster

If the flu season takes out your specialised personnel (like your IT project leaders or your business analyst, PMaaS providers can quickly fill these skill gaps temporarily, ensuring that the project’s technical aspects continue without delay.

Stoneseed’s PMaaS provides access to a wide portfolio of project skills, made available against your demand schedule, from a single Project Manager, Business Analyst, Technical Advisory or PMO expert for a few days, right through to a large team of fully utilised project professionals.

Our people are adept at quickly onboarding and integrating meaning that any replacements or additional resources that you hire from Stoneseed become productive as soon as possible.

PMaaS gives you flexibility and control when you need it the most! Stoneseed’s innovative “turn it on, turn it off, turn it up or turn it down” on-demand resource model allows you to dial up and down IT project resources in sync with your delivery needs – with some reasonable planning!

4 – Business Analysis as a Service – prevention is better than a cure

Our clients find that when their projects have had the benefit of the service of a business analyst, they are more prepared for surprises like an outbreak of lurgy!

BAs play a crucial role in preparing an IT project for staff absence by ensuring that the project’s requirements, processes, and contingency plans are well-documented, structured, and adaptable, and in turn make an IT project more resilient.

A BA meticulously documents all project requirements, user stories, workflows, and business processes, creating a single reference source that other team members can access if key personnel are absent.

BAs also often break down projects into smaller, manageable modules, making it easier for others to step in and handle smaller pieces of work independently, even if the primary team member responsible is poorly.

Stoneseed’s BAaaS (Business Analysis as a Service) is part of PMaaS . Whether it is production of a business case for an IT Project, requirements gathering or data analysis to help with project implementation, BAaaS can be tailored to your specific requirement. As always, Stoneseed’s team are experienced across multiple technology solutions, sectors and industries.

5 – Effective PMO – The All In One Remedy!

It’s when your project or portfolio is really tested that you notice the real value of well-defined processes and governance, planning, forecasting, project resourcing – the foundations for success! An effective Project Management Office is at the heart of all of this!

At Stoneseed, our Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Office, with P3O qualified staff, is the backbone of every service we deliver via our Project Management as a Service (PMaaS) model. From onboarding clients to resourcing projects, through consultancy, service provision and transition, it is integral to the success of all our services. We know the value of a good PMO!

Stoneseed allows you access to a range of Project Management Office Services , including PMO resources via the PMaaS model, Virtual PMO (VPMO), remote access to PMO expertise and support or PMO Assessments & Consultancy.

Whether you require end-to-end PMO support, assistance in maximizing the efficiency of your current PMO, or a combination of solutions in between, Stoneseed’s Portfolio, Programme, and Project Management Office can provide access to our team of P3O qualified professionals. Our qualified staff will offer specialized PMO expertise, helping you align resources and expertise precisely when you need them.

Conclusion

Flu season can be a challenging time for any organisation, with disrupted workflows and limited productivity. However, Stoneseed’s IT Project Management as a Service (PMaaS) offers a robust solution to these challenges, providing scalable, remote, and expert project management support, PMaaS ensures that projects stay on track even when internal resources are temporarily reduced.

With the ability to quickly adapt to changing circumstances, implement contingency plans, and maintain clear communication and documentation, PMaaS (including PMO support) and our P3MO platform allows businesses to remain resilient and productive. Ultimately, leveraging PMaaS during flu season not only minimises disruptions but also empowers teams to focus on their core responsibilities, knowing that their projects are in capable hands.

For businesses aiming to maintain operational continuity and meet project goals, having Stoneseed on speed dial (01623 723910) or bookmarked (click here) can be the key to navigating cold and flu (and worse), season smoothly and efficiently.

Stay healthy … you and your projects.

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