Navigating the Transition from Project Start to Business as Usual (BAU) with Effective Lifecycle Management

You've crossed the finish line; champagne corks have popped. Your shiny new project – be it a product launch, business integration, ESG initiative, or transformation investment – is live.

But hold the victory lap, CEOs. The real marathon starts now: transitioning seamlessly from project adrenaline to the steady pace of business-as-usual (BAU).? This handoff is notoriously bumpy. Ive been there.

In my 20 years leading these areas using lifecycle management, I've learned that no new project or product ever goes to plan. One common gap I've witnessed is the person who designs the innovation and the team responsible for executing and implementing it often work in isolation. The individual who originally built the business case and promised the upside is nowhere to be found. Frequently, the assumptions in the original business case need refining, and market planning and regulatory compliance require constant enhancement to ensure alignment with evolving realities.

Embedding Lifecycle Disciplines into Your DNA:

From Ideation to Retirement: Don't treat BAU as an afterthought. Instead, weave lifecycle considerations into the very fabric of your project, from its earliest conceptual stages through to its eventual sunsetting. Define the Lifecycle blueprint, outlining each phase from initiation to conclusion, with clear milestones and criteria for success. This blueprint will serve as your roadmap throughout the entire journey.

Integrate Tools and Technology:

Leverage the power of lifecycle management software to streamline your project's journey. Imagine a unified platform where plans, business case forecasts, monitoring data, and performance metrics reside seamlessly, accessible to all stakeholders throughout the lifecycle. This central hub fosters collaboration, transparency, and data-driven decision-making, empowering your team to make informed choices at every turn. Watch 1 min video

Establish a Cross-Functional Team:

Transitioning from a project to BAU often requires a multifaceted approach. It's essential to have a lifecycle owner at all stages and to assemble a cross-functional team that includes representatives from various departments and disciplines within your organization. This team should collaborate to address potential challenges and ensure a holistic view of the project's impact on the business.

Define Clear Plan & Business Case Objectives:

The first step in any successful lifecycle is to define clear and measurable short-term and long-term objectives. Ask questions like, "What does success look like in 1, two years, and three years?" This should be no different when planning to transition from project to BAU. CEOs must have a concrete understanding of success in the post-project phase. What does BAU mean for this initiative? What KPIs will indicate successful integration? How will we measure the ROI? By setting clear objectives, CEOs can maintain a focus on the end goal throughout the entire lifecycle.

Continuous Analysis and Optimisation:

After the project's integration into BAU, maintaining lifecycle disciplines is crucial. Set a cadence for when reviews should occur; this may vary, with early stages requiring quarterly reviews and later stages moving to annual reviews. Continuously monitor key performance indicators, gather customer feedback, and make necessary adjustments. By doing so, you can identify areas that need improvement, seize opportunities for optimization, and spot early warning signs. Utilise tools like Skyjed's AI-based Health Score to track and compare product, portfolio, or project performance over time, providing valuable insights for decision-making.

Designing Dashboards and AI Health Checks for Executive Updates:

Encourage a culture of continuous improvement within your organization by transitioning away from cumbersome PowerPoint decks. Instead, consider implementing intuitive dashboards and AI health checks to provide concise and insightful updates to your executives.

Dashboards for Clarity:

Replace lengthy reports with interactive dashboards that offer real-time insights into project performance and key metrics. Dashboards can provide a dynamic, visually appealing representation of data, making it easier for executives to grasp the project's status at a glance. Customizable and user-friendly, these dashboards enable executives to drill down into specific areas of interest, fostering data-driven decision-making.

AI Health Checks for Proactive Monitoring:

Implement AI health checks to monitor your projects' health and performance proactively. AI algorithms can analyze various data points, detecting trends, anomalies, and potential risks. By leveraging AI, you can receive early warnings of issues, allowing your team to take swift action and make informed decisions. AI health checks also offer predictive capabilities, helping you anticipate future challenges and opportunities.

Streamlined Executive Communication:

By utilising dashboards and AI health checks, you streamline executive communication. Instead of sifting through voluminous reports, your leadership team can access concise, up-to-date information in one central location. This not only saves time but also enhances communication clarity, ensuring that executives are well-informed without being overwhelmed.

Incorporating this dashboard and AI health check solutions into your lifecycle management strategy can transform how you keep executives informed, making the transition from project start to Business as Usual more efficient and effective.

Risk Management and Trigger Thresholds:

Implement robust risk management practices linked to analysis using trigger thresholds. These thresholds should be set in your monitoring plan and can be automated. For example, if you reach 100 customer complaints in a month or if sales or margin declines by 10% month-on-month, an action plan should be automatically triggered, and the risk should be assessed and addressed promptly.

After 20 years of chasing breakthroughs and encountering stumbling blocks, I've learned that?transitioning from project inception to Business as Usual isn't just about tools and timelines but a strategic, lifecycle-focused approach.?

By weaving lifecycle disciplines into the fabric of our organisation and embracing cutting-edge technology, we've achieved smoother transitions, sustained growth, and the agility to navigate hurdles and emerging risks. This, I believe, is the actual recipe for lasting success.

See you in the next edition!

Feel free to contact me for further lifecycle & governance information or to share your comments below. You can find more on lifecycle and governance here.