The benefits of pre-implementation analysis - one of the keys to a successful project

A well-run project is a well-planned one. In today's fast-changing world, and with an agile approach to project management, one of the hardest parts of a project is its scope, which often changes a great deal within a short time. It is quite normal for backlog priorities to shift, even after the first few iterations. Experience shows that splitting a project into stages, each of which delivers fully working functionality, brings the greatest benefit. We cannot do that well unless we understand the scope in depth, and for that we need proper business analysis.

Pre-implementation analysis is a process that plays a key part in planning and delivering most projects. It is the stage that lets us understand, assess and prepare for the challenges and benefits a venture brings.

This stage is often played down on the way to bringing a project to life, especially by inexperienced project teams. The wish to speed delivery up, a gain that is only apparent, leads teams to skip this step or cut it to the bare minimum. CONTMAN's many years of experience in this area have shown that the opposite is true. The analysis itself can be part of the project or a step that comes before it. It is worth understanding why pre-implementation analysis matters so much, what its main benefits are and why this stage deserves an investment of both time and money.

Understanding the project's goals

Every venture is started for a reason. Pre-implementation analysis gives a better understanding of the project's goal and helps break it down. In business workshops with the project team and the stakeholders we define the main goal and the specific objectives in depth. This helps identify what we want to achieve, what the priorities are and which steps it will take to get there. As a result the project becomes transparent and its goal clear.

Splitting the project into stages

Projects vary in size: smaller initiatives within an organisation sometimes need no elaborate plans or extra work. Large and medium-sized projects and programmes call for a completely different approach. Ventures of this kind actually require breaking down into smaller stages, especially when an initiative touches several business and functional areas. From an operational point of view, the main goal is usually a collection of many smaller steps and activities. From a management point of view, these are simply the milestones that bring us closer to the goal.

Splitting a project into stages helps optimise costs and spread them over time. It can help when resources are limited, or when the number of people and the time spent can be adjusted to the stage. Stages can differ greatly in complexity, and so in cost. This approach helps with budgeting, both when payments need to be spread over time and when the budgets of different departments are assigned to particular stages of the project.

Pre-implementation analysis gives a better grasp of priorities and helps lay out the stages so that the changes the project introduces bring measurable results as soon as possible. Besides its many other benefits, it is invaluable to deliver complete functionality to users who can see the point of the venture and of their own part in managing change in the organisation.

Identifying risks

Pre-implementation analysis looks closely at the potential threats and risks of a project. This allows them to be spotted early and a strategy to be prepared for reducing or managing them, which helps avoid unpleasant surprises while the project is under way.

Assessing whether the venture pays off and makes sense

Before a project starts, it is worth carefully assessing whether it will pay off. Even with an agile approach we have to remember that, at the end of the day, the numbers have to add up and the budget is not elastic. Pre-implementation analysis makes it possible to estimate the costs and benefits of a project, which leads to better investment decisions. By understanding the business goals and splitting the work into stages, we can plan not only resources but also cash flow. It also lets us move budget between stages and sometimes even consciously drop elements that were originally planned. In extreme cases, pre-implementation analysis may even lead to the project being put on hold.

Planning resources

Pre-implementation analysis makes it possible to determine precisely which resources the project will need, including people, money, technology and time. This allows for better planning and management of those resources.

Engaging stakeholders

Pre-implementation analysis helps identify the project's stakeholders and understand their expectations and needs. This makes it easier to involve them in decision-making and in delivering the project, which improves the chances of success. Bringing them into brainstorming during business workshops pays off from the very beginning and keeps paying off at every later stage. Engaging users and the organisation in the project is also an important part of change management. There is nothing worse than a project forced through without the support of the people the change is meant for.

An engaged organisation means a better chance of success. Thanks to pre-implementation analysis, the project is better prepared for delivery: risks are known and kept to a minimum, goals are clearly defined and resources properly planned. All of this improves the chances of the project succeeding, and responding to change becomes much easier.

Optimising processes

Pre-implementation analysis also helps identify areas that can be optimised within the project. Workshops with the team may not only make the project's scope more realistic but also reveal other areas of the organisation that could be improved. This can make the organisation work more effectively, through a separate project or an additional stage, of course. Beyond business processes, sound business analysis undoubtedly also improves the way the project itself is run and makes the project managers' work easier.

In short, pre-implementation analysis is an essential stage in planning and delivering projects and programmes. Its benefits are many and include:

• a clear understanding of the project's goals
• splitting the project into stages
• lower risk
• an assessment of whether the project pays off
• efficient management of resources
• stakeholder engagement
• a better chance of success
• process optimisation

That is why this process deserves proper attention if projects are to achieve the best possible results.

Even if the total cost of the venture turns out similar, the experience of the journey will be completely different. A well-run pre-implementation analysis is an investment in peace of mind, predictability and greater effectiveness, both during delivery and later, when the project's results are in use. It is a foundation worth building every serious initiative on.