Key Questions in Managing Innovation Projects
Stakeholder Questions At Project Planning Launch:
- What do we want to accomplish?
- What…specifically…are we delivering at the end of this effort?
- Who will take responsibility for what we are delivering once this effort is over?
- What are the key deliverables that we need to accomplish to reach our end goal?
- Who do we need to help us define and sequence the tasks needed to meet those key deliverables?
- Who do we need to complete the tasks needed to meet those key deliverables?
- How much time do we need to meet those key deliverables?
- How much money do we need to meet those key deliverables?
- What are the risks we can anticipate that might keep us from meeting those key deliverables?
- How will we react to the aforementioned risks if they occur
- What are we tracking to know we are on schedule?
- What are we tracking to know we are on budget?
- What are we tracking to know we are making progress on completing our key deliverables?
- How will we identify risks and/or issues?
- What will be our responses to the previously identified risks and/or issues?
- Who else needs to know the answers to these questions and what is their preferred communication channel?
- Do we have the appropriate amount of resources (human, budget, space, etc) necessary to execute the estimated work effort?
- Do we have the appropriate amount of leadership commitment and oversight to ensure a quality project delivery?
- Does our effort have any dependencies or conflicts with any other efforts currently being conducted within the organization?
- Have we identified any other “part-time” or transient resources required for project delivery?
- Are we on schedule?
- Are we on budget?
- Are we making progress on completing our key deliverables?
- Are we confident the key deliverables meet our quality standards?
- Are there any risks and/or issues that have come up since the last time we met?
- What is our response to the risks and/or issues
- Do we still have enough time, money and resources to complete our key deliverables?
- Are there any changes required to ensure we have enough time, money and resources to complete our key deliverables?
- Is there any opportunity to speed up the schedule, reduce cost, free-up resources or deliver additional tasks without negative impact?
- Are the right people being informed of our progress and status?
- Did we accomplish what we promised at the beginning of the project, plus or minus any changes handled via the approved change management process?
- Did we successfully complete the key deliverables promised at the beginning of the project?
- Did the person tasked with the responsibility for receiving of work product agree to accept the deliverables without the need for additional effort, time, money or other resources?
- Did we deliver our effort on time (within acceptable variance)?
- Did we deliver our effort on budget (within acceptable variance)?
- Were the deliverables of acceptable quality?
- Were there any significant risks and/or issues that caused us stray outside the acceptable variance limits set for the effort?
- Were the right people communicated with regarding the completion of the effort and the results?
- Have the resources (human, remaining budget, space, etc.) been released for other use?
- What are the lessons learned from this effort that may benefit future project teams?
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