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Perfecting the project completion criteria

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project completion perfected
Project completion perfected

Detailing the project completion criteria is very difficult and is probably the most overlooked and under documented detail written into the project definition. The results if not completed prior to starting the project can have disastrous results and create the never-ending project. In this case the customer or the service provider seldom win.

The question now becomes how do you know when your project deliverable has come to an end? How do you define when the project is complete? Where is the defined definition stored and most importantly what should it contain?

It may sound onerous to the project service team, project sponsor, and even the executives but the following below needs to be documented in fine detail. The project manager will require a good understanding of the project specific requirements, can negotiate with customers, team members, and management. They will also require having the ability and foresight needed to identify possible pitfalls and risks. Does this sound like a tall glass of water? Well… because it is. That is why project managers need to be highly skilled individuals and compensated accordingly. Being a project manager is not for the faint-hearted.

Project success criteria – (Critical)

This is the definition that sets the stage for project closure. Without this, all parties including project managers, project team, and the customer will more than likely have a mitt full of assumptions and varied definition as to when the project is complete. Have you ever been faced with a never-ending project? If you have then you will know first hand how defeating it can become.

In-scope items

This section should be short concise sentences in bullet point format. Review this data with the ALL of the project stakeholders for buy-in. The project team will feel more inclusive and motivated. Once this is complete move on to the next section (the one I feel can be most important) called out of scope.

Out-of-scope items 

A well documented out-of-scope definition can eliminate most if not all assumptions and is key to finalizing the project success criteria. It’s perfectly normal to fill out the out-of-scope items while you are capturing the in-scope definition. In fact, this is more often the case. The in-scope definition process often reveals many of the out-of-scope item so document them in tandem.

There are many other areas within the project charter and project task planning that help to define the project definition in detail, but the items listed above are paramount to ensure a successful and satisfying project completion milestone. This is the most important milestone of all. The point I’m trying to drive home is you can have a perfect task Gantt chart plan, all milestones laid out, project team fully engaged and still be faced with a huge failure at the end, when you can’t seem to agree on the end.

Sample Charter Scope and Project Completion Criteria

This sample is an actual project that included creating a B2B web commerce store for the purposes of ordering fine chemical compounds from a chemical supplier. Their customers are compounding dispensaries. The dispensaries will use the website B2B store to place orders with the chemical supplier.

 Project Scope

IN SCOPE OUT OF SCOPE
Design a new background look and feel Re-scanning photographs of devices or create a new logo
Re-design and implement a new navigation bar Will not support older browser version prior to 2021 release
Correlate a button beside the chemical that will display the MSDS according to that chemical Access data from thumb drive only (98% of MSDS info)
Enable shopping basket style commerce for the general and professional compounder clients Will not facilitate on-line credit approval through merchant system
Create a log-in environment at a tiered permissions level. General customer has access to brochure, pricing, and ordering for chemicals. Professional compounder has access to a wider range of device products Maintain HTML catalogue updates
Communicate orders as they are received to Pilot email address Send back response to Pilot’s customer. Pilot will have several canned responses for several situations. Pilot will respond to the customer
Host the service on an approved hosting center server at Queens Ave Dedicate one server completely to Pilot
Provide location for pdf file for catalogue Create and maintain pdf file updates
Create an environment where current browsers can operate the Pilot site including Mac Solve or support Pilot customer PC related issues including browser settings, ISP issues etc.
Create and publish a frequently asked questions page (FAQ)

 

Project Completion Criteria

This project will be considered complete and Pilot will accept the implementation when:

  1. The e-commerce web site is deployed, available, and functional via approved browsers
  2. Pilot can update product and pricing database via approved browsers
  3. Pilot can update HTML content via the internet securely
  4. Pilot customers will have the ability to access a secure web session (SSL 128 bit) and place an order shopping basket style
  5. Pilot customers can communicate to Pilot via web portal page sending an email alert.

Your customers may display visible signals that they are becoming more at ease as you go through the project charter documentation process. A strong, well defined project definition process can make an intangible service delivery appear to be tangible. Your customers will feel more in control and have a deep understanding of the deliverables and their duties that are required of them for success. You can also effectively use this process during the sales cycle to improve your close rate.

Contact our consulting team at Entry Software if you would like to see the TeamHeadquarters project charter process and project management system in action or get a comprehensive TeamHeadquarters demo.

Why Your Help Desk Software Should Have Asset Management

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Asset Management Discussed

Many help desk software solutions don’t have the asset management feature. And while some businesses may think they can do without it, it’s proven to be a powerful tool to have. Especially now that we have so many remote users. Assigning and relating corporate assets to the employee is paramount today.

[Read more…] about Why Your Help Desk Software Should Have Asset Management

Understanding Service Level Agreements (SLA)

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Service Level Agreement between software company and customers
SLAs are a contract between customers and service providers.

Have you ever ordered from Amazon and been given the option of Amazon Prime shipping. This feature guarantees the speed of product delivery from Amazon to the customer. This is a prime (pun intended) example of a Customer Based Service Level Agreement, promising to uphold their delivery time quote.

However, if the company does not deliver at the intended time leaving the customer unsatisfied with their services, there may be a predetermined compensation or other offers if the mistake was due to internal efforts. This ensures that customers are more likely to continue using their company’s services in the case of an error.

What is an SLA

A Service Level Agreement is essentially a contract between the customer and business that defines the standard of the service provided. SLA’s ensure customer satisfaction as well as company success/reputability. It may outline the quality, physical properties, and timely nature of the product. SLA’s can be utilized by companies internally or externally:

  • Customer based SLA: This is a service level agreement between your company and an individual customer or a specific group of customers.  
  • Multi-level SLA: is a customized agreement split into different levels designed to fit the specific needs of multiple customers seeking the same services.
  • Internal SLA: involves an agreement among an organization and its internal employees service standard rather than customers. 

SLA’s in the Tech World

 In the Information Technology (IT) world SLA’s may be used to guarantee the quality, availability, and timeliness of the software provided to the customer. Although SLA’s can be used between the customer and company, they may also be used internally within a company or combined on multi-levels. Further we will discuss the different ways in which SLA’s can be utilized in your IT business:

When writing an SLA agreement it is important to incorporate all inclusions and exemptions in the contract. This ensures that each counterpart is working under the same impression, minimizing the risk of mis-communication as the contract provides clear expectations. However, if an issue arises, individuals may refer back to the contract to determine further action.

1. Customer based SLA

In a customer based SLA, the customer and service provider negotiate specific expectations of the services that will be provided. This type of service level agreement can vary from customer to customer accommodating to their individual needs. For example, a customer based SLA at a software company may define the specific amount of time required to respond and resolve any customer inquiries.

2. Multi-level SLA

Multi-level SLA’s are used for different customer groups with varying needs where each group is provided with the same level of service at different quantities. This type of SLA can be divided into different tiers including corporate level, customer level, service level, and issue based.  This allows customers to select the proper service plan based on their requirements. For example, an IT company providing a software service plan may have various groups of customers ranging in size. This means the company is providing the same software at different price points relative to the number of users at each company. SLA contracts may be vary based on the value of the customer.

3. Internal SLA

Internal SLA’s can be used within companies for purposes such as connecting teams to work cohesively towards improving company success. For example, this may be acquired by creating a contract agreement between the IT Department leaders and the internal customers they serve. Metrics that can be pre-defined are first time response once the service request has been submitted and total time to resolve the issue. These key performance indicators (KPI’s) are typically measured over a period of time and presented as a average. This ensures each counterpart is responsible for a specific service standard within the internal functions of the company. 

Important Factors to Include in an SLA

SLA’s must incorporate many different aspects into the agreement including a detailed description, exemptions, availability standard, service standard, penalties, and data handling method. It is important to the contracts viability to properly outline each, ensuring both parties hold up their end of the agreement.

 

Improving Customer Service

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How to keep customers coming back
Improve customer service because customers are everything for growing your business.

Consistently improving customer service skills is important for the whole team to succeed and ensure customers keep coming back. Customers are the core of every business and should always be the number one priority. If your company is selling a product or service this is the reason your business is growing. A single poor experience with a customer service representative can result in a lost customer forever. This is why keeping customers satisfied is so important for bringing in more business. Here are five strategies that will help you improve your customer service!

1. Know your Products and Services

To help the customer, your team members must have a deep knowledge of how your products and services work. Customers may come to you with all types of questions so it’s important your team members can answer these questions effectively. Ultimately your customers rely on you for your knowledge of your product and how quickly you can resolve their issues. 

2. Be Goal Oriented 

Setting a goal to improve customer satisfaction puts your team’s focus on providing consistent customer service experience. To be goal oriented focuses attention on desired outcomes and provides team members with motivation to accomplish tasks. In order to meet goals, employees must demonstrate certain skills such as effective time management, planning, and organization. 

3. Efficient Response Time

When customers have to wait lengthy periods for a response from the support team they can get agitated very quickly and left unsatisfied with your company. In turn they might seek out your competition. By providing customers with prompt responses they are much more likely to continue using your products and recommend your company to their peers.

4. Be Personable

Personalized interactions greatly improve customer service and let customers know that your company cares about them and their problems. When interacting with customers it’s important to have more meaningful conversations rather than your typical automated responses. This will help make their overall experience with your company more enjoyable. 

5. Be Engaging 

The simplest way to improve your customer service is to ask your customer for their feedback. Encourage your customers to share their experiences and pain points. This ensures that your customers feel valued and that their opinions are acknowledged.

Remote Project Management

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Managing projects remotely requires effective communication, collaboration, organization and dedication.


During the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic many businesses have turned to working remotely. You need the right remote project management software to ensure that your remote team has a central space to communicate, collaborate, and organize work-related data.

Let’s look at each of these further…

Communication

Communication is the key to successfully managing projects remotely. To ensure the success of any project, the team leader takes on the responsibility of ensuring remote team members have the tools and resources they need to be efficient and productive while minimizing the risks of any miscommunication. When communicating online with your team, make sure you are as specific as possible about the project objectives, goals, and expectations.

Organization

When it comes to remote project management, keeping the work clearly organized and visible is crucial to staying on track. As a project manager it’s important that everything is organized from managing documents, project plans, and project status updates ensuring team members are on task. In order to remotely manage tasks, you need to have complete project access via your browser from anywhere. 

Collaboration 

Remote team collaboration refers to the ability to engage with team members in different places. Employees who have the same goal may collaborate more effectively to reach it. The remote project manager is responsible for breaking down projects into smaller tasks, setting milestones, assigning responsibilities, and tracking progress online. Effective collaboration and setting clear expectations will increase overall productivity. 

Dedication

A dedicated project manager plays a vital role improving overall team performance and motivation. Setting aside a dedicated time for the team to review and report on the project while it’s still fresh in everyone’s mind is key. This will ensure that all updates are documented and can be used to update the project sponsors, customers, and project team for effective status updates. You can refer to this data to optimize your processes for your next project so you can continuously improve and scale your project management skills for best practices.

What does it take to be an IT Manager?

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A further look into an IT managers daily responsibilities 

Information technology managers (IT managers) are tasked every day with managing multiple functions of a business. Businesses are becoming more reliant on IT managers as technology continues to increase its role in modern businesses. IT managers are essential to a successful organization through their experience and expertise in the field. There are multiple skills important to living up to the roles and responsibilities of being an IT manager. Here are a few of the many responsibilities of an IT manager:

Project Management and Planning

Change is inevitable as businesses grow with the times. It is important for organizations to stay on top of change and adjust their resources accordingly. IT managers must modernize existing systems to optimize company productivity. This may include a software that functions to effectively distribute tasks, organize the workforce, determine costs, and set timeframes. All are essential functions to project management and planning which regularly cost an IT manager valuable time. 

Leading IT Staff

IT managers are responsible for leading a team of employees. This includes scheduling, assigning tasks, implementing project milestones, and more to help employees reach their fullest potential. It is important for employees to remain engaged and feel trusted within the workplace. IT managers must operate with an open communication network allowing employees to come to them with questions or concerns.

Meeting Client and Business’ Needs

IT managers are tasked with the responsibility of meeting customer and business needs using online functions. This means when a customer is experiencing issues with usability the IT manager must fix the problem without changing the original function of that feature. As well, IT managers must create new features when businesses are looking to update their websites or applications. This again must be done in a manner that does not disrupt the original functions and current customers experience. Balancing these two aspects are part of the everyday job of an IT manager.

Creating and Refining Technology Systems

IT managers are important to maintaining a functional and secure computerized system. When problems arise within the computer system the IT leader is tasked with finding technical solutions. IT managers need extensive knowledge in their field as well as on the computer system in place. 

Many IT managers have already adopted a computerized system or additional software to reduce the stress of their multiple responsibilities. This will help you with the day-to -day organization of resources, tasks, scheduling, and more. Taking this step allows you to operate efficiently in your integral role within the company.

Learn how you can organize your IT department.