The place where I like to capture client expectations is in the Project Scope and Charter. This document is closely linked to the workplan. The workplan is where expectations are turned into tasks, deliverables and milestones that will help meet those expectations. There isn’t a sequential order implied between defining the work and building the schedule and budget. Therefore, you can work on the Project Scope and Charter and the workplan simultaneously.

Some of the sections of the Project Scope and Charter, such as the estimates for effort and duration, cannot be completed without starting to lay out the overall project schedule. At the same time, you cannot complete the schedule without gaining agreement on the Project Scope and Charter. For instance, you cannot build the schedule and budget without gaining a high-level agreement on deliverables and scope. Defining the expectations for the project also involves describing an overall project approach, which is helpful to know before the schedule is completed.

You will find that as you gather information about scope and deliverables, you can start laying out a high-level schedule. As you gather more information about the work, you can fill in more details on the schedule. When the deliverables, scope, assumptions and approach are complete, you should have enough information to complete a high-level schedule. You can then use the high-level schedule to estimate the necessary budget, effort and duration - which in turn are used to complete the Project Scope and Charter.

At the end of the Plan the Work phase you should have an agreement with your sponsor on the work that will be completed and the cost (time) and duration that are needed to complete the work. These three items then form a concept called the “triple constraint”. The key aspect of the triple constraint is that if one of the three items change, at least one, if not both, of the other items need to change as well.

If the scope of work increases, the cost and / or deadline must increase as well. If you have more work to do, it will take more cost (effort) and perhaps a longer duration. Likewise if you reduce the scope of work, the cost (effort) and / or the duration should decrease as well. If you are asked to accelerate the project and complete it earlier than scheduled, it would also be logical to ask for less work. However, if you are asked to deliver the same work with less duration, the third leg of the triple constraint must increase to maintain the balance. You will need to increase costs (effort), perhaps by working overtime hours or perhaps by bringing in more resources to complete the same amount of work earlier.

These conversations are easier to have with your client if you’ve correctly captured their expectations. And capturing these expectations up front becomes critical to the success of planning any project. Without understanding or, properly capturing these expectations you’re not able to provide project management to your client. And we all know how that story ends!

But it required a pretty specific plan and we had to stick to the plan even though we knew we wouldn’t be looking at the end product in 90 days.  In it’s basic form we had i. a plan with critical milestones and ii. what I’m calling “building blocks” (i.e., framing, plumbing, electrical etc).  We had to make sure that each of the building blocks was fully defined ahead of time (i.e., framed walls went here and not over there) and mapped out on the timeline to fit it in the 90 day window.  Since I was the one managing the workplan I actually ended up switching the tasks around and going against the traditional order followed in construction.

Now, use the same analogy but apply it to HFM.  You will have i. a 90 day plan with predefined milestones….that comes from us, and ii. your building blocks (i.e., COA, entity structure, client list, products, business rules etc)….that comes from you.  Once we have all the building blocks defined we can assemble your application in 90 days assuming you stick to the plan!  What I find the hardest part of implementing HFM is the definition of your building blocks.  Take the chart of accounts for example.  The number of iterations that the chart will go through during a development cycle will surprise you and also extend the development timeline as these refinements are made in an effort to get everything 100%

So, what if we gave you a chart of accounts as a starting point based on your industry?  What if we gave you this chart and then showed you a format that we needed it in to be considered a “building block”?  Now repeat this process for all the other components and there you have all the pieces for your new application.  Using the timeline we provide and manage to you have the ability to be up and running within 90 days!  Will your application include multiple reporting structures and complex items like Cash Flow on day one….probably not…..but you’ll be up and running! What’s even cooler is that Phase II won’t be that far behind with the additional reporting detail that you need to have your final product.

The onus will be on you to stay within the 90 timeline and complete construction on your house.  Or, you may decide to move a wall or two understanding the consequences to the timeline as a result.  At the end of the day it’s your decision….but you do have the option to move in after 90 days putting the final trim work on at a later point in time.