The success of a project is determined by the work that is done in the “getting started” phase. Spending time planning the project is critical to its success. Many times task oriented staff want to jump into the actual project tasks without building the project base. That’s like building a house without a foundation. Planning the project is the time to get everyone on the same page and heading in the same direction. Staff wants clear direction regarding what is to be accomplished. They also want to know that the project has executive sponsorship and that their efforts will result in tangible results that benefit the organization. The Walker Company offers tools that help an organization move through this project phase in a timely, efficient manner that sets the stage for project success.

These days, much of the project work is accomplished in cross-functional teams. To justify the cost of gathering staff together, the meetings must be well planned and productive. The Walker Company uses project management best practices such as agendas disseminated prior to meetings, action item lists, decision logs and documentation of meeting discussions. Without these practices, teams revisit the same subjects, founder and do not generate decisions and tangible outcomes. The Walker Company also successfully moves the information and decision-making between the levels of the organization in order to build buy-in at all levels. This is critical to the successful implementation of operational changes.

Operational changes implemented as a result of a project may at first be supported by project resources and may need to migrate to a standing organizational unit. As the project closes, The Walker Company makes sure this transition is complete and that the resources are in place to sustain any new operations. This includes the implementation of measurements that will allow the organization to continue monitoring progress and to make any needed adjustments. Then conducting lessons learned allows leveraging the experience into the next project. The Walker Company encourages organizations to celebrate and acknowledge all those who played a part in making the project successful.