Chapter 4: Devising an Implementation Strategy Precedes Scheduling

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Years ago, I sat next to a gentleman who had a big sign in his cubical that urged him to "visualize success!" With my projects, I like to take this one step further by visualizing the steps taken to successfully implement project requirements. I call this process "devising an implementation strategy." Although I long since abandoned my first career as a boat builder, I remain an avid house remodeler. I do my own plumbing, cabinetwork, wiring, and so on. One has to mentally prepare when switching from one of these trades to another because each requires different skill sets, tools, materials, and processes. I do this by imagining each step required, for instance, to install a light fixture or build cabinet drawers. This helps remind me of what materials or tools I may need. It also minimizes mistakes and extra trips to the home improvement center by thinking it through before getting started. In this chapter, I want to show you how to apply this technique to project planning.

4.1 What is an Implementation Strategy?

Simply put, an implementation strategy is the plan in anecdotal form. One could also reference this project management step as defining the approach to implementing project requirements, as opposed to planning the implementation. This latter duty is a subsequent step we will undertake when we are ready to schedule the implementation.

Once again, I will use a non-information technology (IT) example to introduce a significant thought process so as not to leave behind those unfamiliar with any particular IT discipline selected as the straw man. This time, the demonstration project will be the countertop we built at home for our new island cabinet - the last piece of a 2-year kitchen remodeling project. When my wife and I sat down to figure out this piece, our first task was to select a material for the top from the traditional choices of:

• Polished stone such as marble or granite

• Wood

• Plastic laminate

• A composite material that resembles stone

• Ceramic tile

We went around and around on this because many issues must be considered, including appearance, cost, durability, and ease of maintenance. Eventually, we decided to use a beautiful wood, Honduras mahogany, that we would stain and then coat with a clear, high-gloss protective finish. Although it did not unduly influence the final decision, labor was a consideration. Had we gone with marble, granite, or composite stone, we would have hired a company to measure, build, deliver, and install the top. If any other material had been selected, then I would be task owner. There is a long lead-time for outsourcing countertops in our area, which is in the midst of a building boom, meaning that contractors of any sort are difficult to engage. On the other hand, my professional workweeks are long and arduous, so scheduling my free time can be problematic as well.

The top is 9 feet long and nearly 4 feet wide. Along one long side, toward the middle, will be a four-burner drop-in gas cooktop. It will require a connection to the gas line running under the kitchen floor in the basement ceiling. It will also require two separate electrical branch circuits:

• One will power the electric ignition system for the gas burners.

• The other will electrify the pop-up cooktop ventilation system.

In addition to the pop-up vent, the ventilation system consists of a duct that runs from the underneath portion of the cooktop inside the island cabinet, down through the floor, across the basement ceiling, and out the foundation wall. This allows the cooking fumes drawn from the top of the stove to be blown into the backyard.

The countertop, along with the electrical connections and ventilation system, had to be fully completed by Thanksgiving, which was 2 months away when we kicked off this phase of the kitchen redo. Not only did I have to finish my tasks by the holiday, but the wiring and ducting also had to be inspected by the local building department. Also, we had to hire a plumber to make the gas connections. After thinking this through, we decided to have all the work we were doing completed two weeks prior to Thanksgiving. That way, the inspectors and the plumber would have an adequate window in which to complete their tasks, and we could serve Thanksgiving dinner from our newly finished, fully functional, certified kitchen.

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