4.5 Building Your Implementation Strategy

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Now that time has been spent understanding the tool, it should be easier to understand how to create it. In Chapter 2, the idea of mapping out workflows as part of the requirements development process was commended to you. Basically, implementation strategies are built the same way. Ideally, you would start by leading a room full of individuals responsible for a deliverable and map out the process of implementing that deliverable. Verbiage should make its way on to the white board. When all is said and done, that should be drawn with a software package showing blocks of work and how they interconnect. Leave out the Gantt chart stuff until you have plowed your way through Chapter 6. I recommend capturing the strategy in text form as well. ^[1]

Roll-up implementation strategies get built the same way. Obviously, it is preferable that you have already gone through the exercise with major deliverables individually before building your overall implementation strategy. This way, you and your team leads are comfortable with the process. More important, individual strategies are already known and can be readily applied to the crafting of your roll-up strategy.

This process has many useful outcomes, most of which have been described and should not need revisiting. What is worth noting at this point is that gaps are likely to emerge in longstanding assumptions about various project components, milestones, and risk. This is most probable when you are building the roll-up implementation strategy, but can occur when drafting individual deliverable implementation strategies as well.

^[1]There is a forthcoming IT example, so we can finally escape the sawdust I keep throwing at you.

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