Enisus | Data Migration | Oracle ERP Cloud | Oracle HCM Cloud | Data Science

High Level “Plan on a Page” (Excel):

This typically takes the form of an Excel block diagram, usually (where possible) so it prints on a single side of A3 paper. It should list only the key phases and deliverables, plus highlight any downtime, stage gates or other important dates, such as cutover! It should not include any detailed, task level items that will make it over complicated.

Its use is aimed predominantly at the management team in order to see at a glance any upcoming events or deliverables that may impact on project decision making and tracking. It is also used as an aid to the Business/Customer to clearly highlight clear phases where they may be involved (such as User Acceptance Testing and of course Cutover). The Plan on a Page would be owned and maintained by the Project Management Office (PMO) team.

Team level Project Plans (MS Project):

Within the project, there will be a number of different teams coming together under the project structure. Typically, on a larger project we would at least expect PMO, Communications, Design, Development, System Architecture (could be part of Development), Business Process Optimisation (BPO), Testing and Data. Each of these functions should have their own detailed project plan, at the task deliverable level. It should align with the blocks on the Plan on a Page document, however will include all of the internal tasks only relevant to that team, plus any hand offs to the other teams. The plan will be owned and maintained by the lead of the individual teams, who has the responsibility of ensuring the cross functional deliverables are captured and date aligned.

Overarching “Cutover” Plan (MS Project):

There will be a number of instances of this plan, produced as the project progresses and dependent on the number of test phases that are agreed when developing the Plan on a Page. Each formal test phase will require a new Cutover plan, and this will be refined with each iteration ready for the final instance that is produced for Cutover. Enisus recommends two formal test phases prior to Cutover; Systems and Integration testing, User Acceptance testing and final Cutover. The plan will detail all of the formal deliverables, from all teams that are required to commence formal testing or final go live. It will not include the very detailed level of the Team project plans. The plan will be owned and maintained by a Cutover Manager, and will require input and updates from all of the team leads. The Cutover Manager is responsible for ensuring all of the plan tasks are actioned, escalating to the Project Manager as appropriate.

Enisus can assist with the development of the initial Plan on a Page, which will then drive the very detailed team level plans and the subsequent Cutover plan which we can also provide guidance on. Generic examples can be leveraged as a rough guide, although due to the nature of project uniqueness, Enisus can help you with your specific project needs.

Enisus does not recommend the creation of a single, very detailed project plan. Even on small projects, these can run to many thousands of lines long and will become unwieldy and prone to inaccuracy. If it cannot be simply maintained, and provide a clear statement of progress, it will not be an effective plan.