Project Approach
We always start an implementation talking about the organisation’s direction, what steps to take and who is to be involved. It helps to take small steps to remain in control. Regular checking of the orginal goals, are we still moving in the right direction, is the budget still ok and can next steps be defined. That makes sure all involved can move in the same direction. We use a number of instruments during this process.
Workshop
A workshop with all involved to get to know each others way of working, strengths of your organisation: what kind of organisation are you, how will that influence an implementation, how will we deail with that, does CiviCRM or our approach fit with that?
Plan of Approach
A plan of approach contains all relevant information with regards to the implementation. It is our preference that it is written by you but we will gladly help since we do such projects more often. We keep an framework that helps to at least name the relevant topic. We usually commit to such a plan and its budget.
Contacts sprint
The first step usually is a sprint on user stories as a basis for the CiviCRM setup. But also: how do we segment our constituents and contacts so that we can easily find them and recognise them, use their data for bulk mail and can report on all of it. This sprint usually also consists of a basic CiviCRM training about the modules, buttons and principals.
Change management an Illusion
It is an illusion to think that change can be managed from the top. Any number of change project run simultaneously without anyone being able to control those. Each member of staff usually tries to do things better, sometimes with and sometimes without others.
Data migration
The migration of data from your current systems to CiviCRM is usually part of an implementation project. There is sometimes a lot of work for you: to clean or dedupe data. But also to discuss what data are needed. Most often we develop a migration script, you test the results and we run the script a number of times to test and improve data and their migration.
Issue management
The communication about progress, decisions, cost, questions and issuess needs to be managed. We use an issue-tool that we and your organisaton can use. It will help you to create an overview of all that is going on in the project and someone can manage that.
Budget management
And of course, the project cost. We consider that a shared responsibility. We prefer discussing and deciding on how to control that. We know of instruments to manage them and will use those, specifically at the beginning of the project. We will gladly transfer those skills and tools to you during the project.