When a team comes together to kick off a project, it considers pre-requisites (inputs) and deliverables (outputs), both being tangible, technical artefacts. Let’s name a few examples:
- Pre-requisites: code repository access, documentation availability,
- Deliverables: new code branches and functionalities, changed software version.
A team with any previous project exposure will also reflect on past lessons learnt and apply necessary process changes.
Projects, by their definition, are short and finite sets of operations. A skilled project team member is likely to complete a few of these within a year. With a clear project plan, listing required activities across calendar weeks, it is easy to overlook an important investment, uplifting project execution. Let me tell you about transparency, why it matters, and what it will get you in return.
Cambridge dictionary defines transparency as the quality of being done in an open way without secrets. The project team could implement this quality while collecting project inputs, by adding information about when and why these are needed. This will not only justify the request, but bring more understanding, especially when communicating with an external party, possibly an SAP customer. Shared understanding will make the customer not only compliant but will spark the feeling of trust.
Throughout project lifecycle, project manager will compile and publish project health checks. These should build on the initial sparkle of trust and contain clear and honest view of the current matters. Team’s accomplishments and successes should be presented transparently alongside risks and issues. The latter, ideally, are assigned to an owner and given a timeframe to be addressed. I would advise that the ownership is shared among SAP and the external party, to provide increased support and again, foster trust. A trusting partner will be more likely to inform of their own challenges and difficulties and will appreciate and celebrate achievements.
On technical team level it is important that daily tasks are actively maintained in a shared workspace. Certainly, there would always be exceptions, especially in case of SAP-only accessed areas. However, these should remain exceptions. The rule of thumb should be a transparent backlog, upkept and collaboratively resolved. A shrinking set of pre-defined items is an evident navigation marker further cultivating trust. The path had been defined, and the path is followed.
Upon project closing activities, it is advised to hold a retrospective or a reflection session to collect team members’ feedback on the recent achievements. In case of external, or customer-facing engagements, these teams should be welcomed to join. In my experience, a transparently led project is leaving behind a very strong feeling of becoming one team, and a great amount of mutual respect and trust. In market broker language – the transparency is your investment, and the trust is your return.
