When initiating any project or change, getting an understanding of the impact of that project or change is vital. Of course, you’ll know the intented impact of the project through the project business case.
Project impacts – considering the non-direct effects
Sometimes the obvious impacts are addressed, but peripheral impacts are over-looked.
- The impacts on the operations of areas of your business not directly linked to the project delivery.
- The impacts on your support teams (usually IT). Have their needs been considered in the project?
- The impacts on data security and integrity.
- The impacts on your customers.
- The impacts on understanding the operations of your business and business reporting.
When defining a business case, the non-direct impacts do need to be as carefully assessed as the impacts to the direct recipients of that project. Without understanding these project impacts, their may be negative side-effects of project implementation for your business;
- Increased costs of operation.
- Operational inefficiencies within the teams.
- Quality assurance concerns.
Effective project managers and project management methodologies will ensure that all impacts of a project implementation will be considered. The right questions will be asked to ensure that all possible project impacts are considered as part of the overall project plan and scope.
- All teams considersations will be factored in, not just those directly impacted by the project.
- Operational impacts will be assessed and changes to work practices initiated as part of the proejct implementation.
- Management reporting requirements will be included.
In some instances, the impacts of a project on wider areas may well negate the positives of the business case that was put forward in the first place to initiate that project.
While it may well help one area of the business, the implementation of that project may impact another area in such a costly manner that the project should be at worst cancelled, at best – re-assessed to include the impacts on the previously in-considered areas.
So when you are implementing a project in your business, make sure to cover off those silent “non-impacted” areas – you just never know when they may come back to haunt you!
Photo: Likeablerodent
