Leadership and Management
Leadership and Management Related Goals and Activities by Phase
Leadership and management drive the transformation. Leadership sets the vision (the “why”), inspiring the organization and securing commitment. Management handles the “how,” making sure the project is completed on time, within budget, and according to the plan.
Explore & Commit
Goals
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Establish the strategic vision for the project.
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Secure unwavering executive sponsorship.
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Assess partner's management discipline and rigor.
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Establish the formal project governance model.
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Approve the official Project Charter.
Activities
This foundational phase, is led by senior leadership. They must define the strategic business purpose—the “why”—and connect it with long-term goals. Securing visible executive sponsorship is essential for project authority and resource allocation.
Management works on creating structure. The project management skills and methods of the implementation partner are carefully assessed.
With partners in place, the governance framework is established, which includes the steering committee and key project roles. This structure is documented in a Project Charter. Once executive leadership approves the charter, the project officially begins, and leadership starts promoting the vision to generate support.
Plan & Activate
Goals
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Empower the project manager and team.
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Align leaders on the detailed project plan.
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Formalize and launch the governance structure.
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Implement project management controls (risk, issues).
Activities
Leadership empowers the project team and motivates the organization. The executive sponsor plays a visible role in the official project kickoff, conveying its strategic importance and ensuring that all levels of management back the plan. The project manager is officially given the authority to lead day-to-day operations.
Management sets up the execution framework. The Steering Committee is activated, establishing its decision-making power and meeting schedule. The project manager implements core management practices, including risk management (creating the initial risk register), issue management, and status reporting.
Design & Build
Goals
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Provide active leadership oversight and support.
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Resolve escalated issues and remove roadblocks.
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Manage project execution against the plan.
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Enforce rigorous scope and change management.
Activities
Leadership provides strategic oversight via the steering committee. They actively support the project by resolving cross-functional disputes and eliminating significant organizational obstacles. Leadership makes the final calls on crucial design decisions, ensuring they align with the strategic vision.
Management concentrates on disciplined daily execution. The project manager tracks progress according to the plan, monitors budget and schedule performance, and facilitates regular steering committee meetings.
Scope is managed through a formal change process. All change requests are assessed for their effects on budget, schedule, and value before approval. Risks and issues are proactively managed and escalated as needed.
Validate
Goals
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Make critical decisions based on test outcomes.
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Assess overall business readiness for launch.
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Monitor testing progress and quality metrics.
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Provide data-driven analysis of readiness.
Activities
The Steering Committee plays a crucial role. Leadership reviews testing results and decides on the acceptability of any remaining risks or defects. They prioritize addressing critical defects while balancing quality with schedule needs. The steering committee formally reviews UAT outcomes and requires sign-off from business leaders.
Management makes sure the testing plan is followed closely. The project manager provides the steering committee with detailed updates on testing progress and key quality metrics, such as the number and severity of open defects. This information enables informed decisions about quality and readiness.
Launch
Goals
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Make the final, data-driven Go/No-Go decision.
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Provide visible and active leadership support.
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Facilitate the final readiness assessment.
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Manage the "War Room" and escalations
Activities
This phase culminates in the most critical leadership decision: the final Go/No-Go for launch. Management leads the final readiness review, presenting data on all criteria (testing, data migration, training, support) to the steering committee.
During and just after cutover, leaders need to be highly visible. They communicate support, celebrate the achievement, and help manage morale during the disruption.
The project manager oversees the hypercare command center or “war room.” They ensure rapid resolution of critical issues and quickly escalate major business disruptions to leadership.
Stabilize
Goals
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Oversee the stabilization of business operations.
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Monitor post-go-live performance and adoption.
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Manage the formal transition to the support model.
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Conduct post-implementation review and close project.
Activities
As operations stabilize, leadership monitors key business performance indicators and user adoption rates. The steering committee ensures any negative impacts on performance are quickly addressed.
Management focuses on a smooth handover from the project team to the permanent support organization (e.g., CoE). The project manager manages the formal transition of responsibilities, knowledge, and documentation.
A formal lessons-learned session is organized. Once the system is stable and the transition is complete, the project manager finishes all closure activities, including finalizing the budget and releasing resources.
Grow
Goals
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Drive the realization of long-term business value.
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Continuously align ERP roadmap with business strategy.
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Establish permanent ERP governance.
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Manage the portfolio of future enhancements.
Activities
Leadership makes sure the ERP continues to support the evolving business strategy. They periodically review the technology roadmap to ensure it aligns with long-term plans, like expansion or acquisitions. Leadership oversees tracking benefits against the original business case to maximize ROI.
The project-based governance structure changes into a permanent one. A governance body, such as a Center of Excellence (CoE), is set up to manage the platform long-term. This body establishes a formal process for evaluating, prioritizing, and approving the backlog of system enhancements and new projects.
