Introduction:
Have you seen the 2011 movie ‘Moneyball’?
In the movie, the manager of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, played by Brad Pitt, sets up something like an implementation team to revolutionize the team’s approach to player recruitment. Instead of relying on traditional parameters of selection, he implements a data-driven approach with the help of his implementation team and leads his team to success.
Any organization that needs to execute a new project, or is thinking of making a change needs Implementation teams to carry out these plans. This article will provide you with everything you need to know about Implementation teams and their functions, while trying to answer any potential questions that might arise.
What are Implementation Teams?
An implementation team is a group of professionals that have been tasked to oversee and execute the process of implementing new projects, initiatives or organizational changes within a company. In any organization, a smooth implementation of these changes requires great planning and coordination. Implementation teams play a vital role in this regard. These teams are composed of members from different departments of a company, who bring together a variety of skills and expertise.
Structure of an Implementation Team:
The people that make up implementation teams come from various backgrounds but are generally chosen to fit the demands of the project or change that has to be executed. Team members can include:
Project Managers:
They generally oversee the whole implementation process and communicate progress to the relevant stakeholders. They are also responsible for budget allocation and providing timelines for the execution of the change.
Functional Specialists:
Functional Specialists are people who have expertise in specific domains like finance, markets, IT etc. These specialists bring their knowledge to bear on the successful integration of the project within the existing framework of the company.
Change Management Professionals:
They are members of the implementation team who are responsible for keeping the human side of things in order. They are responsible for addressing the issues of the employees regarding the new practices and also helping to promote the adoption of the change.
Data Analysts:
Data analysts collect and analyze data that is relevant to the successful implementation of the new project. They generate reports and identify trends that greatly aid the decision-making process of Implementation teams.
Communication and Training Professionals:
They are responsible for developing communication plans that ensure that relevant information is communicated to every stakeholder, throughout the implementation process. They are also tasked with curating training material and holding training sessions that aid the Implementation teams to carry out the process.
Also Read: How to Manage Your Manager: 15 Tips for Managing Your Manager
What do Implementation Teams do?
Every implementation team’s primary objective is to ensure the successful execution and integration of the project or change within the company. Here are some of the key functions that implementation teams perform:
Developing Implementation Plans:
These teams are responsible for developing detailed plans in close collaboration with the stakeholders. These plans establish timelines, identify milestones, and outline specific tasks necessary for smooth implementation.
Resource Allocation:
Implementation teams are responsible for identifying the necessary resources, including human resources, technology, budget and the necessary equipment. They assess resource availability and make recommendations accordingly.
Monitoring Progress:
Implementation teams are required to track progress with the help of performance indicators, while keeping an eye on the project milestones. They don’t let the execution get derailed from the plans and take corrective measures when needed.
Engagement with the Stakeholders:
Implementation teams make sure that they are constantly communicating with the stakeholders, addressing their concerns and making them aware of the progress.
Identifying and Managing Risk:
As outlined in the books of Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the famous Lebanese-American risk analyst and former option trader, risk management plays a vital role in ensuring the success of a new project. Implementation teams try to identify potential risks and set up strategies to mitigate them.
Providing Training and Support:
Implementation teams may also be responsible for setting up training programs for employees to ensure that everybody is at home with the new changes.
Doing Evaluation and Reporting:
These teams also assess the effectiveness and impact of the implemented changes. They analyze data and gather feedback from stakeholders and use it to generate reports to measure the project’s success.
Also Read: Team building for New Managers: 6 Amazing Facts
Tips for Building an Effective Implementation Team:
Suppose you’re an executive who has been given the responsibility of building an implementation team for a new project. You might wonder what the key things are to keep in mind while assembling a good team. Here are some amazing tips that will help:
Define Clear Roles:
It is essential that every member of an Implementation team understand what is expected of them and stick to it.
Build a Diverse Team:
Try to include members that come from different backgrounds and possess different skills. This would immensely boost the creativity and problem-solving abilities of your unit.
Establish Clear Objectives:
Make sure that the team understands what it is that they need to achieve and figures out milestones that would signal progress.
Select People with a Positive Mindset:
When you’re assembling the Implementation team, keep in mind that the spirit of the team is crucial to the execution of the project at hand. Don’t select people who get discouraged easily when faced with obstacles.
Select Members with Decision-Making Authority:
This is a crucial point that people might not notice when they are first involved with building an Implementation team. In order to ensure that timely decisions are made, your team must include members that have direct access to decision-making authority or have the ability to make decisions themselves.
Learn with DT Evolve:
Suppose you do find yourself as a project manager of an Implementation team. What do you do now? Are you unsure of your team management abilities? DT Evolve has a course for you. With this course you will learn to lead and manage office, remote and hybrid teams in the best way possible. This course will help you develop important skills like collaboration and remote team management, while also improving your problem-solving abilities. Here’s the link to the course, Team Management Mantra.
Conclusion:
In this blog we learned what Implementation teams are and how they are generally composed. We discussed their composition by talking about the roles of its members like Data Analysts, Project Manager, Communication Professionals and so on. We then looked into the functions of an Implementation team, which included setting up plans, resource allocation, risk management and others discussed briefly in the article. We finally looked into some of the tips that might help a new executive setting up an Implementation team himself.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Implementation teams provide a structure through which they are able to plan and execute the desired change within a company. Its essential functions include resource allocation, risk management, communication with stakeholders and so on.
A good implementation team has diverse individuals with clearly defined roles, who are not afraid of challenges and can think quickly at their feet. Good leadership also counts.
The main purpose behind an implementation plan is to make sure that the team understands the project or the change about to be executed, quite thoroughly.
An implementation team generally has 3-10 members working closely with the executive leadership of the organization. It depends on the kind of project the implementation team is responsible for.
Implementation managers are responsible for overseeing the implementation of new systems, processes or other initiatives.
An implementation manager must have project management skills, account management skills and basic business and collaboration skills.
Implementation support plays a major role in the execution of the project. Its functions include scheduling, pacing, grading, planning support and training.
Members generally include project manager, data analyst, functional specialists, change management professionals, communication professionals, and implementation support.
Your implementation team should be diverse, and it should have clear objectives. Remember to select candidates with a positive attitude, while making sure that they have access to decision making authority.
Data analysts gather data related to the implementation project and analyze it to generate reports. They also identify trends that show up in their analysis and thus help in the decision making process.
