The Ripple Effect- My Project Portfolio

 Well do I have some updates for you. The contract was signed and within a whirlwind got to interview our proposed consulting team and then it was like bam.... we are here. We are into discovery design (approx. 2 weeks) of intense brain drilling questions about business logic, rules, flows, architecture, workbooks etc. It is going faster than a bullet. The team is keeping up as best that they can, but all of this change is pressing in at this point in time. As the PM I am focusing on really over communicating, sharing info, encouraging cross team collaboration and answering questions.  Plot of start: Session 1 (2 hrs) all about inbound. Following the SOW of promising (3) call flows painfully going through our current call flows and asking does this still make sense. Many decisions in these flows were made pre my time (15+ years ago). We tackled our main &*** DNIS and selected two other call flows that made logical sense to have built. Now I am working on identifying all the other 2

 I wanted to drop in and drop you a few lines (mic drop) LOL. We have gotten ourselves a final final contract package. Our PMOfficer is taking one last glance while on the plane to somewhere where there is mountains I am sure : ) Next will be a legal process of review and what we get back from them starts the 'redline process' which basically means back and forth with compromises/agreements from one legal to another legal.  This is an exciting time of the contract because the buzz is in the air!!! The team sees it as a definite now and I am gearing up to press the GO button.  Things I have been focusing on: 1. Wrapping our sandbox big ones     a. getting our old clunky software up to speed to run in the new race     b. getting our outbound dialing tested a-z internally in the new environment (test version) This reduces two of our largest identified project level risks. So far all is going as planned, we have 4 weeks total and are now, at this moment in time, two weeks into that

 Ok let's pick back up. I recall I needed to blogsplain a few items to you, as the reader.  1. What is agile? 2. What is a story? 3. What is a requirements matrix? 4. What tools do I use daily? Agile- this is a form of how you manage a project that encourages smart development, in an iterative approach ( just means smaller cycles) with adjustable scope. You work with an assigned team and you build your stories (defining this next) and from there you gather work and tasks and make a commitment to that work only (sometimes there is a spike) within a two to four week period. I have found that two weeks is the sweet spot, four weeks work can get procrastinated and become unfocused. Story/ies- this is a written statement that presents a wish from the business in a relatable standard to the team. I like to use the Story, Scenario, Given, When, Then model. Let me give you two examples:   User Story Scenario Given When Then Priority 1-3 ex. As a customer I want to see special

 This project is not simple by any means. But, then again, most of the project level work that I am assigned is not simple     : )  Currently the organization that I work for is using an on prem contact center solution and they have tasked me to take them from 20 year old software to a new SaaS model this year. Wow, as I write it it sounds so simple... like a single sentence right? Well let's dive into why this is not as simple as a single sentence by me sharing you the current and then me showing you the "to be". To kick things off with a bang how about a visual of business requirements. It is so huge it will not be legible, but it gives context to the size! Also know I do not have all the map bubbles expanded. Incredible.... that I do this work on a daily basis. History Now let's give you some history of this 20 year old software. This was before my time but from talking to the business I have determined that we have been on the same system for a very long time simp

 And so it begins. I type to a screen knowing one day a future employee or future self will see the journey along the way. I have given this blog thought over the past two years and now I am ready to put keys to fingers (pen to paper analogy). The goal of this blog is to become a living-breathing artifact of more than just my project management journey, it is also a place for reflection and openness into how my career bleeds into more than a weekly paycheck. Being a project manager I wanted to introduce something different than an article of how to's (there are plenty of these on the interwebs). I wanted to cross a boundary where projects and a spiritual walk are formed through not just work, but the teams I am blessed to work with, the personal growth I experience by choosing this field work and the strength I get from my spiritual being that helps me glue all of this together into an amazing master piece.  Now that the introduction is said. To have personal accountability here is