Large and complex initiatives need to be broken down into a series of manageable, phased projects each with a clearly defined, vision, goal, scope, tangible deliverables, and reasonable timelines. Before embarking on such large-scale efforts, critical questions need to asked, such as:

• What are the business drivers? Is there clear traceability back to corporate strategic and operational goals?

• What questions are we trying to answer?

• Are these indeed truly the right questions, the critical questions we need to be asking?

• Can we clearly articulate exactly what we are attempting to accomplish and how we'll be achieving our goals?

• Are the stated goals Specific, Measurable, Agreed Upon, Realistic, Time-Framed (SMART)?

• Is the vision clear? Is the mission clearly understood?

• Have scope, scale, and boundaries been clearly established?

• Have we identified critical factors for success (CSF’s) and key performance indicators (KPI's) to measure our success?

• Have we identified risks and exposures? Do we have a risk management plan?

• Have we identified and challenged key assumptions?

Transformational endeavors need to strive for significant change, going beyond what is currently known, and seek to accomplish what is thought not possible. Executive sponsorship in conjunction with buy-in from all levels of the organization will be necessary to identify and remove barriers and resistance to change, and to manage expectations. Strong leadership and substantial team commitment are needed to push through initial discomfort and controversy in order to achieve the unprecedented.

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Process Innovation
Technology Implementation