In the mad dash to go-live, my client has come up with several ‘old’ requirements, that didn’t happen through development and testing.  So now, development environments are gone, everyone is focused on go-live and we are testing in the backup environment.  This is the trickiest part of every project, because time is no longer on your side.

Every step is rushed, based upon spur of the moment decisions.

Each testing process, get you a little farther, but also finds you new problems.

Each problem requires time that isn’t available.

The cycle continues.  And Heaven forbid that one of the decisions made needs to be reviewed.

Well now my computer is running low on fuel, so I’ll continue this thought process tomorrow.

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So, beyond the obvious panic mode management, how do you get ahead of the storm and keep your client focused on go-live?

1. Make  things visual – Lists of issues or diagrams of process can go a long way to help your client understand were problems exist and how small they are in the bigger picture of go-live.

2. Over-Communicate – Letting the client know each little success, each piece of project keeps them focused on progress instead of problems.

3. Delegate – Make sure the issues are not on one person’s shoulders.  Get as many involved as possible to quickly move through issues.

4. Encourage – Sure things are broken, they always are; that’s why they brought in experts!  Your calmness is infectious and will help the client calm down too.