Sometimes teams will start an assigned project and will not be able to manage it due to insufficient knowledge of how to plan and implement it. Other times, the team may have a successful project in the works and are unwilling to carry it out or don’t know when to say that the main project is complete. Having a process that shows how to plan and implement, as well as start and stop procedures, will allow a team to better manage projects. A simple process that teams can use is OPIE. The OPIE process consists of 4 main stages necessary to complete a quality project on the desired date. The OPIE stages are Open and Plan, then Implement, and finally Finish. The pronunciation of the acronym OPIE can be OP or O-Pi. Not all projects will require all the steps and results of each stage of the process, however, all projects will require each major stage to be completed.
Key steps in Open Practices
- Determine the objective: the project is worth communicating.
- Do analysis: to make sure the project is worth doing.
- Get preliminary approval – to make sure the project is feasible
- Assign Project Manager – – to make sure the project progresses
Key steps in
Plan Practices
- Document specification: to make sure everyone knows the scope and outcome of the project.
- Develop the schedule – to make sure the schedule is achievable
- Determine Resources – To ensure sufficient people, equipment, and supplies are provided
- Estimated budget: to make sure the project is profitable
- Get plan approval – to make sure the project is financial
Key steps in
Implement Practices
- Hold meetings – to ensure that project issues are discussed and resolved.
- Execute plan – to stay on course
- Monitoring plan: to keep track of resources and budget
- Develop communications: so that everyone knows what is happening with the project.
- Handle problems: to make sure the team is working together towards the same goal.
- Prepare progress reviews – so that the team and management know what is happening with the project.
- Get performance approval – to allow management to approve / disapprove of changes
Key steps in
Final Practices
- Close administration: to share the lessons learned, as well as close the schedule and free up resources.
- Celebration: to thank the team for contributions and motivate future performance.
- Compensation plan: to motivate team members in future performance
- Evaluate: to measure the project using specific indicators of success
Not all team projects will require all the steps and results of each stage of the process, however, all projects will require that each major stage be included. Using OPIE: Open, Plan, Implement and Finish stages; should help teams know what to do on each project assignment, as well as ensure that the project has a stopping point so the team can return to their normal full-time jobs or start work on a major new project.
Note: The above process steps are from the book “Planning and Implementing OPIE Projects for Teams”.
