All too often, agencies will try and "go it alone without the aid of a professional project manager not only to guide the project, but also to advocate on the agency's behalf. These are my top 4 reasons why an agency should use a project manager.

1. JUAN BLEA; MA,
LADAC, PMP
My top four reasons why an agency should use
Project Manager

2. Reason #1: Implementing a new software
system can lead to adverse outcomes for
an agency.
■ Implementing a new software system, especially when migrating from one
product to another, is an endeavor that without formal project management,
can lead to several adverse outcomes. In my experience, formal methods
such as a Gap Analysis account for activities and objectives that may
otherwise have been missed.
jblea1016.com

3. Reason #2: Implementing a new software
application is more about behavioral
change than it is about technology.
■ Because I’ve designed and implemented several software applications, I
can safely say that implementing a new software application is more about
behavioral change than it is about technology. For example, workflows
invariably change when moving from one application to another and those
workflows are an agencies lifeblood. When workflows aren’t aligned with
technology, data integrity is compromised.
jblea1016.com

4. Reason #3: Software vendors tend to look
out for their own interests.
■ Software vendors tend to look out for their own interests and are usually not
experts in an agency’s business practices. However, agencies tend to house
several domain experts that should be leveraged. My approach is to find
these experts and utilize their business intelligence to lead the change
management process. While a software vendor representative may know
his or her product, I often find that he or she “shoehorns” the product into
an agency’s ecosystem without enough background knowledge. This
shoehorn approach leads to frustration and system misuse.
jblea1016.com

5. Reason #4: A good project manager should
level set expectations.
■ A good project manager should level set expectations. When staff don’t
have a solid understanding of how their work environments will change,
they will resist the implementation. This resistance is yet another barrier
towards a successful project. However, without formal project management,
agencies tend to not even know how to define project success.
Expectations must be set and then managed, but those expectations
should emerge from a solid understanding of BOTH the “as-is” situation and
the “to-be” objective. Software vendors only care about their own interests,
which is generally about the “bottom line.”
jblea1016.com

6. For more information or to schedule a
formal meeting:
■ Please email me at juan.blea@jblea1016.com
jblea1016.com