Operational Readiness in Project Manager

Project-Management.com’s Top 3 Software RecommendationsLet Monday.com work for you.Start Free TrialWork smarter with Wrike.Try for FreeIncrease productivity with Smartsheet.Try Smartsheet for FreeNecessary activities for ensuring the smooth rollout, operation, and maintenance of solutions produced by projects on day one can be overlooked in some organizations. These activities are called operational readiness (OR), and they are an integral support tool for the project management environment as well as the business environment.
Operational readiness can be described as “the preparation of an asset under construction and supporting organizations so that at delivery and handover, the asset organisation is fully prepared to take ownership of the asset and accepts responsibility for the safe and efficient operation and maintenance of that asset in a sustainable way.”
OR’s main purpose is to reduce operational risk and loss due to inadequacies or failures of internal processes, people, systems, or external events.
Because OR activities are not usually part of the project’s life cycle, operational readiness is often overlooked. This can impact overall project success. When the solution is ready to be deployed, the job of the project manager is done. This is when another group, such as solution delivery management or release management, takes over.
Most organizations don’t make it easy to transition from project work into operations. This is usually reserved for large projects that have a significant impact on large customer subscriber base once updates or changes are made.
An operational readiness assessment is necessary to ensure that the operating environment can support and accept any changes that result from the project. It would ensure real value delivery, improve solution continuity and reduce operational risks. It also provides a complete picture of project costs, schedule and scope.
Role of Project Management in Operational Readiness
There are many steps you can take to ensure that a project goes live or is rolled out smoothly. This important formal process can be helped by a project manager. It is part of the overall project plan and an operational readiness process. This includes solution scope, rollout schedule, cost, and cost.
A project manager can be a great help by working with the larger OR team to identify all systems, assets and processes required for the solution to work successfully.
Training
This phase includes the creation and distribution training materials that document the support and operation procedures to ensure operational readiness. Users and their support teams are also properly trained and have access to the training documentation. They also know who to contact for further assistance.
This could also include training documentation for customers and end users. Operational readiness activities criteria should also be tested in phases or as intermediate deliverables.
Maintenance
A separate staff member from the project team should be available and properly trained to operate and maintain all associated processes. All personnel responsible for monitoring and controlling system performance and behavior should have a well-documented maintenance policy.
At the Ready
A risk management plan or initial operational readiness strategy is required so that the designated team is ready for action at the first sign of danger materializing. This could be a system crash, or a security breach. This is the front-end.