Telecom & Mobility Management Implementation Project Tips
Posted by Jennifer Burns on Mon, Jan 25, 2010
I was recently reading AOTMP's State of the Industry Report on the Telecom Expense and Wireless Expense Management Industry. You can find it here There was some interesting feedback from clients who have engaged in TEM projects. There was one question in particular that resonated with me.
"If there was one thing you would do differently with your TEM program, what would it be? "
Some of the respondents regretted their approach to their project. This got me thinking...... what advice do we typically give so that there are no regrets? We are asked daily for suggestions on how to ensure a TEM/WEM initiative is successful. The following tips may help you start off on the right foot.
Tip #1 - Give everyone a heads up - TEM projects require change...change that sometimes scares people. The more buy-in and comfort you can secure from the groups involved, the quicker and more effectively your program will be implemented. Lay out the key organizational goals and the reasons why certain tasks must be done. If this is clearly communicated in terms of those that stand to benefit from the solution - cooperation and enthusiasm should be strong.
Tip #2 - Start gathering your info NOW - Getting your arms around your inventory and billing can sometimes be a pain. No matter who you choose, most vendors will ask for very similar information, so you benefit regardless of who you select. Even put aside a box in your office or a folder on your desktop and start adding bills and records that you think may be useful when the time comes 
Tip #3 - Dedicate resources to the project - One of the biggest reasons that an implementation is delayed is due to insufficient resources. It is important to prepare all of the groups involved and clearly define who responsible for what tasks and share this information with the vendor you choose. If a vendor recommends a specific headcount, trust them. They typically know how many man-hours tasks will take.
Tip #4 - Speak up and discuss expectations - Of course this applies to the vendor but it also applies to you. There are certain areas that are MUST tackle subjects. For example, project timeframes, internal goals, expectations, target dates should NEVER be assumed. Any client engagement should start with a project initiation meeting where timeframes are mutually developed, mapped and signed off on by both you and the vendor. Schedule a discovery session ...it will be worth your time.
Tip #5 - Clearly define the scope of work. -The more information you can gather regarding the scope, the better. Again, this is another area that must be clearly discussed and outlined with your vendor. The scope of work should be clearly defined and mutually agreed upon. A plan should also be discussed and mapped out that cover how to handle out of scope issues that arise during the engagement.
photo by Arenamontanus