Planning the release and release activities

With the scope appropriately settled, it’s time to think about the second aspect of successful implementation: determining an appropriate timeline for your project that accommodates the various releases and release activities.

The obvious reason why a timeline should be established for the implementation program is to attempt to gain certainty over when the value and returns on investment will be realized (or begin to be realized). A less obvious reason is to use the timeline as a way of establishing constraints that can help the project team and the organization focus more clearly on outcomes and goals.

Due to the inevitable existence of uncertainty and risk with any project, planning the timeline and release strategy can often be an art form. Some level of uncertainty and risk is inevitable, but it is possible to use a series of guidelines and guiding principles to estimate the timelines of a project and determine the appropriate...