Technology In OPS - Kickoff Meetings

http://www.technologyinops.com/freetraining

KickoffsNailing the Kickoff


Pre-Meeting Prep


Consider Attendees• For each attendee, determine whether they are:

• Senior Leader

• Operator

• Tech Team member

• Some attendees may fall into a couple of areas (e.g. a Senior Leader that is also an Operator)

• Establish a Lead/Spokesperson for each group



Stories for Each Group

• Prepare a story about the end goal of the project from each group’s perspective:

• Senior Leader - focus on the leadership, governance, policy, and budget side.

• Operator - focus on the operational impacts, process improvements, and the operational situation

• Tech Team - focus on how they will meet the Senior Leader and Operator needs.



Know Your OUTCOME

What Objective(s) are you trying to Achieve with the Project?

• What is the Project Attempting to do? What operational impact are you hoping to achieve?

• How will you measure success?

• How will you get to the end point?


The Meeting


Kickoff Agenda• Introductions [5-10 minutes] & Housekeeping

• How did we get here? [5-10 minutes]

• What is the end goal for this project? [15 minutes]

• Changes to Operations

• How will we reach that goal?

• Project Approach



Outcome for Project• Where do we see our project going?

• Why are we here?

• What Objective(s) are we trying to hit?

• Stories about the high-level vision

• 1 for each group (Senior Leaders, Operators, and Tech Team)



What is OUT OF SCOPE?

• List key areas that are known to be out of scope.



Changes to Operations

• What change are expected? What changes are we looking for?

• What impacts will this change have on our existing operations and infrastructure?



Change Impacts

• Given the Change you Expect, what are the impacts:

• On Policy & Governance? On Budgets?

• On Process and Operational Procedures?

• On infrastructure, personnel, and other soft/hidden areas?



Impact TimelinesToday->Tomorrow->To Be

• What are we doing (or can we do) TODAY?

• No change to process, policy, or governance.

• What could we do TOMORROW?

• Minimal change to process, policy, or governance.

• Where to we want TO BE in the future?

• What impacts will we have to prepare for in process, policy, and governance?

• WHO can facilitate these changes?



Reaching Our Objective

• We will use XXXXX Approach.

• So you can expect:

• To see prototype changes around <DATE>

• To see deployable technology around <DATE>



Project Limits

• We are bounded by the following constraints:

• Resources (personnel, funding)

• Time

• Scope



Control & Influence

• What must we control?

• Can we influence it instead?

• What will control cost?

• Can we afford that much control?


–Darrell O’Donnell, Founder - Technology In OPS.

“Only Control what you must. Influence the rest.”


How do we know we made it?

• We know we have made it when?

• Senior Leader view

• Operator view

• Tech Team view



Closing

• Remarks from Leads (Senior Leaders, Operators, and Tech Team)

• Review Action Items and Decision Log from this meeting


Meeting Rules & Guidelines


#1 Question to Ask Yourself

• Why are you having a Meeting?

• What is the desired outcome of the meeting?

• Get agreement? Get input?

• Make decision?

• Discovery?



Meeting Rules• Show up on Time and Be Present

• Times are HARD lines - meeting start and stop on time.

• Action Items will be Assigned (Action verb, to a single Owner, with a due date)

• Parking Lot will be used - to take items off table for future handling



Lightweight Minutes

• Delivered Quickly

• Log of Key Items:

• Decisions - what was decided? Only enough detail so attendees will recall the content and context of the decision

• Action Items



Action Items

• Where you have Action Items - they must be clear and answer

• WHAT is being done?

• WHO is doing it?

• WHEN will it be done?


Leadership & Management

Technology In OPS - Kickoff Meetings