22 PROCESS AND PRACTICE

Photography: Aad Hoogendoorn

A SUCCESSFUL IT PROJECT

WHEN IT COMES TO COMPLEX PROJECTS wITH TIGHT SCHEDULES, IT IS GREAT TO BE ABLE TO HAND THE RESPONSIBILITY OVER TO TOPDESK
Danil Huijbens Project leader

Text: Nienke Deuss

PROCESS AND PRACTICE 23

IT projects are not known for always going according to plan. This means that it is important to find a project leader to steer everything in the right direction which is also true for your TOPdesk implementation. You can appoint someone from your own organization, or hire an external project leader. And why not hire a TOPdesk project leader for a TOPdesk project?
Implementing a new tool can be a complex business, for instance when several departments are involved. A project leader is often assigned to give such a project the greatest possible chance of success. You can appoint an internal project leader from your own organization, or an external project leader. Many organizations select the former for smaller projects. Not every project requires an external project leader, says Danil Huijbens, TOPdesk project leader. An internal project leader knows the organization, knows who to involve and when, and can ensure the technical set-up is a success with the help of a TOPdesk consultant. If your TOPdesk implementation concerns a more complex project, you can also involve a TOPdesk project leader. Huijbens: When it comes to important projects involving several departments, that involve complex technology and especially projects that have to be completed quickly, there are many benefits to calling in a TOPdesk project leader. you cannot influence how far the project team has progressed by the next time. As a project leader, I ensure that everything has been arranged by the organization so that my consultancy days are used as effectively as possible. Moreover, Im no longer dependent on an external project leader who still has to read up; now its up to me to make sure that we deliver quality.

Closely involved
When you bring in a TOPdesk project leader, they become part of your organization during the project. Huijbens spends most of his working week as a project leader on location at a customers. I now spend three to five days a week at ICT Samenwerking, the centralized IT service desk of four Dutch municipalities. I arrive in the morning, connect my laptop and can get straight to work with the project group. I make sure that the homework assigned by a consultant is completed and organize internal sessions to inform and involve employees. It is a more intensive type of collaboration between a customer and TOPdesk, but it makes sure that these projects go smoothly.

Lifting the burden

Many larger organizations enjoy being able to outsource their TOPdesk project in its entirety, as Huijbens explains. There are TOPdesk project leaders at Boskalis or Nationale Nederlanden, for example. With such organizations it often concerns complex projects with tight schedules. Its great for them to be able to pass the responsibility on to TOPdesk, so they can say, I want you to do this and have it done by this date. Once the decision is made to appoint a project leader from outside the organization, its only logical to involve a TOPdesk project leader, says Huijbens. Every project leader started as a TOPdesk consultant. This means he or she knows a lot about the software and has supervised similar implementation projects before. Another external project leader would have to invest a lot of time in getting to know both the organization and the software.

A flexible approach
The project leader is a TOPdesk expert who knows everything about the tool and the underlying database structure. This knowledge offers a number of advantages, according to Huijbens. Thanks to my work as a consultant, I can make a good estimate of how much impact an issue in the software will have, and whether it will cause problems for a project. Moreover, I can make good use of all of TOPdesks resources; I know exactly who to turn to, and if I need something I can immediately arrange it with a colleague. It lets me take a more flexible approach, which often results in fewer consultancy days.

Responsible for quality

Huijbens enjoys carrying full responsibility for a project. As a TOPdesk consultant, I would visit customers one day a week. In such situations,

Curious about the possibilities?

Contact TOPdesk Consultancy via consultancy@topdesk.com.