Project Management Framework
Maintenance and Operations - Planning
Definition
Maintenance & Operations Planning describes the process used to define resources and processes needed to sustain the project's business outcome after installation or implementation.
Why is this important?
Projects are, by definition, time limited. Projects create business outcomes that need regular, ongoing attention in order to operate efficiently and effectively over the long term.
In many cases, the project team does not retain responsibility for the product after delivery. The type, and often the pace, of work associated with maintenance are different than during development and implementation. The need to manage change continues but may continue in a different form. Governance structures are different once the project ends.
Without advance agreement on how the product will be maintained, who will have responsibility for maintenance, how maintenance priorities will be set and maintenance activities governed, the project could successfully implement something that quickly becomes obsolete or unused.
Instructions
Although development of this plan begins during the Planning Phase, completion of the Maintenance & Operations Plan occurs in the Execution Phase. As the final project outcomes are developed and delivered, more attributes may be taken into account in the Maintenance & Operations Plan.
Many organizations may have standard maintenance processes and practices already in place. If that is the case, evaluate how the project's outcome will be inserted into the existing processes. The Maintenance & Operations Plan documents agreement that the standard processes will be used and who will implement them.
However, if the project outcomes are new to the client organization or if organizational standards aren't available, then development of the Maintenance & Operations Plan is almost a small project within the bigger project. Many of the same areas addressed during a project development lifecycle are contained in the Maintenance & Operations Plan. The project manager may not retain direct responsibility for the development of the Maintenance & Operations Plan but does retain responsibility for ensuring this key deliverable is completed prior to implementation.
It is critical that the entity that will ultimately implement the Maintenance & Operations Plan (i.e., be responsible for maintenance of the installed outcome) actively participate in the development of the plan.
During the early stages of project planning, it is important to identify the resources and schedule for development of the Maintenance & Operations Plan. The roles and responsibilities of the various resources must be determined and an overall approach developed. This overall approach will include elements such as:
- Approach to determine maintenance planning needs.
- Tasks associated with developing final plan.
- Assumptions, constraints, dependencies related to maintenance planning or product maintenance.
- Options for staffing maintenance and operations, including outsourcing.
- Costs associated with maintenance and operations, including cost of outsourced resources.
- Identification of key players or user groups involved in planning and/or maintenance.
- Roles and responsibilities of individuals involved in planning and/or maintenance.
- Timelines for developing and implementing maintenance plan components.
- Method for decision making on organizational and operational issues - e.g., how will you determine who is responsible for maintenance, support strategy, maintenance change management strategies, governance, etc.
- Impacts on other parts of project or project resources.
- Relationships to other project plan elements, such as Change Management, Communications, Test Plan, and Implementation & Transition Plan, during the life of the project.
Project deliverables that require maintenance after implementation should be addressed in the Maintenance & Operations Plan. It may be a good idea to develop a control mechanism early in the project that will ensure these items are included in the Maintenance & Operations Plan.
Most project processes will have maintenance and operations equivalents, including change management, governance processes, testing, communications and the like. Review project planning elements to determine those needed on an ongoing basis and include them in the Maintenance & Operations Plan.
How to Scale
Some kind of Maintenance & Operations Plan is required for all projects. The size of the project doesn't necessarily dictate the scale of the plan. The level of detail and complexity should be dictated by considerations such as the overall impact of the project outcome on the business operations or environment and the level or rate of change anticipated for the project outcome.
Related Links:
Maintenance & Operations Deployment
Maintenance & Operations Plan Example
Maintenance & Operations Plan Template
Checklists