How I work

The operating model behind the projects: six stages, each with a purpose, a set of activities, the artefacts it produces, and the outcome it has to deliver.

  1. Stage 01

    Align

    Establish what the project is for, who decides, and what success means, before any commitment is made.

    Activities

    • Structure the kickoff and align expectations, scope, and objectives with the client.
    • Identify stakeholders, decision-makers, and the escalation path.
    • Confirm commitments against the Statement of Work.

    Artefacts

    • Kickoff deck
    • Stakeholder map
    • Agreed scope and objectives

    Outcome

    Everyone agrees on the same scope, the same success criteria, and the same decision path.

  2. Stage 02

    Plan

    Turn agreed intent into a schedule that shows dependencies and the critical path, so dates mean something.

    Activities

    • Run technical and functional discovery to gather business and technical requirements.
    • Break scope down and build the schedule, mapping milestones, dependencies, and critical path.
    • Size the team and confirm technical feasibility with engineering.

    Artefacts

    • Discovery findings
    • Schedule in MS Project
    • Scope baseline
    • Milestone plan

    Outcome

    A plan that survives contact with reality, because its dependencies were made explicit up front.

  3. Stage 03

    Execute

    Deliver in increments while keeping the overall plan intact, matching the model to the environment.

    Activities

    • Apply a hybrid model: structured planning with incremental delivery, or full waterfall where the environment requires it.
    • Coordinate cross-functional and distributed teams, including technical, operations, and regional stakeholders.
    • Lead by influence across matrix structures and external vendors.

    Artefacts

    • Delivery plan
    • Release and go-live checklists
    • Integration map

    Outcome

    Work moves without the plan drifting, and teams without a reporting line still pull in the same direction.

  4. Stage 04

    Control

    Catch risk, scope drift, and dependency slippage before they reach the delivery date.

    Activities

    • Maintain RAID: risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies.
    • Identify, analyze, and mitigate risks; control scope changes.
    • Track schedule, cost, resources, and SLA adherence.

    Artefacts

    • RAID log
    • Change control record
    • Structured status trackers

    Outcome

    Problems surface while there is still time to act on them.

  5. Stage 05

    Communicate

    Keep executives and delivery teams working from the same picture, at a cadence they can rely on.

    Activities

    • Weekly status reports and progress meetings with internal stakeholders and clients.
    • Monthly steering committees with senior leadership.
    • Act as the primary communication point between clients, internal teams, and business areas.

    Artefacts

    • Weekly status report
    • Steering committee pack
    • Escalation record

    Outcome

    No stakeholder is surprised, because bad news travels as fast as good news.

  6. Stage 06

    Handover

    Close the project so the operation that inherits it can run without the project team.

    Activities

    • Assemble complete technical and functional documentation.
    • Run structured transition to the operating or Customer Success team.
    • Confirm the receiving team can sustain SLA commitments.

    Artefacts

    • Handover package
    • Technical documentation
    • Operational continuity baseline

    Outcome

    Post-go-live risk and rework drop, because nothing lives only in the project manager's head.