Services

One of the most important project decisions an organization has to make is  - simply  - SHOULD WE START THIS PROJECT?  Every project seems exciting…every project seems to be the one that will double your revenue, cut your expenses in half, create millions of dollars or the company and your shareholders.

Agile? Waterfall? Extreme? Lean? Safe? All of the above?  Is this a program or a portfolio? How to tactically approach your project can be very confusing.  Your organization may have suggestions, as will your stakeholders.  But what is the best way to organize and deliver the value your organization expects?  We will help you evaluate the various project management approaches and work with you to create a sensible deliverables strategy to fulfill the requirements of your customers and other key stakeholders.    

Often little thought is given to the strategic advantage an organization can gain in optimizing the way they create multi-project programs and portfolios. The exact structure of your project hierarchies is crucial in both creating an understanding of project relationships, as well as the a defining the delivery roadmap necessary for your teams to follow. The Mascar Group is experienced in developing effective project structures that crystalize our client’s high-level strategy while at the same time allow them the flexibility to adjust when necessary.     

Countless decisions are required throughout the life of a project.  We have found that defining a framework to address how these decisions will be made (and who will make them!) as early as possible is critical in keeping your project running smoothly through the myriad of changes that undoubtably occur.   We can help create a governance model specific to your organization and initiative that will identify and prepare your teams to make decisions quickly and effectively.

Project Management is 90% communication – we have all heard that.  But how do you ensure that your communication strategy is effectively keeping your stakeholders informed and engaged?  We work with you to develop a comprehensive and actionable full-lifecycle Stakeholder Management Plan that not only defines the people involved in the project, but carefully examines their level of interest and influence – key inputs into the specific communications necessary to keep them engaged. Who should review and approve budget requests?  Who is responsible for deciding the critical issues that affect the outcome of the project?  All of these questions need to be answered in a timely manner and an environment created that clearly promotes effective management and decision making.

Organizations struggle with the amount of planning necessary for their projects. There is the fear that they will over plan - spend too much time in analysis paralysis. But at the same time, firms often are concerned they didn't plan enough, possibly forgetting key elements of execution that might impact them later. We help our clients conduct a level of planning that is appropriate to both the specific project and their organization. Whether you've chosen a predictive or iterative approach, we make sure that you have captured the start-up information necessary to create a strong foundation for success, while at the same time incorporating the capacity for the inevitable changes that occur throughout the project lifecycle.