Skip to main content

Delivering Results Lifecycle

Delivering Results Lifecycle

Establish the Need

Purpose

To understand why the initiative is needed and how it supports the University.

To achieve a broad understanding of the opportunity or need through assessing where we are now and where we need to be.

To understand the scale of activity required.

Steps

  • Understand the strategic needs and objectives of the initiative.
  • Check alignment with the University’s strategic plan.
  • Understand high level outcomes and benefits.
  • Confirm the key roles in delivering the activity including sponsor and service/academic lead.
  • Estimate the potential high-level costs for the overall initiative from start to finish.
  • As well as provide detailed costs and resources estimates for the immediate next phase.
  • For larger initiatives, all the above information should be captured in the Strategic Need document.

Tools & Documents

More information and templates to download can be accessed by clicking on the links below:

Click the DOWNLOAD button to access templates from the lifecycle section "Establish the Need"

DOWNLOAD

 

Hints & Tips

  • This phase is answering the ‘Why?’ question. Why do we need to do this initiative?
  • This section of the website includes a small selection of the tools that you might find useful for this phase.

Define the Scope

Purpose

To have a clear and shared understanding of what needs to happen.

To assess the feasibility of options and understand the potential impact of the activity on areas / processes / systems and people.

Steps

  • Understand the current and to-be processes impacted by the change.
  • Define the key requirements and success criteria.
  • Develop clarity over the expected benefits.
  • Identify and engage with all relevant stakeholders.
  • Investigate the feasibility of each solution option and make recommendations.
  • Identify risks and obstacles and plan how to reduce or overcome these.
  • Identify the detailed activity, timescales and costs required to conduct the next phase. See Set Up phase for more information.

Tools & Documents

More information and templates to download can be accessed by clicking on the links below:

Click the DOWNLOAD button to access templates from the lifecycle section "Define the Scope".

DOWNLOAD

 

Hints & Tips

  • This phase is answering the ‘What?’ questions. What do we want to achieve and what are we trying to solve?
  • This section of the website includes a small selection of the tools that you might find useful for this phase.
  • In large initiatives, all the information should be captured in the Outline Strategic Business Case and a Definition Document.

Set Up

Purpose

To set up and develop an implementation plan based on a preferred solution that ensures all the necessary resources and activities are in place to deliver the change.

Steps

  • Develop a detailed plan for delivering, implementing and sustaining the changes.
  • Understand activities and allocate resources.
  • Confirm costs of delivering the initiative and understand any changes to business-as-usual costs as a result of the initiative being delivered.
  • Understand the issues, risks and dependencies with other initiatives.

Tools & Documents

More information and templates to download can be accessed by clicking on the links below:

Click the DOWNLOAD button to access templates from the lifecycle section "Set Up"

DOWNLOAD

 

Hints & Tips

  • This phase focuses on ‘how’ the initiative will be delivered i.e. what funds and resources do we need to enable the change?
  • By the end of this phase, the full Business Case can be completed along with the full Initiative Definition document.
  • This section of the website includes a small selection of the tools that you might find useful for this phase.

Test and Deliver

Purpose

This is the doing phase where the plan is actioned and results are tested and implemented in a controlled way.

Steps

  • Undertake engagement and communication activity to ensure people in the impacted areas are ready for the change.
  • Identify, plan and deliver the training.
  • Plan the implementation and launch.
  • Measure and evaluate the impact of the change.
  • Continue to manage risks and issues.
  • Confirm the benefits are still on track to be realised.
  • Maintain continued support.
  • For small initiatives, you may wish to merge the Set Up phase with this phase.

Tools & Documents

More information and templates to download can be accessed by clicking on the links below:

Click the DOWNLOAD button to access templates from the lifecycle section "Test and Deliver"

DOWNLOAD

 

Hints & Tips

  • This phase is the delivery of the initiative, i.e. putting the plan into action.
  • The following pages include a small selection of the tools that you might find useful for this phase.
  • Depending on the size and type of change, you may want to have a go / no-go decision point towards the end of this phase, to ensure everyone is ready for the implementation or launch.
  • For more tools and information, please visit this section of the website.

Sustain Results and Review

Purpose

This phase ensures that the implemented change is sustainable and is a chance to look back over the initiative and evaluate.

It provides the steps to close down the initiative properly and to measure whether the change realised the benefits that it set out to achieve.

Steps

  • Following the go/no-go decision, execute the implementation.
  • Ensure the change is embedded and monitoring is in place.
  • Plan for a controlled initiative closure.
  • Conduct a review to understand whether measure of success/benefits were actioned.
  • Identify learning points for the team and University.
  • Confirm handover including agreeing ownership of outstanding issues.
  • Celebrate success!

Tools and Documents

More information and templates to download can be accessed by clicking on the links below:

Click the DOWNLOAD button to access templates from the lifecycle section "Sustain Results and Review"

DOWNLOAD

 

Hints & Tips

  • Remember that it is important to close an initiative down and not to let it continue running indefinitely.
  • A post initiative review is a useful way to capture a summary of what was delivered.
  • Hold a lessons learnt workshop and make available for other initiatives to learn from.
  • Please visit this section of the website for tools and templates that will be useful for this phase of the initiative.

Hints & Tips

  • These phases are a guide. Not all activity and initiatives will need to have 5 separate phases. For example, smaller projects might merge the Define the Scope and Set Up phases.
  • The tools within each phase can be used independently and for a variant of different purposes, feel free to pick and mix the ones that are helpful to you.