We understand that when a strategic initiative is identified by a college or university, whether it be an investment in new technology, a change to operational processes, or an expansion of a program or service, it can be difficult to dedicate resources to the initiative. Even if you do have resources identified, their core training may not be in how to:
- Plan and manage a complex project, including defining requirements and creating a detailed breakdown of work that needs to be accomplished
- Establish a baseline project schedule and budget
- Create a stakeholder communication and management plan
- Proactively manage project risks and issues along the way
Your most critical projects may only be getting a fraction of the focused attention they need and may take much longer to complete than desired.
How We Work
Vantage Point’s professional project managers know the higher education culture. We offer your institution’s leadership team the on-demand skills and expertise needed to implement strategic projects successfully. Working with the resources you allocate, our project managers help you minimize project costs, plan for every variable, and drive your projects through to completion.
You may be thinking, “In this economy, I can’t afford an outside project manager.” But consider this: according to an August 2007 survey by Dynamic Markets Ltd., 63 percent of IT projects failed. In our experience, the seeds of project failure occur within the first few months, during the planning phase. Inexperienced project owners or committees are often quick to start implementing without expertly defining success up front and a detailed plan for realizing desired outcomes. So the real question you should consider asking is, “In this economy , can we afford not to bring in an expert project manager to ensure we realize the return on investment that this effort is intended to generate?”
Launching a strategic project at your college or university? Contact Vantage Point today, to discuss how an expert in higher education project management can be of benefit to you.
