Published here October 2011

PART 1 | Work Packages 1 & 2 | Work Packages 3 to 5
Final Phase | Post-project Review | Study Questions

Final Phase

This case study would not be complete without a brief discussion of the actual move, how the results stacked up against our Key Success Indicators (KSI), the actual risks experienced, and any lessons learned.

The Move

Our son and daughter joined us in the house for a week or so over the actual transition period and helped with packing and unpacking. On the actual moving day, everyone knew what to do because everything was marked and where applicable laid out on the scaled floor plans of our suites at SILC - and everything actually fitted. Subsequent re-assembly of our rather elaborate electronics equipment took several days, but otherwise went without a hitch.

After our move into SILC, our son and daughter remained in the house and went through it, generally cleaning up and touching up damaged walls and the like to leave the house in ship shape condition. As soon as they left, our professional home stager arranged final clearance of all remaining belongings so that the house was left completely cleared ready for final closing of the house sale.

Key Success Indicator compliance

  • KSI #3 - Project success: Remarkably, the whole relocation adventure went according to plan, and met our ultimate time objectives.
     
  • KSI #2 - Financial success: As is common amongst most projects, costs were somewhat higher than originally budgeted but not "out-of-reach". The redeeming feature was that although we lowered the asking price on our house, which we had felt was very optimistic anyway, what we received was still comfortably above what we needed to make the project viable in terms of future cash flow. And all this in spite of serious concerns over the US economy that inevitably affects the Canadian economy.
     
  • KSI #1 - Product satisfaction: The accommodation worked out exactly as planned, the SILC management bent over backwards to help us in the endeavor, and we were able to settle in just as we expected. Being at SILC means living in a wonderful setting surrounding its own private gardens, enjoying excellent everything-included staff service, and making a lot of new friends.

In this last KSI, we are somewhat cautious. In the last analysis, the success of every project hinges on "customer satisfaction" with the "product". And because every project is about "change", it takes time for customers, notably the "users", to become comfortable with the new working environment. People working in the computer software industry, or working with software for instance, will be particularly familiar with this phenomenon. And this project is no exception.

But the question is: How long after the delivery of the product should one make the assessment of "satisfaction"? Since this duration obviously varies from project to project, the best rule-of-thumb is to take the pre-assessment period as the same length of time that it took to conduct the project in the first place. In this case study, it means six months.

Project Execution - Work Packages 3 to 5  Project Execution - Work Packages 3 to 5

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