Capstone: applying the people element to a project · PRIN-120 Lesson 12

This capstone brings the course together in one invented case. You will follow a project from mandate to closure and apply each part of the people element and the project context: mapping the organizations and layers, forming and onboarding the board, setting up supplier relationships, assessing change impact, leading the team, planning communication, setting performance targets including sustainability, handling an exception with people causes, and recording tailoring and lessons. The case, the organizations and all numbers are invented for learning purposes.

The case: Lakeside Community Health Hub

A regional health authority plans to consolidate three small community clinics into one new Lakeside Community Health Hub. The project includes renovating a leased building, moving 85 staff, introducing a shared appointment booking system and changing how patients book visits. A construction contractor will renovate the building under a fixed-price contract, and a software supplier will configure the booking system under a time-and-materials contract with a cap. The project sits within the authority's community care modernization program. The budget is 4.2 million dollars over 14 months. The authority has committed to reducing emissions from its facilities and to accessible services under provincial accessibility law.

Step 1: mapping the context

The first task is to map the organizational and project ecosystems and the management layers. This tells the project manager who holds authority, who will be affected and where relationships need building.

Context map for the Lakeside project.
Layer or group	Who in this case	Notes
Business layer	Community care modernization program board	Sets project tolerances; owns program benefits; provides communications team
Directing	Project board: executive, senior user, two senior suppliers	See step 2
Managing	Project manager from the program office, with project support	Experienced in facilities projects, less in system rollouts
Delivering	Contractor's site team; software supplier's configuration team; internal training team	Three teams from three organizations
Affected groups	85 clinic staff, about 12,000 regular patients, a union local, neighbours of the new site	See step 4
Other stakeholders	Building landlord, accessibility advisory group, municipal planning office	Approvals and advice

Step 2: forming and onboarding the board

The board must represent business, user and supplier interests with people who have authority, credibility, ability to delegate and availability.

Worked problem

Choosing the board

Candidates: the program director (busy, owns program budget); the director of community clinics (manages all 85 staff, respected by them); a clinic nurse manager (respected, but no authority over other clinics); the contractor's operations director; the software supplier's account manager (sales role); the software supplier's delivery director. Propose a board and assurance arrangements.

Show solution

Executive: the program director holds budget authority, but availability is a concern; agree a fixed monthly board slot and a named deputy for urgent exceptions.
Senior user: the director of community clinics, who has authority over all affected staff and credibility with them.
User representation: the nurse manager joins a user group that reports to the senior user, rather than the board.
Senior suppliers: the contractor's operations director and the software supplier's delivery director, not the account manager, because board members must commit resources and act for the project rather than sell.
Assurance: a program quality lead for business assurance; a patient experience manager for user assurance; an independent technical advisor for supplier assurance.

Answer: The board has all three interests, each held by someone with authority. Onboarding in the first week of initiation covers decisions, tolerances, reports and the behaviour expected when exceptions arise.

Step 3: supplier relationships

The two suppliers have different contracts and therefore different incentives. The contractor, on a fixed price, will resist unpaid changes. The software supplier, on time and materials with a cap, is flexible but may approach the cap. The project manager agrees joint ways of working at a kickoff with both suppliers, including a shared risk register for joint risks, a fortnightly integration meeting and an escalation ladder: team managers within 3 days, delivery managers within 5 more, then the board.

Worked problem

Checking the software cap

The software contract has a cap of 600,000. After 5 of 9 planned months, 390,000 has been spent and the supplier estimates 55 % of the configuration work is complete. Forecast the final cost by assuming the remaining work proceeds at the same cost per unit of progress. Is the cap at risk?

Show solution

Cost per percentage point of progress: 390,000 ÷ 55 ≈ 7,091.
Forecast final cost: 7,091 × 100 ≈ 709,100.
This exceeds the 600,000 cap by about 109,000.

Answer: The cap is at risk. Under a capped contract the supplier may slow down or seek a change as it approaches the limit, so the project manager raises the forecast early with the senior supplier and assesses the issue, rather than waiting for the cap to be reached.

Step 4: change impact and readiness

The change affects clinic staff most, then patients. The project uses a change impact assessment scored 0 to 3 on processes, tools, roles, skills and location.

Change impact scores for Lakeside; reception staff and clinic managers face the greatest change.
Group	Processes	Tools	Roles	Skills	Location	Total
Reception staff (24)	3	3	2	3	3	14
Nurses (38)	2	2	1	2	3	10
Physicians (11)	1	2	0	1	3	7
Clinic managers (3)	2	2	3	2	3	12
Patients (about 12,000)	2	1	0	1	2	6

Reception staff face the greatest change: new booking processes, new tools, new team structures and a new location. Clinic managers lose their separate clinics and become team leads in a single hub, which is a significant role change. The plan therefore prepares clinic managers first, so they can lead their teams, and gives reception staff the most training and practice time. For patients, accessible communication in several formats and a phone line for booking help are planned as products.

Worked problem

Tracking readiness

A readiness survey asks reception staff to rate 'I feel ready to use the new booking system' from 1 to 5. Results at three points: month 8, average 2.1; month 10, average 3.0; month 12, two weeks before go-live, average 3.4. The board's readiness criterion for go-live is an average of at least 3.5 and no more than 20 % of staff scoring 1 or 2. At month 12, 6 of the 24 staff score 1 or 2. Is the criterion met?

Show solution

Average 3.4 is below the 3.5 threshold.
Share scoring 1 or 2: 6 ÷ 24 = 25 %, above the 20 % limit.
Both parts of the criterion are missed, although the trend is improving.

Answer: The readiness criterion is not met. The project manager should report this to the board with options, such as extra practice sessions for the six staff, floor-walkers in the first two weeks or a short delay to go-live. Readiness is treated as a quality criterion with real consequences, not a formality.

Step 5: leading the team

Three teams from three organizations must coordinate closely during the final months. The project manager agrees work packages with each team manager, using three-point estimates for the booking configuration and the contractor's own schedule for the renovation. Ways of working are agreed at a joint session: a weekly integration stand-up, a shared calendar of site access, a rule that safety concerns can be raised by anyone and stop work immediately, and a commitment to raise forecast slips within one working day. A short psychological safety pulse each month helps the project manager spot problems in the joint team.

Step 6: communication and engagement

Stakeholder analysis places the program director and director of community clinics in manage closely, the union local and accessibility advisory group in keep satisfied and involved, reception and nursing staff in keep informed and involve, patients in keep informed, and neighbours in monitor with advance notice of disruption. The communication management approach uses the program's communications team for patient and public messages, so that project and program messages are consistent, while the senior user and clinic managers deliver staff messages.

Extract from the Lakeside communication management approach.
Group	Message	Channel	Sender	Feedback route
Clinic staff	Why the hub, what changes, when, support available	Team meetings, intranet, site visits	Senior user and clinic managers	Q and A sessions, user group
Union local	Changes to roles, hours and location	Formal consultation meetings	Senior user with human resources	Consultation responses
Patients	New location, booking changes, accessibility	Letters, website, posters, phone line	Program communications team	Phone line, patient survey
Accessibility advisory group	Design and service accessibility	Design review sessions	Project manager	Written advice
Neighbours	Construction schedule and disruption	Letters, site notice	Project support	Contact number

A timeline across five stages: initiation, design, build, transition and closing. Above the timeline are people activities: board onboarding in initiation; change impact assessment and user group in design; manager preparation and staff site visits in build; training, readiness surveys and floor-walkers in transition; handover to operations and lessons in closing. Below the timeline a band shows communication intensity rising toward transition and falling after closing. — People activities across the Lakeside stages; communication peaks around transition.

Step 7: performance targets

Lakeside performance targets set by the program board; all figures invented.
Target	Project target	Project tolerance
Cost	4.2 million	+5 %
Time	Hub opens in month 14	+1 month
Quality	Booking system passes acceptance tests; readiness criterion met	No critical defects; readiness as defined
Scope	All three clinics moved; online booking live	Online booking for some services may follow within 3 months
Benefits	Annual operating saving of 350,000 from year 2	Not less than 300,000
Risk	Expected loss from open threats	Not above 200,000
Sustainability	Renovation emissions not above 380 tCO2e; operational energy 20 % below the three old clinics combined	+5 % on emissions; energy target no worse than 15 % below

Step 8: an exception with people causes

Worked problem

Handling the Lakeside exception

In month 11, three things happen. Readiness is behind, as in step 4. The software forecast exceeds its cap, as in step 3. And the union local raises concerns that reception shift patterns were changed without consultation. The project manager forecasts that the stage will exceed its time tolerance by three weeks and its cost tolerance by 90,000. What should the exception report contain, and what options are realistic?

Show solution

Cause: delayed configuration, low reception readiness and an unresolved consultation issue, which are linked because staff unsure of their shifts are less ready to learn.
Impact: stage time and cost tolerances forecast to be exceeded; project tolerances not yet threatened, since +1 month and +5 % (210,000) remain available.
Option A: delay go-live by three weeks, complete consultation, add training; cost 90,000.
Option B: go live on time with reduced online booking scope and extra floor-walkers; cost 45,000; risk of poor patient experience.
Option C: delay by six weeks to redesign shifts with the union; cost 140,000; threatens project time tolerance.
Recommendation: Option A, because it resolves the consultation issue, meets the readiness criterion and stays within project tolerances.

Answer: The board approves Option A with an exception plan for the stage. The senior user leads consultation with the union, the software supplier's delivery director agrees a contract change with a revised cap, and the readiness criterion is retained. Because project tolerances are not threatened, the matter does not need to go to the program board, which is informed in the next highlight report.

Step 9: tailoring record and closure

The project initiation documentation records the main people-related tailoring decisions: a four-person board with two senior suppliers; a user group reporting to the senior user; use of program communications channels for patients and the public; readiness as a go-live quality criterion; joint ways of working and an escalation ladder with both suppliers; and monthly readiness and psychological safety pulses. At closure, the end project report shows performance against all seven targets, and follow-on actions hand responsibility for benefits measurement and continued staff support to the clinic director and program.

Selected lessons from the Lakeside project.
Lesson	Evidence	Recommendation for future projects
Consultation must precede role changes	Union concern added three weeks	Plan formal consultation as a product before shift designs are finalized
Readiness criteria work	Board delayed go-live based on data, not opinion	Use measurable readiness criteria for every system rollout
Capped contracts need early forecasting	Cap breach seen two months ahead	Forecast capped contracts monthly against progress
Prepare managers first	Clinic managers led teams well at go-live	Schedule manager preparation one stage ahead of staff

Common mistakes

MistakeChoosing a supplier's sales representative as senior supplier.
InsteadAppoint someone who can commit resources and act for the project.
MistakeTreating readiness as a formality before go-live.
InsteadSet measurable readiness criteria and act on them.
MistakeChanging roles and shifts before consulting staff representatives.
InsteadPlan consultation as a product ahead of design decisions.
MistakeWaiting for a contract cap to be reached.
InsteadForecast against the cap and raise issues early.
MistakeSending project and program messages separately to patients.
InsteadUse program channels for consistent public communication.

Summary and key terms

Map the layers, ecosystems and affected groups before planning people activities.
Form a board with authority, credibility, ability to delegate and availability, and onboard it.
Contract types shape supplier behaviour; agree joint ways of working and escalation early.
Change impact assessment directs effort to the most affected groups and their leaders.
Readiness can be a measurable quality criterion for go-live.
Exceptions often have linked people causes, and good options address the causes.
Record people-related tailoring and capture lessons for future projects.

Capstone: A final exercise that applies a whole course to one case.
Readiness criterion: A measurable condition that must be met before go-live.
User group: A group of user representatives that supports the senior user.
Floor-walker: A trained helper who supports staff in person after go-live.
Consultation: A formal process of seeking and considering the views of affected people or their representatives.
Contract cap: A maximum amount payable under a contract.
Exception plan: A plan that replaces the current stage plan after an exception.
End project report: The report reviewing how the project performed against its targets.
Follow-on action: An action recommended at closure for the business to take forward.
Lessons report: A report capturing lessons for the organization and future projects.

Practice problems

Work each problem on paper first, then reveal the answer to check.

Which board role should the director of community clinics hold?
Show answer
Senior user.
Why not appoint the software account manager as senior supplier?
Show answer
A sales role may not commit resources or act for the project.
390,000 spent at 55 % complete. Forecast at completion?
Show answer
About 709,000.
6 of 24 staff score 1 or 2. Percentage?
Show answer
25 %.
Which group should be prepared first: reception staff or clinic managers?
Show answer
Clinic managers, so they can lead their teams.
What is 5 % of 4.2 million?
Show answer
210,000.
Is a stage exception of 90,000 within a project tolerance of 210,000?
Show answer
Yes, so it need not go to the program board.
Who sends patient communications in the case?
Show answer
The program communications team.
Name one people-related tailoring decision in the case.
Show answer
Readiness as a go-live quality criterion.
Give one lesson from the case.
Show answer
Plan consultation before finalizing role changes.