Mastering Projects: A 12-Step Program for MSP Service Managers
For many MSPs, projects can feel like a double-edged sword. While they offer the potential for lucrative markups and transform Clients into "raving fans," poorly managed projects can lead to significant financial losses and eroded Client relationships. The challenge is particularly acute for Service Managers, who are often tasked with project oversight in addition to a myriad of other high-priority responsibilities, creating a constant "conflict of focus, skill, priority, and mental gymnastics". Traditional, extensive Project Management Institute (PMI) methodologies, as outlined in the PMBOK Guide, are frequently too comprehensive for the practical realities of MSPs, which require a more "lighter" and adaptable approach. The noise and disruption projects introduced can be "deafening" if not properly segmented and managed within the Service Delivery operation.
So, how can IT Service Managers, often operating without a dedicated project management background, ensure successful project delivery? This 12-step program for "non-project managers" offers a practical framework, and structured focuses on "Delivering What is Expected" by providing clear guidelines that can help MSPs navigate the complexities of project management, mitigate risks, and ultimately boost profitability and Client satisfaction with these steps:
Deadline
Priority
Capacity
Criticality
Requirements
Stakeholders
Document
Communication
Commitment
Inform
Deliver
Closure
Delivering What is Expected: A 12-Step Program
This program focuses on ensuring successful project delivery through a series of actionable steps:
1. Deadline:
Deadlines are critical in project management, setting expectations for both Clients and internal teams, but they can often be contentious. Poor planning can lead to inefficiencies and unprofitable projects. In an MSP setting, project deadlines frequently conflict with ongoing service delivery, causing scheduling disruptions. It's essential that deadlines are negotiated based on actual Client needs and MSP Resource Availability, rather than arbitrary Client’s internal pressures. For Service Managers, understanding the Client's expected due dates and their negotiability is the "first thing a Service Manager needs to get his hands around". Proper project forecasting, clear communication, and effective prioritization are key to mitigating deadline-related risks and ensuring successful project delivery without compromising profitability.
2. Priority:
Managing project priority involves an internal conversation about how a specific Client's project ranks against other Client needs and internal commitments. This internal prioritization is crucial for determining whether other scheduled work needs to be pushed back or if the current project needs to wait. Assessing a project's criticality helps in prioritizing tasks, aligning stakeholder expectations, and avoiding unnecessary disruptions. Misunderstandings can occur, with internal pressures sometimes mislabeling projects as urgent when Client expectations might be different.
3. Capacity:
Capacity refers to assessing staff availability to take on new project work without disrupting existing services. MSPs often find themselves in a situation where they feel they "never seem to have enough staff to do the project when the Client wants it done, without disruption or distraction". Resource Planning Analysts play a vital role in balancing project work with the continuous support of Managed Service Agreements, ensuring projects do not overwhelm or disrupt the core business. A proactive scheduling technique involves determining the number of hours needed for various service request types and proactively pre-positioning or blocking out resources for each workflow weeks in advance. This planning allows the MSP to communicate project availability to the sales team, aiding in better deal closure and resource allocation.
4. Criticality:
Assessing criticality ensures that projects are executed with the appropriate level of urgency and focus. This helps in prioritizing tasks, aligning stakeholder expectations, and avoiding unnecessary disruptions. Critically, it's about distinguishing true urgency from internal mislabeling. By incorporating criticality assessments into project planning, MSPs can "enhance efficiency, reduce chaos, and improve overall service delivery". Proper documentation, clear communication, and commitment based on Client-defined criticality are essential to prevent misallocation of resources.
5. Requirements:
While not explicitly listed as a separate section in the source's overview of steps, "requirements" are an implicit and vital part of effective planning. They encompass elements like scope, tasks, duration, budget, resources, communication, risks, solutions, and procurement. Clearly defining what is needed (requirements) for each step or phase in the project is fundamental to avoiding scope creep and ensuring that the project aligns with what was sold and what the Client expects. The process of defining "what defines a project" is part of project governance.
6. Stakeholders:
Stakeholders are crucial for project success, as they influence decisions, priorities, and execution. Effective stakeholder management involves balancing expectations among various parties, including Clients, Service Managers, lead Techs, and internal teams. "360-degree communication" is critical, involving everyone impacted by the project. A RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) chart is a formalized tool to define who the key people are, their roles, and why they need to be communicated with. A Service Manager managing a project should continuously assess communications to ensure all necessary parties are informed, as this "helps reduce conflicts, enhance transparency, and drive project profitability".
7. Document:
Proper documentation is essential for maintaining project clarity and ensuring accountability. It establishes structures that define responsibilities and communication flows, leading to smoother operations, managed expectations, and minimized inefficiencies. Without effective documentation, MSPs risk operational disruptions and misaligned priorities. Implementing real-time documentation strategies can reinforce accountability and improve project tracking. Crucially, for MSPs, IT Support should "own" the Project Closeout checklist and ensure it's completed before accepting responsibility for supporting the Client and network, as project engineers often leave client documentation unfinished.
8. Communication:
Effective communication is "crucial for project success," keeping both internal teams and Clients informed. This involves structured updates, automated notifications, and clear status reports to prevent misunderstandings. RACI charts, as discussed, help define communication roles. A lack of structured communication can lead to "inefficiencies, delays, and Client dissatisfaction". Proactive engagement, including communicating "before, during, and after" an engagement, fosters trust and reduces unnecessary inquiries [76, 83c, 833]. Automated Client communications are also vital for consistency and a great Client experience, helping to reduce churn, as "80% of Clients leave their Managed Service Provider due to lack of communications, not the inability to fix their stuff".
9. Commitment:
Commitment is vital for ensuring projects are completed on time, within budget, and aligned with business goals. For MSP service managers, who often juggle project management as an added responsibility, balancing these commitments with ongoing service delivery is paramount. This requires strong negotiation, collaboration, and communication skills. By setting clear expectations, keeping stakeholders informed, and ensuring alignment across sales, technical teams, and Clients, a strong commitment to structured project management "improves efficiency, profitability, and overall service quality".
10. Inform:
Informing is critical for transparency, alignment, and overall project success. Utilizing structured communication tools like RACI charts helps define precisely "who needs to be informed, their role, and the timing of updates". A proactive approach involves continuously reflecting on whether additional parties should be informed, which strengthens collaboration and prevents oversight. The Project Manager is specifically responsible for keeping the Client updated on "every facet of the project," particularly start and end dates and anticipated disruptions. This structured information-sharing reduces misunderstandings, enhances project efficiency, and fosters stakeholder confidence, leading to smooth project execution.
11. Deliver:
Delivering a project in an MSP environment requires balancing multiple priorities, including routine service requests, network administration, and project tasks. Project delivery often disrupts core service operations, highlighting the need for structured project methodologies. The goal is to ensure projects are completed on time and within budget while maintaining the quality of ongoing services. This involves integrating and adapting best practices from PMI guidelines to the unique operational challenges of an MSP, ensuring "smooth project execution without compromising the managed services business model".
12. Closure:
Project closure involves formalizing the project's completion, including Client acceptance and capturing lessons learned. This phase also includes facilitating the handoff between the project team and the support team. A critical component is the IT Support Team's review and sign-off on a Project Closeout checklist before accepting to support the Client and their network. This checklist should capture "Lessons Learned" from both Project Engineers and Support Techs to improve future processes. A proper closeout process ensures that Clients are "greeted warmly, supported efficiently, and leave with a feeling they are in good hands" when post-project issues arise.
Conclusion
Implementing these 12 keys to effectively managing projects, even for non-project managers, is not merely about achieving efficiency; it's about transforming the entire Service Delivery operation. By adopting a structured approach to deadlines, prioritizing effectively, understanding capacity, and embracing robust communication and documentation, MSPs can significantly reduce chaos, minimize lost profits, and cultivate an environment of "Zen" for their employees. While the journey to optimal Service Delivery may take time, typically 24 to 36 weeks for foundational improvements, the benefits are profound: improved employee quality of work-life, increased Client satisfaction, and substantial boosts in company profits. It requires a commitment to continuous improvement, but by leveraging these practical strategies, Service Managers can effectively lead their teams to consistent project success and foster thriving MSP businesses.