Kick-off conditions everything that follows. A clear scope — goals, perimeter, team, budget, milestones, governance — avoids the blind spots that kill 30% of HRIS projects within six months.
Scoping deliverables (weeks 1-2) #
| Deliverable | Content |
|---|---|
| Scoping note | Goals, scope, exclusions, success KPIs |
| Roadmap | Key milestones, dependencies, critical path |
| Project team | Sponsor, project manager, contributors, business ambassadors |
| Communication plan | Audiences, messages, channels, frequency |
| Risk plan | Top 5 risks with probability / impact / mitigation |
| Governance charter | Committees, rituals, decisions, escalations |
Step-by-step #
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Kick-off workshop (half-day) #
Sponsors + Illizeo team. Align ambition, constraints, ways of working.
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Constraints mapping #
Calendar (deadline, sensitive period), budget, resources, technical constraints (other ongoing projects).
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Plan building #
Phases: prep, configuration, UAT, training, go-live. Milestones design-frozen, UAT-OK, go-live.
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Rituals in place #
Monthly steerco, weekly ops committee, dailies during critical phases.
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Exec validation #
Scope presented to leadership for formal commitment. Project starts only if approved.
FAQ #
How long for an Illizeo deployment?
3 months for 50 employees, 6 months for 500, 9-12 months above.
Do we need a dedicated internal PM?
Yes, at least 50% of their time over the project. Without it, significant drift risk.
What about change management?
Prepared from kick-off. See the dedicated article.
Agile or waterfall?
Hybrid. Scoping + configuration in agile (2-week sprints), UAT + go-live in structured milestones.
