How do you keep your IT projects running smoothly when vendors or contracts change?

1 Assess the impact

Before you make any changes to your vendors or contracts, you need to assess the impact on your project scope, schedule, budget, quality, and risks. You should review your project plan, requirements, deliverables, milestones, and dependencies, and identify what will change and what will remain the same. You should also consult with your project team, stakeholders, and sponsors, and communicate the reasons and benefits of the change. You should document the impact analysis and get approval from the relevant authorities before proceeding.

2 Update your project plan

Once you have assessed the impact and got approval, you need to update your project plan accordingly. You should revise your project scope, schedule, budget, quality, and risk plans, and reflect the new vendor or contract terms and conditions. You should also update your communication, procurement, and change management plans, and specify how you will coordinate, monitor, and control the vendor or contract performance. You should also update your project documentation, such as contracts, agreements, invoices, reports, and records.

3 Manage the transition

The transition period is the most critical and sensitive phase of the vendor or contract change. You need to manage the transition smoothly and efficiently, and avoid any disruptions or gaps in your project delivery. You should establish clear roles and responsibilities, expectations and deliverables, and communication and escalation channels between the old and new vendors or contracts. You should also conduct a proper handover, transfer of knowledge, and verification of quality and completeness. You should also provide training, support, and feedback to the new vendor or contract team.

4 Monitor and evaluate

After the transition is completed, you need to monitor and evaluate the vendor or contract performance regularly. You should use appropriate metrics, tools, and methods to measure the quality, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness of the vendor or contract deliverables. You should also collect feedback from your project team, stakeholders, and sponsors, and identify any issues or opportunities for improvement. You should also conduct periodic reviews, audits, and reports, and ensure that the vendor or contract complies with the project standards and expectations.

5 Learn and improve

Finally, you need to learn and improve from your vendor or contract change experience. You should document the lessons learned, best practices, and recommendations for future projects. You should also celebrate the achievements, recognize the contributions, and reward the performance of your project team and vendors or contracts. You should also share your knowledge and insights with other IT managers and colleagues, and contribute to the IT vendor and contract management community of practice.