Project Management Software Migration

Photo: Christy Flater

Purpose

Adopt a new project management software while minimizing disruption.

Process

It was a three month migration process. I would create and submit proposals with projected timelines and task assignments to the project manager. After discussion, I would implement what was agreed upon. The three main areas of focus during the migration were as follows:

Data transfer

Instead of migrating and cleaning the data from one program to another, we decided it would be better to only bring in the projects that were needed. The migration of the data was a team effort that included myself and two other project management coordinators. We followed the below plan:

* Identify the projects, files, and records that managers wanted from the prior project management software.

* Clean and format the data for compatibility or manually add data to the new project management software.

* Verify accuracy of data.

This is a sample spreadsheet that we used to track the projects and get feedback from the director and managers on the team.

New software setup

Under the direction of the project manager, the following steps were completed by me and two other project management coordinators:

* Create the organizational hierarchy with spaces, folders, and custom items.

* Evaluate the usage of tasks compared to workflows.

* Create projects, tasks, workflows, blueprints, and request forms in the account/space.

This is a sample proposal that I sent to the project manager via Microsoft Teams regarding the migration milestones.

Training

I oversaw the training for all interns on the communications team by doing the following:

* Developed a clear, step-by-step training plan.

* Scheduled LIVE training sessions for team members to practice using Wrike.

* Collected feedback to address any concerns and improve the training process.

Perspective

I am grateful for this experience for the learning lessons and importance to plan ahead, communicate well, and stay flexible when rolling out big changes. This project gave me the wisdom to learn how to be adaptable and integrate regular strategic communication to ensure smooth transitions in change.