The Seven Keys to Success™
October 2002
Applying the Seven Keys to
your project
by Bill Smillie
Partner
Applying the Seven Keys to your project
Page 2
Applying the Seven Keys to Success™
What are the Seven Keys to Success and how do I apply them to my project?
Here is a snapshot to allow you to assess how well your project is performing
across the Seven Keys.
Ask yourself these questions:
• Stakeholders are Committed: Is the executive sponsor visible, and are
incentives tied to project results?
• Business Benefits are Realized: What is the compelling business reason
for the project?
• Work and Schedule are Predictable: Is there a common definition for
“finished?”
• Team is High Performing: What are the team’s working conditions?
• Scope is Realistic and Managed: Are written agreements in place?
• Risks are Mitigated: Is a risk management plan in place?
• Delivery Organization Benefits are Realized: Is the team willing to invest
in the project?
To monitor the Seven Keys, a management dashboard graphically depicts the
state of the keys using a “traffic signal” concept.
Green: Stay the course—progressing according to plan
Yellow: Warning—corrective action required in the near term
Red: Urgent—corrective action required immediately
Understanding when a project is going off course is only half the equation—the
real power of the management dashboard is that it is actionable. Functioning as
a built-in management agenda for steering committees, the management
dashboard focuses attention on key project issues—acting as the catalyst for
decisions and actions that will make the difference in business results.
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Applying the Seven Keys to
Success™
3 Seven Keys Management
Dashboard
Contents
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Applying the Seven Keys to your project
Page 3
Seven Keys Management Dashboard
For a single, stand-alone project…
…or a comprehensive program.
Functioning as a built-in
management agenda for steering
committees, the management
dashboard focuses attention on
key project issues—acting as the
catalyst for decisions and actions
tha