Implementation and Execution
Execution is coordination under change
Implementation questions test whether you can move an approved plan into operation while controlling change, dependencies, and readiness. The domain covers mobilisation, work assignment and accountability, schedule and dependency management, change control, communication cadence, rollout strategy, training and support, issue and risk escalation, version and configuration control, documentation, and handover to the operational owner.
Concepts you must hold
- Rollout strategy: pilot or phased versus single cutover; pilots reduce risk but require a genuine decision point, not a formality.
- Change control: a change request is normal governance, not evidence of failure; the failure is uncontrolled change.
- Readiness: the people, process, and support structures must be in place before go-live, not after.
- Accountability: clear ownership per activity, with one accountable party per decision.
- Adoption versus deployment: deployment is the team shipping it; adoption is users doing the work differently.
- Escalation: defined thresholds and routes, so issues do not simply accumulate in a status report.
Traps
Equating implementation with adoption. Assuming a communication is the same as engagement. Skipping the transition and support period. Treating a change request as evidence of poor planning. Reporting percentage-complete milestones while usage or quality signals are ignored.
Rule of thumb
Define "done" from the user's side of the change. If the measure of completion is what the project team shipped rather than what the intended users now do, the definition is incomplete.
Worked example
A system goes live on the agreed date and within budget, but usage data three weeks later shows almost no take-up. The project did not fail at execution - the deliverables were produced - it failed at implementation, because readiness, training, or workflow fit was never verified. The correct response is diagnosis of the adoption barrier, not celebration of the milestone.