4.3 Engagement plan implementation - AWS Prescriptive Guidance
OverviewBest practicesAdditional steps

4.3 Engagement plan implementation

Overview

An engagement plan describes specific ways in which an individual, stakeholder group, or organization will address changes brought forth by the cloud transformation. The implementation of the engagement plan is to keep all key stakeholders committed to, and focused on, the desired business results of the cloud transformation. Each stakeholder group should be addressed and engaged with relevant information according to their prioritization and mapping in the commitment model, as outlined in the engagement strategy and plan (Envision the Future, 3.3). 

The OCA  team's focus is to secure commitment from designated leaders and champions in the implementation of engagement tasks.

Best practices

Assumptions

  • The engagement strategy and plan have been validated and approved by the cloud leadership team, the executive sponsor, the HR team, and the internal communications team.

  • Leaders and champions have been involved in the planning phase. They have been adequately onboarded, they accept the plan, and they are committed to participating in its implementation.  

Focus areas

The areas of focus in this workstream include:

  • Engagement setup 

  • Engagement plan development

  • Engagement plan deployment 

  • Monitoring and reporting

Engagement activities checklist

You can use the following engagement plan checklist as a reference guide throughout the cloud transformation process. 

Note

This isn't an exhaustive list of activities. It is only a sample of tasks that should be included in the engagement plan. 

Area

Actions

Setup

  • Validate stakeholder groups according to the engagement strategy and stakeholder assessment.

  • Align activities by stages of engagement (for example, focus groups, informal presentations, webinars, and town halls).

  • Identify and onboard owners and champions.

  • Assign owners and champions to stakeholder groups.

Plan development

  • Develop a core presentation deck that provides key information about the cloud transformation for all audiences.

  • Submit the core presentation deck to the leadership team for their approval. 

  • Sign off on the core presentation deck.

  • Develop specific materials (for example, overview, impact information, key benefits by stakeholder group, timing information, training information) for targeted audience groups.

  • Review and approve materials with subject matter experts (SMEs) for each area.

  • Obtain signoff on these materials.

  • Upload the materials to the project library or knowledge repository.

Plan deployment

  • Review materials with SMEs and champions.

  • Determine delivery formats (for example, face-to-face or virtual).

  • Review timing of activities with leaders and champions.

  • Schedule events and activities. 

  • Notify participants.

  • Conduct engagement sessions such as focus groups, department meetings, informal gatherings, webinars, and demonstrations.

Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor the implementation of engagement activities.

  • Capture attendance and questions; conduct feedback evaluations.

  • Update the engagement materials with feedback as necessary.

  • Update the engagement report or scorecard.

Additional steps

To begin implementing the engagement plan, follow these steps:

  1. Confirm that the engagement strategy and plan have been validated and approved.

  2. Verify that the engagement activities checklist has been validated and approved.

  3. Make sure that monitoring and reporting mechanisms (such as status reports, dashboard of success metrics, and OKRs) are in place.

The effective implementation of the engagement plan is critical for driving cloud adoption and achieving desired business outcomes. By following these best practices, using the provided checklist, and maintaining ongoing stakeholder engagement, organizations can ensure that all key stakeholders remain committed and focused on the cloud transformation process. This ultimately leads to the successful adoption and realization of your business outcomes.