The High Impact Methodology (HIM) is a structured approach to managing initiatives that focuses on stakeholder expectations.  It contains predefined components, such as processes and templates, which can be tailored to meet the specific needs of a business initiative.  HIM can be adopted as a complete project management framework, or incorporated into a company’s existing project methodology.  “Plug-ins” are available for HIM that can be used to facilitate specific types of activities within an organization, such as integrations and data migration activities.

Functionality Overview

In addition to being a complete initiative methodology that encompasses every phase of a concept realization life cycle, the HIM is lightweight; it can be used in lieu of large, bulky frameworks if necessary. It is also a layered approach; the components build upon each other and allows for customization at every level if so desired.

HIM produces a wealth of useful documentation about an effort. Each phase’s deliverables build on the previous phase’s outputs. The documents are structured to facilitate production operations and provide a basis for future projects and initiatives. In addition, assumptions, challenges and decisions throughout the life cycles of an effort are captured for auditing and continuous improvement purposes.

Another benefit of HIM is that it promotes reusability. Documentation, deliverables, customized HIM components and processes are structured in such a way that they can be used as models and templates for future efforts. As more and more reusable items become available to an organization, the organization will be able to capitalize more on the investment. Each deliverable, component and document should be treated as an asset for a company, not a project liability.

There are seven distinct phases of HIM. Each phase has a specific purpose in the life cycle of an effort. The phases of HIM are Identify, Define, Design, Configure, Test, Implement and Operate.