Customer Enablement Onboard and launch

Brightspace Implementation: Project Governance and Change Management

Originally published May 26, 2020

Before your Brightspace Implementation starts you should begin thinking about Project Governance and Change Management. Effective strategies will help everyone in your organisation transition smoothly onto Brightspace, reassuring users that their needs will be met and concerns acknowledged. You may want to start by reviewing the resources found in our sector-specific Adoption Playbooks and we have also set out a list of workstreams to consider planning for ahead of your implementation.

K-12 Brightspace Adoption Playbook

Higher Education Brightspace Adoption Playbook

Corporate Brightspace Adoption Playbook

Governance Workstream	Implementation Phase	Objective and Participants
Communication & Promotion Strategy	Pre-implementation with review throughout	We recommend building out a full communication and promotion plan to ensure all organisation stakeholders are informed and updated as the implementation progresses Participants: Steering Committee, Project Lead / Manager
Internal Training & End User Support	Pre-implementation with review after participation in D2L’s training (as per your contract)	We recommend building out an internal training plan that enables your administrative team(s), teaching staff and support teams in the longer term Participants: Steering Committee, Project Lead / Manager, Training SME
Adoption & Enablement	Pre-implementation with review during and after implementation	We recommend building out an adoption and enablement plan that will allow you to roll out Brightspace features and functionality in a way that makes sense to your organization Participants: Steering Committee, Project Lead / Manager, Technology SME
Change Management	Pre-implementation with review during implementation	We recommend building out a change management strategy including a champion program within your organisation to help with the end user transition onto Brightspace Participants: Steering Committee, Project Lead / Manager, Technology SME
Launch and Roll Out Planning	Pre-implementation with review at key milestones during implementation	We recommend planning your roll out and launch activity requirements. Once in implementation, D2L will help you further define and develop these plans as your Brightspace journey gets under way Participants: Steering Committee, Project Lead / Manager
Continuous Delivery/Release Management/Governance	During implementation in preparation for BAU	We recommend that you build out a process and governance structure to manage new features and functionality as we roll out on a monthly basis. Participants: Steering Committee, Project Lead / Manager, Technology SME
Contingency Planning and Preparation	Pre-implementation with review during implementation	We recommend building a contingency plan, particularly if your timelines are tight or you are relying on additional work internally to integrate Brighspace into your ecosystem Participants: Steering Committee, Project Lead / Manager
Archive & Retire Legacy LMS	Pre-implementation with review during implementation	We recommend planning the archival of records and retirement of your legacy LMS Participants: Steering Committee, Project Lead / Manager, Technology SME

Implementation Workstream	Implementation Phase	Objective and Participants
Brightspace Architecture and Configuration (Consulting led by D2L)	Early Implementation	Consulting sessions, set up the initial configuration and enable you to manage the system long term Participants: Project Lead / Manager, Project Team, Key Early Adopters
Course Migration/Publish and Integrations (Consulting led by D2L, migration completed by your team)	Early Implementation	Sessions to get you started on your course migration, configure the conversion tools to get the best results and enable you to complete your full course migration. Participants: Project Lead / Manager, Project Team, Key Early Adopters
End to End Testing / Pilot	Mid - late Implementation	D2L will help you understand what you need to include in your testing plans and be available to support you as you execute on your testing. Participants: Project Lead / Manager, Project Team, QA Team ( Key Early Adopters?)
Data and Analytics	Mid - late Implementation (once there is meaningful data in the system)	D2L will share options for getting data out of Brightspace to meet your reporting requirements. There are various levels of consulting available depending on the package you purchased. Participants: Project Lead / Manager, Project Team, Technology SME, Key Early Adopters