About This Session
What happens when the music stops but the project must go on? At Bryn Mawr College, a multi-year Workday implementation became a masterclass in institutional resilience when the project team navigated no fewer than eight College leadership changes. As one of only two project leaders present from start to finish, Melissa Cresswell faced the unique challenge of "filling the chairs" — onboarding new leadership, preserving institutional memory, and managing up through constant transition.
This dynamic, interactive workshop brings together institutional and consulting perspectives to explore the complexities of staffing and resourcing large-scale projects in the small liberal arts college environment.
Interactive Workshop Format
- 20 minPresentation & Discussion — Bryn Mawr case study highlighting key turning points, plus consulting perspective on common staffing pitfalls
- 15 min"Speed Briefing" Challenge — Fast-paced simulation where participants practice distilling complex project updates for a brand-new executive sponsor. Roles rotate every 5 minutes.
- 25 minStaffing Model Workshop — Small groups work through decision trees to design hybrid staffing approaches based on realistic scenarios (budget constraints, timeline pressures, skill gaps)
Learning Outcomes
- Learn specific techniques for rapidly onboarding new executive sponsors without losing project momentum or compromising decision-making quality.
- Analyze multiple resourcing approaches — backfill, frontfill, outsourcing, staff augmentation — and determine which hybrid staffing models align with your institution's size, culture, and budget.
- Create actionable strategies to preserve project knowledge and maintain stakeholder engagement even during significant leadership transitions.