Best Practices: Aligning Process, Culture and Tools

Michael JordanSenior Project Manager - Microsoft Consulting Services

michjor@microsoft.com

Agenda

• Overview

• Process

• Culture

• Tools

• Implementing Project Management tools

Overview

• Exciting time for Project Management

• Broader industry recognition for this role

• Evolving tools making the job easier

• Refined process models providing flexible frameworks

Overview

• Challenging time for Project Management

• Constantly justifying their existence

• Always providing evidence of benefits

• Always negotiating PM “admin overhead”

Overview

• Main recurring themes in the industry– Integrating, Communicating and Managing

People– Disseminating information– Creating consistency and repetition– Presenting data early for corrective action

Process

• Processes outside of PM lifecycle – where does Project Management fit in?– Opportunity Management– Resource Capacity Planning– Strategic Initiatives

• PMO role in – Project Management– Program Management– Portfolio Management

Process

Process Tools

Culture

Change

• Organization’s Project Management maturity

• Constantly going through cycles

• Evolves to maturity and may collapse with change in exec priorities

• Industry verticals have different focus on maturity needs (Eg: Aerospace/software)

Process

• Complexity of processes and supporting tools

Timesheeting

Resource Database

Capacity Planning

Historical Database

Risk Management

Document Management

Scheduling Engine

Skills database

Issue Management

Reporting Engine

Opportunity Management

Earned Value

Invoicing PMIS

Process

• Controlling the schedule– Most PMs spend time making software fit the

deadline date– Best place to demonstrate PM value– Weakest area in PM field– Main area to consolidate organizational

standards– Maintain consistency and apply methodology

Process

• Resources and Time Capture– Time capture

• Project time• Non project time• Operational time

– FTE vs contractors• Applying accurate hourly rate• Managing accurate overtime costs• Maintaining EV reports

Culture

Bad Good

Motivated

Not Motivated

• Managing culture is managing the perceptions to change.

Culture

• Setting all stakeholders expectations• Everyone using some form of

process/tools• Adoption of tools and process• Functional redundancy and duplication of

efforts• As FTE now punching clock cards (time

entry)• Public view of resource effort and progress

Culture

• Organization’s perception of PMO – demonstrate value

• Get the organization trained on PM terminology and what to do with reported data

• Get organization comfortable with hearing bad news early and taking corrective action

• Provide consistency and make it easier not more difficult

Tools

Process ToolsChange process to fit tool?

Change tool to fit process?

• Companies want “out of the box” solutions

• Long term support

• Less cost

• Upgrade path

• Training resources

• Recognized Industry skills

Tools

• Getting more difficult in virtual teaming• Outsourcing (Internationalization)• Security• Connectivity• Collaboration• Localization• Currencies• Languages

Tools

• Provides easy repetitive use

• Provides value in ability to enable informative decisions

• Provides ability to standardize processes and methodology

• Drives consistency

Tools

• PMO budget does not typically cover all costs required to implement the tools

• Server based tools require technical backend administration which is new and expensive

• Complexity of integrating tools with others

• Duplication of functionality – redundant applications

Implementing PM Tools

• Main challenges– Lack of implementation project planning –

Ironic!– Under-estimate technical complexity– Under-estimate training readiness– Lack of ownership

Implementing PM Tools

• Organizational challenges– Don’t know what application does– Don’t know their requirements– Not enough time to do gap analysis– Lack of consensus across organizational

groups

Implementing PM Tools

• Requirements challenges– Design difficult on high level requirements– Technical specs do not follow company policy

or procedures– External integration dependencies– Lack of production data to configure system– All features not functional for testing– Big step into production roll out

Implementing PM Tools

• Operational Challenges– Operations not prepared for maintenance– Operational budget for PMO overlooked– Handoff and ownership - improvised– Help desk - Troubleshooting difficulty– Re-Training for lessons learned

Implementing PM Tools

• Deployment Considerations– Understanding all stakeholder impacts– Operations and maintenance– Configuration Management– IT Governance– Timing– Strategic Initiatives

Project Server 2003

Line of Business Systems

Active Directory

Thank you

• Q & A