Non-Negotiable Elements of Successful

Projects

Presented by Christina Randle CEO / The Effective Edge, Inc.

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To deliver on time and on budget with legendary results demands Leadership and

Followership.

Project Leadership

A keen awareness and agility for human dynamics.

And delivering EFFECTIVE ACTION at all levels.

Project Management practices deliver a certain constrained set of outputs - that many times are ineffective at delivering what is necessary for the

Project to be successful.

This is PROJECT LEADERSHIP.

Truly successful Projects require more than traditional Project Management & technical

expertise.

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UK Electronic Health Records program Abandoned. Spent: $12Billion

The Millennium Dome in London, UK£789M (initial investment) – £189 M(recouped ) = £600 M Loss

Ford Motor Co. purchasing system Abandoned. Spent: $400M

Denver Airport Baggage Handling System$560M Overrun.

New York City ‘CityTime’ payroll system Original: $63M Final: $760M

IRS electronic fraud detection system Abandoned. Spent: $185Million

British Columbia Ferry Crossing BoatsOriginal Budget $210M, Final Cost $460M, Boats Auctioned for $19M

Project Failures

Why Projects Fail

Source: PMI

Lack of Change Control Process

Insufficient/No Risk Planning

Unrealistic Budgets

Undefined Project Closure Criteria

Lack of Stakeholder Buy-In

Poor Project Requirements

Unrealistic Schedules

Insufficient Resource Planning

Poor Communications

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

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Includes 65% of large Capital projects & IT projects

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Process & Science Alone is Failing ProjectsOver 15 years, much has been invested in process

improvement, methods, compliance and project science…

And during that time projects have not shown improvement.

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Typical Answers to Project Failure

MORE / BETTER PROCESS

New Project

Software NEW TECHNOLOGY

OUTSOURCE PMO / EXPERTISE

PROCESS

NEXT

PMO, Inc.

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Typical Answers to Project Failure

MORE / BETTER PROCESS

New Project

Software NEW TECHNOLOGY

OUTSOURCE PMO / EXPERTISE

PROCESS

NEXT

PMO, Inc.

Adaptive Project

Leadership: Balance of

Science & Art

People

Tasks and Meetings

Schedule

Product / Performan

ce

Budget$

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Project Manageme

nt Processes

How Projects Succeed

How Project Managers Succeed

SCIENCE

ART

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Complexity

Too Much ‘Science’“If I’ll just follow the checklist then the Project’s guaranteed to succeed.”

Successful Projects require EVERY PERSON to be be successful.

Not Enough ‘Art’

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ScheduleBudget

Product/Performance

Leading / Inspiring

Communications/Trust

Decision-Making/

CollaborationNegotiating/Conflict

Resolution

Design / Engineering

Constraints/Scope

Requirements Definition

Tasks & Tracking

Traditional Project

ManagementScope TimeCostTasksRequirementsRiskTracking HierarchyProcurementProcessAnalysisDesign/EngineeringConstructionTestingHeadcountProductivity / Efficiency

The New Equation for Success

Traditional Leadership

AdministrationOrganizationExecutionFocusSelf ControlGovernanceStrategyAssertivenessReliabilityResults-OrientedValues EthicsPeopleCultural ChangeOpportunityEffectiveness

Project Leadership

VisionClarityCreativity / InnovationInspirationCollaborationConsensusRelaxationOpennessConsultationNegotiationConflict ResolutionSelf ManagementEmotional IntelligenceCoachingInfluenceEffective Action

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+ +

= Successful Project Outcomes

Science Art

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Developing ‘the Art’ Builds on Key Practices

Individual

Team Practices

Leader

Project Leader

Individual Practices Manages self and time Able to make & keep agreements to self Ability to make smart and fast decisions and

execute Accountability/ownership of decisions &

actions

Flexes with different personal styles, team dynamics & individual feedback

Demonstrates communication skills for negotiating, communicating ideas, challenging dialogue, providing and receiving feedback

Innovative thinking to solve problems creatively

Generates shared vision for effective decision making

Team Member Practices

Leader Practices Balances risk & complexity, art & science Drives & responds to change Practices horizon planning & thinking Straddles strategic priorities & tactical needs Models desired behaviors to the Team Recalibrates expectations for best performance Articulates the ‘why & what’, empowers team on the

‘how’ Allocates resources for leverage and impact Influences without power/control

Generates/owns and drives priorities & deliverablesSelf aware and drives own developmentLeverages technology for best outcome (communication &

information)Focuses in midst of distractions

Agility to fail forward fast and adjust

Aligns behind decisions – inspires others to do the same

Shares information in a timely fashion, enables timely reporting to group

Creates registers for demonstrating success

Ability to deliver timely for the team and self

Effectively juggles ‘Science’ & ‘Art’ based on project complexity

Optimizes resources for best execution

Models urgency of organizational capability

Recalibrates and adjusts organization to provide greater strategic flexibility

Project LeaderEffective Action Practices

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Project Leadership Takeaways

Author and American computer scientist Dr. Ben Schneiderman is Professor for Computer Science at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD. 

“Leonardo Da Vinci combined science and art…that kind of unity is needed once again.”- Dr. Ben Shneiderman

Art lives from constraints and dies from freedom. - Leonardo da Vinci

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“How often people speak of art and science as though they were two entirely different things, with no interconnection.

An artist is emotional, they think, and uses only his intuition; he sees all at once and has no need of reason.

A scientist is cold, they think, and uses only his reason; he argues carefully step by step, and needs no imagination.

That is all wrong.

The true artist is quite rational as well as imaginative and knows what he is doing; if he does not, his art suffers.

The true scientist is quite imaginative as well as rational, and sometimes leaps to solutions where reason can follow only slowly; if he does not, his science suffers.”

- Isaac Asimov “Prometheus,” The Roving Mind (1983)

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