pragmatic project management cima presentation 16 may 2013

PRAGMATIC PROJECT MANAGEMENT

CIMA PRESENTATION16 MAY 2013

PRAGMATIC

Dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical

considerations

SEAN MULLINEUX

• Lead Consultant @ Zebrazoo Consulting (www.zebrazoo.com)

• Over 10 years experience delivering change for large organisations

• My Background: B.Com PAAB Articles (Deloittes) CIPD MBA

• I have delivered change projects locally and internationally in the following sectors:- Biotech / Pharma- Financial Services- Retail- Utilities- Public- Health / NHS

SEAN MULLINEUX

Recent projects include:• Implementing near shore and on shore Shared Services Centres

• Relocating and consolidating operations from high-cost geographical areas to lower-cost areas

• Outsourcing services and implementing managed service contracts

• Redesigning business services

• Designing and implementing new channels to market

• Delivering new and refurbished capital infrastructure to underpin new, or improved, services

• Setting up consolidated multi-skilled service desks

• Business process redesign

AGENDA

• Change

• Project Management Versus Programme Management

• Structuring Your Project Correctly

• The Project Lifecycle

• Sequencing Your Project Plan Correctly

• The Pragmatic Project Management Checklist For Success

• Case Study – Lessons From The Dark Side

CHANGE

Yes No Maybe

Is your business exactly the same as it was 5 years ago ?

Yes No Maybe


Yes No Maybe


Yes No Maybe

Is your business exactly the same as it was 1 year ago ?

CHANGE – WHY IT IS UNAVOIDABLE

POLITICAL

ENVIRONMENTALECONOMIC

SOCIAL

LEGAL

TECHNOLOGICAL

CHANGE

OPERATIONS / BAU

VALUE

YOUR BUSINESS

COMMUNICATION, CULTURE & CHANGE

CHANGE

OPERATIONS / BAU

VALUE

GOOD COMMUNICATION

PROJECT VERSUS PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT

An Analogy : Large City Bus Service

Depot A

09:00

09:20

09:50

10:15

Depot B

11:00

The Project

The ProjectPlan

KeyMilestones

ProjectClosure

The ProjectManager

PROJECT VERSUS PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT

Schedules when buses leave, who will be driving them & on

which route

Liaises with bus drivers to ensure

service is on schedule

Liaises with police & road maintenance companies to pick up on any issues that

may impact the bus service

Liaises with the council & interest groups to resolve

issues or improve the service

Balancing deliveryof strategic benefits

The Programme Manager

PROJECT VERSUS PROGRAMME MANAGEMENTProject ManagementProjects comprise specific pieces of work:

• that are finite in nature,• that have a specific scope,• that have a clear budget and timeline,• where the focus of delivery is very much task orientated.

Project Management is the management of these finite pieces of work.

Programme ManagementA Programme usually comprises a number of interrelated projects.Programme Management involves the coordination of all these projects to ensure that a set of strategic benefits are met. This usually involves:

• distilling strategic requirements into a high level roadmap,• maintaining the high-level road map that connects the various projects on a clear

path to benefit delivery,• managing the project managers,• liaising with and balancing the interests of all internal and external stakeholders.

Programme Management is predominantly soft skills focused rather than task focused.

KEY SKILLS REQUIRED TO BE AN EFFECTIVE PROJECT MANAGER

You need to be:• able to conceptualise what ‘B’ looks like and be able to visualise how to

get from ‘A’ to ‘B’

• process focussed – project management is a process

• a good generalist (i.e. have a good/working knowledge of your project’s key workstreams)

• a good communicator (and a champion of communication and marketing)

• able to build relationships up and down the hierarchy

• pragmatic (sensible, realistic, logical, rational, practical)

You do not need to be:• Prince 2 or MSP qualified

STRUCTURING YOUR PROJECT CORRECTLY

If a project is to proceed effectively and efficiently to ensure that it is ‘delivered on time and within budget’ it is critical that a clear project framework exists that will facilitate:

• Unambiguous understanding of objectives, roles and responsibilities necessary to deliver the project

• Clear and open communication lines• Transparency of decision making, structures and processes• Accountability

Key requirements: a clear project structure and clear terms of reference

STRUCTURING YOUR PROJECT CORRECTLY

Decision Makers Of Key ImpactedBusiness Areas / Key Stakeholders

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Executive Sponsor

Workstream Lead

Project Manager

Operations

Comms

FinanceFacilities

Purchasing

IT & TelecomsHR

Communication Flow

Communication Flows

Accountability

Project Stakeholders

Comms Lead

PROJECT BOARD / STEERING COMMITTEE

Project Manager

Project Sponsor

KEY PROJECT DOCUMENTATION

The following documents are required to run a project effectively:• Full business case• Terms of reference

- Remit of the project sponsor and project board- Accountability of the project sponsor and project board- Meeting schedule for the project board, who should attend, proposed

agenda and the documentation that will be required

- Remit of the project manager and workstream leads- Accountability of the project manager and the workstream leads- Meeting schedule for the project delivery team, who should attend,

proposed agenda and the documentation that will be required

KEY PROJECT DOCUMENTATION

• Project Initiation Document (PID)• Detailed Project Plan (Microsoft Project)• Detailed Communication & Marketing Plan• RAID Logs, i.e.

- Risk Log- Actions Log- Issues Log- Dependencies Log

• Finance Schedules• Status Report (RAG Rated)• Milestones Report (RAG Rated)

THE COMMUNICATION PLAN

• Step 1: Appoint a competent Communication Workstream Lead

• Step 2: Identify all your key internal and external stakeholders

• Step 3: Using the Power/Interest Matrix below identify where each group of stakeholders fits in terms of their level of Power to influence the outcome of the project and their level of Interest in the project


• Step 4: Use the results of the Power / Interest Matrix to guide:- The level of resources that should be invested in each stakeholder- The type/content of communication they should receive- The frequency of the communication to them- The media / channel best suited to communicating to them

• High Power + High Interest (The Key Players) = Manage Closely- Invest significant resources in keeping them informed and on side

throughout the project lifecycle- Frequent detailed comms on a face-to-face or direct email basis to

keep them fully up to speed on progress

• High Power + Low Interest (The Meddlers / Blockers) = Keep Satisfied- While their interest is low they have the power to influence progress

if they so wish or if they are lobbied by others- Periodic status reports, update emails, 1-2-1 or small group

meetings, etc


• Low Power + High Interest (Victims / Beneficiaries) = Keep Informed

- They are likely to be significantly impacted by the outcome/delivery of the project but lack the power to influence/alter its course. The success of the project will be determined by their level of inertia to the change

- Taking them on the journey is important and project resource should be invested in keeping them regularly informed at a detailed level throughout the project lifecycle

- Communication should be built around group meetings, written communication on milestone progress and upcoming activity. Communication MUST include listening to their feedback

• Low Power + Low Interest (The Bystanders) = Monitor- Keep group informed on a general, less frequent basis – investment of

project resource should be minimal- Comms to this group should be through general newsletters, posters, etc.


• Step 5: Prepare a Communication & Marketing Plan as a matrix in line with key deliverables / dates in the main project plan. • Proposed heading for the communication and marketing plan should

include:PURPOSE What are you hoping to achieve with this piece of communication

MESSAGE A brief description of the message that you are communicating

TARGET GROUP / STAKEHOLDERS Which stakeholders are you targeting with the message

INTERNAL / EXTERNAL Are they internal or external stakeholders

INFLUENCE LEVEL What is their Power/Interest classification

KEY NAME Is their a key contact name for the identified stakeholders

CHANNEL / MEDIA What is the proposed channel e.g. 1-2-1, group meeting, email, etc)

FREQUENCY Is this a once off communication or is it recurring e.g. monthly status report

DELIVERY / START DATE When is the communication to be issued

REQUIRED RESOURCE Who is responsible for preparing the material / writing the comms

STATUS Open or Closed

DATE CLOSED If closed, when was the comms action to close it

PROJECT LIFECYCLE

Project Initiation

Project Planning

Project Delivery

Project Closure

+/- 35% +/- 60% +/- 5%

PROJECT LIFECYCLE – KEY CATEGORIES

Project Initiation

Project Planning

Project Delivery

Project Closure

Feasibility Study

Business Case

Project Scope

Project Team

Tendering Project Office

Project Governance / TOR

Business Benefits

Initiation Phase ReviewStakeholder Analysis


Project Planning

Project Initiation

Project Delivery

Project Closure

Contractual Agreements

Communication Plan

Change Control

Financial Plan

Legal SupportProject Documentation

Project Risks

Project Interdependencies

Project Plan

Resource Plan

Technical Drawings

Technical Specifications

Vendor SelectionWorkstreamsPlanning Phase Review


Project Delivery

Project Initiation

Project Planning

Project Closure

*Communication*

RAID Management

Training

Finance

Team Interaction

Workstream Coordination

Procurement

Time Management

Testing

Reporting

Resource Management

Stakeholder Engagement

Management/Exec SupportTechnical SupportContractor/Vendor Management


Contract Terminations

Handover To Business

Post Project Review / Lessons Learned

Project Closure

Project Initiation

Project Planning

Project Delivery

SEQUENCING YOUR PLAN CORRECTLY

Post Go Live

Support

HR – Role & Structural (Re)design

Recruitment&

Redeployment Training &Work

Shadowing

New Premises Selection

& Refurbishment

Estates & Facilities & Logistics

Telecoms & IT Infrastructure

Setup

System / Application Testing &

Support Model

COMMUNICATION & MARKETING PLANFINANCE

Cu

t Ove

r & G

o L

ive

Pro

ject / P

rog

ram

Stru

cture

& G

ove

rna

nce

Fe

asib

ility & S

cop

e A

na

lysis + C

ost –

Be

ne

fit An

alysis

Bu

sine

ss Ca

se / P

roje

ct Ap

pro

val

New Site / Location Selection

Document / Review ‘As Is’ Business

Processes

Improve / Standardise

Business Processes

FinaliseSLAs

Initiation & Planning Phases Implementation Phase

‘Softer’ RelatedActivities / Workstreams

‘Harder’ Related Activities / Workstreams

Major Impact

Possible Impact

PROJECT MANAGEMENT CHECKLIST FOR SUCCESS

Have you spent enough time on the Project Initiation & Project Planning phases?

Has a project feasibility study been completed?

Is the scope of the project clear?

Has a robust business case been prepared and the appropriate approval been received?

Is the project budget realistic?

Has a clear project structure been put in place with clear lines of accountability?

Has an appropriately skilled person been put in charge of the communication workstream?

Have workstream leads been appointed who are specialists in their fields?

Do we fully understand ‘A’ and what we need to change?

PROJECT MANAGEMENT CHECKLIST FOR SUCCESS

Do all member s of the project conceptually understand what ‘B’ will look like?

Has a robust and logically sequenced project plan been prepared?

Has a detailed and robust communication and marketing plan been prepared?

RAID logs - have all the key Risks, Issues and Dependencies been identified and mitigations or appropriate actions put in place? IF YOU HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TICK ALL THE ABOVE THEN:• Continue to build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders

• Communicate, regularly, openly and honestly

• Do not hide bad news – it will only make the situation worse

• You cannot deliver a project effectively and successfully sitting behind a desk!

CASE STUDY – LESSONS FROM THE DARK SIDE (2008/09)

The Brief: The client wanted to implement a new Shared Services Centre (SSC) away from their current head office location

The Client: • Major retailer with head office based in The Channel Islands

• Turnover: Approx. £1bn / Retail Outlets: Approx. 1000

• Attitude to risk: Generally risk averse

• Geographical footprint: UK / Ireland / Netherlands / Scandinavia / Australia / NZ

• Existing ‘organic’ SSC type function based in The Channel Islands providing these services: - Accounts Payable / Purchase To Pay (P2P) - Accounts Receivable / Order To Cash (O2C) - Treasury - Payroll & Employment Services - Vat & Tax Services

• Culture: Strong family values. No previous history of making staff redundant


The Politics:• The FD was the son of the MD. The MD was about to move to Chairman and the son was

to become MD leaving a vacant FD position

• 4 Senior ‘Finance’ Managers: Ho Finance, Ho Tax, Ho Treasury, Ho Operations

• HoF wanted FD role. HoF was aligned/friends with HoO. Saw HoTax /Treasury as threats

• New SSC was proposed by HoF. Saw it as (a) ticket to FD role and (b) way to reduce influence of HoTax/Treasury

• HoF was not liked by any of her direct reports

• HoF regularly brought in a boutique consultancy used in previous company to deliver organisational development projects – they were there when I arrived


Lesson 1 : No major project should be initiated without undertaking a Feasibility Study and writing a Business CaseThe Scenario:• Project Scope: Move all transactional finance activity to a new European SSC• No feasibility study had been done• The company had however just completed a 3 year “World Class Finance Organization”.

project to transform their finance operation – during this time they had not documented a single business process

• No full business case had been prepared but a ‘discussion paper with numbers’ had been prepared for the board

• Despite planning to move all their transactional activity without any staff transferring to the new SSC nobody would be made redundant

The Impact:• A detailed retrospective exercise documenting and analysing processes had to be

undertaken before any decision could be made as to what was feasible to move. This created significant delays and added months to the project

• No business case meant that there was no benchmark against which to evaluate the progress / success of the project.

• No feasibility study ultimately led to scope creep


Lesson 2 : You cannot deliver a project successfully without implementing a proper project structureThe Scenario:• Despite a project manager being appointed the PM’s remit was ambiguous. They were

asked to deliver a project without being empowered to do so• The Project Sponsor ran the project in parallel with the PM undermining the role of the

PM• A structure proposed by the PM to facilitate delivery was rejected• A project plan was prepared but without accountability this was meaningless

The Impact:• Workstream leads were not accountable to the PM and hence took very little interest in

turning up for project meetings or delivering against the project plan. This caused significant delays to the project

Key Stakeholders*

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Project Manager

Training & Develop

Comms

IT & Telecoms

Estates & Facilities

BPM Site SelectionHR

Accountability

Comms Lead

PROJECT BOARD / STEERING COMMITTEE

Project ManagerProject

Sponsor(HoF)


*Ho TaxHo TreasuryLead Consultant From Boutique Agency


Lesson 3 : People heading up workstreams must have appropriate technical skillsThe Scenario:• Head of Operations (Finance) was appointed as the comms workstream lead. They had

no comms experience• A consultant from the boutique agency was brought in to help the comms lead. Between

them they still could construct a communication plan• An inexperienced HR business partner was appointed workstream lead. They were

provided with boutique agency support• There was nobody in house suitable for heading up the Training and Development

workstream. A person was brought in from the boutique agency• The training and development consultant was unable to pull a training plan together and

had to be replaced (by another consultant)

The Impact:• Comms was a disaster and allowed the rumour mill to proliferate misinformation. This

caused significant productivity issues• Incompetent stream leads meant key tasks were missed/delayed and this had knock on

effects elsewhere in the project


Lesson 4 : The success of your project is intrinsically linked to the quality and execution of your communication & marketing planThe Scenario:• The project sponsor was adamant that no comms would be executed until well into the

delivery stage of the project• Nobody was going to be made redundant but they did not see this as a positive message• The project sponsor did not understand the importance of communication around the

project. This was evidenced by Head of Operations being appointed as the comms workstream lead as ‘I needed to give her something to do to include her in the project’

• The first formal comms – circa month 7 of the project – was a disaster

The Impact:• The rumour mill proliferated causing a rise in staff anxiety leading to productivity issues• Staff were not treated as adults so they behaved like children• No plan meant comms was not appropriately targeted toward specific groups of

stakeholders so when comms did happen it was often counter productive• Instead of a good communication strategy oiling the wheels of the project the shambolic

approach created inertia


Lesson 5 : Business process analysis is pivotal to delivering successful service change and needs to be undertaken by skilled process analystsThe Scenario:• Despite the preceding 3 year project no business process had been documented• Despite being a 300 strong service department they had never considered what they did

as a set of processes• Once the importance of BPM was finally understood the HoF advised that internal

resource had to be used. 6 people were nominated but proved untrainable• 4 professional BPM analysts had to be brought in to move the workstream forward

The Impact:• The project was significantly delayed through a) the initial use of inappropriately skilled

resource and b) having to extract and distill process information into business process documents from people who had never thought of what they did as a set of processes

• Professional BP analysts had to be employed for an extended period (9-12 months) adding significant cost to the project


A final footnote:

• I left the project after 12 months

• The project did finally go live and was transitioned into business as usual

• Roles were created for all the staff displaced at head office… and the company doubled its cost base for delivering that service

• Was the project delivered on time: No

• Was the project delivered within budget: There was no formal budget

• The HoF was promoted to FD … she lasted a year

ANY QUESTIONS?

Contact Details:Sean Mullineux

Zebrazoo Consultingwww.zebrazoo.com

[email protected] 483 971

pragmatic project management cima presentation 16 may 2013

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