project management in libraries for ucla is 410
TRANSCRIPT
Project Management in Libraries for UCLA IS 410
Karen Calhoun, 18 Feb 2016
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Class Outline
• About me
• Learning objectives
• Why projects and project management?
• What is a project?
• What do projects create?
• Initiating a project
• Roles of sponsors and project managers
• Terminology of project management
• Group work (case study)
• Break
• Group work (identifying project components)
• “Triple constraint” and project life cycle
• Working with project teams and stakeholders (group work – visibility/credibility)
• Closing thoughts
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About Me
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Career focus on redesigning library services for the digital age
2011-present:Consulting, teaching, writingSenior Staff, University
Library System, University of Pittsburgh
1997-2011:VP, WorldCat, OCLCSenior Associate University
Librarian, Cornell University Library
Karen Calhoun
LEARNING OBJECTIVES – WHAT’S IN THE CLASS, WHAT’S NOT
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SCOPE: When you finish this class, you should be able to:
• Explain the role of project management in libraries• Describe what’s involved in initiating a project• Recognize some of the vocabulary of project
management• Describe what a project manager does• Begin to plan a project • Define the “triple constraint” of project
management• Recognize some key elements of working with
project teams and stakeholders
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This class WON’T teach youhow to …
• Execute, monitor and control projects
• Produce or adjust time estimates or project schedules
• Allocate people to tasks and delegate work
• Account for dependencies
• Manage project risks6
• Close projects • Use project
management software• E.g., Microsoft
Project
Seriously interested in becoming a project manager?
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http://www.pmi.org/Certification.aspx
WHY PROJECTS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT?
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By the end of this section, please make three notes:
• 1 project I have worked on in the past or am working on right now
• 1 benefit of learning about project management in libraries
• 1 insight I can apply right now
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Projects
• Produce…
Change
• and
• Innovation
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Images: Construction of Manhattan Bridge, 1909. Public domain.Manhattan Bridge in 2007 by David Torres. CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Why do organizations need innovations?• All organizations rely on innovations
(such as new products and services) to maintain viability in the communities they serve
• A significant percentage of use comes from newly introduced products and services
• Some high tech organizations expect a 100% turnover in their portfolio of products every five years
• Libraries are not different in this regard
11Source: Adapted from Cooper, Robert G. 1993. Winning at New
Products. Addison-Wesley. p. 9-10.
Libraries Need Innovators
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“Organizations must be retooled, new skills must be learned or brought into the organization to ensure our viability.”
--Stephen Abram. Are libraries innovative enough? Presentation at OLA Superconference, Feb. 3, 2006.
WE NEED YOU
Some Barriers to Innovation
• Unclear strategic objectives or vision
• Organizational silos / lack of cooperation between departments
• Lack of skilled project management; too many projects
• Failure to address community needs
• Frequent changes in requirements
• Not enough time to do the work
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Adapted from Himmelfarb, Philip A. 1992. Survival of the Fittest: New Product
Development during the 90’s. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice Hall.
Winners and Losers
• New products / services fail because1. Intended users don’t need it
• Inadequate understanding of community needs and preferences
2. The product / service doesn’t work• Problems or defects
3. Intended users don’t understand it • Ineffective communications (marketing)
4. Intended users resist• Perceived risks (convenience, performance)• Product incompatible with user values or work
practices • Bad timing
14Adapted from Crawford, C. Merle. 1994. New Products Management.
4th ed. Irwin.(This book, now in its 10th ed., is a standard in the field.)
The Project One-PagerA Simple Tool for Collaboratively Defining Project Scope
Tito Sierra
Digital Library Federation Forum 2011
Project Manager’s Group Meeting
November 2, 2011
Pre-class reading:
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Pre-class reading:Project Portfolio Management
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Source: Vinopal, Jennifer. 2012. “Project Portfolio Management in Academic
Libraries: a Gentle Introduction,” p. 386. College & Research Libraries 73(4):
379-89.
Over to You
• 1 project I have worked on in the past or am working on right now
• 1 benefit of learning about project management in libraries
• 1 insight I can apply right now
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Why learn project management?
•Learn a structured approach to applying a defined body of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to:
–Create buy-in and consensus among those with a stake in the project outcome
–Increase the likelihood that the target community will accept and adopt the result (new product, service, etc.)
–Increase the likelihood that project requirements will be met
–Reduce the time and cost needed to produce successful results
–Avoid having to do things over again!
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WHAT IS (AND IS NOT) A PROJECT? HOW DO I KNOW ONE WHEN I SEE ONE?
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A recent Pitt University Times issue: some articles describing projects
• Page 4 – “Team Phenomenal Hope racing coast to coast” – describes a project to plan and carry out an event (a bicycle race) for a cause
• Page 6 – “Senate group to look into e-speech issues” – subcommittee appointed by Faculty Assembly to look into an issue and report back
• Page 6 – “Supply chain management center established” – part of article describes a search for a permanent director of the new center
• Pages 8-9 – “Edible book fest” – setting up the event, soliciting and displaying the entries is a project
• Page 10-13 – “Research notes” section contains entries about various funded research projects
• Page 13 – “Senate committee slates announced” – setting up and running an election or elections is a project
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ProjectsOperations
(business
as usual)
What is a project?
“A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result” – Project Management Institute – PMBOK section 1.2
•Temporary – project has a definite beginning and end
•Creates a unique product, service, or result
•Can involve single individuals, multiple individuals, single or multiple units, single or multiple organizations
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What do projects create?
•Innovations, new products and services
•Changes (for example, reorganizations)
•New or enhanced systems or services
•New or modified processes, procedures, policies
•New knowledge or understanding
•New structures (like buildings, renovations, bridges, or monuments)
•Events
•More
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INITIATING PROJECTS
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Project Initiation
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Authorize expenditure of resources
Assign project manager
Establish roles and responsibilities of project manager and
other key participants
Identify high-level goals/objectives
Notify people/organizations affected by project
Getting Off to a Good Start
27By British Cartoon Prints Collection [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Getting Off to a Good Start
The Project One-Pager Project Charter (PMI)
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“A planning and
communication tool that
enables a shared
understanding of the
project before it begins.”
--Tito Sierra
“A document issued by the project initiator or sponsor that formally authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources project activities.”
--PMI Lexicon
Role of the Project Sponsor
• Set strategic direction, steer, guide & coach; help initiate
• Stay informed; assure continued interest in project
• Help resolve major issues
• Obtain resources
• Communicate and manage key relationships at higher levels 29
Images: Tony Fischer photo of Rembrandt Peale’s
portrait of Thomas Jefferson. CC-BY 2.0.
Lewis and Clark: composite image in public domain.
Corps of Discovery
Expedition commissioned
by Jefferson in 1803
ROLE OF THE PROJECT MANAGER
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Role of the project manager• Plan, organize, execute, control, close the project
• Continuously balance the triple constraint*
• Communicate and manage relationships
• Build/maintain project team performance; work with stakeholders and others; manage expectations
• Anticipate and track risk
• Integration (conductor of the orchestra)
• Procurement/contracting (sometimes)
• Quality assurance/evaluation and testing (sometimes)
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*Triple constraint: The scope, time, and cost/resource constraints of a
project, typically illustrated as a triangle.
Competencies and Skills of a Project Manager
• “As much as 90% of a project manager’s time may be spent on communication flow.”—Marill, Jennifer L., and Marcella Lesher. 2007. “Mile High to Ground Level: Getting Projects Organized and Completed,” p. 322. The Serials Librarian 52 (3-4): 317–22.
• Leadership
• Team building
• Motivation, coaching
• Communication
• Influencing
• Decision making
• Political and cultural awareness
• Negotiation
• Trust building
• Conflict management
• Delegation
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GLOSSARY (HANDOUT)
Learning the vocabulary of project management
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Rules for glossary scavenger hunt during this class
• Locate your copy of the “glossary” handout and glance through it quickly (5 minutes)
• The object of the game is to listen, recognize, and “claim” the first mention of any word or phrase in the glossary
• “Claim” a glossary word or phrase by raising your hand
• At an appropriate point, Karen will ask you to define the word or phrase
• Prizes!
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The Case of the “Accidental” Project Manager: The Whirligig Collection - HANDOUT
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Image credits:
Teeny tiny toys by David Zellaby.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/toymaster/285322825/. CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0
Photo of professor. Public domain. University of Houston.
Photo of file cabinets by Elizabeth Roy. CC-BY-SA 3.0
Whirligig Case Study Exercise (25 minutes)
1. By yourself, take a few minutes to read the HANDOUT (5 minutes)
2. Read the case a second time, considering these questions (10 minutes) a. Do you know who the project sponsor is? Does the sponsor(s)
understand his/her role?
b. Who is the project manager?
c. Is the scope of the project clearly agreed by the sponsor(s)?
d. Do you know the objectives and deliverables of this project? (At the end of the project, what will be different?)
e. Who’s on the project team?
f. Who are the primary stakeholders?
g. Is the timeline clear? What are the major deadlines to be met?
h. If not, whose responsibility is it to clarify these things?
3. Class discussion (10 minutes)37
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Break: 15 Minutes
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Rules for glossary scavenger hunt during this class
• The object of the game is to listen, recognize, and “claim” the first mention of any word or phrase in the glossary
• “Claim” a glossary word or phrase by raising your hand
• At an appropriate point, Karen will ask you to define the word or phrase
• Prizes!
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IDENTIFYING PROJECT COMPONENTS (BEGINNING TO PLAN)
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Work Breakdown Structure Diagram(task numbering optional)
Project Name
1 Activity 2 Activity
2.1 Task 1.2 Task 1.1 Task 2.2 Task
3 Activity
3.1 Task 3.2 Task
Goals, objectives, tasks, requirements and deliverables
• Goal: “Enhance family relationships”• Objective: “Hold a family reunion in 2004”• Project “component”: “Pick date and location”• Requirements for date and location:
– Pick date/location convenient to large number of family members
– Must not be a school day– Wheelchair accessible
• Deliverable: the date and location
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Getting Started: Identifying project components (major tasks)
• Helpful to do this as first project team exercise
• Example: family reunion
• Identify 2 to 5 major components of a Family Reunion Project
• Articulate with a verb and an object -- for example:
– Pick a date and a location
– Invite people
– Serve food and beverages
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Examples of major project tasks/components—for a family reunion
Hold a Family Reunion
Pick date and location Invite people Serve food
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Goal: Enhance family relationshipsObjective: Hold a family reunion
Next Step: Identifying project sub-components
Family Reunion
Pick date and location Invite people Serve food
Plan menu Shop for groceries Cook food
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Example of subcomponents for “serve food” component
Group work: Identifying project sub-components (task-related activities)
• Two groups
• Each person get Post-It note pad
• Group 1: Write down 2 or 3 sub-components of “Pick a date and location”
• Group 2: Write down 2 or 3 sub-components of “Invite people”
• Articulate with a verb and an object -- for example:
– Plan the menu
– Shop for groceries
– Cook the food
• Stick post-its on the wall, a white board, or a flip chart(s)
• Next step, working as a group, is to organize them 45
THE ‘TRIPLE CONSTRAINT’ AND THE PROJECT LIFE CYCLE
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The Triple Constraint* of Projects
Schedule (Time)
Resources (aka
People, Budget)
Project
Scope/Requirements
(aka Specifications)
*N.B.: The PMI Lexicon no longer contains an entry for triple constraint. For why,
see Duggal, Jack S. 2010. “How Do You Measure Project Success? Rethinking
the Triple Constraint.” http://www.pmi.org/Learning/next-level-up-how-do-you-measure-project-success.aspx
What is a successful project?
•Meets its objectives (satisfies scope or requirements)–Within allotted time
–Within allocated resources
•While …–Fulfilling needs of project sponsors and those performing the project
– Maintaining harmony among project stakeholders
–Producing meaningful, valuable results for target audience
•Sometimes a project is canceled prior to its completion–A project that ends in mid-course (when it is no longer needed) can still be ‘successful’
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Project Life Cycle: The Phases of Projects
Image: Alphamu57 CC-BY-SA 3.0
WORKING WITH PROJECT TEAMS
Leadership, influence, trust, and networking
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What Makes A Good Team Leader?
• Green thumb; small seeds, big trees
• Driven; “miss a meal” pains
• Leads from the middle
• Velvet hammer
• Tinker, tailor, try again
• Manners matter
• “Fly-eyed”
51From Crawford, New Products Management
Roles in New Project Teams
• Project manager
• Sponsor
• Team member (formal or ad hoc)
• Other participants:
– Champion
– Reviewers, managers, committees, …
– Other stakeholders
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Cross-Functional Project Teams
• Speed new product development
• More likely to produce successful products
• Ideal size of core team: 6 to 12 people
• Team member more than a department’s “representative”
• Collaboration, not just cooperation
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Being Effective With What You Have
• Be influential
• Be trustworthy
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What Do I Mean by “Be Influential”?
• Focus on your “circle of influence” – those things you can do something about
• Don’t stress too much about your “circle of concern” – those things you care about but can’t control
• Be a networker
• Emphasize influencing decisions rather than giving orders or “being right”
• Give problems their proper weight and context
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Group Work on Visibility/Credibility Inventory
• Divide into groups
• Spend 5 minutes discussing the matrix (and your own results if you wish to share them)
• Spend 5 minutes considering the implications for leading and participating in new product development teams
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IDENTIFYING AND WORKING WITH STAKEHOLDERS
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What is politics?
• Actions and interactions with people that affect the achievement of your goals
• Using the power and influence of others to mobilize people and resources to get things done
• “All the things that happen and you don’t know why”—Anon.
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Basic assumptions
• Politics are inevitable
• Politics are necessary
• Politics can’t be eliminated, but they can be managed
• Don’t assume politics is somebody else’s job
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Mapping the Stakeholder System of Your Project
• Key to managing the politics of your project
• So you focus your energy on influencing the right people
• So you don’t forget anyone
• So you can manage opposition and resistance
• Prerequisite for “selling” your project from start to finish
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A Stakeholder System Has “Clients”
• Sponsoring client —person in position to set strategic goals; person who ultimately decides; person best able to break ties
• Power client —person who grants access to people and resources; person with whom deals are struck
• Legitimizer —person who protects the status quo; subject matter expert; person who influences acceptance
• Opinion leader —Person who is receptive to new ideas; recognized as “up and coming”
• Career influencer —your boss or bosses
• Champion – advocates vigorously for the project
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Identifying Stakeholders• Who is paying? Who makes “buy” decisions?• Who will use the results; who benefits?• Who originates?• Who defines “success”?• Who is an expert?• Who loses (credibility, something of value)?• Who is open to the new idea?• Who is good at stirring up excitement?• Who evaluates against the status quo?• Who is the first to see flaws or problems?• Who will feel the impact?• Who does the work?• Who will maintain the outcome?• Who knows the “big picture”—future direction?
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GROUP EXERCISE: Stakeholder Analysis for the Whirligig Move Project—Grab Your Post-Its!
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POWER
CONCERN
Influence Tactics
• Reason – using facts and data to develop a logical argument
• Coalition – mobilize other people
• Friendliness – create good will
• Assertiveness – a direct and forceful approach
• Negotiation – exchange of benefits
• Higher authority – gain the support of higher ups to mobilize others
• Sanctions – use organizationally derived rewards and punishments
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Source material available via interlibrary loan: Kipnis, David, and Stuart M. Schmidt. 1982. Profiles of organizational influence strategies (POIS). [San Diego, Calif.]: University Associates.
Many project managers …
• Try reason and friendliness first
• Use assertiveness and higher authority second
• Underuse coalition and negotiation
• All tactics are good, when used in the right circumstances and for the right reasons
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CLOSING THOUGHTS
Failure, resilience and commitment
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Scope
• What the project IS and IS NOT
• An element of the “triple constraint”
• Ideally, what project stakeholders have agreed will be delivered, within a certain time, with a defined set of resources
• A clear understanding of scope is the basis for responding to the inevitable requests for change during the project’s life cycle
• Watch out for scope creep!
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Schedule/Timeline
Resources
(aka
People,
Budget)
Scope/
Requirements
(aka Specs)
Project Changes Are Inevitable: Understand the Impact!
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Schedule
Resources
(aka People,
Budget)
Scope/
Requirements
(aka Specs)
Do you remember
what this triangle is
called?
IF:
•SCHEDULE is cut THEN
must either get more
RESOURCES or reduce
REQUIREMENTS (or both)
•SCOPE/REQUIREMENTS
increase THEN must either
increase SCHEDULE or get
more RESOURCES (or both)
•RESOURCES are cut THEN
must either increase
SCHEDULE or reduce
REQUIREMENTS (or both)
…
Negotiation
• Avoid and resist irrational assumptions
• It is impossible to do the impossible
• The earlier bad news is known the better
• Avoid unhelpful coping behaviors - negotiate instead!
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“Fall Down Seven Times; Stand Up Eight”—Japanese Proverb
• Innovation is essential• There are many challenges
– Libraries and library sites competing for attention from their communities
– No free rides—libraries must deal with free market forces like everybody else
• Project leadership and team skills are important -- more and more work is done this way in libraries
• Organizational politics can’t be eliminated but they can be managed
• It is work worth doing, that you can take great pride in
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Closing Thoughts (Sierra’s)
1. Good communication is the key to get a project off to the right start
2. Collaborative planning at the start can help minimize gotchas later
3. Simple tools work best
Source: Sierra, Tito. 2011. “The Project One-Pager.” Slide 33. PPT. file. CC-BY 3.0 US
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Closing thoughts (yours)
Reflect on one experience that you’ve had with a project in the past or right now.
What is one thing you are taking away from this class that could help with your next project?
Image: Gantt chart by Dbsheajr. CC-BY-SA 3.0
Bonus prize: what is this chart called?
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