refinem-2014-12-project management 2014 year in review

8/10/2019 RefineM-2014-12-Project Management 2014 Year in Review

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www.refineM.com ◆ [email protected]◆ 405 N. Jefferson Ave, Springfield, MO 65806 ◆417.414.9886

2014 Project Management Year in Review

By NK Shrivastava and Phillip George, RefineM LLC

To close out 2014, we look at some recent high-profile project successes and failures. What

went right? What went wrong? What lessons can be learned?

Successes and struggles in healthcare projects

Healthcare.gov , the health insurance exchange marketplace created under the provisions of the

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to serve residents of the thirty-six states that opted not to

create their own state exchanges, is the obvious example of a high-profile troubled project. The website

debuted in 2013, and many problems persisted into 2014. The root causes hypothesized in a CIO article1

resonated with us as common issues we see in software development (multiplied many times because

of the huge scope of this project). The article argued that the testing strategy for the site was flawed in

several ways: the developers appeared not to test in every sprint, they coded before they knew the fullrequirements, and the testing was not adequately incorporated into delivery. In addition, the site had no

manual process backup to fall back on, and the team did not appear to adequately engage in threat

modeling to identify possible security problems.1 As a result, it took several months and an extension of

the enrollment deadline for most people to be able to enroll.

For a contrasting successful project, we look at the state health insurance exchange that the

state of Connecticut opted to develop for Connecticut’s 365,000 uninsured residents. The project faced

a tighter than anticipated schedule, a rigid deadline, and a rapidly-changing scope—all of which can

threaten project success. Despite these obstacles, Connecticut’s exchange rolled out by its October 2013

deadline, was more stable than the national exchange, and had exceeded federal enrollment targets as

of March 20142. This project was called out as a success by PMI highlights in the 2014 article, “AwardsFinalists Show Innovation.” 2

1 Heusser, Matthew (2013, 18 November). 6 software development lessons from healthcare.gov's failed launch. CIO. Web.

http://www.cio.com/article/2380827/developer/6-software-development-lessons-from-healthcare-gov-s-failed-launch.html

http://www.refinem.com/









What were the key differences in the Access Health CT project? First, the project management

team outsourced essential functions that were outside of their core strengths. Jim Wadleigh, Access

Health CT CIO, defined the items they outsourced as “setting up call centers, scanning paper

applications, printing, [and] development.”2 Second, they integrated vendors and facilitated strong

communication. The team established its own PMO to coordinate efforts, and each vendor had to

submit weekly status updates. This emphasis on integration and communications helped keep the

project on track2.

Another key difference is that the team was able to focus on the most essential business

objectives in order to meet the October 2013 deadline on time and on budget. 2 This difference

represents a significant advantage that the Access Health CT project had over the federal exchange.

Whereas healthcare.gov was required to launch nationwide on October 1, 2013 with the promised

features available, the Access Health CT team had more latitude to reduce scope in order to deliver the

core aspects of the project.

The key lessons learned from these projects? 1. Start as small as possible focused on essential

business objectives. 2. Make sure that testing is integrated into the development so that risks are

accounted for. 3. Emphasize integration of vendors and strong communications. We encourage you to

follow the links in footnotes and read more about these successes and struggles.

Hong Kong Energy Pipeline Success

Another success highlighted by PMI in April 2014 was the effort to build a Second West-East Gas

Pipeline to meet future energy needs for Hong Kong.3 Regulatory, environmental, communications-

oriented, and physical constraints all contributed to make this project very complex. To meet project

goals, the team focused on: 1. tight scope control, 2. effective communications management, and 3.

stringent monitoring and control. According to the case study, the team adopted a “rigorous” change

management process in order to keep the project on track3. Communications needed to bridge a

language gap and take cultural practices into account. To do this, the team “established processes to

always engage the right person for the task and to encourage teamwork.” 3 This emphasis on

collaboration and effective delegation kept communications smooth. Finally, the project team’s

monitoring and control focused on safety and quality and included daily site visits to gauge project

progress in terms of both completion and quality.

As a result of these strong project management practices, the pipeline was completed by the

end of 2012 and gas began flowing in 2013. Not only did the project finish on time, there were no

recorded environmental or workplace incidents. Many lessons can be taken from the success of this

project. One is to ensure tight monitoring and control when safety and quality are a high concern.

2 Bahman, Alma (2014). Awards finalists show innovation. PM Network, September 2014. Web. http://www.pmi.org/learning/PM-

Network/2014/award-finalists-show-innovation.aspx

3 Project Management Institute (2014, April). Hong Kong Natural Gas Pipeline. Author. Web.

http://www.pmi.org/Business-Solutions/~/media/PDF/Case%20Study/HK_Pipeline_casestudy_v3.ashx



http://www.pmi.org/learning/PM-Network/2014/award-finalists-show-innovation.aspx













Another lesson is to devote adequate resources to communications so that everyone is on the same

page. Given the massive size of this project and its complexities, these tight controls were critical in

achieving success.

St. Louis Ballpark Village

A struggling project that came to fruition in 2014 after many years of work and delays highlights

how a project can experience problems due to factors that are difficult to control. After many years of

work, the Ballpark Village outside of Busch Stadium in St. Louis opened in late March 2014, in time for

the start of the St. Louis Cardinals’ Major League Baseball season. The project, which was supposed to

have been completed several years prior, only recently completed its first phase.4 Many reasons were

cited for the delay, including the financial crisis, the recession that followed, and a resulting reduction in

real-estate demand.5 Despite these problems, development was able to proceed on a reduced $100

million Phase I, which was completed by the time the 2014 baseball season started.

While the original plans could not be completed due to outside factors, the completion of a

reduced phase keeps the project from being a complete failure. The lesson here is that outside factors

can sometimes complicate a project despite our best efforts to avoid them. It is important to plan for

project success even if outside factors come into play and complicate the project.

A Pattern of Success from Following Essential Processes

From these successes and struggles emerges a pattern: strict compliance to core project

management processes helped project teams achieve high-quality results. For example, with Access

Health CT, it was important to adopt consistent communication and get updates from vendors,

something that a communication plan and performance reporting can help ensure. Being aware of

scope and schedule constraints allowed the team to concentrate on the highest-priority features. Withthe Hong Kong pipeline project, consistent, effective communication was one of the key processes in

preventing environmental and workplace incidents while completing the pipeline on time and on

budget. The project team also showed effective resource allocation practices by appointing the right

people to lead critical parts of the project.

In contrast, the projects that struggled showed little to no execution of several key processes.

For example, on the healthcare.gov project and the Ballpark Village, there seemed to be an inadequate

understanding of requirements. If the project charter and WBS processes had been properly executed,

both project teams would have understood the business case for each project and been in a better

position to determine the requirements. The problems also imply that risks were not properly

accounted for; external factors are important to keep in mind when looking at risks.

4 Bryant, Tim (2014, March 23). What's next for Ballpark Village? St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Web. http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/what-s-

next-for-ballpark-village/article_93853c8f-15da-5861-a66b-e67368d988cc.html

5 Gose, Joe (2013, 14 May). St. Louis development makes a play for a home team advantage. New York Times. Web.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/realestate/commercial/st-louis-development-plays-off-busch-

stadium.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1418236078-lDFREyeX0npt9QJ6Nt2WIg



http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/what-s-next-for-ballpark-village/article_93853c8f-15da-5861-a66b-e67368d988cc.html




http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/realestate/commercial/st-louis-development-plays-off-busch-stadium.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1418236078-lDFREyeX0npt9QJ6Nt2WIg











In the case of healthcare.gov, sources show that risks were raised but not addressed.1 In the case of

Ballpark Village, many high-level risks related to external factors came into play.

Conclusion

Troubled projects can illuminate important lessons that project managers can take back to their

own jobs. As well, successful projects demonstrate the power of essential project management

processes to push boundaries and accomplish what some would call impossible.

Next month, we will review our 2014 Trends in Project Management and look at some new

trends for 2015.

If you want to push the boundaries of your own projects, take a look at RefineM’s project

management toolkit, Essential Gear for Project Managers. Essential Gear is a set of tools and best

practices that will help you deliver projects on time, on budget, and exceeding customer expectations.



http://refinem.com/essential-gear-project-managers/





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