setting up projects for success overview 2013-03-14
TRANSCRIPT
© Robert PosenerPMComplete Pty Ltd
Setting Up Projects for Success(Planning and Executing Successful Engagements)
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Purpose and Objectives
To give you some techniques, tips, tricks, hints and ideas on how you can more effectively set up projects for success
To reduce the number of project failures and increase a project’s likelihood of success
To ensure projects run more smoothly and with less drama
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Purpose and Objectives
Who of you has a separate group of tasks in their schedule called something like “Set up Project for Success” that is separate from the “Plan Project” group of tasks?
Feel Free to Discuss Now
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Purpose and Objectives
• This talk is a 45-minute overview from a 1-day course delivered to PMI members for 8 years
• My objective is to get you to see the wisdom of doing this and for you to start to start perform these activities
• They require real work
• Ignore them at your peril
• This isn’t just “interesting” stuff, it is indispensable, practical material
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Disclaimers
• Some techniques are manageable by individual Project Managers on their specific projects
• Some techniques require PMO (“methodology owner”) changes and approvals
• We are NOT talking about “fail to plan… plan to fail”
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Disclaimers
• There is an exception to every rule
• All rules are meant to be broken
• One size does not fit all
• Every project is different
• All will not work on all projects
• All will not work in all enterprises
• You still need to apply good skill, experience and “expert judgement”
• None of this is theory6
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Context
From a PMBOK perspective, focus is on “Project Initiation”, “Project Planning” and “Project Integration Management”
From a PRINCE2 perspective, focus is on “Starting Up a Project (SU)”. “Initiating a Project (IP)” and “Planning (PL)”
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Discussion
• What is the definition of a successful project?
Feel Free to Discuss Now
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Discussion
• So, what are the implications of this statement?
Feel Free to Discuss Now
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Answer
• We had better know:– Who “everyone” is
– How they will measure “success”
– How we plan to satisfy them
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Client Satisfaction
• What is Client satisfaction from a project perspective?
Feel Free to Discuss Now
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Answer
• Client satisfaction is based on the Client’s (usually subjective) judgement (perception) that they are getting value for money
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Discussion
• What is the most important project metric?
Feel Free to Discuss Now
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Project Success Measures
• What are the major measures that are usually judged to determine if a project was a success?
Feel Free to Discuss Now
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Some Project Success Measures
• Project Work Product Success:– Meeting project sponsor’s objectives– Realising (at least) the planned benefits
and outcomes– Satisfying user’s needs– Satisfying stakeholders that relate to the
project work product
– Achieving scope– Cost efficiency of project work product– Meeting standards– Fit for purpose17
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Some Project Success Measures
• Project Management Success:– Meeting time, cost and quality
objectives/specifications– Quality and conformance of project
management process– Satisfying stakeholders during project– Co-operation– Meets organisational objectives– Make a profit– Project team members satisfied– High standard of work
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Some Project Success Measures
– Risks managed– Change and variation management– Repeat work obtained– Safety not compromised– Project recognition– Community acceptance– Personal development and enjoyable
project environment– Continuing relationship with Client– Environmental aspects addressed
Source: AIPM Australian Project Manager – March 200519
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Project Critical Success Factors
• What influencing factors are critical to the success of a project?
Feel Free to Discuss Now
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Some Project Critical Success Factors
• Create a conducive work environment• Project Charter defining clear roles,
responsibilities, authorities, governance and decision-making rules
• Team-based organisation structure• Get the team members right• Senior Management Commitment
(repeat 3 times)• Many others• Hard work
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Important Project Dynamics
• It’s the people stuff that’s hard
• Get the people stuff right and projects are easy
• When does the Project Sponsor want the project the most?
Feel Free to Discuss Now
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So What?
• We need to use this fact to our advantage
• Why?
Feel Free to Discuss Now
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Because Over Time…
• Their interest wanes• Their involvement wanes• Their requirements change• Their recollection of their
agreements wanes• Their commitment to meeting their
responsibilities wanes• Their desire to make painful
decisions wanes26
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Answer
• In the hurley burley of business life, they move on to the next thing
• They also want to “set and forget” the project (ie, hand it over to a Project Manager to “Just Do It”)
• They also want the project to be just “done and dusted” (AKA “Let it be so”)
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So…
• While we have them in this “agreeable frame of mind” we need to get them to agree to CSFs that will make the project a success, for example:– Creating a conducive work
environment– Project governance– Team structure– Team membership– Many others29
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Because…
• We will only get one opportunity to do this
• Later on in the project life cycle it is too late
• The tables will be turned• We will probably never get
another great opportunity like this EVER again
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Project Governance
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Project Governance
The Project
Progressand
StatusReporting
CriticalIssues and
Risksto Resolve
Issue and RiskResolution
BusinessChange
Impacts onProject
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Sponsor Role Definition
• Inwardly Facing (traditional, but wrong):• Ensure that the project or programme
realises benefits and outcomes as well as value for money to the enterprise by representing the business perspective and being the custodian of the Business Case
• Chair the Project Steering Committee meetings
• Authorise all items recommended by the Project Steering Committee
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Sponsor Role Definition
• Steering the Project (traditional, but wrong):
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The Project
Steering
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Sponsor Role Definition
• Outwardly Facing (non-traditional, but correct):• Responsible for the project or program• Balance the demands of the business,
user and supplier perspectives• Ensures that the Benefits Register and
Benefits Realisation Plan are developed, maintained and executed by the business
• Monitor and control benefits realisation through to completion
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Sponsor Role Definition
• Steering the project’s results into the enterprise (non-traditional, but correct):
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TheProject The
Business
Steering
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Discussion
• How do you manage stakeholder expectations?
Feel Free to Discuss Now
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Answer
• You set them
• You can only manage what you know
• You can’t rely on any mechanism other than this to identify and uncover expectations
• Bottom Line = Be Proactive
• Most expectations almost always centre around the project management Levers of Control (scope, time, cost, quality, risk and re-use)
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Project Review BoardBusiness Leader
Project Co-ordinator
SponsorTechnical Leader
Business Leader Technical Leader
Sponsor
Project Co-ordinator
Business Staff Technical Staff
MC
IC
Interested Parties
The Board
IT Department Supporting Departments
Auditors
Customers Vendors
GovernmentsRelated Companies
AC
VM(opt)
Project Director
Facilitator
Senior Management
Stakeholders
Project Team
Project Review Board
Project Participants
Interested Parties
Project Participants
Project Team
Methodology Consultant
Architecture Consultant
Project Support GroupFacilitator
Inspectors
Business LeaderBusiness Staff
Technical LeaderTechnical Staff
Team Review Board
Business Leader
Project Co-ordinator
Technical Leader
Infrastructure Co-ordinator
Project Director
Vendor Manager
PDInsp.
Methodology Consultant
Project Team
Business StaffTechnical Staff
Team Review Board
Architecture Cons.
Project SupportGroup
Project Co-ordinator
Infrastructure Co-ord.
Project Director
Vendor Manager
Methodology Consultant
Inspectors
Sponsor
AuditorVendor Staff
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Management’s New Role
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Define the Vision
Create a Conductive Work Environment
Tell the Team What You Want them to Achieve
Set Escalation and Reporting Thresholds
Set the Team Loose
Get Out of the Way
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Project Management Planning Workshop
• Minutes in the normal sense are NOT normally kept
• The major work product will be the Project Management Plan (PMP) and associate project management registers and this will serve as the minutes
• The Project Management Plan (containing the project management process descriptions) will be written up after the workshop and circulated to all participants for review and approval and then placed under configuration management control
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Project Start Up Reviews
• The most important review that is performed on a project
• Designed to ensure that a project has been initiated correctly
• Why bother? 15% rule
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Create a Conducive Work Environment
• Project Manager to focus on taking away all of the excuses for not doing a good job
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Create a Conducive Work Environment
• The 7Fs culture:– Drive out Fear (of retribution or punishment)– No blame and Fault (it is just so)– It is OK to Fail (just learn from it and don’t
keep making the same mistakes)– Frank communications (don’t hide bad news or
dress it up)
– Fearless conversations with senior management (don’t be intimidated by rank)
– No Favourites (be “fact-based” with no hot-buttons, barrow-pushing and pet employees)
– Fun (have some)43
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Barriers to Implementation
• Junior Project Managers don’t have the confidence
• Goes against existing methodology
• Takes lots of people out of their comfort zones
• Enterprise doesn’t admit it has problems with projects
• Too big a hurry to “start the project and do real work”
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