the two largest project killers
DESCRIPTION
The two most common reasons for project failureTRANSCRIPT
Vision ~ Knowledge ~ Results
samenwerking, pragmatische aanpak en innovatie met Java en Oracle
Two project killers
Martin van Borselaer
© 2010 Whitehorses
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Today’s goals
Create awareness Recognition
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Fear
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Complexity
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Deadly combination
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My definition of fear
Know
Do
Fear
Say
“Fear prohibits us from doing or saying we know what’s right”.
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Customer’s fears
●Pay too much/receive too little●Bad quality●Wrong requirements●Capability/capacity to change●…
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Supplier’s fears
●Too much time/costs●Dissatisfied customer●Making mistakes/bad reputation●Scope creep●Demanding too much from employees●…
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Project Manager’s fears
●Dysfunctional customer●Dysfunctional team●Dysfunctional supplier●Dysfunctional tools●…
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Team’s fears
●Life/work balance●Making mistakes●…
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Underlying fears
● Job/income security●Status
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Projects know lots of fears
Customer Supplier
Project Manager Team
Results?
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Exaggerated?
ConsciousnessRationality
Sub consciousnessEmotions
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Fear leads to poor decisions
OverkillExaggerate problemReaction to strong
PassivityDenialTalk but no action
Overkill
Passivity
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Examples
● Fixed price/fixed date/unknown scope● Analysis paralysis● Kill the messenger, ignore the message● Stick to the plan at all costs● Micromanagement● Punish mistakes, no learning● Taking no risks, making no decisions● Operation successful, patient killed● The list is endless…
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Solutions…
together
No culture of heroes and loosers, but …
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Making mistakes is normal
● No mistakes = taking no risks = accomplish nothing
● Mistakes are part of the learning process
● Don’t punish● Create a culture of
learning
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Be vulnerable
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Transparancy
●Yes, we make mistakes●Yes, we’re not perfect●Mistakes are visible●So that we can learn
and adapt…●…together
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Choose your measurements carefully
1
•Customer goals
2
•Project goals
3
•Team goals
4
•Individual goals
● You get what you measure
● Choose the correct level of measurement
● Measurement system should enhance collaboration
● Beware of conflicts in interests
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Complexity
The past●More production?●More people!
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Complexity
●Simple is stupid ●Smart sells
Solutions are supposed to be complex The more complex the better
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Managers believe in brainpower
●Anything can be analyzed and planned
●First analysis than plan than act●Follow the plan●Deviation = wrong!
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The T-Ford productionmodel
●Division of design and labor●First design a process/product, than build●Specialization creates efficiency
We still believe in this model Project = production process That’s fine if we build the same system
over and over again
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Assumption: predicatability
Complexity
Order
Chaos
Complexity tools
Com
plex
ity e
nviro
nmen
t
Complexity determines
Predictability
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Complexity is hard to predict
All models are wrong, but some are useful.
(George E. P. Box)
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there
is!“(Chuck Reid)
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Productdesign
A project is not a production process, it’s a product design process.
● We don’t know what we want● We don’t know how to get there● We need to discover and adapt● We need to prove our assumptions● Collaboration creates knowledge
Specialization impedes knowledge
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Plan
Do
Check
Actualize
Standard method for problem solving
The Deming
problem-solving process
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Plan Do Check Actualize
That’s not how it’s used!
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Plan
Do
Check
Act
The ‘agile’ Deming circle
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Plan
Do
Check
Act
Plan
Do
Check
Act
Plan Do Check Actualize
Plan
Do
Check
Act
Plan
Do
Check
Act
Sequential or iteratief
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Focus
Time
Create solution
Time
Create solution
Sequential Iterative
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PRINCE2 against fear
●Project Board is accountable●Project Manager is only responsible for
the project’s process as agreed on by the Project Board
●Known method which gives the Project Board explicit means of control
●Tolerances●Management by exception
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Scrum against fear
●Promise little, create results fast●Uncertainty part of the deal●Team results are more important then
individual results●Multi-skilled team●Strong customer collaboration●Mistake? No problem●Plan is a guideline, not written in stone
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PRINCE2 against complexity
●Manage in stages●Not ‘activity based’ but ‘product based
planning’
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Scrum against complexity
●Simple planning process●Simple analysis process● Incremental product creation/delivery●Prove assumptions by creating
software, not by creating a model.
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Conclusion
Projects are more successful when the ability to learn is enhanced.
●Enhance collaboration●Accept uncertainties●Proceed iteratively in small steps●Create a culture of learning and adapting●Prove assumptions fast
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Two main impediments• Fear• Complexity
Recipy for success• Collaboration• Small steps• Learn and adept