managing projects in higher education: we have the words; do we know the tune? jeffrey k. pinto,...
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Managing Projects in Higher Education: We have the words; do we know the tune?Jeffrey K. Pinto, Ph.D.
Black Chair of Management Technology
Penn State – Erie
Lots of Projects to Go Around!
Construction – Residence Halls (refurbishment and new), Classroom Buildings
Maintenance – Roadways, greenspace, and other assets
New Majors and Degrees
IT system development and implementation (e.g., conversion from Angel to Canvas)
Special Events – THON, Football weekends
How Do We Measure “Success”?
“Effective” Project Management addresses 3 criteria:
“Quality” – doing the “right” things the “right” way
“Quantity” – getting all the “right” things done
“Timeliness” – getting all the “right” things done on time
What are the Consequential Variables to be Managed?
Project-specific Variables
Owner-specific Variables
Market-specific Variables
Project-specific Variables
Time Constraints
Less time than we need to complete our objectives is nothing new.
May be caused by: extended sign-offs and bureaucratic deliberations, “paralysis by analysis,” weather, and other factors
Uncertain or Changing Objectives
The longer it takes to “lock in,” the more uncertainty; greater likelihood for rework, ripple effects from poor scope development
Technical Difficulty and Complexity
Increased use of “experts” can actually cause more problems; too much input from too many sources often creates “elegant, unworkable” solutions
Financial Constraints
Tight budgets, “absolute maximums,” or unclear funding sources lead to problems
Owner-specific Variables
Project Sophistication
How much do the owners understand about project management?
For example, how will they treat dealing with delays, difficulties, or other “routine” project situations?
Current Capabilities and Staffing Limitations
Understanding the clear impact of resource constraints on productivity
Risk Aversion
In many parts of the higher ed organization, CYA is common
Number of Other Concurrent Projects in the Pipeline
Bureaucratic Restrictions and Politics
Market-specific Variables
Availability of Trained Project Managers
Top management may know (or think they know) what they want; we know what they will get!
Lack of systematic knowledge leads to pockets of pm competence across the university
Poor knowledge management ensures idiosyncratic methods – some successful; some not-so-successful
Competitive State of the Market
Supply and demand – when the private sector beckons, how do we keep our critical assets?
Fixing the Problems
1. Developing a System-Wide Strategic Approach to Project Management
First, analysis: Is the project in-house or will it require cross-organizational cooperation?
In-House are easy – we match the needs to current capabilities
Where capabilities > needs, no problem
Where capabilities = needs, we need to reassess our portfolio
Where capabilities < needs, we need to either:
Thin the herd, add to our capabilities, or reconsider the project
Cross-organizational projects
First, determine who’s in charge
Next, gain explicit commitment; no news is NOT good news
Fixing the Problems
2. Promoting Systems Thinking
Systems thinking means promoting processes where separate parts of the organization assist, communicate, and understand each other
Higher Education is notoriously “turf-driven” – this leads to functional siloing
Don’t believe me? Take a look …
Who’s in Charge???
Systems thinking means crossing boundaries
It also recognizes that pockets of expertise can be shared, if someone is managing the exchange
Project management experts are scattered across the organization
Who knows this?
Fixing the Problems
3. Stakeholder Management is Critical!
Stakeholders are, “individuals and organizations who are actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be positively or negatively affected as the result of project execution or successful project completion.”
PMI’s PMBoK, 5th ed.
Projects are sensitive to the actions of stakeholders because:
Your stakeholders determine project success, not you
Stakeholders often control access to project resources
Stakeholder control information available to the project team
Managing Stakeholders – what are we facing?
Potential to affect the project
High Low
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Non-supportive Marginal
Managing Stakeholders – what are our strategies?
Potential to affect the project
High Low
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Collaborate Involve
Defend Monitor
Fixing the Problems
4. Portfolio Management
What’s our prioritization system?
“He who screams loudest (or most recently) gets the attention
Fixing the Problems
5. Feedback Mechanisms
Practices that cause separate parts of the organization to assist, communicate with, and understand one another
Bureaucracies demand documentation!
One way – adopt common platforms and reporting devices (MS Project, Earned Value, Scope documentation, etc.)
Second, adopt common dispute resolution mechanisms
Rule 1: avoid unnecessarily adversarial situations
Rule 2: minimize the effects of confrontation by providing methods to resolve disputes
Remember:
All “fixes” MUST consider project-specific variables, owner-specific variables, and market-specific variables
Perform an audit of your operations – which of these variables are typically the most mission-critical for your projects’ success?
What can be done to minimize short-term, medium-term, and long-term risks brought on by these variables?
E.g., the challenge of maintaining a trained core of IT professionals in-house
Managing Projects in Higher Education
Remember: we know the words, but the tune is tricky!
What can we learn from higher educations settings?
What can we teach to higher education professionals?
Thank You!
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