Danielle Kaczensky 2/11/2009

Project ManagementProject Management Lessons Learned Lessons Learned

Project ManagementProject Management Lessons Learned Lessons Learned

Also known as …Also known as …

““Schadenfreude”Schadenfreude”

Schadenfreude

…enjoyment of other persons‘ misfortunes.

Top 10 Reasons to take on a failing Project

• You’ re yanked from relative obscurity and told to take it on.

• Expectations are already low• The project has the attention of decision-makers and

will likely get resources• You made the mess and are stuck with it• You want to be a hero• It enhances your career• You are already retirement eligible• It’s a short term assignment – you can get in and out• Goodwill - You know what the problem is and can fix it• It’s a ticket punch!

Lesson• Even a really good idea is hard to

execute well– Joint initiatives– Cost sharing– High demand encourages fast launch– Need for technical team – Need to be responsive– Contractor complaints must be addressed

Defining the Problem

• Major performance problems were difficult to diagnose; minutes elapsed before transaction completed

• Digital signatures very frustrating for users, blamed “the system” • Problems are often not from a single fault or source

– Vendor thought the network was at fault; NetOps thought it was the application

• Fixed price nature of the contract became problematic• Complete reliance of contractor support • Contracting agency was outside HHS.• Multiple OPDIVs were involved as well as ICs• Budget was about ½ the amount need to stay afloat• Users did not understand the system; it did not match their business

processes; they developed work around• Organizational culture of high pressure, sensitive and intense work.

Lesson• To err is human; to forgive divine…. However

neither is OD policy.– Important but difficult to do fact finding; various

interpretation of the facts• Differing views from contractor, project team, business

– Coming in the middle of a problem – keep expectations low

– Analyze facts, recommend a course of action and find a decision maker

• Fix• Terminate• Other

Lesson

• Termination for Convenience (FAR 52.249) ….. Not very convenient

FAR 49.201  General.

(a) A settlement should compensate the contractor fairly for the work done and the preparations made for the terminated portions of the contract, including a reasonable allowance for profit. Fair compensation is a matter of judgment and cannot be measured exactly. In a given case, various methods may be equally appropriate for arriving at fair compensation. The use of business judgment, as distinguished from strict accounting principles, is the heart of a settlement.

(b) The primary objective is to negotiate a settlement by agreement. The parties may agree upon a total amount to be paid the contractor without agreeing on or segregating the particular elements of costs or profit comprising this amount.

(c) Cost and accounting data may provide guides, but are not rigid measures, for ascertaining fair compensation. In appropriate cases, costs may be estimated, differences compromised, and doubtful questions settled by agreement. Other types of data, criteria, or standards may furnish equally reliable guides to fair compensation. The amount of recordkeeping, reporting, and accounting related to the settlement of terminated contracts should be kept to a minimum compatible with the reasonable protection of the public interest.

Hmmmm….• Settlement – written agreement in

the form of a contract modification settling all or a severable portion of a settlement proposal

• Equitable Adjustment Claim, Changes Clause or Disputes

Whatever – it means more money!

Lesson • “The first things we do, let’s kill all

the lawyers”…Shakespeare, Henry VI (Part 2)

Lesson• Boolean• Bouilon• Bullion

• Searching can be a pain for users.

Lesson• A Tale of Two Contracts

– Firm fixed price delivery order– Labor hour

Lesson • Communication

– I know you think you heard what I meant to say, but what you heard was not what I said.

– Co-location

Lesson• When measuring user satisfaction,

survey the users at their most miserable, not after you have fixed everything. DOH!

Lesson• Whose project is it? Who makes decisions?• Iterative process is attractive to users

– We don’t know what we don’t know

• Co-location with users is VERY important– Business owners want you to know their

business, or should

• Time investment on behalf of the business owner is brutal

• Willingness to change

Project Management and ITIL like oil and

water?• NO! They are like

Salt & Pepper!

Observation• Successful projects have a lot in

common; Unsuccessful projects are all different?