Project Management for the Curious

21st January 2009

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“An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.”Friedrich Engels

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Introduction

• Me – David Whelbourn– Chose the career of PM (since 1989)

• Certified PMP and PRINCE2 Practitioner – Ex-soldier, Ex-rugby player, Ex Field Hockey Goalkeeper– Ex-living in the UK, Moved to NB 5th November 2005– xwave since 21st November 2005

• Agenda1. Theory Bits2. Practical Bit

• References / Acknowledgements– Much of the lifecycle ideas have been taken from a book “Project Workout” Robert Butterick

(good book and well worth the time to read it)– The PMI Processes are used to illustrate management control – PRINCE2 templates and techniques are used to control product delivery process– Greg Githens “Planning as a Vaccination Against Failure”

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THEORY BITSDefinitions

Project LifecyclePM Processes

Project Planning

Definitions

• What is a Project?– A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to accomplish a unique purpose– Attributes of projects

• unique purpose, has start and end dates, require resources, often from various areas• should have a primary sponsor and/or customer• Specific budget, and involves uncertainty

• What is Project Management?– The application of skills, tools, and techniques to project activities in order to

meet or exceed stakeholders needs or expectations. (These needs should match the project requirements)

– A systematic approach to managing projects– A way to generate consistent results when you undertake new initiatives

• What does a Project Manager do?

– Has overall responsibility for project– Communicates expectations to stakeholders– Controls planning, activities and resources to meet established costs,

timetables and quality or deliverable goals5

Project Lifecycles They define an effective way to deliver products They are designed to ensure consistency (learning approach)

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Business Case

Requirements and initial Design/Test planning

Iteration Design/

Test Plan

Iteration Build/Test

Final Verification and Validation

ProjectManagement

Checkpoint Checkpoint Checkpoint Checkpoint

Delivery Iterations

Ideas Benefits

Staffing across the Project LifecycleResource Use

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Project Management Processes

Initiating Process Group• When:

– At Project Start (or even before the start)• Some sort of Stimulus

– RFP arriving or being discovered– Problem given at the coffee machine “Dave can you …. “

• Understand Why the project is being done• Plan the initiation stage / bid response• Create a Project Charter / Terms of Reference / Brief• Hold Kick off meeting (s)

– At Stage or Phase Start• Trigger Stage Plan• Stage Kick off meeting

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Chances for the project’s success are largely set in the first 20% of its time line

Hints & Tips on Initiating– Write down what you are going to do

• Terms of Reference, Project Brief, Project Initiation Document

– Has it been done before (Lessons Learned Reports available?)

– Hold a Kick Off Meeting– Run first, gain some ground you can walk later – Set expectations – no delays

• Do not allow diary shuffling or try to minimise it• Communications etiquette

– Expected response times for communications– Broadcast emails, Attachments ?

– Inaction is the most dangerous enemy of the PM• Most late projects cannot point to a single catastrophic event

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Hints & Tips on Initiating– Write down what you are going to do

• Terms of Reference, Project Brief, Project Initiation Document

– Has it been done before (Lessons Learned Reports available?)

– Hold a Kick Off Meeting– Run first, gain some ground you can walk later – Set expectations – no delays

• Do not allow diary shuffling or try to minimise it• Communications etiquette

– Expected response times for communications– Broadcast emails, Attachments ?

– Inaction is the most dangerous enemy of the PM• Most late projects cannot point to a single catastrophic event

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Hints & Tips on Initiating– Write down what you are going to do

• Terms of Reference, Project Brief, Project Initiation Document

– Has it been done before (Lessons Learned Reports available?)

– Hold a Kick Off Meeting– Run first, gain some ground you can walk later – Set expectations – no delays

• Do not allow diary shuffling or try to minimise it• Communications etiquette

– Expected response times for communications– Broadcast emails, Attachments ?

– Inaction is the most dangerous enemy of the PM• Most late projects cannot point to a single catastrophic event

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A Controlled Project Initiation Provides

A Firm Foundation For Success

Planning Process Group

• Old Saying: “Fail to Plan --- Plan to Fail”

• * If project failure were a disease then Planning is a vaccination against project failure *

Gregory D. Githens in his paper “Planning as a Vaccination Against Failure”

– How much Planning• Research by Greg Githens highlighted that investment in planning

above 10% of the project’s budget is where the law of diminishing returns kick in.

• How do I plan?– Use Stages (Management Control) they enable Review and

decision points, and planning horizons– Product Base Planning– Product Descriptions– Work Packages

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Project Scope & Product Based Planning

• Project Scope = All the products to be delivered• Work Breakdown Structure? • Better way is Product Breakdown Structure: Plan around the products

your project has to produce– Management Products

• Charter• Progress reports, …Implementation report

– Technical Products• Implemented System• Accepted Solution / Product

– Together they represent total amount of necessary work– Write Product Descriptions

• Moved from “Process drives deliverables” to “Deliverables driving Process”.

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Product Descriptions

• Define what is to be delivered• In sufficient detail to ensure

producer understands what has to be done

• Includes quality criteria and how it will be checked for acceptance

• Build templates for standard products plus generic technical products

• Reuse them to speed up future projects

• Tuned them to suit the project

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Planning Process Hints & Tips•Planning Sequence

– Product Breakdown Structure• Management Products & Technical Products

– Define products • Write their descriptions use previous standard templates

– Define dependencies & produce a flow diagram (network)• Use Post IT Notes to figure out the sequence products have to be built in

– Generate Activities to deliver products • use verb noun style

– Estimate Effort • Size, effort in hours / days / months• Modifiers

– Consider the Complexity & Staff capabilities – Environmental factors

– Create Schedule

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State your planning Assumptions

No one in IT can be productive for 5 days a week remember 3.5 – 4 days per week

“Establish Requirements”

Executing Processes• Execute the PLAN!

– Work Gets Given Out • Pass out the work packages / product descriptions

– Work Gets Done (only on the stuff you have passed out!)• Chase, harass, hassle, plague and even harry • Remind them of quality criteria

– Work Gets Accepted (hopefully)• Quality check (How Do You Know It Has Been Done Satisfactory)

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Thinking is easy, Action is difficult

Work Packages

•A Work Package is a set of information about one or more required Products, collated by the Project Manager and passed formally to the Team Manager (or Team Resource) via the Work Package Authorisation

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Hints & Tips on Executing– Parkinson’s Law – The amount of time applied to perform work,

expands to meet the estimate. Prove it wrong remember harry if you have too.

– Use work packages to manage external contractors– Use Quality Reviews as part of acceptance– Only work that has been authorised should be what is being done.

Make the point to the team not to accept work from anyone else but you.

– Project Teams are not looking for delivery acceleration opportunities. Delivery date slips result from internal project team delays.

– Find ways to save work time, as saving time is usually saving money.

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Hints & Tips on Executing– Parkinson’s Law – The amount of time applied to perform work,

expands to meet the estimate. Prove it wrong remember harry if you have too.

– Use work packages to manage external contractors– Use Quality Reviews as part of acceptance– Only work that has been authorised should be what is being done.

Make the point to the team not to accept work from anyone else but you.

– Project Teams are not looking for delivery acceleration opportunities. Delivery date slips result from internal project team delays.

– Find ways to save work time, as saving time is usually saving money.

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Controlled ProgressImproves Chances of

Project Success

Closing Processes– Stage Closure

• Gates between stages / phases? – Lessons Learned – Acceptance of the delivered product– Financial Closure

• Budget• Procurement , purchase orders etc…• Contract

– Future Life (opportunity spotting)• What has changed while the project has been running• Opportunities identified during the project but out of scope• Plan Post Project Review?

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Hints & Tips on Closing

– Check if the project met the original objectives

– Confirm the customer acceptance of all the products

– Check all documentation has been completed and handed

over, archived, destroyed?

– Check there are no outstanding invoices / payments

– Notify the customer that you intend to close the project

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Hints & Tips on Closing

– Check if the project met the original objectives

– Confirm the customer acceptance of all the products

– Check all documentation has been completed and handed

over, archived, destroyed?

– Check there are no outstanding invoices / payments

– Notify the customer that you intend to close the project

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A Controlled Project Closure Completes the Project and enhances your reputation

Hints and Tips on Monitoring & Controlling

Keeping an eye on everything and spinning all the plates! Managing the boundaries between the stages (close & planning) Project Status Meetings

1. Regularly – weekly / fortnightly2. Cover:

• Progress, Problems in progress i.e Things not delivered as planned• Issues & Risks (coming up in the next step/stage etc)• Next Steps and Deliverables

3. This is about communication with the stakeholders / sponsor 4. No surprises is the best policy – try to forewarn if there is a problem

Being Obsessed with the Quality Aspects1. Quality of having recorded decisions (VERY IMPORTANT FOR PM)2. Quality checks on work produced use a Work Package Definition!

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Summary of Theory Projects are temporary and are used to produce a unique

solution to an opportunity or problem. There should be some sort of business case for any project

highlighting the expected benefits from the project. Project Management involves exploring problems /

opportunities, facilitating the development of a solution, tasking it, bring the plan into action and making things happen when the events threaten to blow your ship off course.

Projects Have Lifecycles 5 PM processes (used to be IPECC now it’s I,P,E,MC,C) these

processes run within the lifecycle and across the lifecycle

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Keys to Success Plan - a Detailed Realistic Project Plan In Place Resources Are Identified And Available Ownership of The Project By The Stakeholders is clear Justifiable Case has been Confirmed Expertise Exists Within The Team And The Stakeholders Clear Specification Of Requirements Exist Top Level Support For The Project

Project Workout – Robert Butterick

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Keys to Success A Detailed Realistic Project Plan In Place Resources Are Identified And Available There is Ownership Of The Project By The Stakeholders Justifiable Case Confirmed Expertise Exists Within The Team And The Stakeholders Clear Specification Of Requirements Exist Top Level Support For The Project

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THE PRACTICAL BIT

A Project Lifecycle For ANY Project The Five Step Model

Acknowledgement of the Author“Project Workout – Robert Butterick”

Great book and worth a read

The Project LifecycleA Structured Approach

Five Step MethodProposal

1. Initial Investigation2. Detailed Investigation3. Develop & Test4. Trial5. Release

Post Project Evaluation (this hardly ever happens)

Five Step Model

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DetailedInvestigation

Build &

TestTrial ReleaseInitial

InvestigationProposal PIR

InitialInvestigation

Gate

DetailedInvestigation

Gate

Build &TestGate

TrialGate

ReleaseGate

The Trigger for your Project - Proposal Request for Action

• Document or email • could be verbal (write it down)

Describes what you want to do and why Document it formally Get it reviewed by the potential stakeholders Go / No Go (Gate)

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Initial Investigation Stage (Business Study)

• Have a Quick Look– Project Initiation

• Update or Create the Terms of Reference / Project Charter – Outline the Project Scope– Assessment

• people• needs• Expected benefits• Costs / time

– Be sure of "Why we are doing it"

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Chances for the project’s success are largely set in the first 20% of its time line

First Things FirstTerms of Reference – BOSCARI

• Background• Objectives

– SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely)

• Scope– Products / Business Areas Included– Products / Business Areas Excluded

• Constraints– Time– Money– People

• Assumptions• Reporting• Issues & Risks

33Chances for the project’s success are largely set in

the first 20% of its time line

Detailed Investigation Stage

• Have a Closer Look– Definition of requirements– Feasible Solutions

• Technically Feasible (Can you)• Economically Feasible (Could you)• Strategically / Ethically Feasible (Should You)

– Recommend a Solution– How will you/they know that it has been delivered?– Go / No Go Decision Point– Produce a Detailed Project Plan

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Develop & Test Stage

– Do It! – Use work authorisation and work packages/ product

descriptions to create action to deliver the products– Monitor and control the project

• Deliveries, internal and external communications– The project uses the most resources during this stage– The Work to deliver the products that will deliver the

benefits

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I never worry about action, but only about inactionWinston Churchill

Trial Stage

– Try it in a customer free zone • Model Office / Conference Room Pilot

– Acceptance testing• Validate the solution / products are acceptable to the clients

and functionally correct• Verify that the capabilities work in a live environment including

all the business processes and supporting infrastructure

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Release Stage

– Use It!• The rubber hits the road!

– Project Closure• Lessons Learned• Future Life Planning• Contract Closure

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Post Project Evaluation– Very Rare

– Checking to see if the expected benefits from the project have been delivered

– Requires identified metrics that will show the benefits

– Requires baseline of current metrics before your project starts

– Depends on BENEFITS being defined and tracked (Benefit Management)

– Only just happening in the UK who are probably one the world leaders in Project & Programme Management

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Summary• Definitions of PM and Project

• 5 Step Model 1. Initial Investigation2. Detailed Investigation3. Develop and Test4. Trial5. Release

• Remember the KISS Principle– Keep It Simple Stupid (A brutal army principle)

• Did We Achieve the Objectives?

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