setting up projects for success overview 2013-03-14

© Robert PosenerPMComplete Pty Ltd

Setting Up Projects for Success(Planning and Executing Successful Engagements)

PMCompletePMComplete

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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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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• 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


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?


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Answer

• Everyone said it was

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Discussion

• So, what are the implications of this statement?


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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?


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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?


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Project Satisfaction Barometer

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Project Success Measures

• What are the major measures that are usually judged to determine if a project was a success?


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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



• 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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– 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



Missing!!!• Realising outcomes and benefits

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Project Critical Success Factors

• What influencing factors are critical to the success of a project?


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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?


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Answer

• At Project Initiation

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So What?

• We need to use this fact to our advantage

• Why?


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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


Discussion

• Why?


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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


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


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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• Steering the Project (traditional, but wrong):

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The Project

Steering



• 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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• Steering the project’s results into the enterprise (non-traditional, but correct):

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TheProject The

Business

Steering


Discussion

• How do you manage stakeholder expectations?


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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


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


Technical Leader

Infrastructure Co-ordinator

Project Director

Vendor Manager

PDInsp.


Project Team

Business StaffTechnical Staff

Team Review Board

Architecture Cons.

Project SupportGroup


Infrastructure Co-ord.

Project Director

Vendor Manager


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


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


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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Answers Price List

• Answers $0.75

• Answers $1.25� (Requiring Thought)

• Answers $2.15� (Correct)

• Dumb Looks Free

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setting up projects for success overview 2013-03-14

Documents

project perspective

project planning

successful project

project initiation

project ip

project integration

individual project managers

important project metric