Project Management

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Project Management Moving from the Acceptable
to the Exceptional
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Topics for Today

• Part 1
• Why IT Projects STILL Fail
• Stakeholders Who are they and what do they
  want?
• Communication Science and Art
• Successful Project Management Styles
• Lessons Learnt Bite the bullet
• Part 2
• Aligning the Project Office
• Managing across multiple projects
• Quick Wins

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Topics for Today

• Why IT Projects STILL Fail
• Stakeholders Who are they and what do they
  want?
• Communication Science and Art
• Successful Project Management Styles
• Lessons Learnt Bite the bullet

4
Real Project Management

• The first 90 of a project takes 90 of the time
• The last 10 of a project.
• takes the other 90 of the time!

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Why IT Projects STILL Fail

• No link to strategic objectives
• Lack of senior management ownership
• Ineffective engagement with stakeholders
• Inadequate and insufficient skills
• Poor approach to project and risk management
• Failure to separate development from
  implementation
• Sounds like a broken record..
  

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Stakeholder Groups

• Customers
• Sponsor
• Business Owner
• End User
• Deliverers
• Project Team
• Suppliers
• Third Parties
• Anyone else who is interested in or impacted by
  the success or failure of your project
• Examples?

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Customers

• They are your main Stakeholder Group because
• It is their project not yours
• They put requirements on the project
• They enjoy the benefits when the project is
  complete
• They will judge the success of the project

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Stakeholder Engagement

• As a minimum, key Stakeholders need to agree
  that
• Change is necessary
• The project plan is achievable
• Real benefits will follow
• The plan will be delivered in an acceptable way

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Stakeholder Map
Impact
Support
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A Quick Win with Stakeholders

• Identify Their Information Needs
• What information is relevant to them?
• What is the best timing, method and approach to
  use in passing this information?
• What do you need in return?

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Communication

• The main difference between a good project
  manager and a great project manager is that one
  is more skilful at communicating.

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Communications Science

• The basic five steps
• Transmitted
• Received
• Understood
• Agreed
• Converted into valid action
• Communication only starts to become successful if
  it reaches at least Step 3

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Communication In Projects

• Usually prescribed by methodology
• Regular reporting
• Written
• Verbal
• Presentation
• Project Boards or Steering Groups
• Now for the important bit!

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5 Communication Secrets

• Use informal communications spontaneously and
  continuously
• Remove all project management jargon from your
  reports but.
• .use your audiences specialist language when
  appropriate
• Present complex information in a clear way by
  making use of words AND pictures
• Become obsessive when managing expectations

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Top Interpersonal Skills for PMs

• Positive attitude
• Empathy with your customer
• Manager AND Leader
• Respect for people and their opinions
• Able to handle stress
• Good networker
• Political sensitivity
• Sense of humour
• Brilliant listener
• These are components of the style of a successful
  PM that have the greatest impact on stakeholders.
  Which do your PMs have?

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Lessons Learnt

• More than just a Project Implementation Review
• This is about sharing experiences, tools and
  techniques while still fresh in the mind so not
  just at the end of a project
• How to capture this knowledge?
• How to sift out the true gems?
• How to spread the word?
• Can the Projects Office help?

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Lessons Learnt Review

• Separate from the Project Implementation Review
• Facilitated Session but not by the Project
  Manager!
• Structured and Timed (max 1.5 hours)
• Project team and key stakeholders to attend
• Preparation is everything!
• That means a pre-meeting with all attendees

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Lessons Learnt Session

• Two key questions need to be answered
• What did we do well?
• What could be done differently next time?
• (Note the use of the word differently rather
  than better)

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Lessons Learnt Structure

• Suggest break down into recognisable project
  events (not milestones!). For example
• Kick off and Initiation
• Stakeholder identification and engagement
• Project resources
• Processes, tools and techniques
• Live Weekend
• After we went Live
• Benefits realisation

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Sifting the True Lessons

• Note all comments that pass the test of either
  something we did well or something that could
  be done differently next time
• Politely ignore the rest (this is where a good
  facilitator and note taker come in)
• Create a set of Recommendations and a separate
  list of Observations

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Lessons Learnt Outputs

• Recommendations Suggested actions that will
  result in a change of process (or sometimes)
  behaviours in the company's approach to projects.
  Each needs a timescale and owner to take forward
• Observations Useful hints and tips possibly
  shortcuts, innovations etc. that others could use
  in other projects

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Embedding Lessons Learnt

• Circulate output from each Lessons Learnt review
  to the wider project and business community
• Provide regular progress reports on resolution of
  Recommendations
• Provide easy access to all Observations as they
  build over time
• Introduce Lessons Learnt on all Project and
  Business Management meetings and check relevance
  of lessons learnt regularly
• If you are brave build in to personal
  objectives!

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Topics for Today

• Part 1
• Why IT Projects STILL Fail
• Stakeholders Who are they and what do they
  want?
• Communication Science and Art
• Successful Project Management Styles
• Lessons Learnt Bite the bullet
• Part 2
• Aligning the Project Office
• Managing across multiple projects
• Quick Wins

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The Drive to Communicate

• Rationale - Need to know what is going on
• Supporting - IT
• Delivered by - two man team
• Outputs rag reports
• Style weather station

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The Drive to Co-ordinate

• Rationale to identify bottlenecks
• Supporting IT, talking to the business
• Delivered by - two or three man team
• Outputs spreadsheets
• Style weather forecasting

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The Drive to Facilitate

• Rationale to make things happen
• Supporting IT Business
• Delivered by - three or four man team
• Outputs training materials, standards,
  procedures
• Style take an umbrella

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The Drive to Control

• Rationale to prevent problems
• Supporting everything
• Delivered by multi-skilled teams
• Outputs reviews reports, audits
• Style ban rain

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The Evolution of the Project Office
Active
Passive
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The fit for purpose project office

• What does your project office do?
• What does the project office think it should be
  doing?
• What do project managers think it should be
  doing?...
• What do stakeholders think the project office
  should be doing?
• What do the owners of the project office think it
  should be doing?

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Managing across the board

• Manage the portfolio not just the projects
• Scratch the surface or dig a hole
• Let confidence be your guide
• Let contingency be contingent

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Quick Wins

• Introduce PM to PM Mentoring
• Independent review after Initiation phase
• Introduce collaborative reporting
• Benchmark your Project Office
• Introduce consistent estimating methods
• Include Stakeholder Management in your Project
  Plan
• Include a Risk Budget in Project Costs
• Enhance your PMssoft skills Big Time!

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In Conclusion

• CityIQ can help you with
• Project Management
• Project Review
• Alignment of the Project Office
• Project Manager Upskilling
• Management of Change
• Project Office Resourcing

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Project Management Moving from the Acceptable
to the Exceptional