Project Management is common sense made difficult

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Project Management is common sense made difficult

• Mark Dickson Programme Director
• Change Resource Limited

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Outline of the session

• Welcome and Introduction
• What is a Project? What is Project Management?
• The Role of the Project Manager
• Project Organisation and Roles
• The Four Cs!
• QAs

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• Is it all common sense?
• A lifecycle is a natural process, and a
• methodology is a guideline.
• A project manager is employed to make decisions
• using a variety of techniques enabling a
• successful delivery.
• Simple isnt it?

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What is a Project and Project Management?

• Or What is it you do exactly?

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• What is a Project?
• ..a vision, several goals, and activities when
  correlated together in a structured manner
  achieve the delivery of the desired benefit to
  the Stakeholders..
• Quote from a qualified PRINCE2 Practioner and
  Black Belt - 2005

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• What is a Project?
• ..a project is building a house or introducing a
  new product, something like that isnt it?..
• Mrs Margaret Brown (aged 79) - 2005

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• Project Management is
• ..the combination of applying knowledge, skills,
  tools and techniques enabling the
  cross-fertilisation and indeed change to the
  current operating model required to meet market
  and strategic objectives. Thus by way of
  dynamically managing activities in a controlled
  order, one can meet Stakeholders needs and
  expectations..
• Another quote from a qualified PRINCE2 Practioner
  and Black Belt - 2005

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• Project Management is
• ..managing the things you need to do from start
  to finish well..
• Another quote from Mrs Margaret Brown (aged 79) -
  2005

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A project is!

• Designing a new product
• Building an office or facility
• Procuring capital equipment
• Implementing a new system or technique
• Planning and conducting a survey
• Planning and conducting a relocation
• Implementing a performance improvement initiative
• Building aircraft, boats or machinery
• Sporting events or entertainment

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Closer to home.

• Getting married
• Going on holiday
• Trip out with the family
• DIY

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What Makes A Successful Project?

• A Compelling Need/Business Case?
• Senior Management Commitment and Support?
• Structured Approach?
• Appropriate Timescales?
• Managed Expectations and Change?
• Communication, expectations, change management?
• An Excellent Project Manager?
• A Motivated Project Team?
• Sufficient Skilled Resource?
• Teamwork?

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Some Common Pitfalls

• Most often quoted reasons for project failure
• Lack of management commitment
• Poor communication
• Lack of engagement leading to lack of commitment
  from Customers and Stakeholders
• Lack of feedback mechanisms
• Lack of training of project teams
• Not enough time to plan

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Some Famous Examples
EFA 300 over budget 200 over time
The Dome 600m waste of space 400m over budget
Channel Tunnel 100 Over Budget
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The common reasons they failed..

• Spend agreed up front prior to ANY scope or
  requirements sign off.
• No Project Plan!
• Concise Project organisation with clear
  objectives and roles missing.
• Project Managers were under pressure to hide bad
  news, questions, and spend.
• Lack of accountability.
• No demonstrable or controlled lifecycle journey.
• The Dome also suffered as a concept with the
  public no buy-in.
• They had invested in a project management
  methodology
• In nutshell Project Management techniques were
  not used consistently.
• RESULT
• No public confidence in final product.
• Credibility of future Government projects
  undermined.
• Massive overspend.

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The Lifecycle and Methodology

• Or Tick this box and youll be sorted

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A Potential Project Life Cycle
5. Promotion of Non-Participants
1. Wild Enthusiasm
2. Total Panic
3. Search for the Guilty
4. Punishment of the Innocent
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A Typical Project Life Cycle and Methodology NO
NEED TO BE SCARED!
Brief
Initiation
Planning
Control
Definition of Requirements
Delivery
Planning
Completion
Execution
Review
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A Simple Lifecycle
Assumptions
Design Authority
Quality
Risks and Issues
Change
Managing Your Project
Start
Plan
Deliver
Close Project
Stakeholders
Control
Preparation
Team
Manage delivery
Milestones Deliverables
Budget
Plans
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Benefits of real planning
Project Management Effort
Project Management Effort
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The Role of the Project Manager

• Or Im supposed to do what?!!!

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The Role of the Project Manager

• Key skills include
• Negotiating
• Communicating
• Scheduling
• Budgeting
• Controlling
• Reporting
• Leading

• Understanding the customer
• Anticipating problems
• Getting things done
• Overcoming barriers
• Managing ambiguity
• APPLY COMMON SENSE!

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The real job
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Whose methodology is it anyway?

• Remember It is a tool and a framework
• It is not
• An excuse to over audit a project manager
• Ticking boxes
• Marking red, amber, green
• A beating stick to police the process
• A methodology is a framework which should be used
  as a guideline for project managers and a
  project manager must be allowed to utilise their
  own skill sets, judgement and common sense in
  determining the course of action for a project.
• .

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Secrets of Success!

• Hide Nothing!
• Communicate reality, not what people think they
  want to hear.
• Sounds easy but is it?
• Always apply
• Communication to your team and stakeholders
• Control to your plan, costs, issues and risks
• Common Sense approach to lifecycle, detail and
  effort
• Culture of Openness - Otherwise the project could
  fail, without the PM realising or being able to
  correct it.

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Thankyou, hope you enjoyed the session!

• ANY QUESTIONS?