TenStep Project Management Overview 00.4

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PM00.4Project Management Preparation for
Success Manage Issues


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Manage Issues

• Issue Big Problem !!!
• A formally defined problem that will impede
  progress of a project and about which no
  agreement has been reached
• The resolution is outside the control of the
  project team

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Manage Issues

• Make sure its really an issue
• Is it relevant to your project?
• Will it have a significant impact on the project?
• Will it require a decision by others outside of
  the project team?

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Manage Issues

• Try to find the cause
• Determine if the cause can be remedied or if only
  the symptoms can be addressed
• Look at three techniques
• Fishbone diagram
• Root cause analysis
• Pareto analysis
• Problem - Automobile knocking sound. Addressing
  symptom may include earplugs for driver.
  Addressing cause may be to increase octane.

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Manage Issues Fishbone Diagram

• Fishbone Diagram / Ishikawa Diagrams

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Manage Issues Root Cause Analysis

• Ask a series of why questions
• Example
• A plant manager walks past the assembly line, and
  notices a puddle of water on the floor. Knowing
  that the water is a safety hazard, he asks the
  supervisor to have someone get a mop and clean up
  the puddle. The plant manager is proud of himself
  for fixing a potential safety problem.
• The supervisor looks for a root cause by asking
  'why?'. He discovers that the water puddle is
  caused by a leak in an overhead pipe.
• He asks 'why' again, and discovers that the pipe
  is leaking because the water pressure is set too
  high.
• He asks 'why?' again and discovers that the water
  pressure valve is faulty.
• He asks 'why?' again, and does not get a further
  answer. So, the valve is replaced, which solves
  the symptom of water on the factory floor.

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Exercise Root Cause Analysis

• Read role play exercise
• Document the root causes

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Manage Issues Pareto Analysis

• Multiple problems encountered
• Prioritize which problems should be resolved
  first

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Manage Issues

• Sometimes there is no good resolution
• Make decisions among bad alternatives
• Determine if one solution is better long term
• Determine if one solution causes lesspain than
  the others

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Manage Issues

• Issues management
• Create process for managing issues ahead of time
• Define responsibility of the project manager and
  the sponsor
• Project manager responsible for the process
• Project manager and sponsor are responsible for
  agreement on resolution of an issue
• Create visible decision-making process

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Manage Issues

• Issues management
• Resolve issues as soon as possible
• Be vigilant about following up on issues
• Encourage those who identify issues to identify
  resolutions
• People closest to the problem often have best
  solutions
• Minimizes backward delegation
• Team members can help determine the solution

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Manage Issues

• Issues management
• Establish issue management discipline early in
  the project
• Prioritization
• Are there medium or low severity issues?
• Can one issue be more critical than another?

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Manage Issues

• Issues management
• Once a decision is made, implement an action plan
• Action plan consists of
• Activities to be performed
• Responsible team member
• Due dates
• Effort hours
• Dependencies
• Make sure the action plan is added to the workplan

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Manage Issues

• Deliverables
• Issues Submission Form
• Issues Log

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Exercise Case Study 7

• Develop Issues Management Procedures
• Use Issues Submission Form and Issues Log Form
• Step 1 - Solicit potential issues using Issues
  Submission Form from team members, customers or
  stakeholders
• Step 2
• Step 3
• ..
• Report back to group

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Manage the Project

• Manage workplan
• Manage issues
• Manage scope
• Manage communication
• Manage risk
• Manage documentation
• Manage quality
• Manage metrics

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Learning Objectives

• By the end of class, each participant should be
  able to
• Understand the value of project management
  processes
• Review the various aspects of defining a project
• Build and maintain an appropriate project
  workplan
• Identify and manage issues, scope and
  communication
• Identify and manage project risks
• Determine methods to manage project documentation
• Identify and manage to the appropriate level of
  quality
• Identify metrics to improve processes and declare
  success

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Questions??