First Things First - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

About This Presentation
Title:

First Things First

Description:

First Things First Putting Project Prioritization Before Project Management Suzanne Bonefas, ACS Technology Center Robert M. Johnson, Jr., Rhodes College – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:792
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 26
Provided by: ACSTech1
Learn more at: https://www.educause.edu
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: First Things First


1
First Things First
  • Putting Project Prioritization Before Project
    Management

Suzanne Bonefas, ACS Technology Center Robert M.
Johnson, Jr., Rhodes College
2
Introduction
  • The power of emotional appeals in resource
    allocation decisions creates its own cost.
  • Many campuses look to project management as a way
    to get better value from their projects or to
    limit cost and time overruns.

3
Project Management
  • has become more than an art but also a science.
  • focuses on doing things right, stressing
    efficiency and organization.
  • doesnt do the whole job.

4
Why Project Prioritization?
  • Its not enough to do things right, one must also
    be sure of doing the right things. For that we
    need a framework and process for project
    prioritization.

5
Framework for DiscussionChristensens RPV
Framework
  • Clayton M. Christensen, Seeing Whats Next (2004)
  • RPVResources, Processes, and Values.
  • An organizations resources, processes, and
    values affect, if not determine, what an
    organization can and cannot do.

6
Christensens RPV Framework -- Resources
  • Resources are the most visible of the factors
    that contribute to what an organization can and
    cannot do.
  • All assets, including people, equipment,
    relationships,
  • They are both valuable and flexible
  • Easiest to assess, but dont tell the whole story
    of an organizations capabilities

7
Christensens RPV Framework -- Processes
  • Organizations create value as employees
    transform inputs of resources into products and
    services of greater worth. The patterns of
    interaction, coordination, communication, and
    decision making through which they accomplish
    these transformations are processes
  • Processes are inherently inflexible.
  • Balance between flexibility (ability to change)
    and efficiency.

8
Christensens RPV Framework -- Values
  • Values in this framework refer to the strategic
    interests and directions of an organization
  • All employees should understand the
    organizations values in order to make good
    decisions about project prioritization and
    day-to-day operations.
  • A key metric of good management, in fact, is
    whether such clear and consistent values have
    permeated the organization.

9
Applying Christensens RPV Framework to Project
Prioritization 1
  • ValuesReaffirm Them!
  • Christensen writes An organization's values are
    the criteria by which employees make decisions
    about priorities

10
Applying Christensens RPV Framework to Project
Prioritization 2
  • ProcessesReengineer Them!
  • Christensen writes Organizations create value
    as employees transform inputs of resources into
    products and services of greater worth. The
    patterns of interaction, coordination,
    communication, and decision making through which
    they accomplish these transformations are
    processes.
  • To reengineer processes, first understand your
    organizational culture!

11
Applying Christensens RPV Framework to Project
Prioritization 3
  • ResourcesRedeploy Them!
  • Christensen writes Resources are the most
    visible of the factors that contribute to what an
    organization can and cannot do. Resources include
    people, equipment, technology, product designs,
    brands, information, cash, and relationships with
    suppliers, distributors, and customers.
  • Ensure that your resources are as flexible as
    they need to be.

12
7 Steps to Applying Christensens RPV Framework
to Project Prioritization
  • If Project Management is not getting you the
    results you need and you cannot change the
    inputs, then you must change the processes and do
    so in a way that is consistent with your culture.

13
7 Steps to Applying Christensens RPV Framework
to Project Prioritization
  • Step 1 Assess Capacity
  • Step 2 Assess Culture
  • Step 3 Inventory Needs
  • Step 4 Clarify Criteria for Valuation
  • Step 5 Create/Adopt a Discipline
  • Step 6 Do the Valuation!
  • Step 7 Improve the Process
  • REPEAT!

14
7 Steps to Applying Christensens RPV Framework
to Project Prioritization
  • First, prepare!
  • Step 1 Capacity assessment
  • Take a snapshot of your projects and how they map
    onto your personnel (time), your dollars, and
    your skill sets
  • Goal of step 1 is clear understanding of how you
    currently expend your organizational capacity.

15
7 Steps to Applying Christensens RPV Framework
to Project Prioritization
  • Step 2 Culture Assessment
  • To understand culture, ask yourself how decisions
    are made, budgets are set, etc. Who is involved?
    What is their role? (Cameron and Quinn)
  • Goal is to find an institutionally appropriate
    mode for project prioritization process
    (culturally acceptable process)

16
7 Steps to Applying Christensens RPV Framework
to Project Prioritization
  • Step 3 Needs Inventory
  • Take inventory of each units (divisions) IT
    needs as they relate to its operational
    objectives and to strategic plans.
  • Goal is a high-level 30,000 ft. perspective (real
    needs, not wish lists, to the extent possible)

17
7 Steps to Applying Christensens RPV Framework
to Project Prioritization
  • Step 4 Clarify strategic objectives for use as
    valuation principles or criteria.
  • Where to look strategic plans (for organization
    and for divisions) as well as non-codified values
  • For example, do you encounter the need to
    challenge the mentality of keeping up with the
    Joneses?
  • Look for tensions and inconsistencies among
    values and opportunities to publicly resolve
    these tensions (again, culture plays a role) -
    better understanding among customers. Some values
    may need to go!
  • Goal is a list of criteria that will be the basis
    for prioritization process

18
7 Steps to Applying Christensens RPV Framework
to Project Prioritization
  • Step 5 Adopt a discipline for valuing projects
  • Existing disciplines, e.g. Balanced Scorecard or
    Project Portfolio Management
  • OR Simple home-grown rubrics
  • Goal is to create framework for making good
    decisions.

19
(Step 5 continued) Example 1 Rhodes College
No. Institutional Goals VP(s) Director(s) Staff
1. Lowering costs by x/student.
2. Increasing student retention by x
3. Improving student satisfaction by x
4. Improving workplace satisfaction by x
5. Improving learning outcomes by x.
20
(Step 5 continued) Example 2 ACSTC
Criteria Asst. Directors Other staff Advisors
Resources required
Relevance to mission
Impact (schools, institutional, strategic)
Replicability
21
7 Steps to Applying Christensens RPV Framework
to Project Prioritization
  • Now, begin the process!
  • Step 6 Perform the valuation
  • Determine relationship of projects to
    institutional goals
  • Goal is to make good decisions

22
(Step 6 continued) Tips Consequences
  • Evaluate projects in a batch use a regular
    project evaluation cycle (e.g., once a term).
  • Know value of your assets and be able to explain
    it. E.g., set rates on time, check ROI, or use
    other payback metrics.
  • Assign sunset clauses based on overruns in
    initial cost, recurring cost, or payback
    failures.
  • Business units will get smarter and kill projects
    before you do.

23
7 Steps to Applying Christensens RPV Framework
to Project Prioritization
  • Step 7 Refine the Process
  • Determine what you can do differently
  • For example
  • Are there some projects you can stop now?
  • Are there some workers who need different jobs?
  • Goal is continuous improvement.

24
CONCLUSIONS
  • Project management by itself is not enough. A
    campus needs the disciplines of project
    prioritization first.
  • Values Without culturally sound project
    prioritization disciplines, the campus community
    will be dissatisfied with the project management
    it gets, no matter how good it is.
  • Processes Without sound project prioritization
    processes, ITS, for its part, will always be
    reactive rather than responsive.
  • Resources Without sound project prioritization,
    the institution will waste its resourcesmoney,
    time, and personnel-- without getting proper
    payback from its projects or its personnel.

25
RESOURCES
  • Cameron, K. S. Quinn, R. E. (1999). Diagnosing
    and changing organizational culture. Upper Saddle
    River, NJ Prentice-Hall.
  • Christensen, Clayton M. Assessing Your
    Organization's Innovation Capabilities, Leader to
    Leader. No. 21 Summer 2001. See
    www.pfdf.org/leaderbooks/l2l/summer2001/christense
    n.html.
  • Henig, Peter D. The Efficient Frontier. CIO
    Insight, June, 2004, pp. 28-36.
  • Bob Johnson, johnsonb_at_rhodes.eduSuzanne Bonefas,
    bonefas_at_colleges.org
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com