Help Im a Project Manager In a World Without Project Management Carol Elliott, PMP MidMissouri Chapt

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Help! Im a Project Manager In a World
Without Project ManagementCarol Elliott,
PMPMid-Missouri Chapter PMI16 November
2006
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Why this presentation?

• Identity crisis!
• Not having PM processes harms people in an
  organizational setting
• How do PMs survive and how are projects
  accomplished without the organization requiring
  PM?
• Help my fellow Board member
• Earn PDUs
• Encourage other Mid-Missouri Chapter PMI
  presenters

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What is this presentation about?

• Discovering PM best practices in an organization
  without formally defined and adopted PM processes
  
• Advocating for the importance of organizational
  standards for PM
• Proposing ways to formally incorporate PM in the
  organization

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Research method (1)

• Interviews
• 10 interview subjects
• 4 supervisors, 6 analysts/team leads
• Half had PM experience from other organizations
• Many great ideas and insights sorry I cant
  include them all here!

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Research method (2)

• Questionnaire
• What PM processes does the organization require?
• What PM activities do you consider vital to a
  projects success?
• Is it important for an organization to have
  formally established PM processes?
• What effective PM processes have you seen used
  elsewhere?
• Provide one recommendation to improve PM

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Research method (3)

• Disclaimers
• Data is anecdotal, not academic/scientific
• Study limited to a single organization
• Arbitrarily selected interview subjects

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Organizational roles

• PM
• Supervisor
• Analyst

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How is PM actually being accomplished? (1)

• What does required by the organization mean?
• Could mean my boss said to do it.
• This isnt the same thing as the organization
  having formally defined PM processes!
• Project initiation includes a floundering phase

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How is PM actually being accomplished? (2)

• High reliance on SMEs/analysts
• SMEs have years of experience with critical
  business systems
• SMEs proficient in analyzing impact, scope,
  requirements, interfaces
• SMEs are comfortable interacting with business
  partners and maintain excellent relationships
• Work package management SME receives broad
  assignment and is responsible for managing tasks
  and schedule to accomplish the work package

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How is PM actually being accomplished? (3)

• PM processes exist, but arent necessarily
  identified as being under the umbrella of PM
• Regular meetings of key participants to monitor
  progress of critical projects

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PM and software development processes

• Distinction is blurred for those without external
  PM experience
• Emphasis is on delivering a quality product
• PM and software development processes/philosophies
  are integrative/closely related
• Typical software development process routes
  Waterfall, iterative, infrastructure upgrade,
  vendor software package implementation/upgrade
• Must be able to tailor PM processes to chosen
  software development process
• Culture clash between waterfall and iterative
  software development methodologies

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Are formally defined PM processes important? (1)

• Without PM projects will be slower and more
  costly. The final outcome will not be as good as
  it could have been. You cannot control the
  triangle of cost/schedule/quality. You may
  develop the wrong product, it may take too long,
  or it may be too costly.
• Interview subject, October 2006

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Are formally defined PM processes important? (2)

• a competent project manager alone does not
  guarantee project success. PMI believes that
  project success requires project manager
  competence, as well as organizational project
  management maturity and capabilityorganizational
  performance cannot be ignored. In other words,
  having a project manager who possesses the
  right competencies cannot ensure project
  success.
• Project Manager Competency Development (PMCD)
  Framework, Project Management Institute, Newton,
  Pennsylvania
• https//secure.pmi.org/memberapp/downloads/standar
  ds/PMCDF.pdf

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How does an organization adopt formal PM
processes?

• Define best practices
• Standardize processes
• Set measurement criteria
• Evaluate
• Practice continuous improvement
• Adapted from
• Organizational Project Management Maturity Model
  OPM3 Knowledge Foundation, Project Management
  Institute, Newton, Pennsylvania
• https//secure.pmi.org/memberapp/downloads/standar
  ds/opm3KF.pdf

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The PMs speak Recommendations (1)

• Establish a PMO (50)
• Start small a supervisor/director might absorb
• PMs report to the supervisor/director of PMO
• Create a PM job description and career path
• Implement a matrixed approach. PMs do PM for the
  entire I.S. department.
• Create PM standards Required processes,
  templates for common processes
• Provide industry-standard training for PMs
• Mentor PMs
• Provide training, oversight, and compliance for
  organizations PM standards

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The PMs speak Recommendations (2)

• Provide a standardized PM toolbox
• Invest the time to build processes for PM
  activities, templates for PM artifacts,
  standards, and a consistent methodology
• Dont use every tool in the toolbox for every
  project allow choice
• Processes must be good
• Choose participants who define the required
  processes (fill the toolbox) carefully
• Document retention for project documents

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The PMs speak Recommendations (3)

• Classify projects according to need for PM
• Small projects dont require PM
• 60 of projects are small (single reporter)
• 40-100 hours of work
• 2-6 requirements
• Production problems dont require PM
• Larger projects require PM

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Secrets of PM Success (1)

• Performs lessons learned / root cause analysis
  whenever something detrimental, unexpected, or
  significant to the project occurs
• Document and obtain sign-off on requirements,
  testing, and implementation
• Manage requirements change
• Insist on testing which is as thorough as
  possible and validates requirements

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Secrets of PM Success (2)

• Manage inventory of all projects and resources
  allocated. Compare hours worked to estimates.
  Perform weekly analysis and adjust resources to
  projects.
• Use PMBOK (or practitioners expert judgment and
  experience) to select processes/artifacts
  appropriate for the project at hand.

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Secrets of PM Success (3)

• Pay attention to what is working in the project
  plan. Update the plan based on what is really
  happening.
• Define completion criteria. Make sure project is
  closed when complete.

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Conclusions (1)

• PMs interviewed strongly in favor of establishing
  organizational standards for PM
• Project manager job title and career path
  recommended
• Half recommend a PMO be implemented and have
  provided suggestions how to establish a PMO
• Revision/standardization of organizations
  systems development methodologies may be a
  co-requisite to establishing effective PM
  processes

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Conclusions (2)

• Aim for the minimum that is necessary
• Allow choice
• Establish a strong, committed team and allow time
  to establish organizational PM standards
• Once implemented, institute a continuous
  improvement process
• Provide oversight, compliance, and metrics to
  measure effectiveness