3 Project Management

Managers are bringing the project down.

Posted on by mikef598

The start of a project is a critical time; a lot of focus is put on budgets, scheduling and risk.  One often overlooked aspect of project is the role the project manager plays.  There are many tools that can help in predicting costs, timing and potential risks of the project.  However, there are few tools to help decide on the project manager other than a ‘gut feel’, or stating ‘I have my best man on the job’.   The way the project manager, manages the project can have a huge impact on the success of the project.   A project manager needs to be able to clearly define milestones and convey these milestones to the project team.  A project schedule and budget often relies on the belief that the team will be efficient throughout the project.  A team without clearly defined goals or confusion within the team will not work to their full efficiency.  In my own experience weeks have been “lost” during a project due to team members working on the wrong tasks or working on tasks that do not help the project move forward efficiently.  Without definition and effective communication all the tools and analysis may not ensure sure the project is a success.

Another important aspect to a successful project is the ability to be able to adjust plans in an effective and timely fashion. This responsibility of decision making often falls onto the project manager.  A project manager that gets bogged down in making decisions can affect the entire project.  The time that it takes to make a decision can affect the schedule; also an improper decision can affect the possibility for a successful project.  Also, during a project a project manager needs to be aware of any changes from the original plan to help the project move quickly and efficiently.  Therefore a project manager that can make critical decisions in a timely fashion increases the chance of a successful project, and can assure the team that the project is well managed and help the project move forward.    A British study estimated that for approximately every 1.5 billion dollars spent on projects, approximately 235 million dollars were at risk due to inadequate project management.

I have seen many instances in my career where the project manager and not the project nature, schedule or budget have had the largest impact on a project.   Many times how the project is conducted and the communication in the project that is most beneficial and often this can be seen by number of successful projects a certain project manager has managed.  These management styles are very hard to be measured often times it is overlooked and not addressed.

How important do you feel the actual project manager has in the overall success in the project?

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/business/project-management-institute/10125593/pmi-project-leadership.html

Charity begins at home?

Posted on by w13kristen

After being given the task to “create, plan, and execute a fund raising project for a designated charity,” one of the first questions our group asked each other was what charity does our team want to support?  In the course of everyday life, this question remains relevant.  When a disaster occurs, numerous charities ask for donations to help rebuild a community, friends and family participate in walks or runs in order to raise money for a cause, and solicitations from third parties are abundant.  Asking yourself a few simple questions and giving donation parameters can help determine whether the cause or special project is the right place to donate funds.  An interesting article in the Washingtonian helped clarify some questions that I have had in the past while donating to a specific cause or charity.

1.      Pick a problem you care about- “Whether seasoned or first-time givers, people become consistent donors and take more pride in their gifts when they contribute to an initiative they find important” <http://www.washingtonian.com/>.  Small donations pop up throughout the year, but when it comes to a major or annual gift it is important to feel strongly about the cause you are donating to.

2.      Decide whether you’d rather invest locally or globally- Multinational charities help those in need all around the world, but the downside is that the results aren’t evident in one’s local community.  Both arenas are worthwhile, so the answer to this question depends on the individual donating.

3.      Research online- Once you have selected an organization, there are many helpful websites that can provide valuable information and help dig deeper to make sure your funds are being put to use in the most effective way.  <http://www.charitynavigator.org/>  and <http://www.charitywatch.org/> are good places to start.

4.      Look for red flags- A few examples are excessive salaries, revenue or expense projections that greatly deviate from a prior year’s budget, non-diverse revenue sources, and board members who don’t participate by donating to their organization.  Non-profits should hold to the same standards as a for-profit organization.  If the charity doesn’t seem to track figures or illustrate a level of transparency about funding, it may not be the right direction to take.

5.      Call or visit your finalists- Every organization has volunteers that should be able to talk to you about the work the charity does and how it impacts those in need.  Smaller organizations may take more time responding to each request, but it is important to know what the goals are of the charity and to see whether they align with the guidelines you feel are important.

6.      Get started early- As the year winds down, many people want to donate funds for tax purposes.  Make sure to give yourself and the charity enough time to answer your questions without end-of-year pressures.

So far, our group has had an extremely difficult time actually connecting with a representative from our charity.  I am the “central region charitable contributions lead” for my corporation, and these communication issues seem to be similar for many charities that my corporation supports.  Have you encountered communication barriers while working on this group project?  Have you donated to a charity in the past and then found out that they were fraudulent?  What other items do you consider while donating funds?

Source:
http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/work-education/how-to-choose-the-right-charity-to-get-your-donation/index.php

Titanic (as in the ship) Lessons in Project Management

Posted on by w13david

Last year marked the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.  This horrible tragedy resulted in the deaths of more than 1,500 people and has been the subject of several books and movies, but it also provides some key examples of project management mistakes and oversights.  For example, the lack of lifeboats on the Titanic certainly played a role in the number of deaths, but at the time it was believed there were enough lifeboats.  The standards back then determined the number of required lifeboats by the overall weight of the ship and not the total number of passengers.  This measurement standard was clearly inaccurate, and the standards have since changed as a result of this disaster.  This oversight provides us with an example that valid measurements are a necessity for every project.

The Titanic was also one of three new ships built by the White Star Line.  Their strategy was to emphasize the luxury of the ship, and not the speed, as its primary selling point.  However, it’s reported that the White Star chairman pressured the captain to increase the speed of the ship.  The higher speed most likely contributed to the collision and sinking of the ship.  This is a classic example of “scope creep” that is prevalent in many projects.  Scope creep usually involves a request from a client to make a small change to a project.  The reality is that these changes are rarely small, and in a project world governed by quality, time, and budget, at least one will have to yield.  In the instance of the Titanic, we know the unfortunate result of the scope creep.

Another situation occurred shortly after the iceberg collision.  There was a nurse onboard caring for a child of a first class family, and she took the child to a lifeboat where they both were rescued.  However, she failed to tell the parents where she was going, and they spent time looking for the child, eliminating their opportunity to escape in a lifeboat.  As a result, they died trying to find their child.   This should remind us that project managers need to keep their stakeholders informed.  Stakeholders are much happier when they know the status of a project.

This tragic event does include some valuable reminders about successful project management as well.  The methods used to gather victim information were recorded in ledger notebooks and were proven to be highly effective.  There weren’t any computers or iPads back then to record information.  This sheds some light that methodology is more important than technology.  In addition, the documentation from the recovery recently allowed researchers to identify an unknown child through DNA testing.  As you can see, documentation is often times one of the most important parts of a project because it exists long after a project team has disbanded.

For more information, please reference the article “10 project management lessons from the Titanic disaster” that was written by Calvin Sun of TechRepublic.

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-project-management-lessons-from-the-titanic-disaster/3174

Automation of Project Management: Success or Failure?

Posted on by annav598

Many times, most of us would consider automating a process would mean it is doomed for success. According to a new article posted in CMSWire, automating a project gives it a higher probability of failure. This is in part due to major emphasis on the automation of certain processes, making projects’ outcomes very difficult to comprehend, very time consuming and extremely costly. Barry Shaeffer, author of “Successful Automatiom Project Planning, Implementation By the Numbers,” wrote, “While technology has raced ahead, our ability to deploy it has lagged. Indeed, we are scarcely better at successful projects than we were decades ago, a sad fact often obscured by organizations’ natural reticence to talk about their failures (CMSWire.com).”
So why is it that our workforce is becoming more educated, organizations are investing significantly larger amounts of capital and our technological infrastructure has evolved immensely, but we are still not successful with the majority of projects taken on by corporate America? Shaeffer has analyzed this question and has come up with six crucial caveats which could help organizations, large and small, increase the chances of successful completion of most projects:
1. Starting Right: You can’t win if you don’t know your team
2. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: What works, and what really needs fixing
3. Automate the chaos and you end up with … Automated Chaos
4. What you get depends on what you ask for; RFI or RFP
5. Find the Vendors that can really help you
6. Do Your Technology with a Full Hand

Although I was extremely surprised to find this information to be true, I looked back at the last few projects I had worked on in my previous organizations. Starting with the most recent, Cigna is holding a financial review for a group of doctors. There are approximately 13 provider groups in this “POD” and I was in charge of compiling and analyzing the financial metrics for this group to present at the monthly financial overview. I thought this would be a no brainer since I have been working closely with this region. However, when I began my quest for this information, I quickly realized that this would not be an easy feat. It took me almost an entire working day, approximately six hours, just to retrieve the needed metrics. I had to go through several separate departments, all of whom pointed fingers at one another, indicating that the other department was in charge of that information. I could have compiled the spreadsheets and analyses the information in a much shorter time if our system allowed this information to be tracked in one location. Also, as it turns out, there is a great misconception about the duties and daily responsibilities of each department. In addition, Cigna spends 3 million per year on IT issues and implementation. However, it seems like they have just used those fund to automate more chaos.

Article information:
Shaeffer, “Barry. Successful Automation Project Planning, Implementation by the Numbers.” June 12, 2013. CMSWire.com. http://www.cmswire.com/cms/information-management/successful-automation-project-planning-implementation-by-the-numbers-021288.php?pageNum=3

Applying Private Efficiencies to Public Money

Posted on by w13heather

It is at least a starting point that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is starting to assess different government agencies against project management best practices (as defined by the Project Management Institute, or PMI). It is interesting that they are starting with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). On one hand, it makes sense since they deal with physical properties and construction, which lend itself better to traditional project management. On the other hand, it may not be the most effective place to start in the government (healthcare would have a bigger impact, for instance).

The six categories HUD was assessed within were: (1) project charter, (2) work breakdown structure, (3) project management plan, (4) requirements management plan, (5) requirements traceability matrix, and (6) acquisition strategy.

Interestingly, most projects had charters, but not clear accountability (insert joke about government (in)efficiencies here). Potentially more concerning, is at least two projects under major initiatives lacked “development” in four of the six categories, which implies minimal/insufficient project management over the project.

With the increasing pressure on the government (like the private industry) to do more with less, the historical inefficiencies will no longer be acceptable. One key way to deal with this is not to actually do less, but to be efficient by reducing overhead (i.e., project management). The fundamental advantage to project management (besides success) is planning ahead – which the government needs to do more of.

Hopefully, the GAO will continue to assess various government agencies (AND follow-up to confirm changes are made) so that the use of taxpayer’s money is as efficient as the use of money within the private sector.

Source: “HUD falters at project management”, June 14, 2013 (http://fcw.com/Articles/2013/06/14/GAO-HUD.aspx?Page=1)

Homemade Project Mangement

Posted on by w13lewis

Checking the potato progress

The broad audience of the Internet has promoted a lot of innovation over the past decade. We can buy classic cars from cars.com, old road signs from Ebay, textbooks from Amazon, and handmade handbags from Etsy. You can apply for a Mortgage, check your 401-k, and even email your personal bank about that pesky overdraft fee again. Most agree, the Internet is a blank canvas of sorts; if you can find an interested audience in your innovation, you can make a business out of it.

Interestingly, most of the successful internet businesses started with traditional (Project Management) roots. You have an idea for an audience. You create a business plan. You get financial backing through a bank or private investors. You go live and start selling stuff. Eventually you make a profit and a sustainable business or go under trying. In many aspects, it’s the American way.

Today, the Internet has a new way to get things done called Crowd-sourcing. Which, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people, and especially from an online community, rather than from traditional employees or suppliers”. This concept of getting a lot of people together in large masses to crank out product is not really new. If you remember the history of the Automobile with Henry Ford and the assembly line, you’ll know where I going with this. Ford of course had to pay his workers, since his employees spent a significant time doing tasks they we’re told to do (the implication here is that they probably didn’t want to do it for free).

With crowdsourcing, contributors can spend as much or as little time as they feel compelled to do working on a project. They can contribute up to their level of passion, essentially working for free fueled by emotion and drive rather than money and sustenance. Thousands of passionate people working on 10 minute microtasks can total up to thousands or tens-of-thousands of project hours. Ask breakthroughs and goals are made, passion can be reignited bringing more productivity to the project.

Reading the WSJ’s “Kickstarter’s Social Backlash” article (source below) really made me think about this concept long-term. Kickstarter is a sub-genera of crowdsourcing called crowdfunding (a lot of small contributions can add up to large sums of money). Crowdsourcing gives the promoter a way to fund projects with as little or as much structure as the general public sees fit. There is no obligation to the contributor (they’re not legal shareholders since projects don’t even need a corporate entity to sponsor them) so they’re not really on the hook for much. Movies, books, and gadgets have all had huge success funding projects through this means, but most have been able to deliver on their promises.

I know,  it’s a long way to go for a question: Crowdsourcing seems to work well because it is fueled by passion. When you take out the project planning and add in real money, is passion enough to keep crowdfunding on track and going?

WSJ Article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324021104578551313657138252.html?KEYWORDS=project

Image Source: http://www.darylrsmith.com/b2evolution/index.php?blog=6&title=a_bachelor_s_guide_to_twice_baked_potato&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

The Importance of information technology in project management

Posted on by anetat598

The Importance of information technology in project management.

 

In modern world, any business, small or large, needs to manage its projects wisely. With most markets quite saturated and with increasing and improving competition from almost all angles, it is important how businesses conduct their projects. In most situations, the success of the project depends on many factors, especially the project manager him/herself, his/her experience, knowledge, intuition, and sometimes, even ability to “push-back”.  What if one does not have all those traits but has a strong vision and direction of the business? One, quick solution is to find and hire individual who would help materialize that vision. On the other hand, with fast growing information technology, there are some tools that may help the project manager to improve implementation and effectiveness of any enterprise.

 

What is project management software? It is a software application usually available for all computer systems, which with easy to navigate and intuitive user interface allows managers to effectively control their projects. Most modern project management software provides great help to managers in conducting all phases of the project: planning, managing, and execution from most critical aspects such us: budgeting/cost, resourcing, scheduling, and many more. They allow quick and easy glimpse on the projects development, check current and predict future constrains, as well as analyze alternative project’s paths or adjusting current project settings. Such applications are usually very critical especially for big and complex enterprises that require large budgets, involve of various resources, and are time critical.  However they are also very helpful in conducting projects in small businesses as well. In any case, PM software may support project leaders to manage projects more efficiently and run business operation more smoothly.  Overall, technology has a big impact on project duration, tracking costs and overall project performance.  Per study conducted by Vittal Anantatmula, the use of technology can assist managers better communicate, share knowledge and improve processes.  Moreover, complex projects that deal with a large amount of data and information can be challenging for project managers, therefore the use of software tools that help track all this information is beneficial in successfully completing any project. (Anantatmula, 2008).

microsoft_project image1

http://www.danesys.com/Portals/0/microsoft_project.jpg

 

There are different types of project management software available on the market. From the ones, designated for small businesses to the large ones, created for big corporations in mind. There are those that are web-based, hosted by the software developer applications, available in cloud, as well as software developed for desktop users. They may also come in server-client configuration, which allows central control (server) of the application with granted access to it for personnel involved in the project (client).

 

There are many project management software available on the market today that have helped many managers to complete their projects successfully. One of the most popular are:

 

–       MS Project – http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project/

–       Basecamp – http://basecamp.com/

–       Wrike – http://www.wrike.com/

–       Genius Project – http://www.geniusinside.com/

 

What project management software do you use in your company? Is it really helping you with your daily work?  How difficult would your job be without the help of technology?

 

 

 

Additional article used from DePaul Library:

Anantatmula, Vittal S. “The Role of Technology in the Project Manager Performance Model.” Project Management Journal 39.1 (2008): 34-48.

7 Common Project Management Problems

Posted on by w13walney

pm_pic

Weather you manage projects as a profession or not, we all find ourselves involved in many different projects, be that our own personal or participating in someone else’s as a stakeholder or contributor. Here below are the most common types of problems project managers face while managing projects to internal or external customers.

1. Your Client Gives You Vague, Ever-changing Requirements.

The client doesn’t know what they want until a certain stage is complete.

2. Your Client is Slow with Communication.

It’s tough to move forward on a project if one can never get answers from the person you’re working with.

3. The Project Doesn’t Start On Time.

The client says today this project is top priority but tomorrow a different project becomes more important.

4. You Try to Manage Every Project the Same Way.

Situations, people, and goals change over time.

5. The Client Doesn’t Like What You Created.

Make sure it is understood not just the technical requirements of a project, but also the underlying rationale of the clients.

6. Your Point of Contact Doesn’t Seem to Care About Your Project.

The project’s final product will have no direct effect on the person’s job and they provide minimal guidance.

7. Too Much Time is Spent Solving Problems After Projects Are “Live”.

This problem is caused by focusing too much on production, and not enough on testing.

Of course nobody can take a cookie-cutter approach when managing a project and project managers face daily many different situations that require quick, balanced and smart approach to problems balanced with very powerful and structure communication plan but it is still very interesting and important to pay attention to each of the points discussed above and keep these points always handy since they most likely will be part of your project.

Another key issue and consideration regarded to project management is the fact that project managers have to deal with people and only those who have managed people know how rewarding or stressful it can be. Because people have their own interests, moods and personal problems, project dynamics can change daily and the same project that is running flawlessly today can get derailed or to a screeching halt due to the “work” of few very quickly and without any major signals or announcements. This is why conflict management and communication plan are very powerful tools that allow the project manager to maintain sanity and keep their projects running the best way possible. Very hardly a project manager can really manage a project from the distance without checking the pulse of its team dynamics by living, feeling and experiencing how the team is performing on its most basic levels. Project manager cannot become detached from their projects and try to run it bureaucratically instead of participatively, at least not without major consequences to the project results and success.

 Have you experienced any or all of the 7 common project management problems listed above? If so, how have you handled the situation and what was the result?

http://sixrevisions.com/project-management/7-common-project-management-problems-and-how-to-solve-them/

Non-Productive Team Members

Posted on by sheels598

Stress

As we all are aware, the success of a project is dependent on the team members who each have a contribution to the various milestones. Every team member has their own expertise that will help with the execution of a project, and every team member wants a project to succeed. However, there are times where a team member will fall behind in his/her tasks which may undoubtedly cause the project timelines to slip. There are several things that the project manager can do to help in this type of situation.

According to a blog posting by Barry Otterholt, if a project team member is falling behind in his tasks, the project manager needs to step in and help correct the situation before the project slips too far behind schedule and project team morale slips. The project manager should speak with the member in a tone that isn’t accusatory or from a manager to a subordinate, but from a colleague to a colleague and in an open manner. It may be that the employee is simply overloaded with additional work (which is common in these economic times). If this is the case, the issue is relatively easy to resolve, and the project manager can provide coaching or additional resources to help get the employee’s job done. While an additional resource (even a temporary resource) may be expensive, the cost of that employee may be less than the cost of the project not being completed on time.

Other issues, like personal problems or incorrect prioritization could also be the cause of a task to fall behind schedule for a team member. However, if all else fails, he/she needs to escalate appropriately. In another posting by Brad Egeland, if all attempts to “work it out” fails, the supervisor of that team member needs to be notified and he/she needs to be taken off of the project and a new resource needs to be assigned. As stated above, waiting too long can be detrimental to the project chemistry as well as the morale of other project team members.

Finally, Otterholt finishes his posting with a few quick tips about dealing with this type of a situation. First, ensure the team member takes responsibility for the task that is falling behind. Next, the project manager needs to show a willingness to help. Third, the project manager should be resourceful in finding a solution. Finally, if all else fails, the project manager should cut ties with that resource.

My question to everyone is how would/have you dealt with a problematic project team member in any project you participated in? If you were the project manager in a project where a team member is consistently missing deadlines, how would you handle the situation?

Sources:

http://stoufferco.blogspot.com/2008/09/non-productive-team-members.html

http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-case-of-the-non-complying-team-member.html

Flying High with Project Management

Posted on by w13richard

As my closest friends know, I am a huge airplane buff. I love aviation and really love to follow the large aircraft  manufactures as they develop the next generation of planes to transport millions of people a day. Recently on the Financial Times of London, there was a great article talking about the ongoing war between Boeing and Airbus to gain control of the wide body aircraft market. For those of you that do not know, a wide body aircraft is for the most part one that has more than one aisle running the length of the aircraft. Currently, examples of this type of plane would be the 787, 777, 747, A380, etc. They are needless to say very large aircraft and occupy large air routes.

Long-haul contender: the twin-engine Airbus A350 is rolled out of the factory in Toulouse. The manufacturer is hoping to stage a fly-past at the Paris air show

Many individuals that pay attention to the news will hear stories about endless delays for these manufactures in their development of new aircraft due to any number of reasons. Something that occurred to me is that while many of these delays can take headlines, they are really a larger product of poor project management practice. It is absolutely true that aircraft have a very very long lifespan within the marketplace and traditionally, a new product is on the market for 20 or 30 years at a time. This timeframe supports the extensive time and costs that are required to bring a new product to market that truly revolutionizes the marketplace and well as providing a product that provides business justification to airlines to purchase these new fleets. While these timeframes are very long, the recent trend has been to experience extreme delays in these developments and more importantly, in customer delivery. I have started to ask myself if these firms are starting to reach an unrealistic view of the requirements in the developments of these next gen products.

787 wide body interior
787 wide body interior

Bringing two perfect examples into context, both Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350 are two of the most recent entrants into the marketplace and both are constructed of something called carbon fiber. This technique allows for extreme strength of the airframe while significantly dropping the weight on the aircraft. Additionally, both of these aircraft are being constructed using a significantly diverse supply chain as opposed to more traditionally held models supported by the manufactures themselves. The project timeframes were simply unrealistically constructed and did not take into account the possibility of things going wrong all over the place. This delayed both aircraft by literally years as problems had to be worked out in both design and the supply chain. This is becoming a chronic trend for these firms and quite frankly in my opinion, these issues are ripping down their reputations.

The question to all of us project manager students is simple. When we are working on our own development schedules, how do we intend to build in time for the foreseen and unforeseen issues that can occur and what do we do when we are faced with such troubles both from a management and reputation standpoint?

 

Big guns blaze in wide-body war