'Resurrection' is life....Well, hold on!....I am not being philosophical...atleast not at a level that i will start giving you dictums of wisdoms. But i can definitely share with you something that i am absolutely sure all of you must have faced and experienced ( or something similar) somewhere in your personal/professional life.
Somethings things go great and sometimes they don't...that's just life...
And when they dont, that is when it becomes a cause of concern. Be it a Project worth 1000s or millions of dollars or be it your pefectly planned weekend getaway gone awry.
So professionally, to manage these situations, we have this breed of specimen called 'Project Managers' - whose job is to ensure things stay on track. Project Managers ensure that the project are run and executed smoothly, Projects meet their set goals and objectives and we all achieve and even overachieve our targets.
Examples of Awry
Personal
In our personal lives, say, we buy a house, we start to pay our mortgages diligently and then somewhere down the line, we miss a payment due to something unforeseen - a medical emergency, a job/family situation, mortgage plan changes etc, we start spiraling down the Rabbit hole.
Professional
Imagine a situation when you are on a project that is just not going the way as planned, the reports are all pointing that things have started to go wrong and it is time to raise the red flag....Hopefully you find this, before the Captain asks to abandon ship.
So what do we do when things start spiraling the path it was not meant to be...a Project down on its knees...
A Policy Admin implementation which kicked off with a much held fanfare and furore but suddenly somewhere down the way failed to keep up.
I have been a part of such a project which i will say, is a classic case study for this article. This project was a 3 year - multi Million dollar Enterprise level P&C Admin apps Setup project. It was a new organization entering P&C business that had engaged us for a policy, billing and claims solution setup....Successfully execution would have made the careers of many a people on the project, not to mention the benefits to the client, if it had met the roadmap timelines.
Initially things went well as planned for a few months then we started missing deadlines, good resources were leaving the project, client was having 2nd thoughts on using us as successful partners. It came to such a point that our consulting Org was threatened with a liability lawsuit, as we had risked the client's plan of going live with its new programs and products in a new market that would have really given them a competitive edge.
How did we come out of this mess.
First Things First
First we calmly took stock of where were on the project
- We had all our key stakeholders, responsible parties together. Tried to understand and outline how and where things went wrong.
Once we know the 'what' and 'why's, we decide to focus our energies positively, be constructive and stay away from the blame game as it was not going to help anyone....we remained focused and started to work on 'how' to fix the problem.
Come up with a plan to go from point A to point B
We had regular meetings with the Stakeholders and finally arrived at a consensus on what needed to be done
In your case, it may include things like,
Timeline changes
- Extending the project timeline
Scope changes
- changing the work scope to fit the timeline
Resourcing changes
- Lining up your A resources to get the job done, shuffling resources per competencies
Cost and budget changes
- Increase project budget
Unthinkable option
- Dumping the project altogether. Sadly, this happens in many cases when you are on a time bound project and you completely miss it.
Once you have the plan ready, make sure to dot your Is and cross your Ts. Have an executive summary of your plan ready. This will serve you 2 purposes, you will need it to convince your project sponsors that you are taking the necessary steps to get on track and the funding should continue.
Also this presentation will also help curb the project level noise, if any. You can use the same presentation with maybe a little tweaks for removing your team fears on where the project is going. Proper communication within Team is absolutely essential.
Later on, when things get back on track and project completes successfully(i am sure!...), remember to have a lessons learned session with the whole Team so we learn from our mistakes and future run is a lot smoother.
One of the major takeaway for our project case was, have regular status reports, meetings set that will highlight slippages right at the onset.
Summary
So all in all, as they say...'stuff happens'...It is all about how do we separate the men from the boys and get our act together and make sure all of us march towards the common goal of a successful project implementation.
Let me know if you all agree or have a different perspective, input on things based on your experiences.
Showing posts with label remote project management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label remote project management. Show all posts
Monday, December 2, 2013
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Remote Project Management
We all know that Project success is dependant upon constant communication, interactions and coordinations between all parties so that project is successfully executed and all risks and issues are identified and therefore addressed, mitigated in a timely and correct manner.
Project Manager is one of the most integral part of a project who can make all the difference between a project success and failure based on his constant Team interactions, coordinations and negotiation skills.
Project Manager taken out of the loop even for a few days, leave alone working remotely, can cause lots of issues and problems. Client communications, risks identification, coordination activities everything will get impacted.He is like an orchestra conductor who makes sure that musicians play the right music according to the plan and the orchestra is conducted harmoniously and synchronously.
I have been on projects where i had to manage my Teams remotely i.e. the project was being executed from multiple geographies - Development was from India. The Business users were in the mid west and i was on the east coast. So how is all this possible if the project manager or the Teams involved are not co-located?
First of all, why would anyone want to manage a project remotely. There are numerous advantages of doing so.
1> Cost effectiveness
- In today's world most organizations are focusing on cost budgeting, resource optimizations and operational efficiencies, while also maintaining the organizational business level needs
.
2> More flexibility
- In terms of work hours, resource schedules and timings. Resources when working remotely have more control over their time and schedules and are therefore more efficient.
3> More Effective
- By using well proven communication tools and techniques for project coordination, reporting and follow ups etc
Here are a few logical and proactive steps that will ensure your project is a success even though you are working remotely. This can be achieved by following 4 simple guidelines
1> Communication Plan
Have a clearly defined laid out weekly, monthly communication plan for stakeholder, team meetings. Have the Agenda clearly defined for these meeting so time is not wasted in going through unnecessary details.
- Communication, communication, communication...this point cannot be stressed enough. When the project manager is remote, it is all the more necessary for the Team to be in sync and on the same page with the PM on every aspect and detail of the project. This can be achieved by having regular frequency meetings with the Team.
2> Remote access tools
Make sure you make use of remote sharing tools, voice and video conferencing facilities where applicable and possible.
- There are a lot of tools available in the market today that can help you manage a project remotely and successfully. Tools like Video conferencing, Remote desktop sharing etc helps you have face to face conversations, share desktop sessions with Teams and have meaningful and productive interactions.
3> Meeting Frequency
Increase the frequency of communication with your team. Plan more get togethers and Team outings. Increase frequency of your customer calls
- Being remote makes it all the more important to maintain and develop a healthy team rapport. For this, i will suggest, have frequent site visits to meet the teams, have lunches, outings together with the Team. The Team should not look at the project manager as a daily 9 PM - Channel 7 News broadcaster, but a project facilitator, Team Leader and motivator.
4> Management Reporting
Increase the frequency of your executive management reporting
- Make no mistake here, out of sight is not out of mind, especially for the project sponsors and the C Level executives who are paying for the project. Make sure you have regular detailed and elaborate reporting. Let them know, build their confidence that even though you are remote you are aware and on top of things and issues.
All these steps will ensure not only project success but will also fetch you the brownie points of being an effective and proactive leader who can confidently get the job done remotely or not.
Project Manager is one of the most integral part of a project who can make all the difference between a project success and failure based on his constant Team interactions, coordinations and negotiation skills.
Project Manager taken out of the loop even for a few days, leave alone working remotely, can cause lots of issues and problems. Client communications, risks identification, coordination activities everything will get impacted.He is like an orchestra conductor who makes sure that musicians play the right music according to the plan and the orchestra is conducted harmoniously and synchronously.
I have been on projects where i had to manage my Teams remotely i.e. the project was being executed from multiple geographies - Development was from India. The Business users were in the mid west and i was on the east coast. So how is all this possible if the project manager or the Teams involved are not co-located?
First of all, why would anyone want to manage a project remotely. There are numerous advantages of doing so.
1> Cost effectiveness
- In today's world most organizations are focusing on cost budgeting, resource optimizations and operational efficiencies, while also maintaining the organizational business level needs
.
2> More flexibility
- In terms of work hours, resource schedules and timings. Resources when working remotely have more control over their time and schedules and are therefore more efficient.
3> More Effective
- By using well proven communication tools and techniques for project coordination, reporting and follow ups etc
Here are a few logical and proactive steps that will ensure your project is a success even though you are working remotely. This can be achieved by following 4 simple guidelines
1> Communication Plan
Have a clearly defined laid out weekly, monthly communication plan for stakeholder, team meetings. Have the Agenda clearly defined for these meeting so time is not wasted in going through unnecessary details.
- Communication, communication, communication...this point cannot be stressed enough. When the project manager is remote, it is all the more necessary for the Team to be in sync and on the same page with the PM on every aspect and detail of the project. This can be achieved by having regular frequency meetings with the Team.
2> Remote access tools
Make sure you make use of remote sharing tools, voice and video conferencing facilities where applicable and possible.
- There are a lot of tools available in the market today that can help you manage a project remotely and successfully. Tools like Video conferencing, Remote desktop sharing etc helps you have face to face conversations, share desktop sessions with Teams and have meaningful and productive interactions.
3> Meeting Frequency
Increase the frequency of communication with your team. Plan more get togethers and Team outings. Increase frequency of your customer calls
- Being remote makes it all the more important to maintain and develop a healthy team rapport. For this, i will suggest, have frequent site visits to meet the teams, have lunches, outings together with the Team. The Team should not look at the project manager as a daily 9 PM - Channel 7 News broadcaster, but a project facilitator, Team Leader and motivator.
4> Management Reporting
Increase the frequency of your executive management reporting
- Make no mistake here, out of sight is not out of mind, especially for the project sponsors and the C Level executives who are paying for the project. Make sure you have regular detailed and elaborate reporting. Let them know, build their confidence that even though you are remote you are aware and on top of things and issues.
All these steps will ensure not only project success but will also fetch you the brownie points of being an effective and proactive leader who can confidently get the job done remotely or not.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Earned Value Analysis
What is Earned Value analysis?
Understanding EVA (Earned value Analysis) is very important for Project success. Earned Value Metrics provide a common set of parameters and benchmarks against which a project progress can be mapped. This is mostly used during the Control and execution phase of the project. The metrics help indicate whether the project is on track or not.
Earned Value Metrics is a set of indicators that help in tracking and measuring certain parameters against a certain baseline which would help us in defining or visualizing whether a project is successful or not.
Advantages:
Along with this, other advantages of using Earned Value Analysis in project management are,
- Accurate reporting of project logistics to PMO and project sponsors
- Early warning to Project Managers so they can take corrective actions by performing risk analysis, if a project starts going over budget or behind schedule
The 2 key elements that guide or help to trend a project are,
- Project Cost
- Project schedule
In order to calculate earned value on any project large or small, first the Project Manager has to define the WBS (Work breakdown structure), define the smallest level of activity schedule and cost and this forms the Project baseline (or planned value) against the project actuals (or AV) can be compared to calculate the earned value variances and indices.
Terminology:
Certain acronyms that will help us in understanding EVM are
PV = Planned Value = The Budgeted amount allocated for a certain scheduled work activity until the current point in time =Also known as Budgeted cost of work scheduled (BCWS)
e.g. For a web based project (say), we need to create a screen
This requires (say) 1 resource for 40 hours (@ $100/Hr), so the PV for this task is $4000 (for 40 hours of work)
AC = Actual Cost = Total Cost for the work that was performed=Also known as Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP)
e.g: In the above example assume it took 1 res 10 hours to complete 30% of the work
AC=10*100=$1000
BAC = Budget at completion i.e. Originally budgeted amount for the project i.e baseline cost
e.g. In the above case assume baseline cost is $4000
So based on this, we can track the project performance as follows,
EV = Earned value = BAC*Percent of Project completed=This indicates How much of budget should have been spent for the amount of work done so far.
e.g. EV=4000*0.3=1200
Cost variance = CV = EV - AC = This helps to determine project performance wrt cost/budget
e.g. CV=1200 - 1000 = 200 (NOTE: Positive variance is better than negative)
Schedule variance = SV = EV - PV=This helps to determine the project performance wrt schedule
e.g. SV=1200-4000=-2800 (NOTE: Positive variance is better than negative)
Cost Peformance Index = CPI = EV/AC= This index helps to understand how $ spent performs wrt planned cost
e.g.CPI = 1200/1000=1.2 (NOTE: Index closer to 1 indicates we are closer to baseline)
Schedule performance Index = SPI = EV/PV = This index helps us understand whether we are ahead or behind schedule
e.g. SPI=1200/4000=0.3 (NOTE: Index closer to 1 indicates we are closer to baseline)
Estimate at completion = EAC = AC + (BAC - EV) = Indicates what should be the final cost at any point in the project
e.g. EAC = 1000 + (4000 - 1200) = 3800
Estimate to Complete = ETC = EAC - AC = Indicates how much will it cost you to complete the project based on the current status
e.g. = 3800 - 1000 = 2800
They key concept here is how to calculate the "Value" of the work that is completed. There are various schools of thought to support this
1> Some consider 50% value reached when 50% of work is completed
2> Some consider 30% value reached when 70% of work is completed and then remaining 70% of value is realised when rest 30% of work achieved
3> Some consider 0% value reached till all 100% of work is completed
These metrics provide lot of insight as to the project progress. This can be mapped and managed using simple excel sheets provided we have the baseline calculated. This metrics analysis system will also account for scope, schedule changes and resource change. Those can be fit into the timeline
Understanding EVA (Earned value Analysis) is very important for Project success. Earned Value Metrics provide a common set of parameters and benchmarks against which a project progress can be mapped. This is mostly used during the Control and execution phase of the project. The metrics help indicate whether the project is on track or not.
Earned Value Metrics is a set of indicators that help in tracking and measuring certain parameters against a certain baseline which would help us in defining or visualizing whether a project is successful or not.
Advantages:
Along with this, other advantages of using Earned Value Analysis in project management are,
- Accurate reporting of project logistics to PMO and project sponsors
- Early warning to Project Managers so they can take corrective actions by performing risk analysis, if a project starts going over budget or behind schedule
The 2 key elements that guide or help to trend a project are,
- Project Cost
- Project schedule
In order to calculate earned value on any project large or small, first the Project Manager has to define the WBS (Work breakdown structure), define the smallest level of activity schedule and cost and this forms the Project baseline (or planned value) against the project actuals (or AV) can be compared to calculate the earned value variances and indices.
Terminology:
Certain acronyms that will help us in understanding EVM are
PV = Planned Value = The Budgeted amount allocated for a certain scheduled work activity until the current point in time =Also known as Budgeted cost of work scheduled (BCWS)
e.g. For a web based project (say), we need to create a screen
This requires (say) 1 resource for 40 hours (@ $100/Hr), so the PV for this task is $4000 (for 40 hours of work)
AC = Actual Cost = Total Cost for the work that was performed=Also known as Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP)
e.g: In the above example assume it took 1 res 10 hours to complete 30% of the work
AC=10*100=$1000
BAC = Budget at completion i.e. Originally budgeted amount for the project i.e baseline cost
e.g. In the above case assume baseline cost is $4000
So based on this, we can track the project performance as follows,
EV = Earned value = BAC*Percent of Project completed=This indicates How much of budget should have been spent for the amount of work done so far.
e.g. EV=4000*0.3=1200
Cost variance = CV = EV - AC = This helps to determine project performance wrt cost/budget
e.g. CV=1200 - 1000 = 200 (NOTE: Positive variance is better than negative)
Schedule variance = SV = EV - PV=This helps to determine the project performance wrt schedule
e.g. SV=1200-4000=-2800 (NOTE: Positive variance is better than negative)
Cost Peformance Index = CPI = EV/AC= This index helps to understand how $ spent performs wrt planned cost
e.g.CPI = 1200/1000=1.2 (NOTE: Index closer to 1 indicates we are closer to baseline)
Schedule performance Index = SPI = EV/PV = This index helps us understand whether we are ahead or behind schedule
e.g. SPI=1200/4000=0.3 (NOTE: Index closer to 1 indicates we are closer to baseline)
Estimate at completion = EAC = AC + (BAC - EV) = Indicates what should be the final cost at any point in the project
e.g. EAC = 1000 + (4000 - 1200) = 3800
Estimate to Complete = ETC = EAC - AC = Indicates how much will it cost you to complete the project based on the current status
e.g. = 3800 - 1000 = 2800
They key concept here is how to calculate the "Value" of the work that is completed. There are various schools of thought to support this
1> Some consider 50% value reached when 50% of work is completed
2> Some consider 30% value reached when 70% of work is completed and then remaining 70% of value is realised when rest 30% of work achieved
3> Some consider 0% value reached till all 100% of work is completed
These metrics provide lot of insight as to the project progress. This can be mapped and managed using simple excel sheets provided we have the baseline calculated. This metrics analysis system will also account for scope, schedule changes and resource change. Those can be fit into the timeline
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Soft Skills
You might ask - how and why is article related to Project Management.
Back in the days when dinosaurs ruled the earth and not so far off till late 90s, it was thought that the Technical knowhow or the 'hard skills' was the only factor attributed a project's success. People who were pure Techo managers, sitting in one corner desk could solve the problems troubling planet earth.
But not any longer, the outlook has changed, C-level executives, mid managers etc have begun to realize that soft skills are also as important, infact soft skills are identified in today's world as also one the most important success criteria to execute a project.
What do you mean by soft skills -
Soft skills is an art - an art to communicate effectively. Effective meaning so that people will understand, listen and relate to what you are saying. For some people this trait is inborn. But for most, this has to be acquired by constant practice and learning.
This article is for those who, when surrounded by people, never fail to secretly salute a black spider that manages to find dark nooks and corners even in broad daylight.
For those - not so brave hearts, fear not - the art of soft skills can definitely be learned, cultivated and honed to the extent of becoming an expert.
One of the major issues wrt soft skills is, you do not know the importance of this trait till it hits you - like a deer hit by blazing lights of a running car,
The educational courses that teach management as a part of any curriculum talk about the technical aspects of Management, and prepare you with a Project Management framework but nothing prepares you for the soft skillset required.
Some may ask why do we need Soft skills to run a project? The reasons are many,
First and foremost is 'Objectives and expectations alignment'
- Projects deal with multiple stakeholders with varying skills, diverse personality types.
- Each stakeholder may have different understanding of the project.
- For influencing the work outcome either with stakeholders or even Team members, you will need strong leadership, communication and convincing skillset.
Everyone has to be aligned to a common goal, just like a army of ants carrying grains of food in a straight line to its storage area.
- At an individual level, i have personally seen many a talented people fail. Not because they did not have the Technical prowess, but because they only had Technical mastery.
No one wants to work with people, who may be so called masters of their Technology domain, but do not have the basic people skills. This is an attribute of a person's Emotional Quotient (EQ).
There is no magic formula to gain soft skills. The steps needed to achieve Soft skills could range from showing empathy and optimism towards your colleagues to extreme self-awareness in knowing what's going on around you and this is a constant learning process. You need to keep on practicing this day in and Day out.
As a person grows in his career, in order to reach higher echelons of success, it is much more important to be have soft skills competence than low level Technical knowhow.
In short, gaining Soft skills is like a fear factor game challenge where the contestant has to be on a running speedboat and has to climb the copter above using a low hanging rung of ladders in a limited timespan.
Standing on the speedboat and watching the copter above (The Project) is not enough, having excellent upper, lower body strength will not get the job done (Hard skills). But what will get you to the winners circle, is to reach out for the ladder and climbing it one rung at a time (Soft skills).
Baby steps:
You cannot climb Mt. Everest in one day (or maybe you can, but not in this case). There are certain steps that one can follow to achieve excellence in this personality skills
Join Public speaking groups:
1> e.g. Toastmasters Group: Toastmasters club is an excellent forum for personal development in terms of fear of public speaking, teaches you various traits required to be better listener and speaker. How to formulate your thoughts clearly and precisely.
One day at a time:
2> Start with meeting 1 person at a time. When you are meeting a person - even for project reasons, try to get to know the person, understand his background, his likes/dislikes, perspective on the project, what may be the pain points for him and how you can help resolve them? What does it mean by project success to him? Learn to be a good listener.
The person could be anyone from project sponsor to an end user-stakeholder to one of your internal development and testing Team members.
Professional Courses and Training:
3> Seek professional help. There are numerous training institutes and courses which delve on this particular subject. These courses will help you change the perspective and suggest ways and mean that will help you achieve your goals.
In Summary, be people centric and more extroverted than you are, start to get out of your comfort zone. We have to remember that a project is teamwork and a project is deemed successful or a failure only by the efforts of the individuals that make the Team. So encourage your Team members, have regular get together sessions, appreciate and acknowledge achievements, provide guidance and seek help, when and wherever required.
It is definitely time to come out of that dark cave and bask in the glorious sunlight.
Back in the days when dinosaurs ruled the earth and not so far off till late 90s, it was thought that the Technical knowhow or the 'hard skills' was the only factor attributed a project's success. People who were pure Techo managers, sitting in one corner desk could solve the problems troubling planet earth.
But not any longer, the outlook has changed, C-level executives, mid managers etc have begun to realize that soft skills are also as important, infact soft skills are identified in today's world as also one the most important success criteria to execute a project.
What do you mean by soft skills -
Soft skills is an art - an art to communicate effectively. Effective meaning so that people will understand, listen and relate to what you are saying. For some people this trait is inborn. But for most, this has to be acquired by constant practice and learning.
This article is for those who, when surrounded by people, never fail to secretly salute a black spider that manages to find dark nooks and corners even in broad daylight.
For those - not so brave hearts, fear not - the art of soft skills can definitely be learned, cultivated and honed to the extent of becoming an expert.
One of the major issues wrt soft skills is, you do not know the importance of this trait till it hits you - like a deer hit by blazing lights of a running car,
The educational courses that teach management as a part of any curriculum talk about the technical aspects of Management, and prepare you with a Project Management framework but nothing prepares you for the soft skillset required.
Some may ask why do we need Soft skills to run a project? The reasons are many,
First and foremost is 'Objectives and expectations alignment'
- Projects deal with multiple stakeholders with varying skills, diverse personality types.
- Each stakeholder may have different understanding of the project.
- For influencing the work outcome either with stakeholders or even Team members, you will need strong leadership, communication and convincing skillset.
Everyone has to be aligned to a common goal, just like a army of ants carrying grains of food in a straight line to its storage area.
- At an individual level, i have personally seen many a talented people fail. Not because they did not have the Technical prowess, but because they only had Technical mastery.
No one wants to work with people, who may be so called masters of their Technology domain, but do not have the basic people skills. This is an attribute of a person's Emotional Quotient (EQ).
There is no magic formula to gain soft skills. The steps needed to achieve Soft skills could range from showing empathy and optimism towards your colleagues to extreme self-awareness in knowing what's going on around you and this is a constant learning process. You need to keep on practicing this day in and Day out.
As a person grows in his career, in order to reach higher echelons of success, it is much more important to be have soft skills competence than low level Technical knowhow.
In short, gaining Soft skills is like a fear factor game challenge where the contestant has to be on a running speedboat and has to climb the copter above using a low hanging rung of ladders in a limited timespan.
Standing on the speedboat and watching the copter above (The Project) is not enough, having excellent upper, lower body strength will not get the job done (Hard skills). But what will get you to the winners circle, is to reach out for the ladder and climbing it one rung at a time (Soft skills).
Baby steps:
You cannot climb Mt. Everest in one day (or maybe you can, but not in this case). There are certain steps that one can follow to achieve excellence in this personality skills
Join Public speaking groups:
1> e.g. Toastmasters Group: Toastmasters club is an excellent forum for personal development in terms of fear of public speaking, teaches you various traits required to be better listener and speaker. How to formulate your thoughts clearly and precisely.
One day at a time:
2> Start with meeting 1 person at a time. When you are meeting a person - even for project reasons, try to get to know the person, understand his background, his likes/dislikes, perspective on the project, what may be the pain points for him and how you can help resolve them? What does it mean by project success to him? Learn to be a good listener.
The person could be anyone from project sponsor to an end user-stakeholder to one of your internal development and testing Team members.
Professional Courses and Training:
3> Seek professional help. There are numerous training institutes and courses which delve on this particular subject. These courses will help you change the perspective and suggest ways and mean that will help you achieve your goals.
In Summary, be people centric and more extroverted than you are, start to get out of your comfort zone. We have to remember that a project is teamwork and a project is deemed successful or a failure only by the efforts of the individuals that make the Team. So encourage your Team members, have regular get together sessions, appreciate and acknowledge achievements, provide guidance and seek help, when and wherever required.
It is definitely time to come out of that dark cave and bask in the glorious sunlight.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Manage Stakeholder Expectations
Many things have been written and said about Managing Stakeholder Expectations. This is one of the most difficult tasks a project manager has to perform throughout the life cycle of the project depending upon the type and number of stakeholders involved. Essentially what may mean as a 'perfect and successful' project to the project manager, may turn out to be a complete disaster in the eyes of the stakeholders.
During Concept Phase:
A Project is conceptualized when the stakeholders or project sponsors meet and layout the project idea. Objectives and goals are set at this stage and a project is born. Once it has taken a definite shape and the ball has started rolling and the project progresses from the concept or initiation phase to design, construction, testing and finally delivery and closure. At every stage, we, as Project Managers have to manage stakeholder expectations.
Every stakeholder comes from a different arena or a different functional area and therefore has different definition of success. Hence it is very important at the onset, to make sure all stakeholders are on the same page and are driving towards a common goal. This is achieved in the Project Kick off meeting. The project sponsors or the ones who had laid the project high level objectives may not be the only ones who are the actual stakeholders that are involved with the project, as the project progresses you will find the number of stakeholders and actual representatives may also vary.
So, from the initial requirement sessions you may find that the stakeholders that get involved are deviating from the ground rule and are asking for something that is not in project scope or not inline with the general project agenda.
This may happen due to various reasons,
1> Stakeholders not clear on the Project Objectives
2> Need some understanding wrt different project areas or how projects are executed.
It is the job of the Project Manager to make sure these risks are addressed at proper time by proper planning.
Example:
Coming to an insurance industry example of this scenario,
say the project deals with integrating your Policy-Claims administration system with a Contacts management software and during the stakeholder meetings, the discussions lean towards tweaking and tuning of another dependant 3rd party interface - CMS upload for medicare.
Agreed, the 2 items may be related, but that does not definitely mean that the other interface is to be handled in this project scope (Unless that is the way the project has been scoped out).
To handle this situation make sure the project objectives are strongly and succintly communicated to the stakeholders that we are integrating to a new contact management software and this may mean some changes associated to some middleware bridge to make the other contact dependent interfaces work as expected, with minimal to no impacts. This lays a ground rule and restricts the deviations that may otherwise happen.
How to:
Major steps to stakeholder management in any project large or small are,
Step 1:
Conduct Stakeholder interviews:
- Study your stakeholders - their roles, who they are - organizational positions, their project roles - e.g. sponsors, end users, business SMEs, what they do? How would they influence the project outcome - completely understand their 'needs' and 'beliefs'? All this can be managed by having a 'Stakeholder map'.
- Know them wrt likes, dislikes, project expectation etc
Step 2:
Stakeholder Communication:
This is the most important thing in any project. I cannot stress on how important is this factor to guarantee a project success.
- Involve your stakeholders in all stages of the project right from initiation.
- Try to understand the project objectives from the stakeholders perspective. What does it mean to them by project success/failures/key painpoints etc? Let them define this in their own terms.
- Familiarize them with project financials, give them an overall project picture by having regular project status report meetings. In these meetings, make sure you concentrate on areas that are important to the stakeholders rather than delving into your project management methodologies and bravado stories.
- By effective communication and holding them accountable to project realities in times of project changes we can definitely and successfully manage stakeholder expectations. Remember Stakeholders and Project Sponsors have as much vested interest in project success as everyone.
During Concept Phase:
A Project is conceptualized when the stakeholders or project sponsors meet and layout the project idea. Objectives and goals are set at this stage and a project is born. Once it has taken a definite shape and the ball has started rolling and the project progresses from the concept or initiation phase to design, construction, testing and finally delivery and closure. At every stage, we, as Project Managers have to manage stakeholder expectations.
Every stakeholder comes from a different arena or a different functional area and therefore has different definition of success. Hence it is very important at the onset, to make sure all stakeholders are on the same page and are driving towards a common goal. This is achieved in the Project Kick off meeting. The project sponsors or the ones who had laid the project high level objectives may not be the only ones who are the actual stakeholders that are involved with the project, as the project progresses you will find the number of stakeholders and actual representatives may also vary.
So, from the initial requirement sessions you may find that the stakeholders that get involved are deviating from the ground rule and are asking for something that is not in project scope or not inline with the general project agenda.
This may happen due to various reasons,
1> Stakeholders not clear on the Project Objectives
2> Need some understanding wrt different project areas or how projects are executed.
It is the job of the Project Manager to make sure these risks are addressed at proper time by proper planning.
Example:
Coming to an insurance industry example of this scenario,
say the project deals with integrating your Policy-Claims administration system with a Contacts management software and during the stakeholder meetings, the discussions lean towards tweaking and tuning of another dependant 3rd party interface - CMS upload for medicare.
Agreed, the 2 items may be related, but that does not definitely mean that the other interface is to be handled in this project scope (Unless that is the way the project has been scoped out).
To handle this situation make sure the project objectives are strongly and succintly communicated to the stakeholders that we are integrating to a new contact management software and this may mean some changes associated to some middleware bridge to make the other contact dependent interfaces work as expected, with minimal to no impacts. This lays a ground rule and restricts the deviations that may otherwise happen.
How to:
Major steps to stakeholder management in any project large or small are,
Step 1:
Conduct Stakeholder interviews:
- Study your stakeholders - their roles, who they are - organizational positions, their project roles - e.g. sponsors, end users, business SMEs, what they do? How would they influence the project outcome - completely understand their 'needs' and 'beliefs'? All this can be managed by having a 'Stakeholder map'.
- Know them wrt likes, dislikes, project expectation etc
Step 2:
Stakeholder Communication:
This is the most important thing in any project. I cannot stress on how important is this factor to guarantee a project success.
- Involve your stakeholders in all stages of the project right from initiation.
- Try to understand the project objectives from the stakeholders perspective. What does it mean to them by project success/failures/key painpoints etc? Let them define this in their own terms.
- Familiarize them with project financials, give them an overall project picture by having regular project status report meetings. In these meetings, make sure you concentrate on areas that are important to the stakeholders rather than delving into your project management methodologies and bravado stories.
- By effective communication and holding them accountable to project realities in times of project changes we can definitely and successfully manage stakeholder expectations. Remember Stakeholders and Project Sponsors have as much vested interest in project success as everyone.
Friday, April 29, 2011
What is a Project?
A Project is an initiative, by definition is a temporary endeavor set to create a unique product or a service which has a defined start and end date, specific goals and conditions, defined roles and resp, constraints and risks etc.
Some people do not have a clear idea of what a project consists of. Project is not about setting up a bunch of repetitive Tasks and making sure that they happen. It is much more than that. True projects involves a unique effort (If it is repetitive, it is no longer a project), Projects have clearly defined objectives, have a defined lifespan or a one time effort.
Let's take an example of a Project and how it would be executed.
Again, every project is unique but it does follow some common standards and Guidelines, more or less
Digging a well is a project. It involves a predefined and a set Objective,
Objective - Dig a well so that it provides drinking water to a set of people (Stakeholders).
There are a bunch of people to bear the expenses for the well being dug (Sponsors)
There are a bunch of people who will dig the well (resources)
The well digging initiative will be managed by a person (Project Manager).
The activities performed by the manager will be something along these lines,
- Project sponsors come with a requirement ( Dig a well). They have a budget and an objective and a high level roadmap in mind (Provide water to group of people by end of next 3 months - Budget $5000)
- Project sponsors appoint a Project Manager who starts with meeting the stakeholders involved, sponsors to understand scope, budget, timelines.
- Prepares a Plan based on high level Scope understood, sets Milestones, plans resources, deliverables to be achieved/delivered.
- Prepares a schedule based on this High level plan.
- Gets resources approved, allocated for the project term duration
- Prepares a high level communication plan, risk analysis and management plan, configuration and change management plan
- Gets a sign off on the project charter, SOW
- Holds a project kick off meeting with all the stakeholders involved on the project.
- elaborates on the Project plan with the Project Team wrt identifying the work activities, schedule, risks, mitigation plans etc
- Team designs and develops as per the plan
- Regularly meets with the Team to identify issues, risks, mitigation plans/strategy, works on coordination and facilitation activities.
- Regularly updates the Stakeholders, Sponsors etc on the overall Prject status
- Finally project is delivered to the Stakeholders
Some people do not have a clear idea of what a project consists of. Project is not about setting up a bunch of repetitive Tasks and making sure that they happen. It is much more than that. True projects involves a unique effort (If it is repetitive, it is no longer a project), Projects have clearly defined objectives, have a defined lifespan or a one time effort.
Let's take an example of a Project and how it would be executed.
Again, every project is unique but it does follow some common standards and Guidelines, more or less
Digging a well is a project. It involves a predefined and a set Objective,
Objective - Dig a well so that it provides drinking water to a set of people (Stakeholders).
There are a bunch of people to bear the expenses for the well being dug (Sponsors)
There are a bunch of people who will dig the well (resources)
The well digging initiative will be managed by a person (Project Manager).
The activities performed by the manager will be something along these lines,
- Project sponsors come with a requirement ( Dig a well). They have a budget and an objective and a high level roadmap in mind (Provide water to group of people by end of next 3 months - Budget $5000)
- Project sponsors appoint a Project Manager who starts with meeting the stakeholders involved, sponsors to understand scope, budget, timelines.
- Prepares a Plan based on high level Scope understood, sets Milestones, plans resources, deliverables to be achieved/delivered.
- Prepares a schedule based on this High level plan.
- Gets resources approved, allocated for the project term duration
- Prepares a high level communication plan, risk analysis and management plan, configuration and change management plan
- Gets a sign off on the project charter, SOW
- Holds a project kick off meeting with all the stakeholders involved on the project.
- elaborates on the Project plan with the Project Team wrt identifying the work activities, schedule, risks, mitigation plans etc
- Team designs and develops as per the plan
- Regularly meets with the Team to identify issues, risks, mitigation plans/strategy, works on coordination and facilitation activities.
- Regularly updates the Stakeholders, Sponsors etc on the overall Prject status
- Finally project is delivered to the Stakeholders
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)