Chapter 3: Project Management Basics

1
Chapter 3 Project Management Basics

• What Project Professionals Do

2
Review from previous sessions

• What is the Covey strategy for personal planning?
• Goal statements consist of what exactly?
• Which comes first vision statement or overall
  goal?
• Name two of five characteristics of SMART goals

3
Review from previous sessions

• What are the three components of the tradeoff
  triangle?
• Which PMBOK knowledge area brings together the
  other eight?
• What is the major deliverable of the definition
  and conceptualization stage?

4
More questions

• Why is the conceptualization and definition stage
  in a feedback loop with planning and budgeting?
• Name three organization types
• Which of these provides the most security for the
  project professional?

5
Outline of todays session

• Reasons for project failure/success
• Lean concepts force a focus on value-added
• Functions/tasks of the Project Manager
• Functions/tasks of the Project Leader
• Project organizational structures
• Phases of Team Dynamics -- Tuckman
• Conflict resolution

6
What are some reasons for Project failure,
according to the Standish study?

• Incomplete requirements
• Lack of user involvement
• Lack of resources
• Unrealistic expectations
• Lack of Executive support

7
What are some reasons for project success?

• User involvement
• Executive management support
• Clear statement of requirements
• Proper planning
• Realistic expectations
• http//www.standishgroup.com/visitor/chaos.htm

8
Horizontal vs. Vertical Energy
Field Service
Marketing
Engineering
Manufacturing
Departmental Stovepipes
Customer
Project Team
Figure 3-1. An Illustration of Departmental
Stovepipes
9
Stakeholders

• Project manager
• Project sponsor
• Project leader
• Project team

• Upper management
• Line Management
• Customer
• Users
• Affected organizations

10
The Stages in the Project Management Lifecycle
Conceptualization Definition
Planning Budgeting
Executing Controlling
Termination Closure
11
Stages

• Marked by completion of one or more deliverables
• A deliverable is a tangible, verifiable work
  product, such as a requirements document
• Each stage completion provides an opportunity to
  review and decide whether to go on to the next
  stage or to kill the project
• These are called stage exits or kill points or
  quality gates
• Signature signoffs are usually required

12
Stage Exits

• At the end of the first stage, a project GO/NO GO
  decision is made
• At the end of the second stage, major contracts
  are let
• At the end of the third stage, construction and
  installation are essentially complete

13
Project and Process Definition Specification of
the Project Boundary

• Elimination and Containment of Scope and Feature
  Creep
• Goals of Project Management
• Definition consideration of goals, scope and
  impediments

14
Boundary Definition

• ORGANIZE a JPDS--Joint Project Definition Session
• Who should be invited? (THE STAKEHOLDERS)
• Scope boundary
• Features functionality
• Organizational Boundary
• Methodology (or process) Boundary
• Culture Boundary

15
Out of the Project Definition Phase should come

• The Requirements Document

16
Initiating New Projects

• Use a Statement of Work (SOW)
• Gets submitted to upper management and the PM
  department
• Gets graded and eventually accepted or rejected
• In a project management culture, an SOW
• Can be created by anyone in the organization
• How to launch yourself into PM
• Identify a need that fits with your values, write
  a SOW and become the projects PM.

17
Scope/Change Management

• Form a change/scope committee
• Consists of customer and contractor
  representatives
• All requested changes must get reviewed by this
  committee
• Acceptances will depend on the type of contract,
  the amount of work involved, customers
  willingness to pay for it

18
Project Performance Measures Resources and
Cost, Duration, Functionality

• Most expensive component--human resources
• Funds are consumed over time
• Question is, are funds being consumed as fast as
  anticipated
• Is functionality being created as fast as
  anticipated

19
Project Management Hierarchy
Project Manager
Project Leader
Project Team
Figure 3.2. The Project Management Hierarchy
20
Another Proj. Management Hierarchy
PROJECT MANAGER
TEAM LEADER
DEVELOPER 1
DEVELOPER 2
DEVELOPER N
Figure 3.4. Project Organization Chart
21
Still Another
PROJECT MANAGER
PROJECT LEADER
TEAM LEADER
TEAM LEADER
DEVELOPER 1
DEVELOPER 2
DEVELOPER 3
DEVELOPER N
DEVELOPER 6
DEVELOPER 4
DEVELOPER 5
DEVELOPER 7
DEVELOPER 8
Figure 3.5. Large Project Organization Chart
22
Relationship of PM to Customer Upper Management
Customer
Upper Management
Line Management
Project Manager
Project Team
Figure 3-3. The Project Managers Communications
Hierarchy
23
Project Planning

• Performed first by the Project Manager
• Revised by the Project Team and the JPDS
  personnel
• Results in formal determination of
• Duration
• Cost
• Functionality (Scope)

24
Out of the Project Planning Phase Should Derive

• The project plan
• Personnel involved
• Final Project WBS
• Project budget
• Project schedule in a Gantt format
• Project Network chart
• Risk plan
• Communications plan
• Procurement plan

25
Project Execution

• startup
• progression
• close-down

26
Strategy for Project Execution

• Hold weekly meetings--every Fri. afternoon
• Compare execution with plan--this is called
  controlling
• Use Earned Value Analysis to compare execution
  with plan
• Makes adjustments as necessary
• Produce weekly status reports every Mon morning

27
Deciding what to do, what not to do

• An activity in a project is value-added if it
  transforms the deliverables of the project in
  such a way that the customer recognizes the
  transformation and is willing to pay for it
• Suppose we were to advertise in the WSJ that our
  firm holds more status meetings than any
  competitor, would it gain us more customers???

28
Principles of Lean Concepts Applied to Projects

• Precisely specify the Customer-perceived value of
  the project
• Identify the value stream for each project
• Allow value to flow without interruptions
• Let the customer pull value from the project team
• Continuously pursue perfection

29
Which of the following adds value?

• Conducting a weekly team coordination
• Hunting for needed information
• Presenting Project status to upper management
• Creating formal project documents
• Gaining multiple approvals for a project document
• Waiting in queues for available resources

30
How about the following?

• Gaining regulatory approval for a project
  deliverable
• Spending extra design and construction time to
  enable design reuse, module reuse

31
The value stream

• The list of tasks, activities that ultimately
  produce the product for the projectdefinition,
  analysis, design, construction, integration,
  testing, conversion/cutover, operation

32
Impediments to the flow of value

• Changing requirements
• Fire fighting and expediting
• Management interference

33
Functions, Tasks, Expectations of the IT Project
Manager

• (coach, mentor, leader, negotiator, assessor,
  informer, motivator)
• Selects team leader, subordinates
• Works hardest during the definition and planning
  stagesfirst two stages
• Assesses progress during execution and reports on
  that
• Negotiates with line managers for required human
  resources

34
Expectations of the IT Project Manager

• Interfaces with customer, upper management on
  behalf of team
• Negotiates with upper management and customer
• Keeps everybody informed

35
More Expectations of the IT Project Manager

• Is a positive leader, motivator, coach
• Knows how to use PM software
• Knows the technologies employed well
• Must re-plan the remainder of the project after
  the completion of each deliverable, each phase

36
Skills, Competencies of the PM

• Leadership--articulate the vision and hold
  everyone accountable to it
• An ability to develop people
• Communication competencies
• Interpersonal competencies
• Able to handle stress
• Problem solving skills
• Time management skills
• Negotiation skills

37
Functions, Tasks, Expectations of the IT Project
Leader

• Large projects will have such a person if there
  are several teams involved
• In charge of all technical aspects of the project
• Assists the PM with project planning and control
• particularly, the bottom levels of the WBS
• Focused on the toughest technical problems

38
Recall the Large Project Hierarchy
PROJECT MANAGER
PROJECT LEADER
TEAM LEADER
TEAM LEADER
DEVELOPER 1
DEVELOPER 2
DEVELOPER 3
DEVELOPER N
DEVELOPER 6
DEVELOPER 4
DEVELOPER 5
DEVELOPER 7
DEVELOPER 8
Figure 3.5. Large Project Organization Chart
39
Functions, Tasks, Expectations of the IT Team
Leader

• Reports to the IT Project Leader
• Oversees day-to-day execution
• More technically competent, mature and
  experienced than team members
• Should possess good communications competencies
• Should develop a good rapport with each team
  member

40
Functions, Tasks, Expectations of the Information
Technology Professional Team Member

• Energetic, communicative, a good listener
• Not a perfectionist
• Possesses the requisite technical expertise
• Doesnt make any promises to the customer
• Star performance

41
The Phases of Team Development--

• According to B. W. Tuckman
• Forming
• Storming
• Norming
• Performing

42
Forming

• involves the transition from individual to team
  member
• Team members get acquainted
• Begin to understand who has responsibility for
  what
• No actual work accomplished in this phase
• Excited, anticipation, suspicion, anxiety and
  hesitancy

43
Storming

• like the teenage years, you have to go through it
• Characterized by feelings of hostility,
  frustration and anger
• Dissatisfaction with PM is common during this
  phase
• PM has to provide direction and diffuse possible
  conflicts
• There has to be a sense of devotion to equity and
  fairness

44
Norming

• Relationships have stabilized
• Level of conflict is lower
• There is alignment with project goals
• Acceptance grows
• Team begins to Synergize

45
Performing

• Team is now over the interpersonal conflicts
• Team is now executing the tasks of the project
• There is a sense of unity and peace
• Team is empowered by PM to achieve its goals

46
Team Types

• Democratic teams--good for experienced, mature
  teams
• Chief developer teams--good for new, immature
  teams
• Expert teams--good for a certain specific area of
  need, like
• design validation
• system integration and testing
• data communications

47
Psychological Motivators for Developers

• Learning new skills, concepts, tools, or aspects
  of a language
• IMPLICATION Assign tasks that have an element
  of newness

48
Task assignment

• Tasks should be challenging but not too
  challenging
• There should be some newness
• Related tasks should be assigned to the same
  developer

49
Functional Organizational Structure
Top Management
Accounting
Engineering
Marketing
Staff
50
Project Organizational Structure
Chief Executive
Project Manager
Project Manager
Project Manager
Staff
Staff
Staff
Staff
Staff
Staff
Staff
Staff
Staff
51
Matrix Organizational Structure
Chief Executive
Project Management
Function Manager
Function Manager
Function Manager
P M
Staff
Staff
Staff
P M
Staff
Staff
Staff
P M
Staff
Staff
Staff
52
Project Management Authority
53
Project Staffing Considerations (matrix
management, human factors, team formation,
reporting)

• Matrix management involves borrowing resources
  from other functional units
• Matrix management involves resource sharing and
  is more efficient

54
Most organizations.

• Involve all of the organizational environments
  identified above
• Project
• Matrix
• Functional

55
Conflict Dynamics / Conflict Resolution
Requirement 1
Prerequisite 1
Objective
Requirement 2
Prerequisite 2
Figure 3.6. A Conflict Resolution Diagram
(Evaporating Cloud)
56
Another Conflict Resolution Diagram
Requirement 1 low maintenance software
Prerequisite 1 low-maintenance software
requires lots of time
Obj timely, low-maintenance software
Requirement 2 timely software
Prerequisite 2 Timely software requires rapid
development
Figure 3.7. Another Conflict Resolution Diagram
(Evaporating Cloud)
57
Left-hand Column Analysis

• Write out the actual conversation on the RHS
• Write out your thoughts and reactions on the LHS
• Analyze whether you should have been more
  forceful, aggressive or tactful and diplomatic

58
As you Begin Your Career

• Realize there is no such thing as fairness..
• Look for ways to become assertive in a gentle way

59
Some Tom Peters concepts

• Those little insignificant projects may not be so
• What became In Search of Excellence-- was based
  on a project at his employer that nobody cared
  about
• Look for little projects that you can become
  passionate about, based on your values
• Punctuate your projects with passion
• Life is not a useless passion as the German and
  French philosophers would suggest

60
Summary

• Four stages to the PM lifecycle
• Lean concepts force a focus on value-added
• Project organizational structures
• Phases of Team Dynamics
• Conflict resolution