Monitoring and Controlling Projects

1
Monitoring and Controlling Projects

• Monitoring collecting information about the time
  schedule performance
• Controlling using this information to bring
  actual in congruence with the plan

2
Factors leading to existing plan changes

• revision of estimates
• technical specification changes
• failures
• labour problems
• common cause variation

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An Aside A LAW OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

• There exists a function that relates 4 variables
• functionality (f)
• delivery date (d)
• effort (e)
• quality (q)
• Function F x 1/D x 1/E x Q constant

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A LAW OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

• just one small extra feature
• fall-back position
• add slack to promised due date
• ask client to accept functionality lt 100
• ask for more people (if applicable)
• (assumes quality is non-negotiable)

5
A LAW OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

• Allowing customer-driven in-process changes
  sets the stage for an unsuccessful project.
• Need proper change control procedures
• Need proper communication and understanding by
  client

6
Monitoring issues

• Frequency, Timing (milestones vs. periodic)
• Depth, Breadth (appropriate measures)

Optimal Point
Productivity
Monitoring Effort
7
Hows it going??

• Positive signs
• people are having fun
• independent feedback
• the team is left alone by other people
• few crises
• team is focused on the goal
• team members begin to think about life after the
  project

8
Hows it going??

• Negative signs
• Milestones slipping
• Use of phrase Everythings under control
• low morale
• no fun exhibited
• procrastination

9
Hows it going??

• Negatives (contd)
• Lots of crises
• goals are constantly moving
• many mistakes
• There is no end in sight
• What to do if spinning out of control?
• Project termination - escalation of commitment

10
Communicating Progress

• Run project on the basis of no surprises
• Only crime is to be aware of an impending
  problem and not alert anyone (team, project
  manager, customer)

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Communicating Progress

• Reports
• schedule
• evidence
• Target
• team
• your management
• your customer

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Progress Meetings

• Purpose
• review progress (not show and tell)
• resolve issues - hard questions
• look for trouble
• give warm fuzzies to ...
• customer
• management
• ... without making it a social occasion

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Progress Meetings

• Preparing core meeting components
• identify objectives
• identify participants and meeting chair
• identify the agenda
• specify time constraints on agenda items
• publish items above and identify what
  participants must do BEFORE the meeting

14
Progress Meetings

• Executing the meeting
• Chair keeps focus on objectives
• Prepare action list arising from discussion
• LEAVE WHEN OBJECTIVES MET and action list
  completed

15
Assistance in the Monitor/Communicate Stages

• Versions of schedules
• Baseline (original)
• Current
• Actual
• Use of Tracking function in MS Project

16
Project Completion Critical Reflection

• Questions to ask
• Did you end up exactly where you said you would?
• Was the goal achieved different from the goal
  predicted?
• Where did it change? Did you know it changed?

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Project Completion Critical Reflection

• What went right?
• assignments
• activity durations
• client relationships
• team relationships
• What went wrong?
• What would you do differently?
• What surprises occurred?
• What lessons for the future?

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Project Completion Critical Reflection

• Focus Learning, not Punishment
• Why? Improve Organization through individual
  learning, cross-training, lessons shared, etc.

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Organizational Learning
Individual Learning
Shared Throughout
Organizational Learning
Organization can preserve knowledge of the past
even when key members leave.
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Organizational Memory

• Definition Stored information that can be
  brought to bear on present decisions.

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Organizational Memory

• Henry Ford
• History is more or less bunk!!
• clear view of the past obscures accurate view of
  present
• George Santayana
• Those who cannot remember the past are condemned
  to repeat it!
• cautious appreciation of the past can enhance the
  vision of current decision situations