The Magic of IS Project Management: Revealing the Masters’ Secrets

1. The Magic of IS Project Management:Revealing the Masters’ Secrets Kathy Schwalbe, Ph.D., PMP May 2, 2000 PDS 2000 schwalbe@augsburg.eduwww.augsburg.edu/ppages/schwalbe

2. Expert Revelations on How to Succeed in Project Management

3. Tricks to Avoid

4. Examples from the Field

5. Personal Secrets

6. Expert Revelation #1: Alignment • Projects are much more likely to succeed if they align to organizational needs and goals • “Aligning information systems to corporate goals has emerged as the number one concern over the last five years in surveys of information systems executives”* *Strassmann and Bienkowski, “Alignment of IT and Business: Keys to Realizing Business Value,” ABT Corporation, 9/29/99

7. Why Firms Invest in IT Projects* *Bacon, James. “The Use of Decision Criteria in Selecting Information Systems/ Technology, Investments, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 16, No. 3, September 1992

8. Trick to Avoid #1: “Because IT’s There!”

9. Expert Revelation #2: Leadership • The majority of characteristics of effective project managers are managerial in nature • Project managers must be able to lead and manage and have necessary technical skills

10. The Most Significant Characteristics of an Effective Project Manager* • Leadership by example • Visionary • Technically competent • Decisive • Good communicator • Good motivator • Stands up to upper management when necessary • Supports team members • Encourages new ideas *Zimmerman and Yasin, “A Leadership Profile of American Project Managers,” Project Management Journal, March 1998

11. Trick to Avoid #2 Making your best technical person the project manager

12. Expert Revelation #3:User Involvement • The number one reason why IT projects fail is a lack of user input (CHAOS, 1995) • There are several ways to increase user involvement • Have users lead or co-lead IT projects • Have a senior manager outside of IT sponsor and champion IT projects • Put star users on the project team and co-locate users and developers • Provide interim deliverables that users can understand on a regular basis

13. Checklist for User Involvement* • Do I have the right user(s)? • Did I involve the users(s) early and often? • Do I have a quality user(s) relationship? • Do I make involvement easy? • Did I find out what the user(s) need? *Standish Group, “Unfinished Voyages,”1996

14. Trick to Avoid #3: Thinking IT knows what’s best

15. Expert Revelation #4: Senior Management Support • Experts agree that you need senior management support for projects to be successful • Senor management can (or cannot) provide: • Adequate resources • Quick approval for unique project needs • Cooperation from people in various parts of the organization • Mentoring on leadership issues

16. Clear project mission Top management support Good project schedule/plan Good client consultation User involvement Executive management support Clear statement of requirements Proper planning What Helps Projects Succeed? Pinto and Slevin* Standish Group** *Pinto and Slevin, “Critical Factors in Successful Project Implementation,” IEEE, February 1987 **The Standish Group, “CHAOS,” 1995

17. Trick to Avoid #4: Assuming it’s okay if senior managers and users don’t protest too much

18. Expert Revelation #5:Clear Project Purpose • Having a clear mission or purpose and a clear statement of requirements are crucial to project success • It’s much easier to get project approval and lead a project if you understand the underlying reason for it, even if it the specs are not crystal clear

19. Defining and Selling “Way Cool Projects”* • Challenge 1: Futzing with the structure and specifics of a given task…until it becomes a “way cool project” • Challenge 2: Selling that “way cool project.” Great project management—in the real world!—turns out to be mostly a sales game. I.e., getting all sorts of folks to support you, help you, give you their very best! *Peters, Tom. Reinventing Work: The Project 50, 1999, p. 12

20. Trick to Avoid #5 Faking coolness

21. Expert Revelation #6:Communications • Being a good communicator is an essential project management skill • Master project managers are great at listening, persuading, explaining, and discerning the best way to communicate with different stakeholders • Project managers must be “astute”

22. 80% of Problems… • “Eighty percent of the ‘problems’ in workplace or personal relationships are really not problems—they are misunderstanding”* • “I’ll pay more for a man’s ability to express himself than for any other quality he might possess.” Charles Schwab Wetherbe, James and Bond. So What’s Your Point? 1996, p. 3

23. Trick to Avoid #6 Over-relying on reports, web sites, or other formal communications

24. Expert Revelation #7:Plan and Replan • Proper planning is key to project success; remember that the purpose of project plans is to guide execution • Project plans must be tailored to the needs of each particular project • Be flexible when changes occur and be ready to update plans accordingly

25. Planning is a “Quadrant II” Activity* • Using Stephen Covey’s time management matrix, quadrant II activities are important but not urgent • Quadrant II activities include planning, prevention, relationship building, and recognizing new opportunities • Highly effective people, including project managers, focus on Quadrant II activities *Covey, Stephen, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, 1990

26. Trick to Avoid #7 Taking shortcuts to planning

27. Expert Revelation #8:Execute, execute, execute • The most important job of a project manager is to get the job done • Project managers must balance scope, time, and cost goals • If you can’t deliver results, you can’t meet or exceed stakeholder needs and expectations

28. Why CEOs (and Project Managers) Fail • Bad execution is the main reason why CEO’s are “booted”* • Bad execution means not getting things done, being indecisive, and not delivering on commitments • A good plan, strong leadership, good communications skills, team building, etc. all help with execution Charan and Colvin, “Why CEO’s Fail,” Fortune, June 21, 1999

29. Trick to Avoid #8 Not focusing on results

30. Expert Revelation #9:Team Building • Project managers must foster an environment for teams to thrive • Some experts suggest • Hand picking your project team • Focusing on goals and outcomes to promote teamwork • Establishing team-based rewards • Creating a fun work environment • Providing a quiet work space!

31. Trick to Avoid #9: Assuming smart people work well in any team situation

32. Expert Revelations #10:Structure • Most people like and need structure to guide projects • Using a clear and consistent approach to project management helps projects succeed

33. Project Management Maturity Model* • Ad-Hoc: Disorganized, chaotic project management (PM) processes; low success rate • Abbreviated: Some processes in place, but project success is largely unpredictable • Organized: Standardized, documented process and systems; more predictable success rate • Managed: Management collects and uses measures of effectiveness of PM; more uniform success • Adaptive: Feedback from the PM process and from piloting innovative ideas and technologies enables continuous improvement; success is the norm *Enterprise Planning Associates, 1998

34. Trick to Avoid #10 Winging it too often

35. Example from the Field: Northwest Airlines’ ResNet* *A full case study on ResNet is available in Schwalbe’s Information Technology Project Management text, Course Technology, 2000

36. ResNet Background • ResNet is the main reservation system used today by Northwest Airlines • From 1993-1997, Northwest Airlines worked on three distinct projects to develop and install ResNet on over 3,000 workstations in nine different cities • ResNet was a huge success in terms of meeting scope, time, and cost goals and exceeding stakeholder expectations

37. The Master’s Secrets on ResNet • Alignment: The main reason for funding ResNet was to stop losing money on the call centers • Leadership: Peeter Kivestu, then a marketing director, led all three ResNet projects • User Involvement: Sales agents did a lot of the coding for the ResNet interface • Senior Management Support: The VP of Reservations provided the vision for ResNet • Clear purpose: Focused on increasing direct sales and reducing call handle time to save money

38. The Master’s Secrets on ResNet • Communications: Peeter and his team used varied, innovative ways to communicate • Plan and Replan: The project team created and followed realistic plans • Execute: The entire ResNet team focused on meeting project goals • Team building: Peeter hand picked key team members and provided a fun work environment • Structure: Everyone knew that milestone dates had to be met

39. Peeter’s Expert Advice • Have clear project goals. It is human nature to want to achieve goals • Create a fun working environment to promotes buy-in, creativity, and teamwork. Use themes and special events to make projects fun and memorable • Set realistic milestone dates and stick to them. Missing dates causes too much chaos

40. Kathy’s Personal Secrets • Have passion for your projects • Provide challenge, creativity, and fun on IT projects along with structure • Clearly define what the main stakeholders really mean; be astute • Create an open, learning environment and mentor future project managers

41. Final Thought: Remember that we all influence our future leaders! Scott Schwalbe – Future Governor?