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Session # 1405 Mark A. Buchholz, PMP, MPA Sr. Consultant/Fellow Acquisition Solutions, Inc.

Project Management for Services Acquisition. Session # 1405 Mark A. Buchholz, PMP, MPA Sr. Consultant/Fellow Acquisition Solutions, Inc. Tuesday April 15, 2008. Why should I care?. How many of your contracts ever delivered On-time? On-Budget, the original one that is?

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Session # 1405 Mark A. Buchholz, PMP, MPA Sr. Consultant/Fellow Acquisition Solutions, Inc.

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  1. Project Management for Services Acquisition Session # 1405 Mark A. Buchholz, PMP, MPA Sr. Consultant/Fellow Acquisition Solutions, Inc. Tuesday April 15, 2008

  2. Why should I care? • How many of your contracts ever delivered • On-time? • On-Budget, the original one that is? • What was originally intended for them to deliver? • How many of your contracts were awarded • On-time? • Based on the original set of requirements that the end user (program) intended? • How many extra hours are you putting in because • “This is critical!” • “We need this now, not tomorrow” • The boss, or your end user, or “someone” is screaming at (okay, maybe pestering) you? • Your last contract put you so far behind that your dog forgot you’re the person who feeds and walks him/her?

  3. But We Should Care, Because • 7.102 Policy. • (a) Agencies shall perform acquisition planning… • (b)…The purpose of this planning is to ensure that the Government meets its needs in the most effective, economical, and timely manner. • 7.104 General procedures. • (a) Acquisition planning should begin as soon as the agency need is identified • (b)…avoid issuing requirements on an urgent basis or with unrealistic delivery or performance schedules,…

  4. Acquisition Plans • 7.105 Contents of written acquisition plans. • …the plan must identify those milestones at which decisions should be made • (a)(2)(i) Requirements for compatibility with existing or future systems or programs; • (a)(3) Cost. Set forth the established cost goals… • (a)(4)…Specify the required capabilities or performance characteristics… • (b) (18) Contract administration. Describe how the contract will be administered. In contracts for services, include how inspection and acceptance corresponding to the work statement’s performance criteria will be enforced.

  5. After-Award • The contractor is expected to perform according to • Their Management proposal • Technical Requirements of the Acquisition • Contract Administration focuses on • 70 specific functions (FAR Part 42.302) • Review, Negotiate, Evaluate, Ensure, Issue, and many other terms • The Government Acceptance Includes Quality Assurance (FAR Part 46.102(c)) • 46.101 - “Government contract quality assurance” means the various functions, including inspection, performed by the Government to determine whether a contractor has fulfilled the contract obligations pertaining to quality and quantity.

  6. And Then There’s PBA • Performance-Based Acquisition • “An Acquisition Structured Around The Results To Be Achieved As Opposed To The Manner By Which The Work Is To Be Performed.” FAR 2.101 • Focus On Solutions Versus Prescripts And Mandates • Results Oriented • Measurable Outcomes

  7. From The Beginning To the End • What We’re Supposed To Do • Plan What We’re Going To Do • Identify What We’re Going To Get • Monitor What We’re Getting • Evaluate What We Got • What Actually Happens • We Don’t Plan – We Rush • We Don’t Identify Requirements – They Evolve • We Wait To The End To Find Out What We Got • We Use Our Best Judgment To Figure Out What We Got • We’re Supposed To Get Results – But We Don’t Really Know If We Got Them

  8. But there is a solution! Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements 1

  9. Project Management Project Management means being able to: Gather requirements Determine what has to be accomplished Monitor and Evaluate what is being done Control project scope, budget, timing, and more Communicate with Stakeholders, Clients, Management, and the Project Team Manage Risk Manage budgets Evaluate Quality and Performance Determine when the project is done

  10. Project and Program A Project is “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result” 2 A Program is “a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually” 3

  11. What is the Difference? Project vs. Program The difference Projects are temporary, although sometimes temporary still means a long time Programs generally are larger in scale, can include one or more projects, and, because they tend to be sustained activities, can include some sort of operational activity Programs achieve organizational goals and objectives, while projects produce a product

  12. Project Planning is the process of defining the work to be performed Planning is determining “the What” Project Scheduling is the process of sequencing and timing when the work will be performed Scheduling is determining “the When” Integrated Planning and Scheduling is the Process of Managing The What and When Integrated with Monitoring, updating, assessing progress and predicting completion Integrated Planning and Scheduling

  13. Integrated Planning and Scheduling is a subset because it is the process designed to Figure out what has to be done Determine when it can be done Evaluate how it is being done Integrated Planning and Scheduling is a subset because There are still many other processes and activities which the PM Team needs to perform to execute the project IPS and PM

  14. The WBS Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Decompose The Work Start With The Major Deliverables, And Break Them Down To The Point Where Tasks Are Identified Organize The Work Group The Tasks So That They Clearly Show What Deliverable Is Being Produced Define The Boundaries Of The Work What Is It That Will Be Done

  15. WBS Example Level 1 The Project Level 2 Major Deliverable Level 2 Major Deliverable Level 2 Major Deliverable Level 3 High Level Components Level 3 High Level Components Level 3 High Level Components Level 3 High Level Components Level 4 Tasks Level 4 Tasks Level 4 Tasks

  16. Project Scheduling Creates The IMS Integrated Master Schedule Describes Project Scope Defines when things will get done Tracks how much work was accomplished

  17. IMS Viewed as a Gantt Chart

  18. The IMS Is A Communication Tool • Enables Communication By Establishing A Common Language • Shared Understanding Of Tasks And Relationships. • Defines “What/Who” Impacts “My Tasks.” • Defines “What/Who” “My Tasks” Impact. • Enables Use Of Project Management Language • Focus On Planned Start/Finish Versus Actual Start/Finish. • How Much Has Been Done, Versus Was Planned To Be Done. • Helps To Answer The Questions • When Am I Going To Start? • When Am I Going To Be Done? • What Does That Mean To The Next Task?

  19. The IMS Is A Management Tool • Enables Comparison Against The Baseline • Establishes What Was Planned To Be Accomplished. • Reference Point From Which To Measure Performance. • Gives Clear Picture Of Slips And Early Starts. • Clarifies Task Dependencies • Shows Who’s Responsible For What And When. • Shows Impact Of Extending Task Duration Beyond The Plan. • Project Management Becomes Pro-active And Not Just Reactive.

  20. A Schedule Must Be Reliable • Reliability Depends Upon • Regular Reporting: A Regular Update To The Schedule • Accurate Status Reporting: How Much Of The Planned Work Was Actually Accomplished In That Period • Agreed Upon Definitions Of • What Each Task Will Produce • How Progress Will Be Measured • Comprehensive Coverage Of All The Work To Be Performed • It Must Reflect Reality • Bottom Line: There Must Be A Regular Cycle To Update The IMS, And Provide Reporting On Project Performance

  21. Earned Value Management • A Monitoring And Management Methodology • Builds Upon Solid And Basic Project Management Fundamentals • Requires Use Of A Master Schedule • Requires All Work Be Defined In The Master Schedule • Requires Use Of A Regular Update Cycle

  22. IMS Links PBA and EVM • An IMS Is The Common Foundation • IMS Establishes The Schedule For Delivering What The PBA Is To Achieve • IMS Enables EVM’s Measurement Of Progress Toward Those Goals • Best Practice - Include An IMS As A Contract Deliverable • Developed And Baselined Within A Defined Period After Contract Award • Update Cycle To Provide Reporting, Analysis, And Recommended Corrective Action

  23. Summary • Apply Project Management Skills To • Capture Requirements – The WBS • Identify When We Need It – IMS • Monitor and Manage Progress – EVM • Assess Quality – Project Management • Project Management Supports • Pre-Award – Define the What and the How • Post-Award – Implement Oversight and Conduct Acceptance • Pre/Post-Award – Defining and Managing Cost, Schedule and Performance

  24. Contact Information • Mark Buchholz, PMP, MPA • Sr. Consultant/Fellow • mbuchholz@acquisitionsolutions.com • W: 703-998-3980 • Acquisition Solutions, Inc • 1655 North Fort Myer Drive, Suite 1000Arlington, VA 22209 • www.acquisitionsolutions.com

  25. References / Sources PMI, PMBOK, 3rd Edition, p. 37 PMI, Project Management Body of Knowledge, 3rd Ed, Ch. 1.2.1 PMI, The Standard for Program Management, 2006, p. 4 PMI, PMBOK, 3rd Edition, p. 37

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