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Using Projects to Bring About Change (Successfully)

Project Yourself into the Future Sheryl Morgan Project Support Manager Wintec ATEM Conference 9 – 10 July 2007 Manukau Institute of Technology. Using Projects to Bring About Change (Successfully).

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Using Projects to Bring About Change (Successfully)

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  1. Project Yourself into the FutureSheryl MorganProject Support ManagerWintecATEM Conference 9 – 10 July 2007 Manukau Institute of Technology

  2. Using Projects to Bring About Change (Successfully) • How can tertiary organisations going through major change ensure that the high risk of failure of their key strategic and change projects is minimised?

  3. How to Avoid the Journey from Here …

  4. To Here…

  5. Using projects which • align the organisation’s business objectives with the project’s deliverables • have a robust project management structure & process • pay attention to the people factors • Projects are as much about the process as the tasks being undertaken

  6. Managing Change • Complex • Difficult • Changing behaviour • Tertiary sector change • QRP • Investing in a plan • Funding

  7. Risk Factors (Murphy’s Law) • Urgency of the task • Complexity of the task • Importance of the task • Skill of the people involved • Frequency they do the task aggravation constant aggravation constant aggravation constant aggravation…….

  8. Achieving Strategic and Change Goals • Urgent √ • Complex √ • Important √ • Skill of the people involved • no worries/bit of coaching needed/panic • Frequency they meet goals • all the time/some of the time/virgin

  9. Using Projects to Bring About Change (Successfully) • Why? • Framework and boundaries (eating the elephant) • Methodology/process • Accountability • Risk containment

  10. Why Wintec Moved to Projects to Manage Change • 2003, new CEO with strong project background • Large number of issues needing attention at once • Willingness to tackle things but not sure how • Using projects to manage change a tried & tested method

  11. What is Project Management? • Directing and co-ordinating people and resources to meet planned goals of scope, quality, time, cost, participant satisfaction • Size – probably longer than 3 months, and involving more than 3 people • more difficult than management of Business as Usual

  12. It’s Not Perfect • NZ survey of 130 projects (75 organisations) only 35% on time, budget & met scope • During any project, inevitable conflict over • Securing resources with competing priorities • Getting people to work towards one goal • Commitment to the vision (change projects)

  13. No Rocket Science Required!

  14. Project Management Minimum • A plan (task list) • Some form of tracking the plan • Some mechanism for change management (who agrees & signs off on the changes) • Some way of managing project issues (the bad stuff that happens in projects)

  15. Successful Projects – Project Planning • Terms of Reference with • Project Goal • Objectives • Scope • Completion & Success Factors • Stakeholders • Milestones

  16. Project Goal Example • Project goal for reorganisation of academic structure • To recommend, with an implementation plan, a model suitable to support the delivery and management of WINTEC’s academic programmes and associated activities

  17. Project Objectives Example – Academic Workload Project • Academic workload data collection tool developed and agreed • Data collected from academic staff on workload • Academic staff and other stakeholders consulted on academic workload issues • Academic workload policy and processes revised • Job descriptions for ASM, SASM, PASM reviewed

  18. Successful Projects – Project Planning • Action Plan • Risk Management Plan • Communication Plan • Issues Register

  19. Action Plan Example – Academic Workload Project • Activity - Develop draft academic workload data collection tool • Milestone – Data collection tool completed • Responsible Person – Project Support Manager • Due Date – December 2006 • Status - 

  20. Successful Projects - Aligning Projects to Strategic Direction • Project goal • Project objectives (deliverables) • Project sponsor • Project leader

  21. Successful Projects - Project Leader Skills • People skills, people skills, people skills (communication, facilitation, meeting management, conflict management, influence, trust) • Task skills (organisation, delegation, planning, problem-solving) • Ability to see the big organisational picture • Time management & ability to meet deadlines

  22. Successful Project Teams • Range of skills & experience • Different levels in organisation • Across organisational units • Ability to move between big picture & detail • Lay person • Time

  23. Successful Projects - Management • Project tracking/monitoring • Project reporting • Support

  24. Successful Projects - Learning • Organisational learning - complete a project evaluation • What went right? • What went wrong? • What could have been done better? • What lessons can be learned?

  25. When Good Projects Go Bad • Key Reasons for Project Failure • No clearly defined outcome • Wrong project manager • Lack of upper management support • Inadequately defined tasks • Ineffective use of project management processes • Reluctance to end project

  26. People Problems • Project Leader skills inadequate • Project management skills • Interpersonal skills • Project team composition inappropriate (not the right skills or at the right level) • Poor team dynamics (lateness, not attending, not completing agreed tasks, conflict)

  27. Project Management Problems • Failure to project plan • Failure to keep deadlines • Poor meeting processes • Competing work pressures/internal politics • Failure to agree/understand deliverables • Poor relationship or lack of communication with senior management • Inability to manage project dependencies • Lack of communication/consultation with stakeholders

  28. But Wait, There’s More • Changes in the external environment • Implementation • Needs the same project planning • Needs a good handover from the Project Leader to the implementation manager • Implementation Manager’s skills are just as important as the project leader’s

  29. Wintec Project Management Structure • Project Leaders report to Project Sponsors (Executive members) • Project Support Manager monitors projects & provides Executive with progress reports

  30. Project Support Manager • Coaching (templates, guidelines) • Support to achieve deliverables • Peer support (project leaders’ network) • Project issue resolution • Milestone tracking (risk management for Exec) • Communication • Alignment with senior management

  31. Project Support • Project templates on intranet • Terms of Reference • Action Plan • Risk Management Plan • Communication Plan • Issues Register • Changes Register • Team Member Evaluation • Project Leader Evaluation

  32. Project Support • Project guidelines on intranet • Starting a Project • Team Member Selection • Project Sponsor Role • Project Leader Role • Managing a Project • Closing a Project • Effective Project Meetings • What Goes Wrong in Project Management

  33. So, Does Project Management of Change Work? Some Wintec Examples: • Reorganising the academic structure (12 Schools, industry relationships, Team Leader roles) 2004 • Centrally managed enrolment processes (merging 17 work units) 2003 • Quality systems and processes for the annual review of programmes 2003 • Academic workload 2007

  34. Questions?

  35. Contact Details Sheryl Morgan Project Support Manager Wintec Sheryl.morgan@wintec.ac.nz (07) 834 8800 ext. 7866 0274 507 007

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