210 likes | 225 Views
Strategic Alignment and Project Prioritization. 10 June 2019. Stuart Easton CEO, TransparentChoice +44 7403 714714 stuart@transparentchoice.com. Big Bold Statement….!. Getting project prioritization right is THE single biggest win for the PMO…. …and it happens to be a quick win!.
E N D
Strategic Alignment and Project Prioritization 10 June 2019 Stuart Easton CEO, TransparentChoice +44 7403 714714 stuart@transparentchoice.com
Big Bold Statement….! Getting project prioritization right is THE single biggest win for the PMO…. …and it happens to be a quick win!
Alignment really matters! 57 Strategically aligned projects are: • 57% more likely to achieve business goals • 50% more likely to finish on time • 45% more likely to finish on budget % Source: PMI –Pulse of the Profession – In-depth Report: The Strategic Impact of Projects
One fifth of projects are “waste” Source: PMI- Thought leadership –Implement Project Portfolio C-suite.
Half of projects are not resourced properly Source: PMI- Thought leadership –Implement Project Portfolio C-suite.
Eliminate waste Good strategic fit POTENTIAL WASTEif it fails Project going well Project going badly WASTE Weak strategic fit
Eliminate waste • Invest Good strategic fit Project going well Project going badly Weak strategic fit
Department of Fire and Emergency Services • Project portfolio size ~$150m • Process for selecting projects • Collect ideas • Quantitative evaluation of projects (weighted scoring in spreadsheets) • Exec meeting to select • Good data on project size, risk, change impact DFES performs a critical role coordinating emergency services for a range of natural disasters and emergency incidents threatening life and property.
They had all the data but… • ~20% of resources consumed in pet projects • 30% too many projects • Result • Inefficiency / time-slicing • Failing projects • Missed goals • Stressed team
Your turn…. • Identify the root cause of the problem • Make recommendations on how to fix it. • You have 10 minutes
So what actually happened? …well, they did their homework!
AHP shown to be “The One” for project prioritization 100+ methodologies reviewed Only 2 are “suitable” – AHP is easier to use TransparentChoice uses AHP SO – best practice = AHP, end of debate
What is AHP Define criteria (including ones that define strategic alignment) • Evaluate goals and criteria • Capture and evaluate project requests • Decide to achieve a balance project portfolio Evaluate Projects Balanced Project Portfolio Weight Criteria (this is the clever bit)
Pairwise comparison • Helps eliminate bias • Helps build consensus • And is the FOUNDATION for everything else • It’s the “trust in the model” that means people behave differently
Ministry of Fire and Emergency ServicesWestern Australia • ACTIONS • Put in place AHP based prioritization • Workshop to align executives • Project selection meeting focussed on value for money • RESULTS • Killed the pet-projects freeing resources • Aligned projects to available resource • Happy stakeholders, happy implementation team • More successful (and impactful) projects “There is no way I could have done it without you and the software.” “It went really well… Everyone was really pleased with the outputs and especially the criteria weighting…There is no way I could have done it without you and the software.”
Run the numbers… • 20% of $150m • And it took around 3 weeks from 1st discussion to “done” • More importantly… they now had FOCUS • More successful projects • Happier people
Dos and don’ts of project prioritization • DO • Talk to execs about strategic alignment • Make visible your “challenges” (project failure due to overload, etc.) • Draw the direct line between prioritization and achieving business goals • Use AHP • Clear, agreed business goals / criteria • Use them as criteria • Structure your eval process • TransparentChoice, Expert Choice or Decision Lens • Communicate!
Dos and don’ts of project prioritization • DON’T • Hold a beauty pageant • “Just make it up” • Process • Criteria • Do it “quick and dirty” – PP is big impact!
Big Bold Statement….! Getting project prioritization right is THE single biggest win for the PMO…. …and it happens to be a quick win! https://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-10-24/birdman-warns-against-feeding-liverpools-pigeons/
Thank you! Stuart Eastonstuart@transparentchoice.comwww.transparentchoice.comblog.transparentchoice.com