Project Management

1. Project Management Some References: The Complete Idiots Guide to Project Management - Baker S and K. MacMillan Publishing, 1998 Project Risk Management : Processes, Techniques andInsights. Chapman. Wiley, 1997 Project Management : Getting the Job Done on Time and on Budget. Healy, Patrick. Butterworth Heinemann, 1997 Essentials of Project Management : Lock, Dennis. Gower, 1995

2. Project Management Risk Analysis in Project Management : Rafferty, J Chapman and Hall Project Manager as Change Agent : Turner et al. McGraw hill, 1996 Project Management : A Managerial Approach (3rd Ed). Meredith, J.R and Mantel, S J. Wiley, 1995 Sharpen Your Skills in Project Management : Harris, Jean. McGraw Hill, 1997

3. Team Roles and Players The following observations are referenced in a book titles ‘Management Teams : Why They Succeed or Fail’ by Dr. R Meredith Belbin. They are not intended as a means of self analysis, or even as analysis of other members in your team.

4. Team Roles and Players Dr. Belbin identified 9 ‘roles’ 1. Coordinator 2. Shaper 3. Plant 4. Monitor-Evaluator 5. Implementor 6.Team Worker 7. Resource Investigator 8. Completer- Finisher and 9. Specialist

5. Team Roles and Players CO Coordinator Calm, self confident and controlled. Communicates easily and well with others. Generally no special creative or intellectual abilities. Structured and organised. Identifies weaknesses in a team’s makeup and works to correct them. Coordinates the use of resources. Personal self-discipline and perseverance. Good delegator.

6. Team Roles and Players Coordinator : Dominates at meetings. Obstinacy and inflexibility often seen as determination and perseverance. May fail to recognise individual abilities and skills in a team - leads to poor use of team resources. Competes with the Plant and Monitor-Evaluator. Acknowledges superior ability in others May abdicate the leadership role if opposed, or lack of support.

7. Team Roles and Players SH Shaper Influences the way team effort is applied. Directs energy to setting goals and priorities. Imposes patters on team discussion, and on the outcome of team activities. Highly strung, outgoing and dynamic. Strong drive and is keen to challenge ineffectiveness or complacency. May provoke and irritate others. Can be impatient. May be uncomfortable with committees or project teams.

8. Team Roles and Players Shaper : Dominates team members when given authority. Assumes more authority than team status implies Avoids competition, particularly with the Plant and Monitor-Evaluator.

9. Team Roles and Players PL Plant Advances new ideas, strategies. Gives special attention to major issues. Looks for solutions or ways around problems. Creative, serious and unorthodox. Independent in outlook, imagination, knowledge, intellect. Impractical at times. Poor in personal communications. Becomes offended when others monitor, challenge, evaluate or reject ideas. Not keen working in dominant, extroverted or overcritical teams.

10. Team Roles and Players ME Monitor-Evaluator Assists team in making balanced decisions by analysis, evaluation and suggestions. Is hypercritical, very serious. Has critical thinking ability - sees complications of proposals and has an objective approach Lacks tact, and frequently destroys suggestions. Negative thinker Has a competitive behaviour pattern, especially with the Coordinator and Plant

11. Team Roles and Players IMP Implementor. Turns concepts and plans into practical working applications. Is systematic and efficient. Conservative, loyal and predictable. Has self control and self discipline. Shows realism and ‘common sense’. May lack flexibility. Sometimes does not respond to new ideas which are not proven. Is able to select out the practical details from the broad brief and attends to them. Steady, systematic approach - not affected by pressures

12. Team Roles and Players Implementor Strives to meet targets, perseveres even though task(s) are difficult. Strengths lie in being able to clarify objectives in practical terms and in developing and maintaining a team structure. Attributes will assist in ensuring that projects will be completed to the required standards and on time. Attitudes will flow on to members of the team, and assist them to achieve objectives.

13. Team Roles and Players TW Team Worker Supports members of a team by building on their ideas and suggestions Improves communications, builds and supports team spirit. Socially oriented, sensitive. Respond to people and situations by being flexible, popular, a good listener. Not good in crisis mode - generally indecisive Dislikes friction and competition. Will avoid behaviour which will reflect badly on the team’s image

14. Team Roles and Players RI Resource Investigator Explores and provides reports on ideas, developments and external resources. Create a network of contacts. Outgoing, enthusiastic, asks questions, communicates well. Keen to explore new concepts. Initially very enthusiastic, but loses this as the initial interest wanes and / or passes in favour of something else. Becomes very involved with own ideas - may ignore others. Relaxes too much when pressures ease. Talking and social preferences may lead to unproductive use of time.

15. Team Roles and Players CF Completor Finisher Is a team protector against mistakes and omissions. Keen to detect item which require special attention. Maintains sense of urgency in team. Painstaking, orderly, conscientious and anxious. Self control and strength of character. May show negative thinking - destructive criticism Sense of stress may affect team morale

16. Team Roles and Players SP Specialist Provides information of technical and professional nature to a team Single minded, a self starter, and dedicated to a particular layer of expertise and knowledge. Provides a resource which may not be otherwise available. Is supportive on a narrow front - very keen on technicalities. Is not compatible with Shapers, Resource Investigators, Plants and definitely not other Specialists Frequently loses patience with team’s lack of expertise. High specialist skills may introduce difficulty in relating to other team members May misinterpret the team’s reactions - may feel alienated

17. CSE9020 - Project Management Some Project Management References : Davidson, F (1995) Managing projects in organisations : how to make the best use of time, techniques, and people (Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco Lee,J and Roberts,J (1998) How to avoid IT project failure, In Gartner Advisory, research and Advisory Services Rosenau, M (1998) Successful project management ; a step-by-step approach with practical examples - John Wiley and Sons, Inc., Canada

18. CSE9020 - Project Management Whittaker, B (1999) What went wrong ? Unsuccessful information technology projects Information Management and Computer Security 7(1), 23-29. Feeny, J and Willcocks,L (1998) Core IS capabilities for exploiting information technology, Sloan ManagementReview, 39(9), 13-25. Bloom, N. (1996) Select the right IS project manager for success, Personnel Journal, 75(1), 6-10 Meredith,J and Mantel, S (1995) Project management - amanagerial approach John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Canada

19. CSE9020 - Project Management An effective project manager has these skills : Strong planning and organisation skills Communication Team building Coping skills Leadership Flexibility and willingness to try new approaches and has the Ability to Identify risks and create contingency plans Produce reports which can be understood by business managers Evaluate information from specialists

20. CSE9020 - Project Management Reasons for IS project failure: Poor project planning A weak business case Lack of top management involvement and support Execution of project management contributed where Risks were not addressed in associated areas Lack of skills and expertise in the project manager Project progress was not monitored and/or corrective action not taken The experience, authority and stature of the project manager were not consistent with the nature, scope and risks of the project

21. CSE9020 CASE STUDY Some thoughts about aspects of a Project from some different perspectives: Financial How is the bottom line performing ? Customer How satisfied is the Customer ? Internal Business Processes How well do the processes produce the required products ?

22. CSE9020 CASE STUDY Learning and Growth Are new products being introduced on a regular basis

23. CSE9020 CASE STUDY Scorecards: Allocate points for assessment (as you will do later this Semester) Stakeholder Is the ‘owner’ satisfied ? Recipient Are the customer objectives satisfied ?

24. CSE9020 CASE STUDY Process Are the processes effective and efficient ? Infrastructure Are the resources managed effectively and efficiently ? Philosophy Is everyone going in the same direction ?

25. CSE9020 CASE STUDY Knowledge Is learning based on experience ? People Are the staff equipped to do their job ? Project Reviews

26. Project Reviews A Project will normally have a recognised completion activity This will include • Finality of outputs • Hand over the product to the client(s) • Finalise the working papers file • Return materials used by the project team - phones, PC’s, cabinets,…

27. Project Reviews • Review what has been learned • Timing adjustments - could they have been better managed ? • Communications - a problem area ? • Staffing - any difficulties, suggestions for the next project ? • Dissolve the project team • Conduct project review

28. Project Reviews Project reviews are normally carried out by an independent review team. The team makeup consists of customers and member of the project team The review team • Should have proven independence and objectivity • Be acceptable to senior management, the client(s), other stakeholders • Provide evaluations which are timely at aimed at appropriate strategic levels

29. Project Reviews Project reviews should focus on: • what went as planned • what didn’t go as planned • assessment of costs and benefits as originally planned at the project approval stage, and those actually achieved • possible improvements and / or extensions which could lead to improved management accountability • possible corrective action

30. Project Reviews There are several types of reviews :- Performance review - Was the project successful ? - Did it achieve its goals ? - Was it delivered on time ? - Was it on budget ? - Was it to the quality levels required / planned ?

31. Project Reviews Process Review : - Were the project management principles followed - Was the project ‘ a project ‘ ? - Planning - Was this sufficient and managed - Were Risks identified and contingencies planned ?

32. Project Reviews Personal Review : - How did you perform as the project manager ? - Were sound and understood project management principles applied ? - Was the team managed successfully ? - Were individual needs recognised and met ? - Was the project sponsor managed ? - Were the stakeholders managed well ?

33. Project Reviews Organisational Review : - Was the project supported by the organisation Access, commitment, feedback - Were financial resources adequate

34. Project Reviews Project Success analysis - Clear goals - Goals within the skills of the team members - Goals achievable with resources available - Time and cost estimates realistic - Project objectives clear - Only minor team changes - Organisation stable - no mergers, … - Team harmony - Good team management - Team accepted by organisation

35. Project Reviews Project Failure analysis - Unclear goals - Improbable of over-ambitious goals - Vague cost benefit analysis - Optimistic time and cost estimates - Project team not involved - Project team objectives unclear or confusing - Continual changes in team membership - Changes in organisational objectives - Team fragmented

36. CSE9020 Week 3 A completely non-related overhead, but one which you might find helpful if you take up bull fighting In the bull-ring: If a bull rushes at you from the right, head for the picador If a bull rushes at you from the left, head for the matador If a bull rushes at you head on, rapidly head towards the backadoor and watch this : On the second day, the patient’s knee was better, and on the 3rd day it disappeared (from a Doctor’s Diary)