Projects Don’t Go Wrong, They Start Wrong

1. Projects Don’t Go Wrong, They Start Wrong Six Simple Things You Can Do to Start Your Project Right Betsy Guthrie, Sr. Project Manager Firemans Fund Insurance Company Bguthrie@ffic.com

2. Agenda • The Six Simple Things • Manage Relationships (1,2,3,4) • Manage Communication (5,6)

3. Start Your Project Right • Demonstrate Your Intent to be Deliberate About • Managing Relationships • Managing Communication

4. This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing Managing Relationships 1. Develop and distribute a project organization chart. 2. Develop and distribute a roles and responsibilities table • Meet with the Sponsor 4. Meet with the Functional Managers

5. Managing Communications 5. Establish communication groups 6. Set up regular team meetings

6. This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing Managing Relationships 1. Develop and distribute a project organization chart. 2. Develop and distribute a roles and responsibilities table • Meet with the Sponsor 4. Meet with the Functional Managers

7. 1. Project Organization Chart • What is it? • Graphical depiction of project stakeholders by authority/influence level • Why do it? • Understand the relative political position of your stakeholders • Makes sure they know each other. • Allows you to check to ensure executive management and users are adequately represented • How do I do it? • Draw boxes with Project Manager in Center • Put in names and titles and phone number • Send it around and get approval • Urge everyone to put them up on their office walls for reference (helps give your project visibility)

8. 1. Project Organization Chart - Example Project Board Diane Baker Michael Douglas David Ho Key Stakeholders Tomas Paterson – Controller Linda Ho – Treasury Nikki McIntosh – Finance Michael Talbott– Supply Mgmt Elana Vasquez – ITAS Director – Info Mgmt & Reporting Bob Linski – Project Mgr on PO Project Project Manager Betsy Guthrie X2511 Functional Managers Chris O’Toole (SE’s) X3111 Diane Tikashima (DBA’s) X6056 Technical Team Eric Wong (SE) X6086 Sharad Srinivasan (SE) X6229 Sheree Manuel (SE) X5062 Business Team June McClelland G/L X2496 Maria Dedini X3678 Laurie Jackson X5051 Architecture Rep. Will Alvarez x5202

9. This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing Managing Relationships 1. Develop and distribute a project organization chart. 2. Develop and distribute a roles and responsibilities table • Meet with the Sponsor 4. Meet with the Functional Managers

10. 2. Develop Roles & Responsibilities Table • What is it? • A Table which describes the overall responsibility of every team members by function or by name • Why do it? • So everyone on the team understands their role explicitly and the role of everyone else on the team • How do I do it? • Create a table listing members by name or function, their title, and a brief description of their responsibility on the team. • Send it around and ask everyone to validate

11. 2.Develop a Roles and Responsibilities Table - Example Name Role Responsibility

12. This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing Managing Relationships 1. Develop and distribute a project organization chart. 2. Develop and distribute a roles and responsibilities table • Meet with the Sponsor 4. Meet with the Functional Managers

13. 3. Meet with the Sponsor • What is it? • A meeting with the executive sponsor of the project to establish your relationship and confirm your understanding of scope, success criteria, key concerns and communication preferences. • Why do it? • Establish a trust relationship with the sponsor. • Enable you to understand their leadership style so you can adapt to it. • Help you to understand what kinds of information they are seeking. • To understand their explicit and implicit expectations • How do I do it? • Ask, “What are your concerns?” • Bring an In-Scope and Out of Scope list and ask for comments • Ask what they need in order to know the project was successful • Ask what kind of communication they want from you (i.e., Touchpoint Meetings, Phone Calls)

14. This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing Managing Relationships 1. Develop and distribute a project organization chart. 2. Develop and distribute a roles and responsibilities table • Meet with the Sponsor 4. Meet with the Functional Managers

15. 4.Meet with the Functional Managers • What is it? • A meeting with the functional managers to • Explain the scope of your project • Determine how they wish to be communicated with and • Ask how you can contribute to the personal and professional goals of their direct reports who are on your project team • Why do it? • Develops a trust relationship with the managers that will help you when you must ask for their help in the case of performance issues • Knowledge of personal and professional goals of the team members helps you know how to motivate them • How do I do it? • Talk to the people who manage your core team members and ask • What personal/professional goals of the team members can you help them to achieve • What communication do they want from you during and after the project. • How can you best contribute to the Performance Appraisals of the team members.

16. Managing Communications 5. Establish communication groups 6. Set up regular team meetings

17. 5. Establish Communication Groups • What is it? • Email Distribution groups that group people who wish to get the same types of communication together. • Why do it? • Prevents omission of important stakeholders • Gives all team members access to the appropriate audience through a single group • Shows deliberate intent to manage and focus communication • How do I do it? • Create three basic groups: • Stakeholders (status reports) • Contributors (status reports and project issues - optional invitees to team meetings) • Core team members (copied on all communication related to the project and invited to team meetings) • Add more as needed but don’t make it too complicated

18. 5. Establish Communication Groups • How do I do it? (continued) • Inform everyone on each list: • Tell them which list they are on • Tell them what communications they will be getting and meetings they will be invited to. • Ask them if they wish to get more/less information or to be moved to another list or if they wish to delegate. • Append the lists to the project organization chart

19. Managing Communications 5. Establish communication groups 6. Set up regular team meetings

20. 6. Set Up Regular Team Meetings • What is it? • Regular team meetings every week in the same place (or same format if remote) at the same time (or the same rotation of times if different time zones). • Why do it? • It gives the project a “heartbeat” - a regular and consistent time to meet and discuss issues, status, concerns. • How do I do it? • Take schedules into account (compressed work weeks and flex time and other time zones) • Try to make the place/time convenient for everyone. • Send out an invite so it is on everyone's calendars • Set up a bridge line and put it in the repeating invite.

21. This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing This is writing Managing Relationships 1. Develop and distribute a project organization chart. 2. Develop and distribute a roles and responsibilities table • Meet with the Sponsor 4. Meet with the Functional Managers

22. Managing Communications 5. Establish communication groups 6. Set up regular team meetings