PROJECT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

1. PROJECT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

2. Agenda • Definition/Importance of Project Management • Staffing the Project • Organizational Ownership • Creating a Practical Budget • Communications • Risk Management • Project Management Tools • Managing Multi-Agency Projects • Warning Signs/Symptoms of Failure COPS IT Training Workshops

3. Project - Definition • Sequence of tasks with a beginning and an end that are bounded by time, resources, and desired results • Specific desired outcome • Deadline or target date for completion • Budget that limits project resources (people, supplies, money) COPS IT Training Workshops

4. Why is Project Management Important? 30% of all projects are canceled before completion 30% experience schedule delays 50% exceed original cost estimates 12% completed on time and on budget 1995 - $81 billion spent on canceled technology projects The Standish Group, 1995 Cats-Baril & Thompson, 1995 COPS IT Training Workshops

5. Examples • A large western state invested $260 million in a system to track “dead-beat” parents... As a result of ongoing setbacks, the legislature scrapped the project and started over. • In 1994, a southern state hired a well known firm to develop a child-support tracking system. After four years and spending more than $20 million, the system was unfinished and the contractor had stopped working. Kavanaugh, 1997 Rock Hill Herald, 1997 COPS IT Training Workshops

6. Staffing: Finding the RightPeople COPS IT Training Workshops

7. Project Manager • Critical for success • Must coordinate and facilitate all aspects of the project • Takes full responsibility and accountability • Manages project tasks, schedule, people, and budget COPS IT Training Workshops

8. Enthusiasm for the Project • Ability to Manage Change Effectively • Tolerant Attitude Toward Ambiguity • Team Building and Negotiating Skills • Customer First Orientation • Adherence to Priorities of the Business Baker, 1998 Traits of a Good Project Manager COPS IT Training Workshops

9. Motivating Team Members • Demonstrate Leadership • Exhibit a Positive Attitude • Provide Challenging Opportunities • Define Performance Expectations • Praise Team Efforts COPS IT Training Workshops

10. Staffing the Project Team • Team members are critical to success of project • Identify skill sets required for the project • Evaluate in-house resources, availability • Contract required skill sets • Utilize surgical suite concept COPS IT Training Workshops

11. High Performing Team • Seek members with high-level skills; strong people will overcome difficulties throughout the project; the weak will not, without assistance • Create small team - drastically reduces communication overhead and conflicts • Avoid relying exclusively on a single team member (cross-train) • Consider member personalities as well as skills; will the team work well together, what are the potential points of friction COPS IT Training Workshops

12. High Performing Team • Create incentives - technically challenge each person on the project • Select members interested in the project • Provide training to increase skills, confidence and performance • Assign areas of responsibility, rather than tasks • Expect and anticipate turnover (be prepared) • Insist on participative team approach COPS IT Training Workshops

13. Outsourcing / Contracting • Contract for required or specialized skills not otherwise available • Include opportunity for knowledge transfer • Develop internal capacities • Beware of excessive outsourcing; loses its effectiveness beyond 30% COPS IT Training Workshops

14. COMPUTER THEOREM Do not believe in miracles. Rely on them. COPS IT Training Workshops

15. Organizational Ownership COPS IT Training Workshops

16. Organizational Ownership • The reason for any IT project is to add value to the organization • Organizational value comes from supporting the most critical business goals and helping the organization deliver on its business strategies • Select projects to achieve the greatest net benefits for the organization • Justify the project in light of the organizational goals COPS IT Training Workshops

17. Organizational Ownership • Strategic planning, IT planning, and selection of projects are closely linked • Insist on an executive sponsor (chief); up to 83% don’t, contributes to failure • Identify and involve all stakeholders • Involve steering members in key decisions and problem solving activities • Demonstrate a favorable cost/benefit analysis If you build it ... they will come! COPS IT Training Workshops

18. Creating a Practical Budget COPS IT Training Workshops

19. Creating a Budget • Break down each activity into individual tasks • Cost out each task as accurately as possible • Include project management costs (consultants, software, documentation) • Consult the individuals who actually perform the tasks; experts can provide more accurate estimates of actual costs • Consider other factors that might impact budget (contractors, scope changes) COPS IT Training Workshops

20. Creating a Budget • Add 10-15% contingency for unanticipated expenses • Estimate 4-6 hours per day work time (factor in “down” time, e.g. administrative work, sick time, vacation, meetings) • Consider work space expenses, computers, additional phone lines, LAN connections, printing, travel • Use a budget worksheet COPS IT Training Workshops

21. Project Manager as a Communicator COPS IT Training Workshops

22. Communication • Common ground of understanding • Process by which information is exchanged between individuals through symbols, signs, or behavior • Means of transferring information, emotions, or thoughts • Includes verbal, written, and nonverbal means between two or more people • Communication is only successful when message is correctly understood by intended message receiver COPS IT Training Workshops

23. Communication Methods: • Meetings • Reports/Memos • Presentations • Visits/Walk-Throughs • Phone, Email, Fax, Vmail, Web COPS IT Training Workshops

24. Risk Management COPS IT Training Workshops

25. Risk Management The formal process by which risk factors are systematically and continuously identified, assessed, managed, and mitigated • All team members should be responsible for identifying potential risks • Most problems can be anticipated and avoided • Solutions can be prepared in advance • A problem resolved in advance is far simpler to resolve than one that occurs unexpectedly • Reduces stress to team members COPS IT Training Workshops

26. 1 5 10 1 5 10 minimal catastrophic not highly likely probable Risk Magnitude Risk Magnitude = (Severity of Impact) X (Probability of Occurrence) Example: Late delivery of server Severity = 9 (high) Probability = 8 (high) Risk Magnitude = 9 x 8 = 72 COPS IT Training Workshops

27. Risk - Contingency Table • Maintain a running list of problems in a contingency table • Sort by risk magnitude with most severe on top • Focus on those with highest risk magnitude • Review and update the list frequently (continuously) COPS IT Training Workshops

28. Risk Management - Activity • Using the worksheet in your notebook, develop a contingency table for a project you are currently involved with or are familiar with • Identify five risks to the project • description of the risk • who is responsible for resolving • potential severity of impact • probability of occurrence • calculate risk magnitude • contingency plan • date contingency must be in place COPS IT Training Workshops

29. Avoid Disasters Project disasters can be avoided by an explicit early concern with identifying and resolving high-risk elements. . . if you are not managing risk, you are managing the wrong thing !!! COPS IT Training Workshops

30. Project Management Tools COPS IT Training Workshops

31. Purpose of Project Management Tools • Maintain project control • Allow for quick overview of the project • View project details in different perspectives • Present relationships and order of project tasks • Display and communicate schedule in various ways • Identify and manage the sequential flow of critical activities in a project • Helpful for identifying and managing risks COPS IT Training Workshops

32. Project Management Tools • Quality Assurance • Documentation • Schedule • Gantt Charts • PERT Charts COPS IT Training Workshops

33. Quality Assurance • Publicly declare a departmental commitment to quality • Implement training • Set-up a measurement program • Identify problem areas, look for solutions that will prevent recurrence • Build quality into each interim deliverable • The earlier project defects are identified, the less they cost to fix. COPS IT Training Workshops

34. Documentation • Specifications and Requirements - essential if the project is to meet the organization’s goals • Organizational Structure - project team • Roles and Responsibilities - minimize misunderstandings and conflict • Contingency Table (updated weekly) & Risk Forms • Change Requests • Regular Project Updates (weekly) COPS IT Training Workshops

35. Project Schedule • Essential for keeping the project on track • Microsoft Project 98 - automated tool • Schedule activities, milestones, critical path, resources, tasks • Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) • Break each phase into individual tasks, with assigned responsibility and time • Assists in identifying potential problems early COPS IT Training Workshops

36. MS Project 98 - Schedule COPS IT Training Workshops

37. 12 3 4 5 Tasks Time Planned schedule Actual schedule Gantt Chart COPS IT Training Workshops

38. Useful for large projects Identifies minimum project time based on dependent consecutive tasks Identifies concurrent tasks If a task on the critical path takes longer than expected,the entire project is delayed 6 3 5 7 8 9 1 2 4 PERT/CPM Chart PERT - Program and Evaluation Review Technique CPM - Critical Path Method COPS IT Training Workshops

39. Milestone - Definition • A clearly identifiable point in a project • Summarizes the completion of an important set of tasks • Commonly used to summarize the important events in a project • Stakeholders don’t want or need the details in a project plan COPS IT Training Workshops

40. Project Management Activities • Monitor the status of the project • Adjust budget, schedule, work plan • Coordinate all project-related activities • Document project status, project plan revisions COPS IT Training Workshops

41. ManagingMulti-AgencyProjects COPS IT Training Workshops

42. Multi-Agency Projects • Support of CEO from all agencies • Project goals are understood and shared • Importance of mutual cooperation for project to be successful • When conflicts threaten to impact the project, meet with the parties to find reasonable solution • Make sure all agencies expect to benefit COPS IT Training Workshops

43. Warning Signs COPS IT Training Workshops

44. Symptoms of a Failing Project • Time, money, and resources have not been allocated to researching the problem; the problem remains poorly defined • Objectives of the implementation project are vague and ambiguous; benefits are difficult to measure • Little or no time is spent in preliminary planning COPS IT Training Workshops

45. Symptoms of a Failing Project • No standards to use in estimating preliminary costs or the duration of the project • Project team is not properly staffed --personnel are assigned on an as available basis and cannot dedicate themselves to the project. • User groups to be served are not represented on the project team COPS IT Training Workshops

46. Ten Reasons for Failed Projects • Personnel Shortfalls • Unrealistic Schedules and Budget • Developing the Wrong Functions and Properties • Developing the Wrong User Interface • Gold Plating • Continuing Stream of Requirements Changes • Shortfalls in Externally Furnished Products • Shortfalls in Externally Performed Tasks • Real-time Performance Shortfalls • Straining Computer-science Capabilities COPS IT Training Workshops

47. Summary In summary, I fully realize that I have not succeeded in answering all of your questions. . . Indeed, I feel I have not answered any of them completely. The answers, I have found, only serve to raise a whole new set of questions, which only lead to more problems, some of which we weren’t even aware were problems. To sum it all up. . . in some ways I feel we are as confused as ever, but I believe we are confused on a higher level and about more important things. COPS IT Training Workshops

48. PROJECT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES COPS IT Training Workshops