The Magic Of Is Project Management - Repository UNIKOM

  

The Magic of IS Project Management:

Revealing the Masters’ Secrets

  Kathy Schwalbe, Ph.D., PMP May 2, 2000 PDS 2000

www.augsburg.edu/ppages/schwalbe Expert Revelations on How to Succeed in Project Management

  Tricks to Avoid Examples from the Field

  Personal Secrets

Expert Revelation #1: Alignment

  Projects are much more likely to • succeed if they align to organizational needs and goals “Aligning information systems to • corporate goals has emerged as the number one concern over the last five years in surveys of information systems executives”*

• Strassmann and Bienkowski, “Alignment of IT and Business: Keys to Realizing Business Value,” ABT Corporation, 9/29/99

Reason for Investing in IT Projects Rank Based on Overall Why Firms Invest in IT Projects* Value of Projects Supports implicit business objectives Has good Internal Rate of Return (IRR) Supports explicit business objectives

  _{3 2} ¹ _{Used in response to competitive systems Has reasonable payback period} Has good Net Present Value (NPV) _{6 5} ⁴ Supports management decision making _{Meets budgetary constraints High probability of achieving benefits 8 9} ⁷ Good accounting rate of return _{High probability of completing project Meets technical/system requirements 12} ¹⁰ _{11 Introduces new technology Good profitability index} Supports legal/government requirement _{15 14} ¹³

• *Bacon, James. “The Use of Decision Criteria in Selecting Information Systems/

  Trick to Avoid #1:

“Because IT’s There!”

Expert Revelation #2: Leadership

  The majority of characteristics of • effective project managers are managerial in nature Project managers must be able to lead • and manage and have necessary technical skills The Most Significant Characteristics of an Effective Project Manager* Leadership by example •

• Stands up to upper

  management when

• Visionary

  necessary Technically competent •

  Supports team •

• Decisive

  members

• Good communicator

  Encourages new ideas •

• Good motivator
• Zimmerman and Yasin, “A Leadership Profile of American

Trick to Avoid #2

  Making your best technical person the project manager

  Expert Revelation #3: User Involvement

• The number one reason why IT projects fail is

  a lack of user input (CHAOS, 1995)
• There are several ways to increase user involvement
• – Have users lead or co-lead IT projects

  Have a senior manager outside of IT sponsor and – champion IT projects Put star users on the project team and co-locate – users and developers

• – Provide interim deliverables that users can

  Checklist for User Involvement*

• Do I have the right user(s)?
• Did I involve the users(s) early and

  often?

• Do I have a quality user(s) relationship?
• Do I make involvement easy?
• Did I find out what the user(s) need?
• Standish Group, “Unfinished Voyages,”1996

  Trick to Avoid #3: Thinking IT knows what’s best

Expert Revelation #4: Senior Management Support

  Experts agree that you need senior • management support for projects to be successful Senor management can (or cannot) provide:

• Adequate resources
• –

  Quick approval for unique project needs

>– Cooperation from people in various parts of – the organization
• – Mentoring on leadership issues

  What Helps Projects Succeed?

• Clear project mission
• Top management
• User involvement
• Executive

  support

  management support

• Good project

  schedule/plan

• Clear statement of
• Good client

  consultation

  requirements

  Pinto and Slevin* Standish Group**

• Proper planning
• Pinto and Slevin, “Critical Factors in Successful Project Implementation,”
_{IEEE, February 1987 **The Standish Group, “CHAOS,” 1995}

Trick to Avoid #4:

  Assuming it’s okay if senior managers and users don’t protest too much

Expert Revelation #5: Clear Project Purpose

  Having a clear mission or purpose and a • clear statement of requirements are crucial to project success It’s much easier to get project approval • and lead a project if you understand the underlying reason for it, even if it the specs are not crystal clear

Defining and Selling “Way Cool Projects”*

  Challenge 1: Futzing with the structure • and specifics of a given task…until it becomes a “way cool project” Challenge 2: Selling that “way cool • project.” Great project management—in the real world!—turns out to be mostly a sales game. I.e., getting all sorts of folks to support you, help you, give you their very best!

• Peters, Tom. Reinventing Work: The Project 50, 1999, p. 12

  Trick to Avoid #5 Faking coolness

Expert Revelation #6: Communications

  Being a good communicator is an • essential project management skill

• Master project managers are great at listening, persuading, explaining, and discerning the best way to communicate with different stakeholders Project managers must be “astute” •

  80% of Problems…

  “Eighty percent of the ‘problems’ in • workplace or personal relationships are really not problems—they are misunderstanding”* “I’ll pay more for a man’s ability to • express himself than for any other quality he might possess.” Charles Schwab

  Wetherbe, James and Bond. So What’s Your Point? 1996, p. 3

Trick to Avoid #6

  Over-relying on reports, web sites, or other formal communications

Expert Revelation #7: Plan and Replan

  Proper planning is key to project • success; remember that the purpose of project plans is to guide execution Project plans must be tailored to the • needs of each particular project Be flexible when changes occur and be • ready to update plans accordingly Planning is a “Quadrant II” Activity*

  Using Stephen Covey’s time

• management matrix, quadrant II activities are important but not urgent Quadrant II activities include planning, • prevention, relationship building, and recognizing new opportunities Highly effective people, including • project managers, focus on Quadrant II activities
• Covey, Stephen, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, 1990

  Trick to Avoid #7 Taking shortcuts to planning

Expert Revelation #8: Execute, execute, execute

  The most important job of a project • manager is to get the job done

• Project managers must balance scope, time, and cost goals If you can’t deliver results, you can’t • meet or exceed stakeholder needs and expectations

Why CEOs (and Project Managers) Fail

  Bad execution is the main reason why • CEO’s are “booted”*

• Bad execution means not getting things done, being indecisive, and not delivering on commitments A good plan, strong leadership, good • communications skills, team building, etc. all help with execution

  Charan and Colvin, “Why CEO’s Fail,” Fortune, June 21, 1999

  Trick to Avoid #8 Not focusing on results Expert Revelation #9: Team Building

• Project managers must foster an environment for teams to thrive
• Some experts suggest
• – Hand picking your project team
>– Focusing on goals and outcomes to promote teamwork
• – Establishing team-based rewards
• – Creating a fun work environment
• – Providing a quiet work space!

Trick to Avoid #9:

  Assuming smart people work well in any team situation

Expert Revelations #10: Structure

  Most people like and need structure to • guide projects

• Using a clear and consistent approach to project management helps projects succeed

Project Management Maturity Model*

  1. Ad-Hoc: Disorganized, chaotic project management (PM) processes; low success rate

  2. Abbreviated: Some processes in place, but project success is largely unpredictable

  3. Organized: Standardized, documented process and systems; more predictable success rate

  

4. Managed: Management collects and uses measures of

effectiveness of PM; more uniform success

  5. Adaptive: Feedback from the PM process and from piloting innovative ideas and technologies enables continuous improvement; success is the norm

• Enterprise Planning Associates, 1998

  Trick to Avoid #10 Winging it too often Example from the Field: Northwest Airlines’ ResNet*

• *A full case study on ResNet is available in Schwalbe’s Information

ResNet Background

  ResNet is the main reservation system

• used today by Northwest Airlines From 1993-1997, Northwest Airlines
• worked on three distinct projects to develop and install ResNet on over 3,000 workstations in nine different cities ResNet was a huge success in terms of • meeting scope, time, and cost goals and exceeding stakeholder expectations

  The Master’s Secrets on ResNet

  

1. Alignment: The main reason for funding ResNet

was to stop losing money on the call centers

  2. Leadership: Peeter Kivestu, then a marketing director, led all three ResNet projects

  

3. User Involvement: Sales agents did a lot of the

coding for the ResNet interface

  4. Senior Management Support: The VP of Reservations provided the vision for ResNet

  5. Clear purpose: Focused on increasing direct sales and reducing call handle time to save money

  The Master’s Secrets on ResNet

  6. Communications: Peeter and his team used varied, innovative ways to communicate

  

7. Plan and Replan: The project team created and

followed realistic plans

  8. Execute: The entire ResNet team focused on meeting project goals

  9. Team building: Peeter hand picked key team members and provided a fun work environment

  

10. Structure: Everyone knew that milestone dates

had to be met

Peeter’s Expert Advice

  Have clear project goals. It is human

• nature to want to achieve goals Create a fun working environment to
• promotes buy-in, creativity, and teamwork. Use themes and special events to make projects fun and memorable Set realistic milestone dates and stick to
• them. Missing dates causes too much chaos

Kathy’s Personal Secrets

  Have passion for your projects • Provide challenge, creativity, and fun on •

  IT projects along with structure Clearly define what the main • stakeholders really mean; be astute Create an open, learning environment • and mentor future project managers