Project Management | Some thoughts on the Importance and Application of Project Management training

 

In this super fast era of advancing technological development, time management is essential for success. Time is a commodity, so managing it correctly it increases its value. Utilising time correctly involves managing resources, people, money and the related sub-resources. This is what Project Management deals with. A company’s growth depends on how efficiently the time, resources, quality and ultimately money is managed. It is all about recognising and targeting a particular goal and having the ability to handle each complex component of the project.
Therefore, Project Management is the amalgamation of these components: control, leadership and teamwork- these are essential to a successful project. Today, Project Management is a professional discipline with a body of knowledge and a specific set of skills. This is the reason that various Project Management Courses and Project Management Training programmes proliferate throughout many institutions.
Successful Project Management is achieved by the intelligent application of sound principles. This is what the Project Management Courses focus on. A successful  Project Management Training Course must  teach you the Project Management skills required to successfully implement any project within budget and on schedule. It should also include the use of the appropriate Project Management Models that can be applied at key stages in a project.
Generally the Project Management curriculum includes:
• Principles and Definitions
• Defining Responsibilities
• Project Management Processes
• Stakeholder Management
• Managing Communication
• Project Planning
• Managing Project Risk
• Managing Teams
• Advance Strategic Management
• Issues in Project Management
• Project Implementation and Evaluation
• Project Quality Management
• Project Management Symposium

Project Management opportunities not only exist for project managers but also for those who are part of a support team in a project or programme office or for team leaders with part of a project. Whether you choose Business Project Management or IT Project Management, the professional qualifications and practical skills for both can be attained with the help of the Project Management Course and Training.
When discussing courses related to Project Management, it is essential to include both PRINCE2 (Project IN Controlled Environments) and PMBOK the two main methodologies and bodies of knowledge within the industry.
Other courses include that should also be looked at to further enhance skills are:
• Business Process Management Training
• Business Process and Change
• Project Management and MS Project Training
• Root Cause Analysis Training
• IT Service Management
Project Management is the vehicle by which organisations seek to minimize the risks and costs of change, and maximize the benefits. If budget and time were unlimited, Project Management would be unnecessary. But this impossible as all companies desire excellence but within a limited period. Project Management takes strategic planning and proper implementation, which is possible only with proper training and knowledge.

 

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Project Management | The Value of Professional Skills Training

 

Projects are an impermanent endeavour that is carried out to develop a unique product or service. For the successful completion of projects, a group of professionals work on it and that too with concerted effort. Project management is the system of organizational management which allocate employees for special projects, and after the completion of the project they are absorbed back to the organization. An important aspect of project management is the co-ordination of project activities with departments as well as organizational divisions for the successful completion of the project. In this competitive era, it is necessary that every organization must have an effective project management mechanism. Hence, it is evident from the aforesaid discussion that the project management professional skill training is highly significant for the success of project management.
There are pre-defined objectives for every project, and it is necessary to integrate the input required to meet those objectives. Ensuring the delivery of a project within the constraints and optimizing allocation of resources are some of the challenges associated with the project management. It is therefore necessary to have an experienced hand for the successful implementation of project works. Here comes the role of project managers.

Although he doesn't interfere in all levels of project, a project manager oversees the project development and co ordinates and guides the people involved, and evaluates progress of the project. Further, he is accountable for the success or failure of the project. Project managers' tasks also cover determination and implementation of the exact needs of the client. In short, he is considered a link between the client and parent organization and is responsible for the realization of quality, cost, and client satisfaction.

Organizations that undertake projects have to improve the skill level of the people involved in the projects and new recruits. Since the project team consists of select group of individuals, it is very important to have co-operation and co-ordination. Otherwise, the project will suffer. Every organisation has its own programs for project management professional skill training that match with its portfolio. Some of the prominent factors that are considered vital for project management professional skill training are communication skills, presentation skills, team building, and leadership skills.

Communication skill is not only necessary for collective effort but also for better project management. Organization of meeting related to the ongoing project has to be done by the project manager at certain intervals in these meetings it's checked whether everyone is doing their bit, scope of the project is discussed, and clarification regarding the role of different personals is given. The importance of the meetings is enormous and hence the project manager should have good communication skills.

Team building is important in a project. The individual selected for project are form different departments of the organisations. All individuals have their own view points and it's never going to be easy to have all these people work together harmoniously. So as a team leader, project manager should be able to make them a cohesive unit of workforce which work collectively and effectively.
For every projects there involves a lot of presentations. From planning stage to finishing stage, there will be presentations. Project manager or team leader has to present the developments of the projects, scopes and other aspects of the project to the hierarchy of the organisation. Hence, it is necessary to have good presentation skills. Good preparation, good appearance, control over voice and nervousness, and practice are key for improving presentation skills.

Regarding leadership, the project management demands assertive personnel. There will be offences from the team members regarding certain tasks that the project managers should deal with. Disagreements have to be dealt with through effective dialogues. As a leader, the project manager should tactfully deal with different types of people in the group.

In specific projects, the assigned person in the project team should have specific set of skills to meet the targets and to perform the tasks properly. Organization is an important skill in project management. All important information regarding the project should be known by the project manager, as he is accountable to the superiors. After project management professional skills training, an individual possesses enhanced skill level for undertaking projects. Future project managers can be spotted from project management professional skills training program.

 

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Project Management | Essential Skills for Project Leaders

Project management is an aspect carried out in many organizations and institutions in today’s dynamic global business entity. It concerns the application of techniques, tools, skills and knowledge in order to attain the required stated objectives of a project designed in an organization. The project team is responsible for ensuring that an organization’s project is completed within the required during of time.
Projects normally evolve around four main phases namely planning phase, initiation phase, execution phase as well as the closeout phase. This therefore calls for project leaders or managers to have essential qualities, which will enhance the implementation of various projects under the above-mentioned phases.
Project leaders need to posses leadership skills in order to enhance completion of project tasks. Leadership skills is a major prerequisite for effective project management and this entails guiding people as well as showing them an organization’s expectations towards the implementation of a project by adhering to the set objectives. It is through leadership that expectations, enabling environments and goals are established and this leads to project success. Besides leadership skills, project managers also need to have management skills, which help in the overall guidance of team members or project team to accomplish their tasks.
Moreover, project leaders should have essential skills in relation to project management. This is because projects require well-planned and organized efforts in order to enhance the completion of a project and this involves a number of steps namely conducting a feasibility study, support or maintenance, program planning, evaluation, implementation as well as project planning. Management skills are necessary since projects normally require specific tasks.
Another essential skill that project leaders need to have is communication skills. Effective skills in communication are vital because of the time, scope and cost that usually surround the project. This therefore calls for accurate and timely communication display from project leaders. In other words, project leaders need to master their vocabulary well since vocabulary results in effective communication. Team members are also able to acquire information on the current state of the project as well as the necessary changes that may be required through communication.
Lastly, facilitation skills are also essential in project management. These are crucial in order to establish high performance among the project team members. Facilitation skills include motivation, management and encouragement from team leaders to enhance a projects completion in the specified duration of time.

 

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Project Management-Tips on Creating a Project Culture that Ensures a Foundation for Project Success.

 

Although sometimes it seems that projects take on a life of their own, the simple fact is that projects don't manage themselves. It takes the energy and commitment of a number of people to take a project from the initial idea through inception. As more companies embrace the concept of self-directed work-teams that work on specific projects, project management, will become a more vital element of the workplace. The following checklist will help you create a successful project management office:
- Formulate and outline the project
- Break up the project into manageable tasks
- Keep the project on target and complete it on time
Getting Started
The best way to guarantee a project's success is to start with a strong foundation. Among the questions you should ask when putting together a project kick start:
- Is this something we have done before? If so, what did we learn from the last project?
- Do we have the time and resources to do this project effectively?
- How many people will we need? What sort of expertise should they have?
- Will we need to use outside sources?
- Does top management support the project?
- How long will the project take?
- Once you've put together a workable project plan, you need to put an action plan together so:
- Decide how many people will be assigned to the project. Assign people on the basis of their experience and expertise.
Make sure you have a commitment from upper management regarding adequate resources (funding, staff, time, etc.). Make sure, too, that you know exactly what upper management expects in the way of a given project. Communicate your interpretation of their instructions to your supervisors, and make sure you clear up any questions or confusion before the project begins.
Set up a communication network to ensure that everyone is talking with one another; don't allow people to work in a vacuum.
Create a schedule with specific dates by which different elements of the project will be completed. Build-in a few days to allow for unforeseen problems.
Assign someone the task of keeping records of ongoing progress during the project. This information should be shared with everyone who is working on the project.
If no one from your division has ever worked on this sort of project, consult with people from other departments, or even from other companies (when possible) to get an idea about what to expect.
The Course of the Project
Once the project is under way, there's a strong tendency to put it on automatic pilot. This makes it harder to fend off potential difficulties, and it cuts off any creative ideas that could enhance the project. Here are some ways to keep things moving effectively through the project's duration:
Hold regular meetings. These don't have to be formal three-hour progress sessions - but they should give project members the opportunity to share ideas, voice concerns and ask questions of one another. Some of these meetings should include brainstorming sessions, which promote free flow of creative ideas.
Keep written records of meetings. These make people take the sessions more seriously, and they give anyone who's unable to attend a point of reference from which to work.
Have individual workers provide you with progress reports. These should not be one-sided conversations. Share your ideas, and offer to address the individuals' concerns and answer questions as well.
Make sure deadlines are being met. Make it clear that anyone who anticipates missing a deadline should let you know ASAP; this way, you can adjust schedules, or provide people with additional support staff or other resources.
Keep track of what is being spent on the project. Individuals should provide you with information on how much they spend. Let them know how much money they have to work with so they don't go over budget.
If you're working with outside contractors or people from other departments, make sure you keep them posted on the progress of the project. You should invite them to at least some of the meetings and brainstorming sessions, and be sure to solicit their opinions.
Solicit the opinions of people in the company who aren't involved with the project. Sometimes a fresh perspective can provide the best ideas.
Keep upper management apprised of the progress you're making. This way, you can be alerted to any potential red flags (no manager likes surprises).
The Difference Between Success and Failure
A key factor in the success of the team is its leader. The qualities of a successful project leader include:
- Conscientiousness
- Technical and organizational knowledge
- Honestly/trustworthiness
- Consistency/predictability
- Resourcefulness
When the Project Is Completed
As the project draws to a close, it's important to remember that a completed project is not a project that is over. Here are some guidelines for dealing with the project's completion:
Just before the project is complete, meet with the project team as a whole (and one-on-one) to make sure all the loose ends are tied before the project is submitted. Make sure everyone is given credit for contributions.
Remember you don't have to have a glitzy presentation with video and fancy hand-outs - but your presentation should be professional. Make sure you provide neat, complete copies of your work to upper management, and make certain your presentation is well-planned and professional. A typed copy sent to the supervisor in an interoffice envelope is not enough.
Be sure to give proper recognition to team members when you present the completed project to upper management. It's important to recognize workers in front of their peers, but they deserve recognition "upstairs" as well.
After the project is over and handed in, gather everyone who worked on it and conduct a postmortem: What were the best aspects of the project? The worst? What mistakes were made, and how can you learn from them? Did you budget, enough time and resources? Too much? Not enough? Do you need more of less outside help for the next project? Who has demonstrated expertise that had previously been ignored? How can the entire process be streamlined? Include your outside contractors and consultants in the postmortem and be sure to get their insights.

 

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Project Management | 10 Eternal Truths of Project Management

 

No two projects are the same but acknowledging these truths of project management might help you deal with the uncontrollable.

1. Your project plan will change
The sooner as a project manager you learn to except that your project plan is not the declaration of independence but rather a living, breathing document open to misinterpretation and change the sooner you can get on with the important business of dealing with those miscommunications and changes.

2. If its not written down, it didn't happen
This works both ways. Things go wrong and when they do blame has to be dealt. Paper trails can be a useful way of passing the buck but they can also come back and bite you. You wrote the project plan- publish and be damned.

3. Over- runs happen
Over-runs happen. This is exponential. If your project is scheduled at a day, it will take 2. If its scheduled for 6 months it'll take a year. Ok this may be an exaggeration but the important thing is to make it clear from the outset that a timeline is a plan and when you do overrun remember, you're not the first, you won't be the last.

4. What a client doesn't know can't hurt them (but what a project manager doesn't know can only hurt them)
There will be times in your project where the whole picture may not be suitable for the client to see. Problems happen but a panicking client can compound them ten fold. Ask yourself, as a client what would you rather hear:
'The prototypes a mess, the lead engineer's eloped with the placement student and I've started drinking on my lunch hour'
Or
'We're ironing out some kinks in the prototype and are on schedule for next week when Dave's back from annual leave. I've got a lunch meeting and will be back in the office in 3 hours'

5. Your project management software tells you lies
Whether your project management software is a full bells and whistles package with voice activated Gantt Chart generation widgets or a beer mat and biro your project management software will lie to you because even NASA scientists can't quantify an equation which accounts accurately for incompetence, illness and IT.

6. You are essentially a human dartboard
You may be a skilled project management professional with years of multi-disciplinary experience but the sooner you realise that as project manager your role at least some of the time is to stand in the firing line and take the darts (and worse) that the client or project team fire at one another the sooner you're skin will become thick enough that you don't notice.

7. 60% of the time it works every time
If your project relies on technology in any shape or form, which it variably will whether you're building microchips or sending an email, at some point that technology is going to break or misfire and throw you off track. Because you're not going to get your project plan signed off with a 2 week buffer because 'the server melted' or 'the email got lost in the post' you're better off adding an extra week for 'testing'.

8. Nobody expects the Spanish inquisition
Fear and surprise are the two weapons which your stakeholders will use against you at some point in the life of the project. Whether it's a deadline which absolutely needs to be brought forward 2 weeks or a change request which there's categorically no budget for, the important thing is to realise that such requests will come when you least expect them and when they will cause maximum disruption.

9. There are not 8 hours in the day
OK so your average working week might not reflect this fact but the truth is the modern office environment is not conducive to maximum productivity levels from your project team.

10. Worrying won't get it done any faster
This might sound like a cliché from the pages of a self help book but its fair to say that time spent worrying is time which could be spent coming up with a solution or at least containing the flames.

 

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Project Management | The Basics Of Project Management

 

Project management consists of 4 main elements; scope, resources, time and cost. All elements need to be managed properly if the project is going to be a success. Poor management can lead to project failure hence why it is so important.

Project Scope

The project scope outlines what the project is to accomplish and consists of defining the size of the project, the goals and the requirements. It is the backbone of any project and is necessary to effectively manage cost, resources and time.
It is important that if the scope changes, it is reflected by making changes to the other components of the project, e.g. the resources, time and cost. Changes to the scope often lead to scope creep; if small changes are consistently made during the execution of the project, the result becomes more and more significant and scope creep occurs. Any changes made to the scope should be formalised and approval for a change in budget or schedule should be obtained.

Project Resources

Project resources include the people, equipment, and material needed to complete the project.
Selecting the right people with the right skills is a necessity. The project team need to be made aware of the tasks involved, and when and how they need to be carried out. To successfully manage your team you will need to ensure communication is consistent throughout the project.
Equipment, and usually materials, are required to be able to carry out a project and these need to be managed too. You need to ensure that the equipment and materials are available when they are needed to make sure the project team can carry out the necessary tasks.

Time

Time management is extremely important as projects that keep within the schedule are less likely to exceed the given budget. To successfully complete a project on time a schedule should be created and adhered to. The project needs to be broken down into individual tasks. By listing the tasks in order of when they need to be completed and deciding how long each task will take, you can start to work out a project schedule. You will find that some tasks can be carried out simultaneously but others will need to follow a sequence.
Cost
Every task listed in the project schedule will incur a cost, be it labour charges or material costs. Each of these costs need to be estimated to work out the project budget. Problems with the cost of the project can occur when unforeseen events take place. Usually a project has a contingency budget that will be used to cover unexpected events. To keep on track of the cost of the project, both the project schedule and project scope need to be managed successfully.

 

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Highlighting The Benefits Of Project Management Training

 

 

Project management is one of the important processes of an organization for the simple reason that it answers a lot of your questions and adds order to the company. With this, project management training is important to ensure that you have the right skills and knowledge when it comes to doing project management. What’s more, project management training can help you become a better person as you will have better sense of your time and resources.
The Advantages of Project Management Training
Project management training carries with it several advantages for those who desire to learn the art and science of better management of projects and goals of the organizations. To give you some idea, here are some of them:
1. Project management training will teach you the importance of time and setting of goals and objectives. A company without any set of objectives and goals is like a ship lost in the middle of a stormy sea. Hence, if you do not want to get lost and see if the organization can succeed in its endeavours, you need to create a list of objectives. However, it should be given its own time frame, considering that some of these goals need to be accomplished instantly. A project management training will then help you prioritize these goals as well as assist you in making great use of your time.
2. You will know the remaining resources and the needs of the company. It is obvious that you will never be able to finish any project or proceed to the next one when you do not have any available resource. This could be in the form of time, money, or manpower. You can make use of project management courses to help you determine how to estimate the resources that you will need in the next project or phase. This way, you can set more pragmatic budget for the organization and that you will not be experiencing any delay in the process.
3. You will learn how to produce documents for review. If completing projects is not daunting enough, wait until you start documenting the entire procedure. As a matter of fact, you are recommended to detail every step taken before, during, and after the project is completed. The purpose of this is to have solid record that you can refer to or verify during review. Project management training will provide you with the skills that you need in producing well-documented project completion proofs.
4. With project management training, you can work better with information systems. Project management is not done manually, particularly at this day and age. You can already make use of several applications and programs like Gantt chart to keep track of the milestones or progress of projects. Project management training will show you how to work around them without creating a much steeper learning curve, mainly to those people who do not have enough knowledge in computers or are not comfortable working with them.

 

 

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Project Management | The Risky Business Of Project Management

 

Undertaking any project, whether in-house or in partnership with a professional services firm, entails risk. Project risk is defined as any area of concern that could prevent a project from achieving all of its benefits. Project risk requires careful management and involves identification, assessment, and mitigation.
It is important at the beginning of any project to go through the risk identification process. Not all project risks are obvious. When identifying risks, look for areas in the project that are based on:
1. insufficient or unreliable data,
2. insufficient preparation,
3. inadequate resources, or
4. lack of control.
Some areas to pay close attention to are:
- Requirements identification
- Involvement of project sponsorship
- Level of project management experience
- Third-party involvement
- Political/cultural environment
- Change control procedures and management
- Complexity of the technology
Risk identification is only the first step. Risks need to be assessed to quantify and prioritize them according to their impact on the project. Keep in mind significant professional judgment is required during the assessment process to quantify the magnitude of potential negative impact and to develop risk control measures. The assessment process should determine the (1) likelihood of the risk occurring, (2) range of outcomes, (3) estimated timing of the risk, and (4) the frequency with which it will occur. It should also determine the warning signs of the risk that will forecast that the occurrence of the risk is imminent. The prioritized risks provide the basis for establishing Project Success Factors (PSFs). Specific action plans are developed to address each PSF. For example, assume that required key policy changes are a high risk. An action plan must be developed to:
- Focus on thorough and frequent communications
- Implement a steering committee structure
- Obtain strong support for the project team from
executive
management
- Stress the benefits of the project
- Identify training needs early
Once risks have been identified and assessed, mitigation plans should be developed. The plans document what the response will be when a risk event occurs. Keep in mind a mitigation plan might be to do nothing to mitigate the risk. The need is to accept that a risk exists and be prepared to deal with the consequences when and if it happens. This type of action plan typically applies to low priority/minimal project impact risks. A mitigation plan should outline Plan B for the project area impacted by the risk. Knowing what Plan B is prior to having to execute it will greatly reduce the probability of increasing the negative impact of the risk event or causing other unknown risks to occur.
An effective risk project management process means choosing and implementing risk-control strategies that work. Identifying, assessing, and developing mitigation plans are not one-time events. These processes need to occur throughout the life of the project. As the project progresses and project risk changes occur, documentation resulting from the identification, assessment, and mitigation planning processes need to be updated.
The risk management process must be continuous.

 

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When the Project Plan Becomes the Problem

 

While a good plan is critical for successful delivery of a project, following a plan too blindly in the face of the inevitable changes that projects face can be a recipe for failure. The best project managers know that successfully taking a project from concept to completion requires not only a plan, but the willingness to deviate from that plan when conditions change and adaptation is necessary.

Maybe you've had a significant project follow its plan with no deviations from inception to completion. If so, you're in the minority. The reality of life is that change happens, whether from external or internal forces, and successful project managers accept and roll with change as a natural part of doing business. While a project without a plan is crippled from the start, a project that is managed solely to the plan, rather than to reality, usually becomes challenged and starts veering off track later in its life cycle. All too often, rigidly planned projects that are going off track devolve into an exercise whose purpose is to understand why the plan was deviated from, whose fault it is, how to get back on the now-unrealistic plan timeline and even whether to cancel the project, since it's "off plan." The plan has become an end rather than the means to a completed project, and when the plan itself is what was sold internally or externally as the justification for a project, it can kill the project even when the goal is still salvageable.
While a realistic project plan is the first criterion for a successful project, it's important to remember the military maxim that no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. Just as the great generals throughout history have won their battles by being the best at marshalling their resources on the fly to adapt to changing circumstances, great managers use their project plans as starting points that are then informed throughout the life of the project by feedback from engaged team members, management of the project's resources and regular reviews of the environment into which the project will be delivering its end product. Project managers who have the tools and the engagement to obtain a real-time view into the current state of their projects, their resources and their team activities will virtually always outperform managers who have a supposedly airtight plan but no such real-time insight. Plan bound managers will always see the information through the filter of how the data varies from that predicted by their original plan, while realist managers will use the information to speed the project on its way to completion, regardless of whether the route taken or the timeline involved was envisioned in the project's planning stages.
Paradoxically, managers can often learn more from obsolete plans than they can from successful ones when it comes time to prepare for the next project. Using tools that allow them to capture data on actual behaviour versus anticipated performance, managers can apply the lessons learned to the next project, hopefully making it more realistic and decreasing the degree of change management that they will need to apply the next time around. Successful project managers learn from their mistakes, their experience and the pain of past projects to make each successive project more efficient than the last.
Plans are good things to have, and tools that allow project managers to marshal resources and set timelines are critical. A smart manager, however, knows when and how to recognize when a plan has been overtaken by events, update the plan and proceed accordingly. Your ability to learn from history, leave the perfect plan and detour around the inevitable roadblocks can make the difference between a successfully delivered project and long meetings spent discussing what went wrong this time.

 

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Project Management | How do you know a Project is in Trouble

Warning Indicators of a Project in Trouble

What are the Warning Indicators of a project in trouble?

I am firmly of the opinion, based on many years of experience and observation, that the most common causes of project failure are people related, not due to failures of methodology or technology or problems with location or tool-sets.  Most project failure is a failure of effective management. 

One of the most common failures of project management is the failure to notice or act on the early signs of a project in trouble.

There are many common early warning indicators of projects that are failing, and I have listed some of these below:

1. Lack of involvement, or ineffective involvement of Sponsor

2. Low morale of project team

3. Project Team working long hours consistently

4. Failure to get documents signed off (in particular requirements)

5. Poor relationship with business delegates (us and them mentality)

6. Project schedule not updated regularly or accurately

7. Risk and Issue Logs out of date or not populated

8. Significant scope changes

Let's look at each of these indicators to review why they are important.

Lack of involvement, or ineffective involvement of Sponsor

The sponsor role is absolutely crucial to achieving a successful project outcome. As the owner of the business outcome and the project business case they need to be informed of project progress and involved in the project on a consistent regular basis.  One of the key roles is to be available to support the project team if they come up against political or organisational issues.   They also need to follow up to ensure the project is on track or if not that there is a plan in place to bring the project back on track.

Low morale of project team

Low morale of the project team is usually indicative of other issues or concerns.  Whatever the cause, the problem needs to be understood and steps taken to address the issue.  

Project Team working long hours consistently

This is always a danger sign, especially in the early or middle stages of a project.  The real problem is that short bursts of working long hours may not be a major problem, but if the team (or certain individuals in the team) have to continually work long hours then there is a serious problem to be understood and addressed.  The impact of working long hours for long period are many and varied, but this is definitely not a good thing and needs to be resolved.

Failure to get documents signed off (in particular requirements)

Again, there may be many reasons as to why documents may not get signed-off or approved, but none of them are positive in terms of impact on the project.  Also, the impact of having documents unapproved is potentially very serious as this is often the cause of major scope management issues later in the project.  This issue needs to be tackled early and if necessary the project team must escalate to line management and project sponsor early as failure to manage scope change has spelt the death of many projects.

Poor relationship with business delegates (us and them mentality)

This is very serious potentially as once again it can be the outward signs of user/business discontent for any number of reasons and must be addressed.  It is often caused by poor or ineffective communications or processes, but whatever cause it needs to be addressed quickly.

Project schedule not updated regularly or accurately

Again while it may not appear to be a serious problem in itself, it is an indicator that all is not well.  Failure to update or review the schedule regularly indicates that the PM is not using the schedule to run the project and this is very serious, as the impact of various changes can only be determined by updating the schedule for any complex serious of inert-related endeavours (which is the what a project is).  It is often an indication that the PM is over-loaded or else does not have the skills required to plan and manage the project.

Risk and Issue Logs out of date or not populated

This is another key indicator that something is wrong, or at least that the project team is not following due process.  Failure to update risk and issue logs means that the risk and issues may not be being managed and this is potentially deadly.  

Significant scope changes

As with the other items this is a very serious warning indicator as scope change can be the result of a number of project failings.  Whatever the case, the causes of the scope changes if they appear to be significant need to be addressed.

Summing-up

• So, all of the items noted are warning indicators of a project in trouble.  

• If corrective action is taken early enough, any of the underlying issues or concerns can be addressed before it is too late.

• Certainly projects can be turned around, but only if the issues are identified and addressed early enough.  

• This requires open and honest communication between the various parties involved, and an agreement on a course of action to correct the problems.  

• This can be very difficult in the early stages when the project team, the sponsor and the key business areas may all be carried away with the euphoria of the event.

• It could be that some form of mediation is required to resolve issues.

• But, if there are things that are not right, it is critical to fix them early before the costs of correction (or in the worst case, the costs of project cancellation) mount.

• So be valiant and escalate your concerns, in the knowledge that you will ultimately be doing the organisation a great service.

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Project Management| What is a Successful Project

What is a Successful Project?

People often do not understand the difference between delivering a successful project and project management success.

But there is a real difference as I will try to explain.

The essential measure of a successful project is that it delivered a successful outcome to the business. This is largely the responsibility of the project sponsor.

Project Management success on the other hand is delivering a project to the agreed Scope, Time, Cost and Quality, while maintaining a customer relationship and not burning out the project team.  this is largely the responsibility of the project manager.

So what are the different measures of project management success?

• The project must have been delivered to the agreed Scope, Time, Cost and Quality.

• The customer must be happy with the way the project management was carried out which means that the communications in particular, and the various other aspects of the project management, must have been performed professionally.

• Another aspect of successful project management which is almost totally over-looked is the morale and health of the project team.  Project managers who burn-out team resources are not managing corporate resources effectively and the long-term cost to the organisation is usually totally understated.

• Finally there is the overall quality of the Project Management. Here we are measuring how well the project manager managed the full suite of project management competencies including management of planning, communications, risks / issues, team and vendor.

The Post Implementation Review (PIR) is a useful tool for measuring and reporting the project management success against the stated measures.  thgese measures go further than just reporting whether the project was delivered on time, within budget, and to scope. 

What are the measures of project delivery success?

• The project management needs to be successful i.e., all the items listed above

• It is also critical that a successful business outcome is delivered:

• With respect to increased revenues or decreased costs

• With respect to the expected time period when these benefits would be realised.

Usually, unlike project management success, the project benefits realisation is not immediate.  Most projects will not deliver the full benefits until sometime after implementation, possibly even 2 or more years.  This means that the project team will have been disbanded long before the benefits are realised.

The Post Project Review (PPR) is a useful tool for measuring the benefits realisation for the project.

Who is responsible for project success?

Obviously the project manager is responsible for the various project management success measures.

But the delivery of the business outcomes is the responsibility of the sponsor.

This is where it gets very tricky.

If the project fails to deliver then there may be a number of causes. Some of the underlying causes may well be attributed to failures of the project management, but ultimately the delivery of the business benefits are the responsibility of the project sponsor.

The project manager may have put together the business case, but the content is the responsibility of the sponsor.  The sponsor is therefore accountable for the documented assumptions, and for the realisation of benefits from the project.  

So to summarise then, project success incorporates the measurement of project management success in addition to the delivery of the planned business benefits, and cannot be measured fully until the benefits realisation period has passed.

 

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