Project Management - Your Project Sponsor PDF

1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC  2...

1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC  2 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Who is your client! “In any project management environment, project managers must continually interface with executives during both the planning and execution stages” Harold Kerzner In order to understand the executive – project interface, two The Project In-house topics are interlinked Sponsor representatives This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC  3 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Part of a group? This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA  4 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Who is your client! Project Sponsor comes from this level Primary responsibility is executive / project communication No filtering of information & money is wisely spent! Cost v deliverables This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC  5 PROJECT MANAGEMENT In House v Contractor In House Project Management External Project Management Project Sponsor – Project Manager – Project Sponsor – Cost information Status to schedule Direction v strategy Deliverables information Performance information Guidance & communication Contractor – Project Manager – ‘Statement of Work’ Cost v Contract Information Does ‘the job’ Status to schedule Manage implementation Performance information Manage implementation  6 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Sponsor provides guidance ✓ Objectives set and agreed ✓ Project needs to understand these ✓ Project should understand ‘hot buttons’ ✓ Priorities understood and agreed ✓ Priorities understood and agreed ✓ Project Master Planning / WBS ✓ Planning understood and agreed ✓ Up front planning – perhaps with support ✓ Agree (or not) requests ✓ Internal staffing needs – key posts ✓ Implementation ✓ Advice on conflict / problem resolution ✓ Team / Project management This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA  7 PROJECT MANAGEMENT The project ‘insider’ Information on relevant environment & political issues. Clarifying priorities and reasons The The project Explaining reasoning – the WHY project sponsor manager Guidance and direction Point of contact & communication  8 PROJECT MANAGEMENT How the relationships fits together This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA  9 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Project - Line interface Immature Mature Project manager seeks / is given power Project & Line managers share over line managers authority and power PMs negotiate for the best people PMs negotiate line ‘commitment’. PMs work directly with functional PMs work through line employees management – owns outcomes PMs does not evaluate employees PMs adds value to assessments Leadership on projects is PM focused Leadership is Agile & team centred Solutions are PM / expert driven Solutions are team / project driven Objective is to become more mature  10 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Your interface with the project sponsor Executives should be passive. You need … Execs link to the project via the PM and Open door policies the project sponsor. Employees can bypass managers Priority shifting is avoided. to speak directly with sponsor. Visible ongoing support. Take care how many times you Sponsor is committed to ‘ownership’. ‘go to the well’. Support exists on continual basis. Regular communications Sponsor & execs encourage that Regular reviews business decisions are made. Assistance & advice This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC  11 PROJECT MANAGEMENT ✓ But excutives can be really busy ✓ Your project may not be a priority project ✓ Your project may be routine ✓ Your project may be strategic / critical ✓ You may work as a team of project managers This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA  12 PROJECT MANAGEMENT How the relationships fits together Project Board of Director This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND Directors Project Project Sponsor Manager Project team Organisation This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA  13 PROJECT MANAGEMENT How the relationships work As it was … 20 yrs – Project sponsor interacted just with the PM – Especially true for SMEs & smaller projects Now, with complexity of projects (technology, globalisation, younger aspirants, less manual staff, specialisation) they may interact with the project team) They show interest and involvement. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY  14 PROJECT MANAGEMENT By staying next to the team, they stay close to everyone Why ? in the organisation! Maintain contact with entire team, Practical / visible support for the PM Maintain visible priority, Reinforce business case & justification, Assist in organisational issues / design, Guide project specific issues, Communication, Neutralise bears and potential threats! This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY  15 PROJECT MANAGEMENT How you relate? The project sponsor is like a ‘big brother’ to the PM This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA They have exactly the same objectives – or should have The sponsor can advise the PM about company issues The sponsor can help the PM overcome problems Everyone needs a friend, especially the PM – manage stress This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC  16 PROJECT MANAGEMENT When to seek help? Red lights – a problem exists that could impact time, cost, scope or quality … the sponsor’s help is necessary. Traffic light Yellow / amber – a potential problem reporting may exist – inform the sponsor – no action needed. system Green light – work is progressing to plan – sponsor is not needed, but it’s nice to tell anyway ! This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC  17 PROJECT MANAGEMENT What of your sponsor? What are his or her ‘hot buttons’? What do I mean when I say ‘hot buttons’? This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND Pick the low hanging fruit. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY Bring home more benefits than you promise. Lots of single runs – if you play cricket! This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA  18 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Scope What is ‘Scope’ – It’s what the project manager commits to delivering – It’s the project ‘boundaries’ But … the ‘scope’ may not be clear until well into the project, Sometimes they depend upon the project outcomes, Sometimes they arrive by negotiation! Often though, Scope ‘drifts’, or ‘creeps’ This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA  19 PROJECT MANAGEMENT What causes scope creep Poorly defined requirements Poor communications Misunderstood expectations Perfectionism Pressure Deception Poor change control Impact of scope creep. Placating the customer This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC  20 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Scope creep? To make your project come in on or under cost, to schedule, reduce the scope creep and/or get paid for extra work. ✓ ‘Scope creep’ will happen – it’s almost impossible to prevent ✓ Know & clarify project requirements, clear understandings ✓ The customer is not always right ✓ Get user involvement early This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA  21 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Business Case? Projects are either crisis driven or have a business case! This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA What is ‘a business case?’ – Cost benefit projection – ROCE – ROI – Strategic Objectives – etc This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND  22 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Business Case? In all (well nearly all) projects there is a financial decision whether to, or not to invest in a project. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC There are some very poor decisions based on poor information, poor planning, incorrect facts etc There are also some very demanding promises made when projects are sold! Why is this?  23 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Business Case? Why, the PM SHOULD be Why the PM should NOT be involved in developing it? involved in developing it? Better understanding of – The PM cannot contribute ? business reasoning, better – Added cost ? planning, greater commitment – Complexity of funding ? and better understanding of – Confidentiality ? context! – Unclear project definition to Do a better job ….! know who should manage it ? This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA  24 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Reporting results? This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA ✓ Dashboards are like car dash boards, they tell how the project is performing! ✓ They can display project information in a variety of formats, but are usually updated automatically ✓ Focus users on what matters - results Operational Tactical Strategic Performance Departmental Execution of metrics performance Strategy  25 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Metrics, an introduction! Project success can be defined as ‘the delivery of business value and project value’. If something cannot be measured, it cannot be managed What gets merasured gets done No one ever really understands anything unless it can be measured Agree how your project will be measured.  26 PROJECT MANAGEMENT KPIs, an introduction! « A KPI is a metric measuring how well the organisation or an individual performs an operational, tactical or strategic activity that is critical for the current and future success of the organisation! » ✓ ‘Earned Value Measurement System’ – KPI ? ✓ Cost / Schedule Control System – Metrics ?  27 PROJECT MANAGEMENT KPIs, an introduction! The need for KPI is simple – What gets measured gets done. KPIs should be agreed before the project ‘kicks off’ Do stakeholders agree on KPIs Is the data easily available What is the cost of data collection Risk of ‘system’ changes Some KPIs may not be available until later.  28 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Drive Strategic Outcomes Trace ‘Game Simple Accurate Proofed’ Origins Timely Strategically Is Owned Relevant Aligned Updated Agreed on Actionable definition  29 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Easy to understand KPIs, an introduction! Accountability Accurate & Trigger relevant points Eg Late Planes impacts many other core metrics – Costs increase as Empower Timely, right connecting flights missed, reduced people to act time data customer satisfaction, worker morale, service schedules and quality / cost, plane availability  30 PROJECT MANAGEMENT It’s a bit like online dating ! So I’m told This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed CC BY-NC under CC BY-SA-NC What are you looking for? ✓ You need to discover what stakeholders want to know! Look for good connections, try to ✓ Filter through your data sources – sort through the be creative. crap until you get good connections Checklist of what your needs are ✓ Choose the KPI you wish to make visual, will your – look for matches information help stakeholders Select the right person ✓ Select the right visuals, display information in the most effective way for the viewer Engage in conversation, impress ✓ Good 1st impressions – picture is worth 1000 words; past the first date and does the thinking for them. Ensure substance Relationships require work! ✓ Just like relationships require maintenance, so do Communicate and contact! dashboard,  31 PROJECT MANAGEMENT 7 Deadly Sins of Dashboards! Off the page, Out of mind If we need to scroll down, we don’t And this means … what? Dashboard must put info. into context Right data, wrong chart The wrong chart hides value & priority Not making it look right Present information to have impact Group together info to aid understanding A lack of emphasis Make the dashboard user friendly & clear Debilitating detail Dashboards are for trends & big pictures, the prime attribute should be simplicity! Not crunching the numbers The dashboard should clearly show the meaning of data, highlight the answers This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA  32 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Doing the work is easy Finding the benefits is not too hard Reporting the results is more difficult This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND Justifying their confidence is tougher Supporting the decision maker is key  33 PROJECT MANAGEMENT SO, WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR PROJECT SPONSOR, AND HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN IT? OPEN DISCUSSION....