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1
Project Management Methodsfrustrating continuous improvement?Carol A Long Three Triangles Performance Ltd
BCS Hampshire Branch, November 2006
Agenda
� Introduction
� Benefits of improvements in PM
� Step change or continuous improvement?
� Innovation considerations
� Questions
2
What is a project
“ A temporary organisation that is created for the
purpose of delivering one or more business
products according to a specified business case”
� OGC PRINCE2 Pocket Book www.tso.co.uk
� Alternative common definition: “a unique resource-bound
undertaking with a defined objective”
� A simple project lifecycle is: Initiate, Plan, Do, Close.
Notes
3
PM methods and standards
PM methods and standards
� PRINCE2 (OGC methods for projects)
� APM body of knowledge
� PMI body of knowledge, practice standards
� MSP (OGC methods for programmes)
� CMMI gives some guidance
� Six Sigma using DMAIC (Define Measure Analyse Improve Control) Deming (Plan Do Check Act) or Shewhart (Specification Production Inspection) to control project lifecycles
� Standards e.g. IEEE 1074, BS 6079
� Proprietary models, other bodies of knowledge
� Specialist standards and guides e.g. function point estimating or configuration management
4
Why ….
� Are there are so many PM methods?
� Do we think we can improve them?
� What does it mean to my organisation?
� How can we manage improvement with so
many projects running variants of the
methods?
PM methods address causes of failure
Source: POST Report on UK Government IT Projects
� Lack of a clear link between the project and the organisation’s key strategic priorities, including agreed measures of success.
� Lack of clear senior management and ministerial ownership and leadership
� Lack of effective engagement with Stakeholders
� Lack of skills and proven approach to project management and risk management
� Lack of understanding of and contact with the supply industry at senior levels within the organisation.
� Evaluation of proposals driven by initial price rather than long-term value for money (especially securing the delivery of business benefits).
� Too little attention to breaking development and implementation into manageable steps.
� Inadequate resources and skill to deliver the total delivery portfolio.
5
Key PM Processes
� Planned, documented, followed consistently,
reviewed
� Key ones reflect Pinto and Slevin’s 10 critical
success factors.
Pinto and Slevin’s 10 CSFs
Overarching
Underpinning
Tactical
Strategic
Communication
Project Mission
Top management Support
Planning
Client
Acceptance
Client
Consultation
Personnel Technical
Tasks
Troubleshooting
Monitor and Control
7
The Benefits of Improvement
Research
(Crisis)
Business Projects
Learning
(Process Improvement)
Business as Usual
Unfamiliar
Situation
Familiar
Methods
Familiar
Situation
Unfamiliar
Methods
Business as usual
� Strategic alignment
� Cost avoidance
� Intellectual property
� Avoids the fire-fighting spiral
8
Business Projects
� Intellectual property
� Cost avoidance
� Strategic response
� A way of working (with the associated
risks)
Research
� Intellectual property
� Strategic advantage
� Strategic response
� Cost avoidance
� A framework (with the associated risks)
9
Process Improvement
� Intellectual Property
� Competitive Advantage
� Cost Avoidance
� Risk of disrupting current process needs to
be managed
Notes
10
Restricting our own improvement?
Methods stop improvement?
� Cost reduction from consistent practices are valued (“drive out variation”)
� Trained actions tend to be repeatable
� Fewer surprises, more predictable results
� Habit of small refinements, assessment by steps
� The project is unique after all
� Right first time is a must
� Fear of failure reduces risk taking
� Good enough so why fix it
� Is there a better way? (Time and space to ask or do something about it?)
11
Improvement V Control
Innovate processes?
Keep projects stable?
� If this is project X-Ray, then it must be version 3 of QMS but we’ve tailored supplier management.
� I’ve just left project X-Ray and joined Zulu? Now how should I do ….?
� Do we move the whole project organisation to a new document management tool next month?
� Can this project team take time out to learn the new way of working just before that milestone?
� Our customer wants our whole organisation to be assessed against CMMI but not change or delay any of their projects.
� Oh, I forgot to say this customer needs us to conform to IEEE 1074 and ISO 9000 too.
12
How quick can you build a house?
� Normal process:
� UK November 2006: Chartered Institute of Housing conference
� Process differences make real differences
Normal House Build
� depends on size and construction
� 4 - 12 people
� about 4 months
� ready for sale with basic fittings
13
Chartered Institute of Housing demo
� prefab
� 4 men
� in 4 hours
� ready for sale (without fixtures and fittings)
� http://www.housingcorp.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.8944
Notes
14
On one slide …..
� Projects are unique undertakings
� Methods help us deal with that uniqueness by reducing the learning curve, giving structure, aiding communication
� Methods can constrain our way of thinking and working, reducing opportunity for innovation or efficiency gains
� Quality managers need to drive and facilitate the improvements of PM methods in their organisation
� Well thought out methods payback the effort, probably take less effort to execute, lead to success
Agenda
� Introduction
� Benefits of improvements in PM
� Step change or continuous improvement?
� Innovation considerations
Questions
15
Carol A Long
� Director of Three Triangles Performance Ltd
� Practicing project manager and programme manager with 20 years experience of business change and high tech projects
� Specialist in project management process improvement, including PRINCE2, MSP, CMMI and PMMM
� Contributor to PMI standards, IEEE standards APM body of knowledge
� Member of Institute of Management Consulting and BCS, MSP Practitioner, Chartered Engineer
Contact Details
� Email: [email protected]
� Mobile: 0700 639 6393