Measuring Progress
The project by definition is finite and so has to have an endpoint. It is not feasible to measure its performance as it approaches its deadline. It is essential to track the progress of the project as it moves from one work package to next. A good project manager has a detailed project plan with cost and schedule estimates for all statements of work. It is his or her job to accurately monitor, track, measure and analyze the progress in quantifiable results. Each work package is a measurable unit of progress. When the work is not broken down into small , detailed tasks, it can spell disaster for the project. The common practice is to use the 0-50-100 rule to display schedule status in project status meetings.
It is critical to measure costs accurately because cost measures productivity. Actual cost when compared with planned cost will tell the project manager whether the project is progressing as planned. It is important to consider the accounting lag and the rate at which the money is being spent, while calculating the costs.
Another key concept from this chapter is escalation thresholds. These thresholds are typically set in the planning process. They determine who handles a problem or approves a solution. Project team has the authority to solve problems but there are certain problems which need to be handled by senior management. Threshold management also distinguishes the type of changes the project management team can approve from the ones change board must approve. Threshold management ultimately brings the proper level of attention and mediaation to the specific problems which may arise during the life of a project.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Chapter 11
The team members in my project deal with a person amongst them who holds back information which is clearly needed by her direct reports as well as supervisors. When asked for , she provides/ emails data in slices. Other team members constantly run into unnecessary delays because of her holding back the required information in the first place and then spending time in extracting data from her piece by piece. This ongoing bad communication creates resentment, bad team environment, schedule and cost over runs.
The bottom line in this chapter is that effective communication is essential for the health and success of a project. The main idea of this chapter is summarized in that when people work together to accomplish a common-unique goal, they need to coordinate their activities, agree on responsibilities and maintain cost-schedule-quality equilibrium. It is very important to set up formal mechanism for good communication through meetings and reporting. I was drawn to the example of Lockheed Martin where the innovative and collaborative communication strategies of the collocated engineers streamlined the decision making process and enabled them to incorporate changes quickly.
The bottom line in this chapter is that effective communication is essential for the health and success of a project. The main idea of this chapter is summarized in that when people work together to accomplish a common-unique goal, they need to coordinate their activities, agree on responsibilities and maintain cost-schedule-quality equilibrium. It is very important to set up formal mechanism for good communication through meetings and reporting. I was drawn to the example of Lockheed Martin where the innovative and collaborative communication strategies of the collocated engineers streamlined the decision making process and enabled them to incorporate changes quickly.
The change management process involves initial approval of the change and the process of controlling change. Once stakeholders accept it, the change becomes controlled and any further changes would need to go through the change management process again. Good communication makes the process of managing change efficient.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Chapter 10
Building a High Performance Project Team
The project team members work interdependently and cohesively to make decisions and solve problems during the life of a project. A high performance team is characterized by a framework of specific skills, attributes and accountability. A strong and synergistic team can deliver more than the individuals working alone. The framework for a high performance team consists of a positive team environment, collaborative problem solving capability and leadership.
A positive team environment fosters trust and respect among team members. Explicitly stated expectations about interpersonal behavior become the ground rules of a team. All the team members must commit to a shared goal and support from the sponsor. Meetings are conducted to exchange ideas, solve problems and accomplish goals of the project. In a positive team environment, team members are open to actively listening and seriously considering ideas and perspectives different from their own.
Another integral component of a good project team is the art of collaborative problem solving.
Problem solving requires understanding of multiple decision modes and applying the appropriate ones. Accepting the possibility of conflict (and the associated discomfort) is also essential for collaboratively working towards a common goal.
The project team members work interdependently and cohesively to make decisions and solve problems during the life of a project. A high performance team is characterized by a framework of specific skills, attributes and accountability. A strong and synergistic team can deliver more than the individuals working alone. The framework for a high performance team consists of a positive team environment, collaborative problem solving capability and leadership.
A positive team environment fosters trust and respect among team members. Explicitly stated expectations about interpersonal behavior become the ground rules of a team. All the team members must commit to a shared goal and support from the sponsor. Meetings are conducted to exchange ideas, solve problems and accomplish goals of the project. In a positive team environment, team members are open to actively listening and seriously considering ideas and perspectives different from their own.
Another integral component of a good project team is the art of collaborative problem solving.
Problem solving requires understanding of multiple decision modes and applying the appropriate ones. Accepting the possibility of conflict (and the associated discomfort) is also essential for collaboratively working towards a common goal.
Leadership in essence defines the job of a project manager. How he or she leads is critical to the success of a project. A project manager is responsible as well as accountable for orchestrating healthy group dynamics, fostering creativity, demanding accountability and maintaining the strategic vision. This chapter has really been hitting home because in the needs analysis of my project, one of the big reasons for under-achievement of project goals was bad team dynamics and particularly weak leadership. Project management 101 is intended to help the team members learn and apply the skills required in a high performance project team.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Chapter 9
Balancing the Project.
Limited resources necessitate the need for balancing time , money, equipment, material and people resources. A project manager is constantly making choices which will optimize the use of available resources. I found the example of SAFECO field very helpful in understanding the nuances of balance in a good project. An aggressive , accelerated schedule escalated the cost of constructing the baseball field. The project achieved the time deadline but had a cost over run of $ 1oo million.
Balancing should be a part of project definition and planning stages. It involves continuous correcting during the course of a project execution.
There are three levels of balancing a project. A project can be balanced at project level, business level and enterprise level. Re estimating the project in the SOW and work packages can help increase the accuracy of estimates. Task assignments can be changed to reallocate and better manage the resources. To accelerate the schedule , more people can be assigned to a project. Balancing a project at the business case level could involve reducing the product scope, fast tracking and changing the profit requirement. Finally at enterprise level, higher management reviews the firm's resources and makes decision to keep, change, outsource or eliminate a planned project.
Limited resources necessitate the need for balancing time , money, equipment, material and people resources. A project manager is constantly making choices which will optimize the use of available resources. I found the example of SAFECO field very helpful in understanding the nuances of balance in a good project. An aggressive , accelerated schedule escalated the cost of constructing the baseball field. The project achieved the time deadline but had a cost over run of $ 1oo million.
Balancing should be a part of project definition and planning stages. It involves continuous correcting during the course of a project execution.
There are three levels of balancing a project. A project can be balanced at project level, business level and enterprise level. Re estimating the project in the SOW and work packages can help increase the accuracy of estimates. Task assignments can be changed to reallocate and better manage the resources. To accelerate the schedule , more people can be assigned to a project. Balancing a project at the business case level could involve reducing the product scope, fast tracking and changing the profit requirement. Finally at enterprise level, higher management reviews the firm's resources and makes decision to keep, change, outsource or eliminate a planned project.
Chapter 8
The Dynamics of Accurate Estimating
Complete accuracy is impossible to achieve in estimating. A high degree of accuracy is what a project manager strives for while developing estimates. Reviewing the past performance improves the forecasts of the future. Comparing actual performance to estimates is essential to refining the estimating model. A project manager cannot control all the project variables and cannot predict the future. For example changing technology, weather, regulations may result in change of plan.
One of the important steps a project manager can take is to build estimates with complete knowledge of specifications of implementations. No amount of good business practices can replace the detailed blueprint. The blueprint gives the people developing estimates the right tool to do their job. Best people to make estimates are experienced with estimating and people who will actually work on the project. Though all projects have their own characteristics but there are enough similarities in a typical project life cycle to gain from experienced people. Professional estimators bring the expertise and finesse which is generally beyond the scope of a project manager.
Complete accuracy is impossible to achieve in estimating. A high degree of accuracy is what a project manager strives for while developing estimates. Reviewing the past performance improves the forecasts of the future. Comparing actual performance to estimates is essential to refining the estimating model. A project manager cannot control all the project variables and cannot predict the future. For example changing technology, weather, regulations may result in change of plan.
One of the important steps a project manager can take is to build estimates with complete knowledge of specifications of implementations. No amount of good business practices can replace the detailed blueprint. The blueprint gives the people developing estimates the right tool to do their job. Best people to make estimates are experienced with estimating and people who will actually work on the project. Though all projects have their own characteristics but there are enough similarities in a typical project life cycle to gain from experienced people. Professional estimators bring the expertise and finesse which is generally beyond the scope of a project manager.
Phased estimating, apportioning, parametric estimating and bottom estimating are the various estimating techniques used by project managers. Phased estimating requires cost and schedule resource estimates for one phase of a project at a time. At the end of the first phase, a new estimate for the second phase is developed. Bottom-up estimating is considered the most accurate estimating as it takes into consideration the detailed tasks and work packages.
Chapter 7
Realistic Scheduling
A realistic schedule is a step by step process which results in achievement of stakeholder objectives in time and takes into consideration project team, equipment, cost and quality of the project. The techniques of realistic scheduling form the foundation of the project planning.Laying out a detailed scheduling plan can prevent as well as be a tool for solving many subsequent problems, a project manager may encounter.
The sequence of work packages is determined by the relationship between the tasks. Generally, project management software enables you to record relationships between tasks in a predecessor table and a network diagram. The network diagram defines task relationships between work packages and reflect sequence constraints between work packages.
Another useful concept in project management is the setting up of important milestones in the life of a project. Milestones don't affect the schedule but they anchor the whole project network.
They show major progress points and state when the successor can begin.
A realistic schedule is a step by step process which results in achievement of stakeholder objectives in time and takes into consideration project team, equipment, cost and quality of the project. The techniques of realistic scheduling form the foundation of the project planning.Laying out a detailed scheduling plan can prevent as well as be a tool for solving many subsequent problems, a project manager may encounter.
The sequence of work packages is determined by the relationship between the tasks. Generally, project management software enables you to record relationships between tasks in a predecessor table and a network diagram. The network diagram defines task relationships between work packages and reflect sequence constraints between work packages.
Another useful concept in project management is the setting up of important milestones in the life of a project. Milestones don't affect the schedule but they anchor the whole project network.
They show major progress points and state when the successor can begin.
Bottom-up-estimating of cost and duration of work packages is another important planning step which a project manger needs to execute carefully. The four sources of cost estimate are labor, equipment, materials and fixed price bids. Fixed price bids especially if they are from an outside vendor can include all three labor, equipment and materials costs. Each cost is a resource restraint and schedule has to be adjusted to account for these restraints.
Chapter 6
Work Breakdown Structure
A project manager constantly strives to achieve balance in the cost-schedule and quality equilibrium of the project. One of the techniques used to successfully manage the project is WBS. Work breakdown structure is a tool to break a project into its manageable components. It is basically a task list. WBS provides a detailed illustration of project scope. It clarifies the individual and team work assignments and builds those into an overall picture.
WBS becomes the basis for monitoring the progress as identified smaller parts become measurable units.Work breakdown structure also provides accurate cost and schedule estimates for each of the tasks or components.
Project definition and risk management are the stepping stones on which work breakdown structure is built upon. Project deliverables provide the activity that defines a task. This step can be quite overwhelming. For example in case of a large project, it is not possible for a project manager to list all the detailed sub tasks required to complete a high level task in the project. He or she has to involve experts and other team members in the planning process.
A project manager constantly strives to achieve balance in the cost-schedule and quality equilibrium of the project. One of the techniques used to successfully manage the project is WBS. Work breakdown structure is a tool to break a project into its manageable components. It is basically a task list. WBS provides a detailed illustration of project scope. It clarifies the individual and team work assignments and builds those into an overall picture.
WBS becomes the basis for monitoring the progress as identified smaller parts become measurable units.Work breakdown structure also provides accurate cost and schedule estimates for each of the tasks or components.
Project definition and risk management are the stepping stones on which work breakdown structure is built upon. Project deliverables provide the activity that defines a task. This step can be quite overwhelming. For example in case of a large project, it is not possible for a project manager to list all the detailed sub tasks required to complete a high level task in the project. He or she has to involve experts and other team members in the planning process.
In a multidisciplinary project, outside subject matter experts, contractors and vendors may be employed to do some of the work in a project. They may be required to provide their own work breakdown structure.
Work package size is another key concept which helps keep tasks meaningful, manageable and under control. General guidelines of a work package ensure that tasks are accurately estimated, assigned and tracked. It makes a project manager's job a little less arduous when a work package is of correct size.
Work package size is another key concept which helps keep tasks meaningful, manageable and under control. General guidelines of a work package ensure that tasks are accurately estimated, assigned and tracked. It makes a project manager's job a little less arduous when a work package is of correct size.
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