Being a professional project manager

1. I. Project management knowledge • The importance of PM knowledge • Generic knowledge II. Project management failure • Major risk factors • Avoidance and mitigation of risk III. The importance of soft skills Being a professional project manager

2. Context of work is changing Work within organizations is more likely to be project based Project management skills have become a part of the accepted skills of the effective manager Early research has focused on tools and techniques Now the focus is shifting to the behavioral aspects of PM The role of affect in PM Leybourne, S. (2007) The changing bias of project management research: A consideration of the literatures and an application of extant theory. Project Management Journal, 38(1), 61-73 I. Project management knowledge

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4. I. Project management knowledge Organizational context Organizational interest in flexible working Attempt to channel creativity and innovation to create organizations that can survive and prosper in turbulent environments Dismantling of organizational bureaucracies, leads to higher levels of self-directed work What are we learning about the social and behavioral components of PM? It’s time to move from practitioner based research to theoretically informed studies of PM

5. I. Project management knowledge Can there be a “theory of projects?” There is a long standing assumption that research should generate findings applicable to practitioners The tools and techniques approach has been useful but limited A theory becomes possible by broadening the view of PM to include the contexts within which it takes place Using a naturalist notion of the social construction of reality based on individual and group perceptions Assumes that projects involve unique actions undertaken in an uncertain and turbulent environments

6. I. Project management knowledge There is a growing awareness of strong links between PM and strategic change in organizations Ex: use of PM within implementation processes could improve the outcomes of strategic planning Ex: structures and disciplines for implementing new IT strategies have been drawn almost exclusively from the PM body of knowledge Ex: PM is perceived as the most successful tool to implement quality improvement programs because it provides a holistic approach to organizational change Ex: management by projects is becoming a way for organizations to fulfill their business plans

7. I. Project management knowledge What a theory might focus on Wider behavioral and organizational aspects of managing work using project-based teams Importance of knowledge generation and capture from project activity Importance of understanding project leadership The interaction between PM and organizational power and politics How organizational power and politics can be used by coalitions and cliques to hinder project progress

8. Dilemma: projects are typically defined as “fundamentally unique pieces of work” Can standardized generic PM knowledge be created? Trend: increasing interest in standards for development and assessment of PM competence They are used extensively in training, professional certification programs and corporate PM methodologies Assumes a positive relationship between standards and effective workplace performance Crawford, L. and Pollack, J. (2007). How generic are project management knowledge and practice?. Project Management Journal 38(1), 87-96 http://bert.lib.indiana.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=24844789&site=ehost-live I. Project management knowledge

9. The development of standards is important Can regulate and legitimate professional activity across organizational boundaries Can be a basis for a shared version of quality Can be used to resolve disputes In PM: standards provide confidence that project personnel share a commonly accepted terminology They use common project management tools and techniques They have the capability to satisfy project objectives I. Project management knowledge

10. Standards also benefit PM professionals Requires prior establishment of a body of knowledge Then credentialing is used to recognize professionals as meeting the standards of the profession Allows them to claim mastery of the body of knowledge Helps project personnel achieve professional status and independent recognition of their PM competence Can provide a path for advancement through evidence of competence and recognition of prior learning for those without similar qualifications I. Project management knowledge

11. There is a tension between uniqueness and generality leading to conflicting assumptions in the field Projects are similar enough to allow standardization The creation of professional standards assumes a level of similarity in the actions taken by members of a profession Projects are fundamentally unique PM is practiced in wide range of contexts and it is no longer clear that people manage projects in comparable ways I. Project management knowledge

12. PM standards support the notion of the “generic” project Assumes there are generic sets of knowledge, skills, and practices that are applicable to most projects most of the time Evidence: competency standards for PM available worldwide PMBOK seeks to provide a standardized language Assumes the same tasks are being performed while different terms are used to discuss them Practitioner books describe PM as a standard set of activities: organizing, planning, and budgeting I. Project management knowledge

13. PM research finds fundamental differences between types of projects Many categorization schemes are used to sort projects Ex: sort by industry sector and application area Assuming that different approaches will be applicable in different areas Ex: sort by the product or deliverable Assuming that that similar products lead to similar approaches to their delivery Ex: sort by the strategic system used for uncovering and coping with risk I. Project management knowledge

14. Sorting Ex: sort by hard or soft based on the tangibility of project outputs, ease of estimation, ambiguity of logical relationships Project goals, environments, and stakeholders can be shown to influence project success This is because different categories of project have different sets of problems and different PM techniques may apply The literature suggests that projects have considerable variation, and the management styles used do not seem to be universal I. Project management knowledge

15. I. Project management knowledge Their study At a multinational level PM knowledge seems generic across industry sectors The most generic knowledge domains are cost and quality Use of PM practices seems generic across countries and application areas but not across industry sectors The most generic practices are scope, integration, and communication

16. I. Project management knowledge However, significant differences are apparent when PM knowledge is analyzed by country or application area and when PM practices are analyzed by industry sector At the unit level, significant differences were seen in practices related to integration, time, communications, risk, and procurement Not: scope, cost, quality, and HR knowledge These results suggest that PM cannot legitimately be considered as one consistent, generic activity Implication: in the workplace, PM in different industries and application areas have greater need to use different PM practices and knowledge

17. I. Project management knowledge Implications The tension between uniqueness and similarity does need to be managed This will allow PM to remain relevant across countries, industries, and application areas Their take: projects resemble each other and uniqueness does not mean complete dissimilarity to all other projects Ex: A work breakdown structure can often be reused, because projects within a given organization will have similar life cycles They will have similar deliverables at each phase

18. I. Project management knowledge Implications It is possible that the divide between perceptions of uniqueness and similarity is a contradiction in any one view It is a split between the views of different groups Some apply PM in new application areas Some continue to apply PM in its original application areas and see no reason to change Industry would rather see students trained as generalists rather than specialists, with industry providing the necessary detailed instruction with on-the-job training

19. I. Project management knowledge Agile project management Originated in software development to deal with volatile environments System requirements have to change as technology, social and organizational contexts change Focus: rapid iterative delivery, flexibilityand working code Ex: eXtreme Programming (XP), Crystal, Scrum, Adaptive Software Development, Dynamic Systems Development Method • Augustine, S., Pace, C.C., Payne, B. Sencindiver, F. and Woodcock, S. (2005) Agile project management: steering from the edges. Communications of the ACM, 48(12), 85-89. http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1101779.1101781

20. I. Project management knowledge Moving away from linear models of PM Stable systems drag: organizations responding to changing environments and increasingly obsolete legacy systems Moving towards complex adaptive systems 1. Organic teams of from seven to nine members with self organization and emergent order People can join and leave teams Agile manager establishes clear roles and responsibilities ensuring good team alignment and accountability

21. I. Project management knowledge 2. Guiding vision: a simple statement of project purpose communicated to all team members Manager defines, disseminates, and sustains a vision that influences the internal models of members Agile Manifesto http://www.agilemanifesto.org 3. Simple rules: leading to complex behavior that emerges over time Simple generative rules that do not restrict the autonomy and creativity of members Daily 15 minute meeting, early and continuous delivery, rapid feedback on changes, stakeholder involvement

22. I. Project management knowledge 4. Free and open access to information Sharing of plans, progress, objectives, and organization is a catalyst for members’ adaptation 5. Light touch management style Increased control doesn’t yield increased order Managers accept their inability to know everything in advance and relinquish some control to achieve greater order 6. Adaptive leadership Events are understood in terms of their patterns, or the common elements that recur in diverse circumstances

23. Being a professional project manager I. Project management knowledge • The importance of PM knowledge • Generic knowledge II. Project management failure • Major risk factors • Avoidance and mitigation of risk III. The importance of soft skills

24. II. Project management failure Given the high rate of IT project failure, what can PM do to assess risk? Context: Standish Group’s 2004 "CHAOS" study update 28% (of several thousand) were completed on time and on budget, down from a previous high of 34% 18% (up from 15%) were canceled before completion of the development cycle 51% were completed over-budget, behind schedule, and contained fewer functions than originally specified Tesch, D., Kloppenborg, T.J. and Frolick, M.N. (2007). IT project risk factors: The project management professionals perspective. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 47(4), p61-69

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26. II. Project management failure Risk management is one of the facilitating functions critical to project success A systematic process of identifying, analyzing, and responding to project risk Also understanding the potential for problems as they might impede project success Cycle: identification, assessment, mitigation, monitoring and control Goal: to minimize probability and impact of potential risks and maximize probability and impact of potential opportunities

27. II. Project management failure Components of risk management Risk management planning: the process of deciding how to approach, plan, and execute risk management activities for a project Risk identification: determining which risks are likely to affect the project and documenting their characteristics Qualitative risk analysis: the prioritization of risks for further analysis and detailing their probability of occurrence and impact Tesch, D., Kloppenborg, T.J. and Frolick, M.N. (2007). IT project risk factors: The project management professionals perspective. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 47(4), p61-69 http://bert.lib.indiana.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=26000737&site=ehost-live

28. II. Project management failure Components of risk management Quantitative risk analysis: numerical analysis of the effect of identified risks on project objectives Risk response planning: development of options and actions to enhance opportunities and reduce threats to project objectives Normally in the form of strategies to avoid risk or to mitigate the impact if it occurs Risk monitoring and control: responding to changes in risk over the course of the project Identification, tracking and monitoring of risks, execution, and evaluation of response plans

29. II. Project management failure Risk category: top rated risks Sponsorship/ownership: inadequate top management commitment Funding and scheduling: entire project not budgeted at the outset Personnel and staffing: lacking enough staff or those with the right skills Scope: requirements ignored for the sake of technology Requirements: project changes are managed poorly Relationship management: project fails to satisfy end- user expectations

30. II. Project management failure • Reich, B.H., Gemino, A. and Sauer, C. (2008) Modeling the knowledge perspective of IT projects. Project Management Journal; Supplement, 39, S4-S14.

31. II. Project management failure What to do Examine each risk by placing it into a category Estimate the impact if the risk event occurs Estimate the probability of the risk event Analyze when the risk can be expected Then use appropriate strategies Avoidance: trying to head the problems off before they become severe Mitigation: trying to minimize the impact of a risk after it has materialized

32. II. Project management failure Sponsorship/ownership: inadequate top management commitment: avoidance strategies Establish an executive project sponsor Emphasize the project benefits to the steering team Provide communications to the sponsor and customer about value of the project so they can sell it to their management Get a clear go or stop the project Communicate the project status frequently to all stakeholders Replace the sponsor or cancel the project

33. II. Project management failure Sponsorship/ownership: inadequate top management commitment: mitigation strategies Obtain signoff on commitments or escalate Stop the project Meet with the sponsor and management to make a go/no go decision Work with the sponsor and customer to understand the reasons for lack of commitment Establish and review management's expectations Challenge the steering team to vote whether to continue the project

34. II. Project management failure Funding and scheduling: entire project must be budgeted from the outset: avoidance strategies Plan in phases and only detail the current phase Develop the plan as the phases progress Budget the project one phase at a time Link funding to the planning horizon Develop a resource allocation plan that supports the project plan Add in adequate contingency to maintain the project The initial budget should be understood as just that

35. II. Project management failure Funding and scheduling: entire project must be budgeted from the outset: mitigation strategies Re-evaluate the project cost-benefit, crashing, and other options Review funding at each phase gate to determine funding requirements for subsequent phases or years Use the change management process to add funding Perform risk assessment and communicate the results to all stakeholders Explain shortfalls to the sponsor and customer and the need for additional funding

36. II. Project management failure Personnel and staffing: project lacks enough people or those with the right skills: avoidance strategies Determine project needs for each position, review skills of those assigned and replace as required Early on validate resource requirements, evaluate available skill sets, and match resources Recruit to fill gaps Use a roles and responsibility matrix to identify problem areas Do not commit to the project without appropriate skills Consider skill requirements in risk assessment

37. II. Project management failure Personnel and staffing: project lacks enough people or those with the right skills: mitigation strategy Staff to meet requested deliverables or reduce requirements Try for cross-project experience or temporary external support Document staffing gaps and secure approval to address them Replace or reassign team members or, if there is enough time, retrain them Work with the project team to determine how to get around the shortage

38. II. Project management failure Scope: requirements are ignored for the sake of technology: avoidance strategies Conduct a project feasibility study to determine its expected benefit to the business Link the business case to business rules outlined in the functional requirements Validate the business case by having the executive sponsors prioritize the project based on business value Project should be rejected in the selection phase Reset expectations and proceed as a prototype Define alternatives if new technology is unsuccessful

39. II. Project management failure Scope: requirements are ignored for the sake of technology: mitigation strategies Force re-evaluation of the project with top management Stop the project until you get a clear business case and understand the project's benefits Research alternative technologies and compare the justification for each Analyze an alternative defined in the risk plan for impact on cost, schedule, and scope and implement it Ask marketing to find a market for the “lost” technology Kill it

40. II. Project management failure Requirements: project changes are handled poorly: avoidance strategies Perform organizational readiness exercises prior to a major project Develop a clear, concise, and agreed-to charter before starting work Establish a clear change control process Establish a project change control committee and chair Require sponsor approval of changes Require steering team approval of major changes

41. II. Project management failure Requirements: project changes are handled poorly: mitigation strategies Discuss with stakeholders Follow rules, procedures, and processes for handling changes Meet with customer and sponsor to review the change management plan and adjust if necessary, but more likely renew commitment to the plan Immediately assess the change control plan and fix breaks in the current plan

42. II. Project management failure Requirements: project changes are handled poorly: mitigation strategies Evaluate the impact of change requests to schedule, budget, and ROI - then send to management for approval Revisit requirements, obtain approvals, and signoff baseline requirements Ensure the change control manager and team understand the process Add project management resources and re-do tasks not done properly

43. II. Project management failure Relationship management: failure to meet user expectations: avoidance strategies Place end user on the steering team to gather feedback in time to address problems Set clear requirements for scope and schedule in the project charter and communicate it to all stakeholders Hold design reviews with client to ensure needs are met Use requirements gathering sessions and include the right stakeholders Set up customer reviews at key milestones to ensure expectations are being met

44. II. Project management failure Relationship management: failure to meet user expectations: mitigation strategies Include key stakeholders as soon as you notice a lack of expectation Meet with customers face-to-face to review expectations Put expectations in writing and secure agreement by all Revisit scope and customer requirements Get sponsors to understand the problem so they help communicate the problem with customers Conduct "level set" meeting with customer and evaluate the impact on the project

45. Being a professional project manager I. Project management knowledge • The importance of PM knowledge • Generic knowledge II. Project management failure • Major risk factors • Avoidance and mitigation of risk III. The importance of soft skills

46. III. The importance of soft skills Trend: screening for and developing nontechnical "soft" skills in PM is critical for the continued success of any complex, fast-changing organization There is agreement about the importance of leadership and other such "soft" skills in management and in improving efficiency and output Also the importance of teamwork and the ability of a manager to create an environment in which the team can work Muzio, E., Fisher, D.J., Thomas, E.R., and Peters, V. (2007). Soft skills quantification (SSQ) for project manager competencies. Project Management Journal, 38(2), 30-38. http://bert.lib.indiana.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=25532328&site=ehost-live

47. III. The importance of soft skills Effective team function and specific manifestations of management style have been directly linked to project success Efficacy of communication has been found to be critical in most phases of a project Transformational leadership is critically important to PM This is the ability to mobilize and engage followers at all levels of motivation, behavior, aspiration, and need Also attending flexibly and proactively to issues as they arise

48. III. The importance of soft skills Why they matter Soft skills can compensate for lack of more traditional cognitive intelligence They often are the differentiating factor between adequate and stellar performance Interpersonal, intrapersonal, adaptability, stress management, general mood (Butler and Chinowsky, 2006) Personal, social, with subgroupings (Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee, 2002) Lingusitic, logical-mathematical, spatial, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal (Armstrong, 1999).

49. III. The importance of soft skills Examples Strong work ethic: Are you motivated and dedicated to getting the job done, no matter what? Will you be conscientious and do your best work? Positive attitude: Are you optimistic and upbeat? Will you generate good energy and good will? Good communication skills: Are you both verbally articulate and a good listener? Can you make your case and express your needs in a way that builds bridges with colleagues, customers and vendors? Lorenz, K. (2005). What Are Soft Skills? CareerBuilder.com http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-1374-Job-Info-and-Trends-What-Are-Soft-Skills/?ArticleID=1374&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=07b06ffa87b845bdb4cb38da5db5cc04-323861624-RP-4

50. III. The importance of soft skills Time management abilities: Can you prioritize tasks and work on a number of different projects at once? Will you use your time on the job wisely? Problem-solving skills: Are you resourceful and able to creatively solve problems that will inevitably arise? Will you take ownership of problems or leave them for someone else? Team player: Will you work well in groups and teams? Will you be cooperative and take a leadership role when appropriate?