Tata Consultancy needed more programme managers and wanted to recruit from within by ‘talent spotting’ among existing project managers and identifying what was needed in training and development to make them good programme managers.
Training, recruitment and assessment consultancy Provek was called in to help. A three-step process was used:
1. An online assessment benchmarked against APM levels and industry norms and including personality indicators, which was then management reviewed. From an original 130, this identified 55 to go through to the next stage.
2. A scored CV, focusing on experience and asking what skills candidates thought they had. This was also management reviewed and 8 people progressed to the last stage.
3. A structured interview, exploring beyond the CV and which helped to shape the training programme
Even those who did not get through to the final 8 benefited from the process, as the feedback helped them to see what they needed to do to fill the gaps in their own development and skills.
Since then, Provek has aligned its first-stage assessment scoring to IPMA levels A-D. Tata Consultancy feels the process could be further improved by having more management and HR reviews before deciding on the final selection.
Discussion:
What is the difference between project and programme management? For Tata Consulting, the answer was the number of projects and people an individual was managing. But there is a school of thought that says the best programme managers have never been project managers.
Developing programme managers should include leadership training and senior stakeholder management.
Do you believe you are a better than average project manager? Yes 75%
Have you objectively compared yourself against other project managers outside your own organisation? Yes 45%
Thursday 30 October 2008
How do you find that something extra? Building project professionalism across DWP - Ian Anderson, DWP and Tony Teague, MD, Human Systems
Managing complex projects calls for more than basic skills, yet the ‘tough’ skills that make the difference, such as leadership, are in short supply. The focus needs to change.
Research has identified the top three skills that can make a difference:
· A competent project manager
· Processes and planning
· Clarity about technical objectives
The increasing demand and short supply of skilled project managers means that organisations need to grow their own, such as through project academies.
At the DWP, post project reviews revealed that if a project had gone wrong, it was usually people that were the main reason. The department’s project capability is being improved internally through creating communities of like-minded people who develop a common standard of learning and development.
Through sharing knowledge and best practice internally, with other government departments and with outside organisations, benchmarking and assessments to place the best people in the right projects, a supportive infrastructure and with champions to drive this change, the DWP is now moving towards an academy structure.
Among the aims are to be seen as an exemplar and an employer of choice.
Has the project management profession focused too hard on technical processes and skills at the cost of tough leadership skills?
Yes 90%
Do you believe that project management skills are wholly transferable between sectors and organisations?
Yes 65%
Research has identified the top three skills that can make a difference:
· A competent project manager
· Processes and planning
· Clarity about technical objectives
The increasing demand and short supply of skilled project managers means that organisations need to grow their own, such as through project academies.
At the DWP, post project reviews revealed that if a project had gone wrong, it was usually people that were the main reason. The department’s project capability is being improved internally through creating communities of like-minded people who develop a common standard of learning and development.
Through sharing knowledge and best practice internally, with other government departments and with outside organisations, benchmarking and assessments to place the best people in the right projects, a supportive infrastructure and with champions to drive this change, the DWP is now moving towards an academy structure.
Among the aims are to be seen as an exemplar and an employer of choice.
Has the project management profession focused too hard on technical processes and skills at the cost of tough leadership skills?
Yes 90%
Do you believe that project management skills are wholly transferable between sectors and organisations?
Yes 65%
Directing Change – a model for business improvement. Paul Major, Program Framework
Is persuading senior directors that there should be a change specialist on the board ‘mission impossible’ or an opportunity to move your organisation forward?
The role of change managers is to make the business successful, not merely making incremental tweaks. There is also a need for speed, especially in today’s economic climate which itself is changing day by day.
Project managers are change managers. Their skills should be in the boardroom, directing and driving operational change that is successful and sustainable – a ‘Chief Creator of Competitive Advantage’.
Because being better at business as usual is not enough. Now you need to become the best at not only doing the right things, but also doing things right.
The challenge for the project management community is to take this message into their organisations, raising the profile of the profession and taking effective change management out of the back room and into the board room, so that enterprise project management become enterprise change management.
Do any of your organisations have representation on the board for change management?
Yes 65%
The role of change managers is to make the business successful, not merely making incremental tweaks. There is also a need for speed, especially in today’s economic climate which itself is changing day by day.
Project managers are change managers. Their skills should be in the boardroom, directing and driving operational change that is successful and sustainable – a ‘Chief Creator of Competitive Advantage’.
Because being better at business as usual is not enough. Now you need to become the best at not only doing the right things, but also doing things right.
The challenge for the project management community is to take this message into their organisations, raising the profile of the profession and taking effective change management out of the back room and into the board room, so that enterprise project management become enterprise change management.
Do any of your organisations have representation on the board for change management?
Yes 65%
What new horizons can we see? Project management for business start-ups – Richard Newton, consultant
The skills and mindset of a project manager are an important tool in starting up a new business – and it is business start-ups that could take us out of the current economic downturn.
Start-ups are dynamic, uncertain and volatile, awash with emotion, uncertainty, ambiguity and assumptions. Tasks are difficult to identify or estimate and resources are limited.
On the plus side, the people involved are highly motivated, decisions are made fast, there are fewer sacred cows when it comes to prioritisation, clear accountability and progress, all mixed with passion and ideas.
Credibility and confidence is needed especially when chasing funding. A project manager can help to develop this by being the honest voice of calm and reality and by bringing clarity, structure, problem solving and robust processes to the table.
A pragmatic approach, being action and outcome orientated, keeping plans as simple as possible and the ability to drive ruthless prioritisation and fast decision-making are all great project management attributes for this world.
It’s not for the faint-hearted – you need to be flexible and go in with your eyes open. If you can’t take the stress, don’t do it!
Do you think project managers can add value to a start-up business?
Yes – 100%
As a project manager, would you relish the challenge of that kind of environment?
Yes - 75%
Start-ups are dynamic, uncertain and volatile, awash with emotion, uncertainty, ambiguity and assumptions. Tasks are difficult to identify or estimate and resources are limited.
On the plus side, the people involved are highly motivated, decisions are made fast, there are fewer sacred cows when it comes to prioritisation, clear accountability and progress, all mixed with passion and ideas.
Credibility and confidence is needed especially when chasing funding. A project manager can help to develop this by being the honest voice of calm and reality and by bringing clarity, structure, problem solving and robust processes to the table.
A pragmatic approach, being action and outcome orientated, keeping plans as simple as possible and the ability to drive ruthless prioritisation and fast decision-making are all great project management attributes for this world.
It’s not for the faint-hearted – you need to be flexible and go in with your eyes open. If you can’t take the stress, don’t do it!
Do you think project managers can add value to a start-up business?
Yes – 100%
As a project manager, would you relish the challenge of that kind of environment?
Yes - 75%
Managing programme complexity - a case for change. Chris Hodson and Bob Warner
"Like living in goldfish bowl,” was how Chris Hudson and Bob Warner of Remploy described attempts to overhaul the business model and integrate more disabled workers into mainstream employment.
For the past 60 years Remploy has placed 95% of disabled workers in its own factories but this was costing money.
Bob said: "The loss per disabled employer was 20k per year, whereas the cost of placing them in mainstream employment is 5k.”
But there were considerable challenges, not least from within the organisation where previous attempts to change working practices had met with resistance and even resulted in candlelit protests from Remploy employees outside the House of Commons back in 1999.
Remploy’s strategy was to first guarantee no compulsory redundancies and then manage the process of change internally. This involved bringing project managers up to speed and breaking the complex nature of project into manageable parts.
The result is a fourfold increase in numbers of disabled workers in mainstream employment and a further 20,000 expected to enter into jobs over the next five years.
“One of the lessons learnt,” said Bob, “was that the active management of project complexity leads to acceptable levels of project risk.”
For the past 60 years Remploy has placed 95% of disabled workers in its own factories but this was costing money.
Bob said: "The loss per disabled employer was 20k per year, whereas the cost of placing them in mainstream employment is 5k.”
But there were considerable challenges, not least from within the organisation where previous attempts to change working practices had met with resistance and even resulted in candlelit protests from Remploy employees outside the House of Commons back in 1999.
Remploy’s strategy was to first guarantee no compulsory redundancies and then manage the process of change internally. This involved bringing project managers up to speed and breaking the complex nature of project into manageable parts.
The result is a fourfold increase in numbers of disabled workers in mainstream employment and a further 20,000 expected to enter into jobs over the next five years.
“One of the lessons learnt,” said Bob, “was that the active management of project complexity leads to acceptable levels of project risk.”
Project Networking, Janet Smart, BT Centre for Major Programme Management, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Skill in social networking sites such as Facebook could be an essential qualification for project managers of the future.
Research at the Saïd Business School indicates that the way people behave on these sites could affect the way they work and has to be taken into account when thinking about the future of project management.
The Facebook generation will bring social networking into the workplace - many people are already using it informally as a way of communicating at work. In the future, organisations will need to enable those working on a project to communicate in this way, sharing information and expertise, problem solving and enabling links.
The academic world has much to contribute to the future, providing an opportunity for awareness and reflection, looking at ways of in which the profession can change and what should be passed on from the general corpus of knowledge.
Next year the Saïd Business School will introduce an MSc in Major Programme Management, encouraging people to think critically about what is being done now and how it could change for the future.
Working on the premise that a project or programme is also an organisation with similar skills requirements, it is taking theoretical knowledge from the design of an organisation and imparting it into the current mindset of project and programme management, moving from a skills base to a more reflective model.
For further details on the course, visit www.sbs.ox.ac.uk
Is a project an organisation?
Yes 78%
Research at the Saïd Business School indicates that the way people behave on these sites could affect the way they work and has to be taken into account when thinking about the future of project management.
The Facebook generation will bring social networking into the workplace - many people are already using it informally as a way of communicating at work. In the future, organisations will need to enable those working on a project to communicate in this way, sharing information and expertise, problem solving and enabling links.
The academic world has much to contribute to the future, providing an opportunity for awareness and reflection, looking at ways of in which the profession can change and what should be passed on from the general corpus of knowledge.
Next year the Saïd Business School will introduce an MSc in Major Programme Management, encouraging people to think critically about what is being done now and how it could change for the future.
Working on the premise that a project or programme is also an organisation with similar skills requirements, it is taking theoretical knowledge from the design of an organisation and imparting it into the current mindset of project and programme management, moving from a skills base to a more reflective model.
For further details on the course, visit www.sbs.ox.ac.uk
Is a project an organisation?
Yes 78%
What do we mean by ‘complex’? Step back from chaos - Harvey Maylor, Stephen Carver
A lot of complexity is added, it needn’t be there. Researched what this meant; managerial response was to identify some broad factors that can introduce complexity:
• mission,
• organisation,
• delivery,
• stakeholders,
• team.
We identify two dimensions to complexity: structural and dynamic dimensions.
Example: flying – want a journey to be boring, uneventful.
How do pilots do it? They plan everything, but spend little time flying, done on autopilot – just like projects should be! They’re there to deal with unplanned events – low structural and low dynamic dimensions.
If we introduce Air Traffic Control (ATC) to maximise use of airspace complexity changes. ATC is more of an art than a science, but a lot of science is used – complexity becomes low dynamic, high structural.
Introduce fighter pilot – lots of planning, uncertain outcomes – low structural, high dynamic.
Introduce ATC for military need to know what’s going on and make decisions on how to deal with situation – lone pilot quickly a dead pilot - know where your projects (own and enemy) are – but they’re moving all the time, high structural, high dynamic.
Do you have SROs who can deal with this? Takeoffs easy, landings difficult – landing projects the same anyone can start one. A good landing is one you can walk away from, a very good one is when you can use the plane again.
On an organisational level, we’d probably like our projects to fall in the low/low category, but as project managers we’re more likely to prefer the high/high categories – more challenging, more enjoyable. There’s a balance to strike.
In future, should be aiming to identify, manage and reduce complexity as we go along.
• mission,
• organisation,
• delivery,
• stakeholders,
• team.
We identify two dimensions to complexity: structural and dynamic dimensions.
Example: flying – want a journey to be boring, uneventful.
How do pilots do it? They plan everything, but spend little time flying, done on autopilot – just like projects should be! They’re there to deal with unplanned events – low structural and low dynamic dimensions.
If we introduce Air Traffic Control (ATC) to maximise use of airspace complexity changes. ATC is more of an art than a science, but a lot of science is used – complexity becomes low dynamic, high structural.
Introduce fighter pilot – lots of planning, uncertain outcomes – low structural, high dynamic.
Introduce ATC for military need to know what’s going on and make decisions on how to deal with situation – lone pilot quickly a dead pilot - know where your projects (own and enemy) are – but they’re moving all the time, high structural, high dynamic.
Do you have SROs who can deal with this? Takeoffs easy, landings difficult – landing projects the same anyone can start one. A good landing is one you can walk away from, a very good one is when you can use the plane again.
On an organisational level, we’d probably like our projects to fall in the low/low category, but as project managers we’re more likely to prefer the high/high categories – more challenging, more enjoyable. There’s a balance to strike.
In future, should be aiming to identify, manage and reduce complexity as we go along.
Is sponsership and stakeholder management success? - Ruth Sacks
Involvement of key stakeholders from the outset is critical to project success, said Ruth Sacks, Turner & Townsend.
In her talk, 'How blank is the paper?', Ruth said the involvment process should start at the bidding stage and lead to questions being asked of why the project is being designed and what solutions are stakeholders/sponsors looking for.
"People in projects are all different. The key is to try and unpick who people are and develop relations to drive project through to success, " she said.
Getting close to key stakeholders is one way of holding the project together. But also pays to be aware of different tensions between organistations and needs of other stakeholders.
This requires a firm understanding of inside/outside influences and things like previous experience, budgetary constraints, exisiting consultants and experience of pm.
Feedback from delegates highlighted a lack of understanding by key stakeholders and sponsors, which ultimatley threatened the ability to deliver a project successfully. In answer to the issue, it was suggested that key players should be mentored and educated in order to fill the "vacuum below sponsor level".
In her talk, 'How blank is the paper?', Ruth said the involvment process should start at the bidding stage and lead to questions being asked of why the project is being designed and what solutions are stakeholders/sponsors looking for.
"People in projects are all different. The key is to try and unpick who people are and develop relations to drive project through to success, " she said.
Getting close to key stakeholders is one way of holding the project together. But also pays to be aware of different tensions between organistations and needs of other stakeholders.
This requires a firm understanding of inside/outside influences and things like previous experience, budgetary constraints, exisiting consultants and experience of pm.
Feedback from delegates highlighted a lack of understanding by key stakeholders and sponsors, which ultimatley threatened the ability to deliver a project successfully. In answer to the issue, it was suggested that key players should be mentored and educated in order to fill the "vacuum below sponsor level".
What do we mean by ‘complex’? Delivering complex projects; it’s not just about the project manager. Simon Henley
Programmes and projects are becoming more complex, sometimes spanning the lifetimes of several technologies, perhaps also with a dynamic project path. Through-life basis on which some projects are undertaken changes our attitude to completion – becomes full life management. Often can’t produce full work breakdown structure at outset.
Projects must be reduced to certainty wherever possible to allow management as we know it and use tried and tested PM techniques as introduced at MoD via their PPM specialism.
When is a project complex, not complicated? Characterised by uncertainty, dynamic interfaces and significant political or external influences.
Complex project strategies require:
• agreed definitions of desired outcomes
• critical success factors/measures
• planning for change
• appropriate tools and techniques
• incremental delivery of projects approaches.
Lead projects as systems:
• establish where certainty exists – manage it with traditional PM skills to deliver the known
• establish where uncertainty exists and establish strategies to manage
• cope with changing strategic needs while delivering coherent tactical solutions.
Programmes aren’t always analysed routinely for their uncertainty.
Appropriate governance requires:
• measure progress towards desired outcomes,
• organisational ability to make decisions with uncertain outcomes,
• appropriate approval/decision timelines,
• budget for incremental delivery,
• culture needed to make the above possible – dealing with uncertainty.
ICCPM (International College of Complex Project Management) seeks to provide international leadership to drive excellence in the management of complex projects.
Complex projects feature uncertainty, rapid rates of change and developing technologies among others– we need to find better ways of managing more of them.
Projects must be reduced to certainty wherever possible to allow management as we know it and use tried and tested PM techniques as introduced at MoD via their PPM specialism.
When is a project complex, not complicated? Characterised by uncertainty, dynamic interfaces and significant political or external influences.
Complex project strategies require:
• agreed definitions of desired outcomes
• critical success factors/measures
• planning for change
• appropriate tools and techniques
• incremental delivery of projects approaches.
Lead projects as systems:
• establish where certainty exists – manage it with traditional PM skills to deliver the known
• establish where uncertainty exists and establish strategies to manage
• cope with changing strategic needs while delivering coherent tactical solutions.
Programmes aren’t always analysed routinely for their uncertainty.
Appropriate governance requires:
• measure progress towards desired outcomes,
• organisational ability to make decisions with uncertain outcomes,
• appropriate approval/decision timelines,
• budget for incremental delivery,
• culture needed to make the above possible – dealing with uncertainty.
ICCPM (International College of Complex Project Management) seeks to provide international leadership to drive excellence in the management of complex projects.
Complex projects feature uncertainty, rapid rates of change and developing technologies among others– we need to find better ways of managing more of them.
Have we got the right people doing the right projects? Bob Assirati, Office of Government Commerce (OGC)
Addressing the shortfall in project management capability at the OGC will lead to greater success in delivering major projects.
The OGC has a big capability gap, which means it has to bring in costly interim and external project managers. Now it is making a collective effort to build a sustainable community with the right skills through tackling the issue at organisational level.
Projects need to be translated into people, and their roles and their competencies, moving away from the traditional profile of a civil servant and looking to recruit, develop and retain project professionals.
Transfer of knowledge across the organisation is being improved while consultants are encouraged through their contract to share their knowledge with OGC staff.
A 10-step plan to introduce a proper, professional career structure is being developed with the vision of ‘a recognised profession that attracts and retains the best people and is valued for its contribution to effective delivery’.
This skills agenda includes an agreed standard approach to best practice, defining roles, qualifications and training, improving the attractiveness of project management as a career and managing talent.
Do you believe Government project management offers an attractive career as opposed to the private sector?
No 74%
The OGC has a big capability gap, which means it has to bring in costly interim and external project managers. Now it is making a collective effort to build a sustainable community with the right skills through tackling the issue at organisational level.
Projects need to be translated into people, and their roles and their competencies, moving away from the traditional profile of a civil servant and looking to recruit, develop and retain project professionals.
Transfer of knowledge across the organisation is being improved while consultants are encouraged through their contract to share their knowledge with OGC staff.
A 10-step plan to introduce a proper, professional career structure is being developed with the vision of ‘a recognised profession that attracts and retains the best people and is valued for its contribution to effective delivery’.
This skills agenda includes an agreed standard approach to best practice, defining roles, qualifications and training, improving the attractiveness of project management as a career and managing talent.
Do you believe Government project management offers an attractive career as opposed to the private sector?
No 74%
Is sponsorship and stakeholder management success? - Graham Kennedy
Managing key stakeholders and sponsors is critical to project success. Based on premise that 80% of changes fail to deliver planned benefits, Graham Kennedy, ICT Managed Services, divided reasons for failure into three distinct categories.
First: executive ownership. He said that this can be ineffective if business rationale/direction not clear. Result can be a "project solution looking for a problem" or "riding a dead horse" and knowing when to get off. Sponsor needs to be expert pulling things together otherwise project will esculate out of control.
Second: misalignment. A lack of relevance to the organsiation creates gap between current performance and what it's trying to achieve. Projects exist to solve or bridge the gap. To do this need to be clear what achieve at strategic level. Alignment between issues and objectives brings measurable benefits to organisation.
Third: stakeholder management. "A reformer has enemies who all profit from the old order" - Machiavelli. Apt quote for managing stakholders. Need to identify enemies and potential defenders. Analyse motivation and idenfity "tools and levers to encourage stakeholder support".
Is executive sponsor support critical to project success? Yes 100%.
Is project alignment with organisation's strategy critical to success? Yes 100%.
Is stakeholder management critical to project success? Yes 100%.
First: executive ownership. He said that this can be ineffective if business rationale/direction not clear. Result can be a "project solution looking for a problem" or "riding a dead horse" and knowing when to get off. Sponsor needs to be expert pulling things together otherwise project will esculate out of control.
Second: misalignment. A lack of relevance to the organsiation creates gap between current performance and what it's trying to achieve. Projects exist to solve or bridge the gap. To do this need to be clear what achieve at strategic level. Alignment between issues and objectives brings measurable benefits to organisation.
Third: stakeholder management. "A reformer has enemies who all profit from the old order" - Machiavelli. Apt quote for managing stakholders. Need to identify enemies and potential defenders. Analyse motivation and idenfity "tools and levers to encourage stakeholder support".
Is executive sponsor support critical to project success? Yes 100%.
Is project alignment with organisation's strategy critical to success? Yes 100%.
Is stakeholder management critical to project success? Yes 100%.
Disparate projects disparate sustainability opportunities – Adrian Pyne
Issues of sustainability need to be tackled at a programme level if they are to have a realistic impact on the global environment. However, the sustainability argument has to be justified in more ways than it simply being a ‘good thing’.
Eklington (1994) introduced the concept of the ‘triple bottom line’ – success measured by their social, economic and social impact. This introduces complexity – which is where programme management has a role to play.
Programme management was designed to address this kind of change and delivering this complex level of benefit.
Eklington (1994) introduced the concept of the ‘triple bottom line’ – success measured by their social, economic and social impact. This introduces complexity – which is where programme management has a role to play.
Programme management was designed to address this kind of change and delivering this complex level of benefit.
Discussion - Sustainability in projects
How do you imbed sustainability in projects and programmes? It is important to invest in demonstrating the benefits to the individual as well as the organisation and business.
Can you make a financial business case for adopting sustainable practices? It is certainly easier to demonstrate the benefit in the long term; the short term case is not always straight forward. As organisations adopt the ‘triple bottom line’ – the business case strengthens.
90% believe that the awareness of sustainability issues has improved
0% believe that the awareness of sustainability issues has been optimised
20% believe that sustainability awareness has reached a plateau
Can you make a financial business case for adopting sustainable practices? It is certainly easier to demonstrate the benefit in the long term; the short term case is not always straight forward. As organisations adopt the ‘triple bottom line’ – the business case strengthens.
90% believe that the awareness of sustainability issues has improved
0% believe that the awareness of sustainability issues has been optimised
20% believe that sustainability awareness has reached a plateau
Conference calling - Penny Pullen
The use of conference calling is increasing and is particularly pertinent to project management. Issues such as cost, stress, time, environmental impact and work life balance are driving the need for a reduction in face-to-face meetings. However the value of the teleconference remains untapped due to a number of issues including lack of engagement, the casual nature of the meeting and the overall effectiveness in helping projects progress.
It is important to understand when remote meetings are appropriate. Meetings which require brainstorming etc. probably should be face to face. Meetings where the teams have high levels of trust, high commitment, urgent issues to deal with or where there is likely to be a low levels of conflict are most suitable to the media.
Some question whether the technology is too limiting and that this is reducing the effectiveness of the approach? Video conferencing, although more media-rich, can also be expensive and restrictive, however some kind of visual stimulus is useful for greater engagement.
It is important to understand when remote meetings are appropriate. Meetings which require brainstorming etc. probably should be face to face. Meetings where the teams have high levels of trust, high commitment, urgent issues to deal with or where there is likely to be a low levels of conflict are most suitable to the media.
Some question whether the technology is too limiting and that this is reducing the effectiveness of the approach? Video conferencing, although more media-rich, can also be expensive and restrictive, however some kind of visual stimulus is useful for greater engagement.
Round table - Are project management academies the future?
People not processes at heart of project success. Terry Cooke-Davies pm guilty of "schizophrenic" approach to people, asking different questions to that of processes and tools. People matter.
Brought into sharp focus by Paul Hodgkins at Siemens. 4% of company's global workforce (career pm) responsible for 50 per cent of business revenue and profitability. Siemens, which operates in 190 countries, developing "a common and consistent method of matching people capability with projects". Done through academy - a way of describing a joined-up approach to developing expert pm communication within an organisation."
Jeremy Galpin, Costain, described academy journey (measuring behaviour and cognitive ability) over past 18 months. Said it had "helped to minimise risk" of placing the wrong people with wrong projects. Also established national/internation benchmark to measure quality. Big draw of academy ability to develop consistency throughout organisation; transparency of resource moved around dif sectors; recognised on global scale.
Q&A session: Story sessions excellent way of learning. Connecting pm to pm. "Firm believer in letting people make mistakes," said Paul. "Biggest mistake is being afraid to make one." Share experiences. Pm mentor works well. Company man or all-round pm? Both. Pm needs to understand global language (meet customer expectations) but with internal perspective.
33% of organisation in session either have or are considering having pm academy.
94% of pm believe pm academy will become permanent feature of corporate project landscape.
Brought into sharp focus by Paul Hodgkins at Siemens. 4% of company's global workforce (career pm) responsible for 50 per cent of business revenue and profitability. Siemens, which operates in 190 countries, developing "a common and consistent method of matching people capability with projects". Done through academy - a way of describing a joined-up approach to developing expert pm communication within an organisation."
Jeremy Galpin, Costain, described academy journey (measuring behaviour and cognitive ability) over past 18 months. Said it had "helped to minimise risk" of placing the wrong people with wrong projects. Also established national/internation benchmark to measure quality. Big draw of academy ability to develop consistency throughout organisation; transparency of resource moved around dif sectors; recognised on global scale.
Q&A session: Story sessions excellent way of learning. Connecting pm to pm. "Firm believer in letting people make mistakes," said Paul. "Biggest mistake is being afraid to make one." Share experiences. Pm mentor works well. Company man or all-round pm? Both. Pm needs to understand global language (meet customer expectations) but with internal perspective.
33% of organisation in session either have or are considering having pm academy.
94% of pm believe pm academy will become permanent feature of corporate project landscape.
Reduction in complexity by system orientated management - Dr Walter Kroy
"With spacecraft no chance of changing parts when you're near Mercury or Mars." Pre-planning essential.
Human brain is most complex system. "Best advice, use your brain. More complex than a computer."
Need to simplify systems. A system is a connection of different elements. If no way to calcualte future state of system, then you have complex system. Use other instruments.
Process approach: dynamic network of processes and interactions. Most things in life not predictable. When analysing system need to get creative.
Human brain is most complex system. "Best advice, use your brain. More complex than a computer."
Need to simplify systems. A system is a connection of different elements. If no way to calcualte future state of system, then you have complex system. Use other instruments.
Process approach: dynamic network of processes and interactions. Most things in life not predictable. When analysing system need to get creative.
Approaches to complex project management - Michael Cavanagh
"Two types of people in this world: simplifiers and complicators."
Need to simplify complexity. Things work on individual basis but put them together and they don't work. T5 good example - fantastic system but disaster because lack of systemic approach to testing real world experience.
Complex based on uncertainty, non-linearity and recoursiveness. Why use linear life-cycle for complex projects? Why pretend they are predictable and definable when not fixed?
Deal with complexity 1st order pm tools but basic tools not enough. 2nd order pm contracting models applicable. Key tools outcome management and honing leadership. "Better to do the right thing the wrong way rather than wrong thing right way."
Bureaucratic vs adhocracy approach. About thinking differently. Connections between new and old learning. Getting people to use brain. "Learn in experience not from experience. But only learn from own experience."
Experiential learning. "Drowning in information. Attention at a premium. Attention by its nature crude and vulgar." Trust in professionalism. "People good at job. Sniff out problem but need to argue rationally in order to articulate it."
Should systems thinking be part of the competency profile for project managers? Yes 96%. No 4%.
Have you personally ever thought of using a systems thinking approach to pm? 80% yes. 20% no.
Do you have to deal in your org with tasks which seem so complex that you can imagine failure? 96% yes. 4% no.
Need to simplify complexity. Things work on individual basis but put them together and they don't work. T5 good example - fantastic system but disaster because lack of systemic approach to testing real world experience.
Complex based on uncertainty, non-linearity and recoursiveness. Why use linear life-cycle for complex projects? Why pretend they are predictable and definable when not fixed?
Deal with complexity 1st order pm tools but basic tools not enough. 2nd order pm contracting models applicable. Key tools outcome management and honing leadership. "Better to do the right thing the wrong way rather than wrong thing right way."
Bureaucratic vs adhocracy approach. About thinking differently. Connections between new and old learning. Getting people to use brain. "Learn in experience not from experience. But only learn from own experience."
Experiential learning. "Drowning in information. Attention at a premium. Attention by its nature crude and vulgar." Trust in professionalism. "People good at job. Sniff out problem but need to argue rationally in order to articulate it."
Should systems thinking be part of the competency profile for project managers? Yes 96%. No 4%.
Have you personally ever thought of using a systems thinking approach to pm? 80% yes. 20% no.
Do you have to deal in your org with tasks which seem so complex that you can imagine failure? 96% yes. 4% no.
Project manager as diplomat - Leon Lau
Problems of dealing with variety of stakeholders to deliver project success. Leon Lau gave example of working in NHS. Care Pathway redesign looking at patient journey from GP referral to surgery. "No one chain of command, lots of different organisations but not working together." Need to engage all stakeholders: patients, GPs, PCT management, hospital clinicians, hospital nursing staff, hospital management. "Large number of stakeholders reside in silos." Diplomatic skills to bring different groups together. Ideal number of stakeholders at meeting 4-5. Good idea to have project champions to cut numbers.
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