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.
Showing posts with label Round table discussion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Round table discussion. Show all posts
Thursday, 30 October 2008
Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Discussion – Have we forgotten some of the basics?
Planning is a priority; there is never an option of not planning even when resources are scarce.
Planning should exist throughout the project and perhaps extend into operations (and possibly disposal). This way planning can help ensure that benefits are realised. As such, it might suggest that the sponsor – who is responsible for the benefits of the project – should have a greater interest in the planning aspects of the project or programme.
As projects adopt more ‘agile’ and iterative approaches, greater focus is put on ‘top down’ planning and risk prioritisation. If planning is often confused with ‘schedule’ then risk management is often confused with risks management – the management and focus on individual risks. Marginalising these techniques in this way, making them an operational rather than strategic issue is a problem.
Although these areas are referred to as basics it may be more appropriate to view them as ‘fundamentals’. The awareness of these fundamentals outside the profession is poor - senior executives are not interested in these ‘details’.
Professionally, both planning and risk management roles are considered a stepping stone to something more ‘bigger’. This is one of the why these fundamentals are ignored because they are perceived to have little strategic meaning and therefore are professionally unrewarding.
However, 100% of delegates believe constructed plans are often ignored by management who want a different answer.
It is not that senior executives are disinterested in these subjects, they have other pressures and priorities. If ignored the impact of failed projects can be cataclysmic. What is essential is that senior executives and even project professionals understand the value of planning and risk management and not discount these issues as an inconvenience.
84% believe your project risk management looked at ‘top down’.
100% believe that project risk management should be ‘top down’.
79% believe that project plans are not done by planning experts in their organisation
93% believe that risk is a process not a mindset in their organisation.
Planning should exist throughout the project and perhaps extend into operations (and possibly disposal). This way planning can help ensure that benefits are realised. As such, it might suggest that the sponsor – who is responsible for the benefits of the project – should have a greater interest in the planning aspects of the project or programme.
As projects adopt more ‘agile’ and iterative approaches, greater focus is put on ‘top down’ planning and risk prioritisation. If planning is often confused with ‘schedule’ then risk management is often confused with risks management – the management and focus on individual risks. Marginalising these techniques in this way, making them an operational rather than strategic issue is a problem.
Although these areas are referred to as basics it may be more appropriate to view them as ‘fundamentals’. The awareness of these fundamentals outside the profession is poor - senior executives are not interested in these ‘details’.
Professionally, both planning and risk management roles are considered a stepping stone to something more ‘bigger’. This is one of the why these fundamentals are ignored because they are perceived to have little strategic meaning and therefore are professionally unrewarding.
However, 100% of delegates believe constructed plans are often ignored by management who want a different answer.
It is not that senior executives are disinterested in these subjects, they have other pressures and priorities. If ignored the impact of failed projects can be cataclysmic. What is essential is that senior executives and even project professionals understand the value of planning and risk management and not discount these issues as an inconvenience.
84% believe your project risk management looked at ‘top down’.
100% believe that project risk management should be ‘top down’.
79% believe that project plans are not done by planning experts in their organisation
93% believe that risk is a process not a mindset in their organisation.
Prioritising Risk, Martin Hopkinson
How many people assess their risks using a Probability/Impact Matrix asked Martin Hopkinson of the APM Risk Specific Interest Group when launching its new guide Prioritising Risk.
Frequently risks are prioritised by their uncertainty – the higher their uncertainty, the higher priority they are offered. Martin argued that if risk management is the management of uncertainty, then perhaps it is those risks which should be focussed on.
Whilst the Probability/Impact Matrix is a useful tool, it is often limited in its effectiveness – factors such as when a response to the risk is needed and the degree to which the risk is manageable should also been considered.
Taking a higher level of understanding of the reason for managing risk is also often overlooked. Understanding why we are managing risks helps us understand the risks we want to manage. Frequently, as with many other project management basics, risk management is overlooked as a procedural part of the project. As Martin points out – this is risks management not risk management.
Frequently risks are prioritised by their uncertainty – the higher their uncertainty, the higher priority they are offered. Martin argued that if risk management is the management of uncertainty, then perhaps it is those risks which should be focussed on.
Whilst the Probability/Impact Matrix is a useful tool, it is often limited in its effectiveness – factors such as when a response to the risk is needed and the degree to which the risk is manageable should also been considered.
Taking a higher level of understanding of the reason for managing risk is also often overlooked. Understanding why we are managing risks helps us understand the risks we want to manage. Frequently, as with many other project management basics, risk management is overlooked as a procedural part of the project. As Martin points out – this is risks management not risk management.
Introduction to Project Planning – Neil Curtis, ITT Defence
Has planning become sidelined as a professional project management discipline? Neil Curtis, representing the APM Specific Interest Group thinks so. That is why the newly re-launched SIG launched their guide Introduction to Project Planning at the APM Project Management Conference 2008.
A plan is more than just a schedule; it should include scope, deliverables, implementation strategies and processes, project organisation, constraints, assumptions, dependencies and cost estimates.
Planning is frequently viewed as a technical side-issue, yet it helps maximise success, aids communication, develops commitment, and prepares for the unexpected. Above all it provides the baseline against which a project is measured.
Planning is central to the role of the project manager, which raises the question as the value offered by specialist planners. Their skills are often ignored and sidelined, their role is increasingly to act as mentors, technical experts and consultants to the project and its planning activities.
The benefits of planning will change at different stages in its lifecycle
Concept – project need and feasibility
Definition phase – refining and optimising the plan
Implementation, handover and closeout phases – executing the plan
Closeout – capture lessons learned to inform future planning
Planning won’t guarantee success, but it will get closer to success.
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