IT Project Mechanic

Today begins the first in a series of entries about focusing on the basics of Project Management. With all of the “flavors” of Project Management these days (Scrum, Agile, traditional, waterfall, RUP, CMMI, etc) the basic tenets of any PM methodology are the same – help remove risk, ensure optimal performance and deliver the project you’re chartered with managing.

I want to start with Scope Management, the practice of defining what the project is supposed to deliver and what areas the project will not attempt to address. This is the fundamental component that separates projects from operational work. The reason that projects can fall behind schedule or miss the expectations of their customers primarily lies with inaccurate scope development or management. This uncertainty doesn’t just lead to project impacts with schedule, budget or team – if left unchecked this uncertainty can impact the client’s confidence in the team, or impact the team’s morale. (more…)

For many, the task of filling out the PMP certification application can be more daunting than the exam. Fear not, however, for there is an easier way.

The most laborious task is Section III, the Experience Verification form. Now, while this form is straightforward, it should help you save time and anixety when you are filling out the application for the exam online or offline. Just remember, PMI isn’t judging the ‘quality’ of your Project Management as a part of the application process; they are judging whether you have the required experience to sit for the exam. Similar to your resume/CV (but much more detailed) break down your project portfolio you plan to use and decompile your projects one at a time. It’s tedious, but for a PM ready to sit the exam, it should be old hat.

Here’s that form - I ask that if you choose to pass this on to keep the identification information in tact as a courtesy.

Experience Verification support form for the PMP Application

So you’re managing a project - you’ve got stakeholders, and they’ve got requirements. Rrrright…

This whole notion of getting your stakeholders to give up their requirements ought to be straight forward. You schedule a meeting with the players, setup the stage and they give you their requirements. Then you wake up, stop dreaming and remember one crucial fact;

Stakeholders are not entirely clear on what their requirements ought to be. (more…)

In the early phases of a project, the team members, stakeholders and sponsors are all focused on the work ahead - they are gathering requirements, setting up a business case or getting familiar with the product that will be central to the project. One of the items that doesn’t get much attention during this initiation phase is project success criteria, or said differently, what dictates project success.

This is an innocent omission by most accounts - there should be plenty of time to capture success criteria. However, more often than not, project teams and project managers alike forget to factor capturing and verifying success criteria back into the mix. (more…)

Project managers are all too familiar with how to manage their team’s performance and their projects -this is a core skill you quickly learn and enhance or you die as a PM.

Project managers, in large numbers, are either freaked out by or don’t know how to manage their leadership, managers and bosses to get the job done. This skill is just as important as the ability to estimate and manage tasks, but is slippery in its approach. Hopefully these sugesestions will help wipe some of the goop off the subject and help you manage your leadership better.

First and foremost - managing up is all about time and place. (more…)

The single most important component of project management is communication. Communication is also the one area discussed by PMI and the PMBOK the least and largely left to the imagination of Project Managers. The Standish Group produces a report titled “The Chaos Report” in which they review IT Projects and various aspects of managing projects in IT. For years, the ratio of successful projects against the whole has been at or below 1:3 – that is only one out of three projects are successful. Up to 81% (in one survey) of IT Projects are unsuccessful for one reason or another.

In the forums presented by the Project Management Institute, and featured in PM Network magazine, there are surveys that cover a wide range of topics. One of these was “Why Projects Fail”. Out of 193 respondents, 167 of these said that communication related issues were the primary cause of failure in their projects.

So, not to understate the point – this is a giant, vital and clear project success factor you have to become an expert in if you hope to deliver projects.

There are a few truths about project communication that go without saying:
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It isn’t enough to be right, or to have an idea that will make the problem go away if you are presenting something “new”. In a majority of cases, others (that you work with) are reluctant to believe an idea or position that they aren’t familiar with. It’s not a trust issue, per se, in many cases - it’s easier to say no than to think about the idea presented and formulate a response. No is easier than accepting that a good idea is out there they didn’t think about. It isn’t a universal truth - but this happens more often than not.
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In nearly every case, I witness and experience the act of selling as a Project Manager. On a daily basis, I provide to my clients the same exact steps as a consultative sales professional does. There are two distinct differences between the sales professional and the Project Manager:

1. The Project Manager doesn’t “sell” as a full time job – it is a skill that is needed for parts of the project management method.
2. The Project Manager rarely “prospects”.

The first difference should not come as a shock – the fact is that PMs have lots of skills that we use to great affect that don’t consume a huge amount of bandwidth. The second difference may not make any sense if you have never had the fortune of selling or have been exposed to the selling process.
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Most Project Managers think selling as a PM’s skill is some sort of an oxymoron – being a PM is the opposite of selling. You manage and report the facts, deal with estimates and manage a group of people. The sheer fact of the job limits the ability for a PM to sell, right?

I couldn’t disagree more – PMs must sell, and we sell every day. Some call it negotiation, some call it “positional” authority, but break it all down and we’re selling our hearts out to get the project out the door. We sell to and with our team, to our stakeholders and definitely selling is an integral part of the client relationship. Don’t worry; I’m going to explain my assertion.

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Welcome to the IT Project Mechanic blog - a place where far ranging topics are discussed, analyzed and introduced that related to IT Project Management and the business of managing projects. The first question I can imagine your asking (and it’s one that I have asked myself) is “Why another IT Project Management source of information?”. I have strongly felt for quite some time that the honesty and brutal truth of the PMs operating model is under fire by academics and “clean room” practitioners - that the reality of a Project Manager’s work and driving pursuits is far different from the manuals, books and methodologies that are currently available.
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