Archive for the 'project management workshops' Category

It’s your job to protect project scope

Published
by
Ron
on June 28, 2010
in Uncategorized, project governance, project management workshops, project managment, project risks and project scope
. 2 Comments

Yes it is. Someone needs to do it, so why not you! Protect the project scope!

Well, there are some major assumptions that need testing in the above words:

  1. someone needs to do it; I am still coming across projects where the scope of the project is identified, agreed but not managed. So, whether you are a project sponsor, project board member, project manager or team member. Take responsibility and protect what has been agreed.
  2. protect the project scope; why bother? I have assumed of course that the scope of work has been agreed. If this is the case then the scope needs protecting. I see too many projects where scope creep seems endemic. (Scope creep, amending the scope of work to be done without an agreed process to check that the ‘new work’ is worth doing)

A lack of protection around the scope is a clear risk. It is also a governance one - who can make the decisions to change the project and how.

So, here is a simple process to help you manage scope creep or requests for change. It is by no means perfect and you will need to put your head above the parapet by suggesting completing of a change request form. Download a brief PowerPoint presentation here and some hard copy documents.

“Scope creep is a sick illness treatable only by saying no.” This quote came from a project manager who decided to challenge the ‘request’ from a senior manager to include something in the project. I suggested he should avoid saying NO but use the process. He did and focused on the process in the presentation and it worked!

Get the presentation here and some free templates!

“Train them, and train them fast!”

Published
by
Ron
on February 10, 2010
in project management, project management training and project management workshops
. 2 Comments

My company, Project Agency walked away from the contract that was on the table. Train several groups of project managers to ensure that a large number of departmental projects would be delivered.

I met some of the senior managers who were concerned that little or no progress was being made by the project managers. Delivery is too slow; “train them and train them fast” was the message they gave me.

Warning bells rang and I asked a number of questions. I established:

• the project managers reported into the Departmental Management Team of around 8 people
• there were 10 projects each with a project manager however there were no project sponsors
• there was a dotted line relationship with a small departmental group to the Management Team. Upon further questioning, no one could tell me the exact role of this group or the link with the projects underway
• the Director would in the words of people present go ‘walk about’ - he would go to a project manager and change the scope - on the move

I found it hardly surprising that projects made little or no progress.

I suggested they rethink what was needed and structures and governance issues need to be addressed and quickly before any progress could be made with the project managers. More embarrassed silence. I asked how they felt about this. “We want you to train our project managers,” was the response.

Sometimes, you have to be up front and tell people how it is. I said that the training would make a difference however the real focus should be on what we had ‘discovered’ in the meeting.

You could feel the meeting go downhill from there.

I said that I would not be prepared to train the project managers first. There was some interesting tension in the room and I even suggested holding a two hour session with SMT but this was a lost cause….

I never heard from this potential client again. The lessons of that meeting some 8 years ago have remained with me and I have used them many times since then:

• the structure for delivering projects should be as simple as possible. Management of projects by committee as in this case does not work
• project management roles need to be clear and this includes levels of authority
• training of senior managers is as important as training project managers and project team members and in some cases (such as the one quoted) more important
• you can have all the project management methodologies in the world however nothing beats straight forward common sense!

Why not take a look at your project management structures. How effective are they to supporting delivery of projects? If they do not support project management then its action time!

Project briefing - sponsors must do better!

Published
by
Ron
on January 26, 2010
in project briefing, project management skills, project management workshops and projects
. 4 Comments

That was the response from participants on a project management workshop.

How did this come about? We have an activity where I give them a brief. By brief I mean some background information about a project. This led to a an interesting debate with a substantial proportion voicing concerns that the briefings they had from senior mangers were vague and did not help them very much.

This reminded me of a client we had some years ago. They requested we design a briefing exercise to help senior managers develop skills in this area. We broke the project management course into 3 groups with 3 people being briefed.

The most telling comment from the 3 people being briefed was that they did not understand the project and felt they had loads of questions they wanted to ask but did not feel the person briefing them wanted to hear them. This, from a peer - someone on or about the same level in the business!

So, what are the lessons for all of us?

1. If you are a project manager you must somehow find a way to ask questions or get answers to questions about the project. The method(s) you will need to use will vary depending on who the senior manager is alongside where they are geographically and in the company hierarchy

2. If you are a sponsor you need to create mechanisms to ensure questions can be asked and you can answer them or refer them to people who can. A common complaint on project management training courses is that it is so hard to get questions answered

3. Briefing skills need to improve. Evidence presented to me on our project management courses and with colleagues points to poor skills in this area

4. Project management workshops for senior managers should include activities to develop their briefing skills

5. Time needs to be spent on briefing - self evident from all the information above. If time is not given to briefings then risk levels for the project could will increase

So, project managers, next time you are receiving a briefing that is not quite up to the mark, what will you do? Senior manager; what actions are you going to take to ensure that your briefings are well received. 

Questioning, one of those project management skills that needs to be well honed.

Published
by
Ron
on January 11, 2010
in Uncategorized, project management workshops and questioning skills
. 7 Comments

I was facilitating a workshop with a project team and realised that something was wrong!

Symptom: the 5 people in the project team were talking differently about the project

Analysis: I gave each person a piece of flip chart paper and asked them to write down the project objectives

Result: 4 different sets of objectives (2 were the same)

We discussed this and the team came to the conclusion that they had not done enough asking. This however was challenged by one of the team members. She gave a schedule of people they had spoken to and it was impressive.

The room went quiet, very quiet.

I then asked whether the group felt they had dug deep enough with the types and level of questioning; whether they had really teased out the true objectives. Silence again!

Then after a difficult discussion in which the group identified the questions asked they came to the conclusion that they needed to further develop not only their project management skills but their questioning skills.

We identified a number of questions that they needed to ask to identify clear objectives. At the same time we discussed the need to develop their questioning skills. I was able to give them a handout on this topic which they found really useful.

How good are your questioning skills? This group like many who come on our project management training courses needed to develop their questioning skills. They found the handout useful so I have placed this here for you to download and it’s free!

So, the question is, to download or not to download….and whether you need to develop your questioning skills.