Topic: Project Management Tips & Techniques

The new items published under this topic are as follows.

Tips: OPM3® Tip of the Day #7 - Match OPM3® with the Reality of your Organization

Published on Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 02:40 PM

by Ralf Friedrich, M.S., PMP, ACC & John L. Sullivan, M.S., M.Ed., PMP
OPM3® defined Organizational Project Management through Best Practices. As is the case with any standard, OPM3® is generic. This means that 80% of the organizations should benefit from 80% of the Best Practices in OPM3®.

However, every organization is specific. If you identify a need to adapt a Best Practice in OPM3® or to create a new Best Practice to measure something special to your organization, then, “just do it�? (to borrow the famous tagline from Nike, Inc.
The success of OPM3® will depend on how you model the organization’s reality with the tools of the model. Adapt Best Practices, create new Best Practices and make the Key Performance Indicator’s (KPIs) specific to match the reality of your organization.

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Notice: Unified Project Management® Methodology 2.0 (UPMM™)

Published on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 03:28 PM

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Unified Project Management® Methodology 2.0 (UPMM™) is a knowledge management solution that comes with a complete and scalable project management methodology, including templates, guidelines, procedures, policies, best practices and other information needed to support consistent yet flexible performance. UPMM™ delivers knowledge right to the desktop in an easy-to-access and easy-to-use form. UPMM™ content is completely customizable by its user’s methodology owners. UPMM™ is a means for promoting PM performance improvement through common language, process consistency with flexibility and continuous improvement.

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Tips: Previous Virtual Team Tips by John L. Sullivan, M.S., M.Ed., PMP

Published on Tuesday, November 28, 2006 - 06:47 PM

Tip of the Day #1 – Transition through Development Stages
Researchers have shown that teams go through stages of development as they are formed. Many of us are familiar with the Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning model described by Tuckman & Jensen (1977). The early stages are characterized by a certain amount of randomness, chaos, and ad hoc decision-making. As the team matures, processes are put into place and the team becomes more efficient.

Since the same dynamics occur in virtual teams as exist in co-located, “physical�? teams, it is even more important to situate or adapt your leadership style to the development stage of the virtual team. Your responsibility as a team leader is to ensure that the team successfully transitions through each development stage to become productive as quickly as possible.

For more information, go to the following website address: http://dennislearningcenter.osu.edu/references/GROUP%20DEV%20ARTICLE.doc

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Tips: Daily Tips (Theme of the Month): The Tyranny of the “Fifth Constraint�?: Taking Your Thinking Off Autopilot

Published on Thursday, September 07, 2006 - 05:16 PM

Tip #1: The Devil Made Me Do It

The Devil’s Advocate analysis It technique is believed to have originated in the Roman Catholic Church as a means of critically examining a deceased person’s qualifications for sainthood. Learned churchmen took the “devil’s position" simply for arguments sake to challenge the rationale being presented in the nomination for sainthood. Devil’s advocacy is analytically useful because by design it focuses on the contrary viewpoint and in doing so activates an opposing perspective thereby promoting objectivity. The tremendous potential of devil’s advocacy is to undermine and show weakness in the primary view which regrettably is often under scrutinized especially by the originator. Organizing or even proposing a devil’s advocate position is naturally interpreted by the prime advocate as threatening especially if the devil’s advocate’s analysis brings new evidence to the table never previously considered. If you are truly interested in achieving a beneficial solution to a project problem or situation, devil’s advocacy is an appropriate and simple analysis technique that can be applied either in a team environment or individually.

By Bill Richardson

Tip #2: How Good Is The Evidence?

When testing hypotheses (a declarative statement that has not been established as true) we generally accept them to be true until they are proven false. The way we disprove a hypothesis is with evidence. The problem with evidence is that it is frequently invalid or has been misused. When considering evidence (also could be called supporting documentation for estimates) we as project managers should try to test validity by answering four questions:
a. Who or what was the source?
b. What was the source’s access? How did the source obtain the information? Was that method plausible?
c. What is the source’s reliability? Is the source reputable? Has other information from the source proven to be accurate?
d. Is the information plausible? From the standpoint of everything we know about the problem and from just plain old common sense, does the information make sense? Is such information common or rare?

By Bill Richardson

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Tips: Daily Tips (Theme of the Month): Multiculturalism and PM-Pioneering

Published on Tuesday, July 11, 2006 - 06:49 AM

Tip #1: Plan extra time to model requirements when working cross-culturally.

While modeling is an excellent tool for overcoming some cross-cultural communication issues, multi-cultural project management may still take extra time to get the requirements and ensure that important facts are captured. One business analyst working for an international pharmaceutical company on a project with subject matter experts from Japan felt pressure to meet deadlines. But at the same time she knew good results depended on testing the team’s two-way communications and asking “is there anything else�? in meetings to ensure nothing was missed. As the relationship developed, her clients revealed more without prompting. While the project manager didn’t enjoy explaining why the project was late at its end, the experience gave her the confidence on the importance of planning more time for capturing requirements when working in multi-cultural environments.

By Elizabeth Larson, PMP and Richard Larson, PMP

Tip #2: Meeting in Person to Develop Relationships Saves Time and Money in the Long Run.
In some cultures tasks are completed based on established relationships and, ultimately, trust, rather than simply being driven by schedules. Attempting to forge ahead with tasks before spending social time with clients can well lead to incomplete requirements. While it may not be standard practice all over the world, when PMs are working in some other cultures taking the time to meet face-to-face can save time and money for your project and organization.

One project manager tells of a project involving Japanese clients, who insisted on spending time at the beginning of the project getting to know their IT counterparts. The Japanese clients frequently and repeatedly asked that the IT staff come over to Japan to meet and visit. When the IT group finally met their counterparts in person, each of their planned meetings ended with a glass of sake to celebrate. At first this custom seemed unusual to the visiting IT staff, but they soon realized that the project went far more smoothly after the face-to-face meetings.

By Elizabeth Larson, PMP and Richard Larson, PMP

Tip #3: Language Differences Will Be a Challenge … So Take the Time to Define Key Terms and Record Them in a Glossary During Projects.

Knowing that understanding language can be difficult for people who are from even the same country, region, or organization, care and time should be taken to ensure that requirements are heard and understood correctly. Language difficulties can include the use of the same word or phrase with different meanings in different languages and using different words for the same concept without clarifying what is actually being said.

For example, a cross-cultural team of Americans, French, and Britons spent two hours talking about an industry term that the three groups swore had three different meanings. They later discovered the terms were really the same and then had to agree on which one to adopt. Asking clarifying questions, paraphrasing, and asking closed-ended questions to confirm are all helpful. Modeling requirements is also useful to ensure that the picture or model accurately represents the requirement.
By Elizabeth Larson, PMP and Richard Larson, PMP

Tip #4: Beware of Acronyms.

We all use acronyms. They are pervasive in many organizations. Some have crept into emails and online chat rooms. They seem as familiar to us as our native languages. However, it is particularly important to take the time to define all acronyms on global projects or on projects where members are from different parts of the world. Putting the acronym and their corresponding phrases in a project glossary helps to ensure understanding and minimize frustration.

Here’s an example. A project manager made an onsite visit to a Latin American client. The project manager had written in an email that he had found a restaurant to go to, but you had to BYOB. The client was confused and asked when they got together: “Who or what is ‘bee-yob’?�? Picture that sort of confusion on a key word or concept.

By Elizabeth Larson, PMP and Richard Larson, PMP

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Tips: ZenPM™ Tip of the Week by George Pitagorsky

Published on Monday, June 26, 2006 - 07:08 AM

When we bring clarity, realism, flexibility and balance to business, technical, personal and project management issues and challenges, we can excel in the work we do while having a good time doing it and simultaneously pursuing self-actualization.

These Zen of PM™ tips will introduce and reinforce the concepts of: moment to moment mindfulness, managing realistic expectations to eliminate the major cause of project failure, using a systems perspective to help assure performance excellence and breaking free of preconceived barriers to creative thinking, collaboration and conflict resolution. The tips will hopefully help you achieve your personal and organizational goals while integrating your PM knowledge and skills into an effective process that services the individual, the team and the organization. The Zen of PM™ tips will start out daily, and then will be posted weekly. Please give us your feedback at judy.umlas@allPM.com!

“The Zen of PM�? Thoughts on International Project Management Day by George Pitagorsky, PMP
International Project Management Day recognizes project management as a profession. Like many PMs, I never thought about becoming a professional PM. It kind of happened. My job evolved like the field itself from a role played in projects to an internationally recognized profession that transcends project types and domains. Project management has also been recognized not only as a profession but as a business process integrated with other business processes, from marketing to fulfillment, to make organizations operate.

As we move on into the future, we will see increasing numbers of people consciously choosing project management as a career. How this will change the field is to be discovered.

rom a Zen perspective, the project management profession is an opportunity to serve, a setting for self actualization, with fascinating and challenging work, sustenance. Objectively, based on multiple perspectives from focus on the details to clear, expansive awareness of the big picture, the professional PM weaves together people, process, tools and organizational dynamics to make each project a success.

The project management profession, unlike professions like medicine and law, is very difficult to separate from the project domain - the focus of project performance such as IT or construction. The MD may specialize but can operate independent of the dentist and attorney. PM never exists except as part of a project. Project management facilitates project performance.

Another major difference between project management and other professions is that the vast majority of projects are managed by people who are not professional project managers. Perhaps, a major part of our professional responsibility is to make sure that these “incidental project managers�? have the right skills and processes to make their projects more successful and their lives easier.

As professionals, what are our other responsibilities? If we are responsible for the success of the projects that change our organizations and environment, we are responsible and accountable for the results. For me, this means ensuring that I do no harm. This is the underlying message in Zen: Be kind, compassionate, generous, patient and honest, take responsibility for the results of one’s words and deeds.

As we move the field ahead, it will seamlessly blend with quality management, product development, engagement management, R+D, event management and every other kind of work that involves delivering the right results within finite time and cost constraints.

Agility, efficiency and effectiveness coupled with respect for the people in and around our projects are essential elements. Let us accept the acknowledgement that International PM day brings us while we also accept the responsibility it implies.

Read more Zen of PM™ Tips

Sign up for George Pitagorsky’s Zen of Project Management webinar at Zen of PM Webinar

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George Pitagorsky, PMP is Senior Enterprise Solutions Advisor for International Institute for Learning (IIL). George has written numerous articles on Project Management, organizational development, conflict resolution and personal development subjects. He is a meditation teacher with over thirty years of experience in Yoga and meditation practice and co-creator of both the Conscious Living and Working Wisely workshops.

Tips: Previous ZenPM™ Tips of the Week by George Pitagorsky

Published on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 02:57 PM

Week #12 — Think Outside of the Box When there is conflict seek the position that is better than any of the conflicting alternatives. This means thinking out of the box rather than reactively holding to your position. Question: How can the elements of each alternative be blended to find an optimum solution? Why am I holding to my position? Is it better than the others or is it just because its mine? Are any of the other solutions as good as mine? What are the criteria?

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Tips: Previous Zen of PM™ Tip by George Pitagorsky, PMP

Published on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 03:31 PM

The Zen of PM™ Tip #31:
A stable mind capable of relaxed concentration is a diamond-like tool. Short periods of meditation, just 10 – 20 minutes helps to come in touch with the clarity and calm needed to surf through the cascade of conversations, interruptions, tasks, thoughts, and problems and of project life. How to do it? Sit comfortably. Become aware of your breathing (if you are not breathing call 911). Just observe the inhalation and exhalation. When you notice that your mind has wandered and you are no longer aware of your breath, bring your attention back to the breathing. That’s it. Try it. Let us know what you think.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #30:
There is an unfortunate paradox in the world – organizations seek to save money by eliminating administrative overhead and by doing so burden high priced and over-taxed resources with tasks that can be done more effectively by others. Identify administrative tasks like arranging meetings and collecting and reporting project information and delegate them to clever, personable and skilled people. Free up professional project managers, subject matter experts and high tech performers to do more of the work they are uniquely qualified for.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #29:
Overcome the “tyranny of the urgent�? (a term brought to my attention by IIL’s Alan Bearder). The tyranny of the urgent is the impulse to do only what is currently in font of you, excluding the work to set the stage for effective performance later. For example if you are constantly fighting fires to get the next deadline met and you don’t spend the time to do your filing, plan, keep your calendar up to date, or stay abreast of the latest advances in your field you will become increasingly less able to do the urgent things that you need to do. You will also find that there are increasingly more urgent things to do.

What to do? Schedule your time to include the background and infrastructure work that needs to be done. Treat your personal work portfolio the way a well run organization treats its project portfolio. Allocate the available resources so that there is a right balance among new work, infrastructure, admin and maintenance work. What happens when you don’t have enough time to do anything but fight fires? You either change the system or suffer until it breaks down completely.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #28:
Consistency in itself is not a virtue. It is better to be consistently effective than consistently late, or over budget. Apply the right solutions, in the right measure, to achieve the right result in a given situation. Use standard practices, but creatively adapt them to your specific needs. That is situational management. Where standard practices are either too rigid or too loose, costs and risks increase. According to the Zen approach, each situation is both unique and the same as every other.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #27:
When an incident reflects a chronic problem, focus on the process and use the incident as an example. Avoid the common habit of excessively focusing on the incident without seeing it in the longer term context of a pattern. If the incident represents a pattern, address the cause of the pattern and not just the quality and impact of the incident.

In the context of quality improvement this is a critical concept. It is what enables learning. In the Zen approach we take it as a given that a process is behind everything that occurs. When what occurs repeats itself identify its cause. Eliminate it or moderate its impact to address unpleasant incidents. Replicate to enable best practices.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #26:
A Tibetan story tells of a woman, a grandmother who lived and worked on a farm all her life, raising many children, helping with the grandchildren, tending the animals, etc. She never let her busy schedule keep her from practicing the techniques that kept her mind clear and peaceful. She did them while she was working and in the short breaks between chores. As busy PMs we can use our day to day activities as means to the end of increased mindfulness, concentration and calm. From these come performance excellences.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #25:
One senior associate in a global service organization asked “What tools can we use to free our people from having to do PM work?�? There of course is no such tool. Tools can eliminate unnecessary PM work but nothing so far has been able to free project performers from PM related effort. When planning, account for the time that will be required for performers to report their hours, estimate their work and document understandings about scope, schedule and cost constraints. Project management is not just for PMs, it is everyone’s job.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #24:
Accept what is. See things as they are. That is the starting point for change. But do not mistake acceptance for resignation or passivity. If your projects are behind schedule because of constant reassignment of resources to address “emergencies,�? acknowledge that reality first; only then you can address it. Telling yourself “There won’t be an emergency this time�? is wishful thinking. Acceptance, on the other hand, allows you to consider options, like building a schedule to accommodate the decline of productivity when resources are drained from the project. Or, address the problem closer to its source, by dedicating resources to handle emergencies. Better still, eliminate the conditions causing the emergencies.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #23:
Do you trust your team mates enough to own up to your own errors and failures, expose ideas that seem good but could be taken as being “half-baked�?, share information, openly disagree, or candidly criticize? If not, then how can you go beyond your mistrust to communicate what’s needed to enable the team and each of its members to excel?

The Zen of PM™ Tip #22:
Keep it light. Zen and other wisdom traditions often express themselves through humor to cut through unnecessary barriers to joy. I am told that at the board meetings of the Seva Foundation, anyone who said "seriously" during a meeting would have to wear Groucho glasses and mustache for the rest of the meeting. These people were running projects to combat blindness and poverty in emerging countries; pretty serious stuff. Yet, they were committed to remembering the joy at the center of it all. That kept them from devolving into arguments when disagreements arose, promoted creativity and minimized stress. As Mark Twain said "On with the dance, let joy be unconfined ..."

The Zen of PM™ Tip #21:
Impatience is a direct root to anger and anxiety, creating unnecessary stress and conflict. Of course many PMs are quite patient but even these lucky, skillful folk are faced from time to time with sponsors, clients and peers who are not.

Counter impatience with acceptance, mindfulness and compassion. Impatience arises from unmet expectations. Accept things as they are to more clearly see how to make them different. Be mindful to see the arising drive before the reaction. Compassion motivates the effort to transform the energy of impatience into more productive channels, like the analysis of what can be done, if anything. The results are better relationships and more effective action.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #20:
“Jealous of superiors, they vie with equals, proud to those below, they strut with praise. Say something untoward, they seethe with rage: What good was ever had from such childish folk?�? Shantideva from the way of the Bodhisattva (verse 8.12). Go beyond hierarchies and petty power plays to work in a meritocracy to make sure every team member can contribute to his/her best ability, including the PM who while responsible and in authority is just another member of the team.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #19:
When is winning losing? What happens when you force a person you want as an ally to accept your terms in a way that leaves them feeling manipulated, defeated or overpowered, cheated, degraded or disrespected, embarrassed or stuck in an indefensible position?

Negotiations and conflict resolutions that end with win-lose results generally lead to lose-lose consequences. The loser is unmotivated to carry out his side of the bargain and carries animosity against the winner. In the end no-one is satisfied. It is better to agree to disagree than to agree out of fear of saying no or out of the desire to get the best of the other guy at his expense.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #18:
Trust is a foundation for effective relationships and effective relationships are a foundation for successful projects. Trust is based on a combination of competency and values strongly influenced by emotions and experience. Knowing that another person has consistently succeeded at something engenders trust in their competence. Observation that another person does what she promises and seeks win-win solutions engenders values based trust.

The larger and more complex our projects and the more we work with people we don’t know the harder it is to rely on trust. Clear behavioral and role and responsibility agreements linked to objective skill assessments plus accountability through clear and candid reporting are means for bringing objectivity to trust. It is easier to trust someone who is accountable than it is to trust someone who isn’t. It is easier to trust someone with credentials and a track record than it is to simply take their word that they can do the job that your project depends on.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #17:
Results come from people performing processes using tools and techniques. Make sure that the right people have the right skills to follow the right process using the right tools and techniques. At project start-up include a candid and critical evaluation of people, tools and techniques. What are the risks if people are assigned just because they are available? What are the risks of using weak tools and techniques? Choose the right people and engineer the right processes.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #16:
If you manage people like things and see them as expenses, you will insult them; alienate them; create distrust and divisiveness. Force people to acquiesce to command and control, and kill their initiative. The effective leader leads by enabling others. Yet in the right place at the right time, command and control is the best approach. Part of the art of PM is to know the right time to use authority and the right time to let the team lead itself.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #15:
Under-control is as bad as over-control. Too little control yields chaos. People don’t know what is expected of themselves or others; there are no measures of success. Too much control wastes time and money, and kills initiative. Strike the right balance. Provide the feedback people need to fine tune the process. Keep everyone informed, and make sure everyone is accountable. Put the right things in writing, in the right, way. What are the right things? Responsibility agreements and information about progress — or lack thereof. What is the right way? The right way is truthfully, regularly, with minimal effort, and to the right people.

ZenPM Tip #14: In Zen one of the most valued traits is the ability to feel joy for the fortune of others. Jealousy is the opposite feeling. In your projects, cultivate this sense of being happy for successes regardless of who’s they are. Taking credit for the work of others and minimizing their accomplishments backfires.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #13:
The strongest person gives up his position when fighting for it is not warranted. When there is a conflict, step away from your position long enough to see it and the others objectively. Do this even if everyone else is arguing for their way. If your position is just different but not much better than the others, let go and do it their way. Getting to a win-win solution is more important than getting your way.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #12:
When there is conflict seek the position that is better than any of the conflicting alternatives. This means thinking out of the box rather than reactively holding to your position. Question: How can the elements of each alternative be blended to find an optimum solution? Why am I holding to my position? Is it better than the others or is it just because its mine? Are any of the other solutions as good as mine? What are the criteria?

The Zen of PM™ Tip #11:
Even anger has a good side; it invigorates and highlights the need for compassion and kindness. But acting out of anger or other emotions is not skillful. Penicillin is mostly good but it kills those allergic to it. Nothing is intrinsically good or bad. Stephen Covey, quotes Gandhi’s daughter Arun: “Ironically, if it hadn’t been for racism and prejudice we may not have had a Gandhi.�? The message is to extract the positive and reject the negative.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #10:
People create the process and the process drives performance. To perfect performance, perfect the process. Focus in on defects and successes alike. Seek out the causes of the causes. Act on the actionable causes. See how you can make the others actionable. Take the time to do meaningful post project reviews as well as process reviews that look across multiple projects. You can do this by yourself within a small work group or across an entire organization. Don’t wait for permission or for someone to give you the time. Just do it.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #9:
Stop blaming people for errors. Stop exhorting them to excel. Remember, process drives performance. A poor process will bring down the best performer. Therefore, perfect the process. How do you perfect the process? First, accept errors and shortfalls. To “accept�? an error does not mean that you keep making it; it means you do not ignore or cover it up. Then, determine and eliminate its cause. If you can’t eliminate its cause, minimize its impact.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #8:
We learn at least as much from bad experience as we do from good. Yet, blaming, fear of punishment and models like “I’m so smart, how can I make mistakes" lead us to avoid looking at and learning from our mistakes. Continuous improvement begins with the candid acceptance of the existing situation, particularly its flaws. If you don’t accept what is, you can’t change it.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #7:
In the Zen way even conflict has value. “Leaders do not avoid, repress or deny conflict, but rather see it as an opportunity. �? How do you operate as a leader when faced with conflict? Look at it this way: How do you operate when you fail to see conflict as an opportunity?

The Zen of PM™ Tip #6:
Be open to criticism. Always thank critics for their input. At the same time, question the source; determine their intention; find out what criteria they base their criticism on. If fear and anger arise, cut through to the deeper realization: if the criticism is valid you will learn from it; if it is not, you can handle it.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #5:
When pushing back to negotiate a rational schedule and budget, you need solid footing. Come to the table with a well articulated plan, complete with assumptions. Use your communication, task definition, estimating, scheduling, and risk management skills and knowledge to offer realistic alternatives. Seek win-win solutions. What if you are be forced to accept an irrational schedule or budget? Try to negotiate expectations that can be met given the project’s scope, resources, and risks. Do your best to work within the project’s real-world conditions.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #4:
Desiring the impossible gives rise to suffering It is also the root of many failed projects. When undertaking a project, you have the duty to question authority, to push back. Ask questions, rather than voice objections. Why is this the deadline? What if it isn't met? What do you really need, and by when? What assumptions are you making? What would you give up to get what what you really need? Will we have the right resources at the right time?

The Zen of PM™ Tip #3:
Mental Modelsare deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations … that influence how we understand the world and how we take action. They may be useful, or they may lead to habitual, reactive behavior. What paradigms condition your behavior? Do they help or hinder you? Do you have the courage to question them? Do they provide established basis for analyzing problems, or do they limit your ability to act in the way that is best for the current situation.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #2:
That is the secret of wise leadership. There is a difference between a leader who serves and one who just leads. "The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served." Such a leader asks if "those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?" When the motivation is to serve, posturing, politics and self-serving gains are replaced by useful effective action.

The Zen of PM™ Tip #1:
"Only the person who learns to relax is able to create, and for them, ideas reach the mind like lightning." Even in face of chaos, pressure and stress, relax! How? Relaxation is not the same as tuning out and turning off. It is not somnabulence. Learn to rest in the moment. Cultivate the ability to quickly focus on your breath and body just long enough to find your "center". Then engage.

© 2006 allPM.com
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Tip #21: If the duration of projects often seem to extend beyond the targeted deadline or large numbers of features have to be deferred in order to achieve an acceptable delivery date, examine the requirements gathering and definition process.

Published on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 02:52 PM

Theme of the Month: Preventing, Recovering, and Managing Troubled Projects

Robert L Fulghum wrote a wonderful little book some time ago entitled, "It Was On Fire When I Lay Down on It." For some of us this is reflective of our projects. This month we address the specifics of how to prevent, recover, and manage the troubled project. We will describe specific tips, techniques, tools, and procedures that when applied in the pre-charter and planning phases mitigate potential problems; in the execution and transition phases increase the potential for recovery; and in the post-delivery phase encourage stakeholders' recognition of benefits.

Tip #21: If the duration of projects often seem to extend beyond the targeted deadline or large numbers of features have to be deferred in order to achieve an acceptable delivery date, examine the requirements gathering and definition process.

According to R. G Boznak writing in the journal, Quality Progress, July 1994, “Seventy-one percent of new-product development was delayed due to poor definition and understanding of customer requirements.�?

by B. D. Barnes, PhD, PMP, PE
Senior Consultant
International Institute for Learning, Inc. Copyright © 2006, allPM.com

Tip #19: When a project is identified as troubled, there are three areas of focus that can yield short term results: people, process, and product.

Published on Thursday, May 04, 2006 - 06:36 AM

Theme of the Month: Preventing, Recovering, and Managing Troubled Projects

Robert L Fulghum wrote a wonderful little book some time ago entitled, "It Was On Fire When I Lay Down on It." For some of us this is reflective of our projects. This month we address the specifics of how to prevent, recover, and manage the troubled project. We will describe specific tips, techniques, tools, and procedures that when applied in the pre-charter and planning phases mitigate potential problems; in the execution and transition phases increase the potential for recovery; and in the post-delivery phase encourage stakeholders' recognition of benefits.

Tip #19: When a project is identified as troubled, there are three areas of focus that can yield short term results: people, process, and product.

The first focus should be on people
Do whatever is needed to restore the group’s morale
Clean-up major personnel problems
Clean-up major leadership problems
Add people carefully, if at all
Focus people’s time
Allow team members to be different
See that key players pace themselves

by B. D. Barnes, PhD, PMP, PE
Senior Consultant
International Institute for Learning, Inc.

Copyright © 2006, allPM.com

Topic: Project Management Tips & Techniques

How well does management support newly assigned project managers?