Simplified Project Management: Simplified Project Management Presenter Emery Sauve emery@fellowservants.com


The High Cost of Poor Planning: The High Cost of Poor Planning Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish’. (Luke 14:28-30 NIV)


Good Intentions: Good Intentions People tend to: Do a good job Work hard Be innovative Be seen as competent Contribute to the solution Enjoy good results Not be a workaholic Be problem solver Grow


The Problem: The Problem Projects tend to: Grow Change Not meet expectations Take more effort than expected Compete with other priorities Run into surprises Lack needed information Stop and start Stack up Get finished late


The Age-Old Question: The Age-Old Question Why do bad projects happen to good people? Underestimating the work Misunderstandings Surprises Technical innovations run amuck Too much too fast Evolving specs Failure to communicate Designing on the fly


Approaching IT Project Management: Approaching IT Project Management IT Project Template to Map Out Details of the Project Project Management Techniques to Manage the Project


IT Project Template: IT Project Template 1) Project Initiation 2) Requirements Definition 3) Project Approval 4) Software Development 5) Implementation 6) Evaluation


1) Project Initiation: 1) Project Initiation Receive a project request Document the project purpose and scope Establish contributors, influencers, deciders Build preliminary estimates Obtain approval to do requirements definition Establish initial priority and timetable


2) Requirements Definition: 2) Requirements Definition Gather and document current processes Gather and document expectations and needs Gather internal controls requirements Search for purchasable solutions and learn from them Analyze all aspects of needs, opportunities and requirements


2) Requirements Definition (continued): 2) Requirements Definition (continued) Consider scalability and flexibility Specify the limitations Design a solution Review, refine and lock down the proposed solution with project team, contributors and deciders


3) Project Approval: 3) Project Approval Estimate tangible and intangible benefits Estimate cost to build, implement and maintain the solution Build a cost/benefit analysis Obtain approval to build the solution Establish priority and timetable


4) Software Development: 4) Software Development Build a test plan Build (or buy) the solution Build technical documentation Build user documentation Conduct unit, system and regression testing Remediate bugs and deficiencies Conduct user acceptance testing Remediate bugs and deficiencies Obtain implementation approval


5) Implementation: 5) Implementation Plan the implementation schedule Plan and test rollback and recovery processes Plan parallel and certification processes Conduct user and management training Conduct trial conversions Implement live solution Provide close support during the break-in period Refine the solution, training, and processes


6) Evaluation: 6) Evaluation Evaluate effectiveness of the solution Evaluate customer satisfaction Evaluate effectiveness and efficiency of the project Evaluate time, cost and benefit estimates Save evaluations as guideposts for future projects


The BigIT Project Management Question: The Big IT Project Management Question Where do all the hours go? What we think about What we overlook What we block from our minds


Time Management : Time Management Emery's Time Management Courses Introduction to Time Management Time Management is… Intermediate Course in Time Management Over-commitment level less than 25%… Over-commitment level more than 100%... Advanced Course in Time Management You cannot... Recommended Reading: Tyranny of the Urgent by Charles E. Hummel


Project Management Techniques: Project Management Techniques 1) Task Planning 2) Task Estimation 3) Schedule Development 4) Schedule Approval 5) Project Launch 6) Project Control/Monitoring 7) Completion 8) Evaluation


1) Task Planning: 1) Task Planning Identify the tasks A task is specific action item of work that needs to be done Break tasks down to sub-tasks as low as you can reasonably break them Include ALL the tasks Objectives in listing tasks Provide a basis for doing time estimates Provide a basis for measuring and monitoring project progress


2) Task Estimation: 2) Task Estimation Estimate man-hours for each task Best Case / Worst Case / Most Likely Case use most likely case Consider the complexity of tasks simple / medium / complex Consider Expertise high / medium / low Consider Risk high risk tasks early


2) Task Estimation (continued): 2) Task Estimation (continued) Adjust project man-hours for our track record What has been our experience With this client, staff member, project partner, etc. Do they always add more tasks, change the requirements, impact the time schedule, etc.


2) Task Estimation (continued): 2) Task Estimation (continued) About Time Padding Expertise lapses, sickness, outside agents New technology track record Dangers


2) Task Estimation (continued): 2) Task Estimation (continued) Produce calendar estimates Based on man-hours estimates Factor in % of team member available for this project Factor in holidays, vacations Factor in other commitments Factor in other heavy work periods


3) Schedule Development: 3) Schedule Development Develop sequencing Determine the critical path Apply resources Take into consideration resource availability Take into consideration vacations, holidays, other commitments


4) Schedule Approval: 4) Schedule Approval Confirm tasks and estimates with project team Obtain signoffs and freeze specs Obtain approval to proceed


5) Project Launch: 5) Project Launch Assign team members to project Assign tasks to project team members Communicate the project details and schedule Provide training Obtain agreement on progress reporting from project team members Commence work on the tasks


6) Project Control/Monitoring: 6) Project Control/Monitoring Obtain periodic progress reports from project team members periodically Hold people accountable to the agreed upon schedule Track progress per task % task complete, man-hours remaining... compare Beware of exaggerations! Tendency to report % of calendar time expended Tendency to say what management wants to hear Tendency is expect to make up the time later


6) Project Control/Monitoring (continued): 6) Project Control/Monitoring (continued) Be alert for trends showing estimates were wrong Determine if tasks which are behind schedule can be caught up Adjust schedule when needed


6) Project Control/Monitoring (continued): 6) Project Control/Monitoring (continued)


7) Completion: 7) Completion Mark each task complete when it is 100% complete Declare the project completed when 100% of the tasks are 100% complete Celebrate


8) Evaluation: 8) Evaluation Evaluate the effectiveness of the original planning Evaluate the accuracy of the estimates compared to actual times Evaluate effectiveness and efficiency of the project Revise the IT Project Template and/or the Project Management Template as needed Save evaluations as guideposts for future projects


Managing The IT Project List: Managing The IT Project List Maintain a list of all open projects Prioritize the list Plan and strategize the accomplishing of projects Allocate resources to projects Manage the backlog of projects


Managing The IT Project List (continued): Managing The IT Project List (continued)


Managing The IT Project List (continued): Managing The IT Project List (continued)


Problems and Ideas: Problems and Ideas Shifting & drifting control Resist the urge to make changes mid-course Distractions & interruptions Ramp-up time Change management Communicate and document clearly when a change must occur Understand and agree up front how this will affect delivery time and cost


Problems and Ideas (continued): Problems and Ideas (continued) Internal vs. External Delivery Date “Under promise and over deliver” Evaluation benefits To get better at estimating, delivery, anticipating Asking, “What did we learn through this project?” For getting individuals better For praise and celebration


Problems and Ideas (continued): Problems and Ideas (continued) Managing creativity Estimations on highly creative tasks are hard to get accurate Can set the “risk” factor high and allow more time for it Can attempt to get creative and high risk tasks done earlier in the project Can specify “whatever you have at this point in time, is what we go with”


Problems and Ideas (continued): Problems and Ideas (continued) Monitoring is a burden, but beneficial It is the early warning system Detecting a problem early gives you more flexibility to manage the problem


Benefits of Project Management: Benefits of Project Management Staff/Client Buy-In On-time Delivery Capacity Planning Accuracy Estimation Improvement Early Warning


Benefits of Project Management (continued): Benefits of Project Management (continued) CG – “Catch them doing something good.” Teamsmanship – we’re all getting better as a team Visibility – knowing where you stand; a certain degree of certainty gives appropriate confidence