Project Management - A Personal Perspective

Project Management

A personal perspective

By Peter Gross

2014

What

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent

that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable

to change.”

Charles Darwin

Drivers for change …

Money

Customers

Risk

Brand

Governance

Corporate andSocial Responsibility

A project is a temporary endeavour designed to

produce a unique result within a defined period and with

actual or expected constraints.

Why

Rationale forchange projects …

Location changes

Changedpriorities

Legal or tax changes

Market changes

Technology advances

The goal ofproject management …

Making allstakeholders

happy.

Customers1

Users2

Department heads3

Delivery teams4

Support teams5

Design teams6

Interfacing teams7

Partners8

Achieving all results in the sponsor also being happy

How

Satisfaction

Trust

The route tostakeholderhappiness

Value

Service

Excellence

Model

Satisfaction,

Value & Trust

ExpertiseEfficiency

Accuracy

Reliability

Availability

Partnership, Customisation

and Advice

Communication & Action

Foundations

Core

Value-Add

Delivery

Goals

Presentation

The projectmanager strivesto deliver …

… on time …

… on time …… within budget …

… and meeting all quality objectives

whilst maintainingcontrol throughout.

Challenges

The projectmanagers challenge …

… the world doesn’tstop turning.

The longer the project durationthe more change

that can be expected.

Requirements change

Budgets change

Organisationschange

Schedules change

Staffchange

Business direction changes

Technology changes

The keys

The keys toprojectmanagement …

Initiation Phase1

Agree the governance structure

Ensure clarity onthe business case

Map out the landscape and all stakeholders

Create a skeletonplan and budget

Delivery Phase2

Clear, concise, accurate & timely communication

Listening with eyes and ears

Trust, but verify.

Are the objectives still appropriate?Is complete really done?

Is green really green?

Collaborate. Drive. Lead. Deliver.

Celebrate.

Measure & trackKPI and KRI metrics

Always havea backup plan.

Turn data into information as a basis for informed decisions.

Track and record. Achievements1

Actions2

Obstacles3

Lessons4

Cost & Effort 5

Agreements6

Closure Phase3

Assess. Analyse. Qualify. Validate.

Document achievements & lessons learnt.

Who

The case for adedicated project

manager …

Focus

Independence

Leadership

Responsibility

The Right PersonProject management is a PEOPLE business

The right character fit1

The right attitude2

The right approach3

Previous project leadership experience4

Communications skills5

Industry, domain or organisation knowledge6

Result

The right result …

In flightMinimal management overhead

Regular, reliable, relevant updates

Managed risk

Managed change

Seamless implementation and transition

Targetstate Delivery on time

Quality objectives achieved

Costs within budget

No negative legacy

Benefits realised

Relationships established/enhanced

About

Peter Gross

Peter is an accomplished programme and project manager with over 25 years commercial experience gained across a variety of public and

private sector organisations from early stage start-ups to established global FTSE100

enterprise environments.

About the author

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/petergross

The End