Demystifying Project Management - Ottawa Region … · Factors affecting project organization include: Project scope (number of teams, sub-contractors, client personnel) Skills and

How HR Practitioners influence projects at

strategic and operational management levels

Demystifying Project Management

T.J.I. (Tom) Burnie, CHRL, CMC, PMP, PCIP

HR Interactions with Projects

Working in the Project

Working with all projects

Understanding basic Project Management framework

Learning Objectives

What?

Understand the what, why,

who, when and how of

project management as a

component of your

knowledge set

So what?

Gain situational awareness

about interaction between

HR and Project Management

How?

What are basic Project

Management concepts?

What are some key HR

actions in all projects?

What are major issues

& lessons touching HR

practitioners working

within a project?

The OPTIMIST

The First Question

What are basic Project Management concepts?

• The business context;

• Relationship to other management disciplines

• Ten (10) Knowledge Areas;

• The five (5) Process Groups;

• Project lifecycle and lifecycle dynamics;

• Concept of project management

• Triple constraints of project management.

Project – a temporary endeavour undertaken to

create a unique product, service, or result.

Project Management – the application of knowledge,

skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet

project requirements

PMBOK® Guide 5th Edition

Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)

– the sum of knowledge within the profession of

project management.

PMI Factoid

4,855,060 PMBOK® Guides in circulation

461,609 members in 203 countries/territories

274 chartered chapters

27,963 CAPM Certified Associate in Project Management

650,971 PMP Project Management Professional

212 PfMP Portfolio Management Professional

1,252 PgMP Program Management Professional

3,122 PMI-RMP PMI Risk Management Professional

1,325 PMI-SP PMI Scheduling Professional

281 PMI-PBA PMI Professional in Business Analysis

8,026 PMI ACP PMI Agile Certified Professional

PMI Today – May 2015

Project Management Business Context

Portfolio Management – “Do the Right Projects”

Program – a group of related projects…

Project/Program Management – “Do projects right”

Project Project Project

Program A

Project Project Project

Program B

Project

Project Project

Project

Portfolio

Ongoing

operations

When he left, he did not know where he was going

When he got there, he did not know where he was

When he returned, he did not know how to get

there again

The Christopher Columbus

School of Project Management

Schools of Project Management?

Schools of Project Management?

Alice to the Cat: Which road should I take?

The Cat to Alice: That depends on where you want to go?

Alice to the Cat: I do not know where I want to go.

The Cat to Alice: Then, it does not matter which road you

take.

The Alice in Wonderland School of Project

Management

Project Management Framework

General

Management

Knowledge &

Skills

Application Area

Knowledge, Standards

& Regulations

Project

Management

Body of Knowledge

Source: PMBOK® Guide

PMBOK® Guide

Interpersonal

Skills

Understanding

The Project

Environment

Project Charter – document issued by project initiator

or sponsor formally authorizes existence of a project

and provides the project manager with authority to

apply organizational resources to project activities.

Stakeholder – an individual, group, or organization who

may affect, be effected by, or perceive itself to be

affected by a decision, activity or outcome of the project.


Project Management Plan (PMP) – document that

describes how the project will be executed, monitored

and controlled.

Ten Management Knowledge Areas

Integration – coordinates the project e.g. Project Charter, Project Management Plan, etc.

Scope – includes all (and only) work needed for success.

Time – complete in a timely manner.

Cost – complete within approved budget.

Quality – satisfy needs for which project was undertaken.

Human Resources (HR) – most effective use of people.

Communications – timely & appropriate generation, collection, dissemination, storage, & disposal of information.

Risk – identification, analysis & response to project risks.

Procurement – effective acquisition of goods and services from outside sources.

Stakeholder – identification, analysis of expectations & effective management of all project stakeholders.

10 MANAGEMENT AREAS = 47 MANAGEMENT PROCESSES

HR Management Processes

Plan HR Management

Acquire Project Team

Develop Project Team

Manage Project Team

Inputs Tools and

Techniques Outputs

Monitoring & Controlling

Processes

Planning

Processes

Executing

Processes

Closing

Processes

All 5 Process Groups used in each phase

Project Management Process Groups

Initiating

Processes Enter Phase

Start Project

Exit Phase

Close Project

Project Lifecycle

Initiation

(Starting

the

Project)

Planning

(Organizing

and

Preparing)

Execution

Monitoring & Control

(Carrying out

the Work)

Finish

(Closing

the

Project)

Time

Level

of Effort

and

Cost

Project

Management

Outputs

Project

Charter

Project

Management

Plan

Archived

Project

Documents

Accepted

Deliverables

5% 75-80% 10-15% 5%

Initiating

Process

Group

Planning

Process

Group

Executing

Process

Group

Closing

Process

Group

Monitoring &

Control

Process Group

• Develop Project

Charter

• Identify

Stakeholders

Project

Charter Project

Management

Plan

Accepted

Deliverables

Project Lifecycle Dynamics

Archived

Documents

Initiating

Processes

Planning

Processes

Executing

Processes

Controlling

Processes

Closing

Processes

Level

of Effort

Time

Typical Effort and Time Flow

During Planning

• Defining the work that must be done

• Defining inter-dependencies between the elements of work

• Estimating the resources needed to do the work

• Estimating the time these resources need to perform the work

• Developing a schedule and budget to do the work

During Execution

• Tracking progress of work, schedule and budget

• Analyzing variances between the plan and the work completed

• Forecasting future status

• Taking action to get back on plan

Concept of Project Management

• Scope (work, functionality, etc.)

• Time (schedule, etc.)

• Cost (budget, etc.)

• Risk

• Quality

• Customer Satisfaction

A successful project is one that delivers the desired business outcome while effectively

managing scope, cost and schedule

Triple Constraints of Project Management

Scope

Risk

Customer

Satisfaction Quality

Business Strategy

Organizational Influences

Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)

Integrated Management Summary

HR Success or Failure

Based on your project experiences determine

three People related reasons why projects fail

Briefly discuss in 10 minutes

The Second Question

What are some key HR actions in all projects?

• Management within project life cycle

• Issues related to project organizations in general

& matrix management in particular

• Issues related to project team acquisition

The objective in preparing a Project Charter document is to ensure the work is clear, concise and organized

The Project Charter is:

Authority for the project manager to begin project development work

A way to get buy-in for the project

A manner of assigning project priority

NOT a legal document

The Project Charter

Project Lifecycle

Initiation

(Starting

the

Project)

Planning

(Organizing

and

Preparing)

Execution

Monitoring & Control

(Carrying out

the Work)

Finish

(Closing

the

Project)

Time

Level

of Effort

and

Cost

Project

Management

Outputs

Project

Charter

Project

Management

Plan

Archived

Project

Documents

Accepted

Deliverables

5% 75-80% 10-15% 5%

Plan HR

Management

Acquire Project Team


Manage Project Team

Staffing Management Plan

Staff Acquisition - sourcing

Resource Calendars – working days, shifts, etc.

Staff Release Plan – methods, timing, cost, etc.

Training Needs – competencies, certifications

Recognition and Rewards – policies, criteria, etc.

Compliance – regulations, collective agreements

Safety – policies and procedures

Sponsor a person or group who provides resources

and support for the project, program, or portfolio and is

accountable for enabling success.

Project Team – a set of individuals who support the

project manager in performing the project work to

achieve its objectives.


Client PM Project

Committee

Project

Manager

End-users Teams

Internal

Sponsor

Client

Sponsor

Typical Organization with Client

Factors affecting project organization include:

Project scope (number of teams, sub-contractors,

client personnel)

Skills and experience of the team

Skills and experience of the Project Manager

Organizational culture

Project phase

Project Organization

Five organizational models affecting project implementation and success

Functional

Weak, Balanced, or Strong Matrix

Projectized

CEO

Functional

Manager

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker

Project Coordination

Functional Structure

Functional

Manager

Functional

Manager

CEO

Functional

Manager

Weak Matrix Structure

Functional

Manager

Functional

Manager

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker


CEO

Functional

Manager

worker

worker

PM

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker


Balanced Matrix Structure

Functional

Manager

Functional

Manager

CEO

Manager

of PM

Functional

Manager

Functional

Manager

PM

PM

PM

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker


Strong Matrix Structure

CEO

Project

Manager

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker

worker


Projectized Structure

Project

Manager

Project

Manager

Organization Influence on Project

What Functional Matrix

Projectized Weak Balanced Strong

PM

Authority

Little or

none Low

Low to

Moderate

Moderate

to High

High to

almost total

Resource

Availability

Little or

none Low

Low to

Moderate

Moderate

to High

High to

almost total

Budget

Manager

Functional

Manager

Functional

Manager Mixed

Project

Manager

Project

Manager

PM Role Part-time Part-time Full-time Full-time Full-time

Project

Admin Staff Part-time Part-time Part-time Full-time Full-time


Structure and Project Success

Structure Probability of Success

Functional 34.0%

Weak Matrix 34.4%

Balanced Matrix 55.9%

Strong Matrix 70.7%

Projectized 71.4%

Source: Erik Larson and David Gobeli, Oregon State University, 1986

(result of a study of 1,400 projects)

Tips on Making the Matrix Work

• Successful operation depends upon attitudes,

actions and activities of the people involved

• Project charter is extremely helpful

• Project managers and functional managers must

develop good working relationships

• Project managers must realize they get jobs

accomplished through negotiation

• Project personnel must adapt to the two-boss

situation

• Project managers must use full extent of the

project management system

Balancing the Power

Client Top Manager

Functional

Manager

Project

Manager

Project Team

Members

Organizational Staff

Members

Power Struggle

Source: HR Skills in Project Management, Verma

Define project manager responsibility and authority

clearly

Establish clear project scope with team members

Develop methods to promote teamwork

Learn how to anticipate and channel conflict

constructively

Document approval of objectives, plans, and budgets

Use management by objectives approach; do not

supervise the functional departments too closely

Reduce risk and uncertainty through careful and

continual planning

Project Organization Survival Techniques


Work Package – work defined at lowest WBS level for

which cost and duration can be estimated and managed.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) – hierarchical

decomposition of total work scope to be carried out by

the project team to accomplish project objectives and

create the desired deliverables

WBS – the most important project management tool and

the basis for all other project management planning

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) – a grid

showing project resources assigned to each work package

Project Kitchen Renovation

1 Complete renovation plan

2 Remove/gut old kitchen

3 Replace kitchen shell (walls, ceiling, floor as required)

4 Install lighting & cabinets

5 Procure and install appliances

Work Packages

5-1 Investigate appliance options and select

Activities

5-1-1 Features

5-1-2 Size

5-1-3 Colour

5-1-4 Cost

5-2 Assess payment options and create appliance budget

5-3 Procure, have delivered and installed

WBS in Tabular Form

Use WBS to determine project resource

requirements including quantities and skill sets

Identify key resources (by name if possible)

Get resources assigned to project (organizationally

dependent) through one or more means:

HR staff

functional managers

delivery management group

internal tasking agency

external contract

Use project schedule to determine when required!

Plan and Acquire Project Team

Team Members

Work &

Deliverables

PM Design

Tm Ldr

Design

Team

QA

Team

Training

Team

DocT

eam

Design A R C I I

Build I A R I I I

Test A C C R C C

Train I C C R C

Document A C C C R

R – Responsible A – Accountable C– Consult I – Inform

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)

Week

Resource 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total

PM 1.0 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 1.0 6.0

Design

Leader 1.0 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 5.5

Build A 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 10.0

Build B 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.5 0.5 0.5 6.5

QA Test 0.5 0.5 1.0 4.0 4.0 1.0 1.0 0.5 12.5

Train 0.5 0.5 1.0 1.0 3.0 1.0 0.5 7.5

Doc 0.5 0.5 1.0 3.0 3.0 0.5 8.5

Total 2.0 4.0 4.5 5.5 6.0 8.5 10 9 4.5 2.5 56.5

Resource Matrix

Inhibitors to Forming Teams Defensive management: not trusting your people

Bureaucracy: spending more than 1/3 of team time on administrative matters

Physical separation: disbursed team members

Time and reporting fragmentation: members working on multiple projects for multiple bosses

Quality-reduced product: making team deliver product in less time than planned to save money

Phoney deadlines: constant reminder “we absolutely must be done by….”

Clique control: no attempt to keep effective staff together for next project

HR Planning!

1. HR Management tasks in Project lifecycle

2. Organizations and HR implications

3. Acquiring project team and HR input

The Third Question

What are major HR issues & lessons working

within a project?

• Understanding roles of Project Sponsor and

Project Manager – leaders or managers?

• Developing the project team

• Managing team in Phase and/or project closeouts;

Project Roles

Project Sponsor

• Set direction/vision

• Inspire teamwork

• Align employees

• Motivate & support

Project Manager

• Plan and budget

• Organize work groups

• Staff

• Control


Leader or Manager? Leaders focus on:

Vision

Selling what and why

Longer range

People

Democracy

Enabling

Developing

Challenging

Originating

Innovating

Directing

Policy

Flexibility

Risk (opportunity)

Top line

Good Leaders do the right things

Managers focus on:

Objectives

Telling how and when

Shorter range

Organization & structure

Autocracy

Restraining

Maintaining

Conforming

Imitating

Administrating

Controlling

Procedures

Consistency

Risk (avoidance)

Bottom line

Good Managers do things right


PM’s Boss

• meet deadlines, within budget

• high quality, no surprises

• essential functions

• quick delivery

• low cost

Users

• complete functionality

• user-friendliness

• performance

• reliability

Suppliers

Operations/

Maintenance

Project

Team

• challenging work

• career plan

• quality of work life

Governance

Committees

• prioritization and advice

• all-inclusive status report

• major milestones

• significant issues

• respect contract

• change requests

• rapid approvals

• payment schedule

• easy to use/maintain

• reliability

• within norms & standards

• excellent documentation

Project Manager’s Environment

Other

Stakeholders • Individual or

organizational

requirements met

Project

Manager

Client

Sponsor

Deliver desired business outcome while effectively managing scope, cost and schedule:

To the customer’s satisfaction; and the project team’s satisfaction

Primary Activities

– Planning

– Organizing

– Directing

– Controlling

PM’s Roles and Skills

Supporting Activities

– Leading

– Negotiating

– Communicating

– Setting Priorities

– Resolving Conflict

Preference (% Ranking)

Overall

Administrative Skills 63

Political Skills 25

Technical Competence 12

Administrative Skills Planning the project

Political Skills Gaining top management support

Human Relations Skills Communicating & creating team

commitment

Executive Expectations of the PM

Managerial competence Be orderly; make informed decisions; give credit where credit is

due

Technical competence Understand technical conversation; involve the technical person

Develop schedules and track progress

Protection Understand – the better the resource, the more protection is

needed

Give staff time to do their job

Act as go-between - especially when technical staff is very busy

Provide stability - try to eliminate interruptions

Team Expectations of the PM

Projects need a Sponsor that:

takes ownership of the project

has the context to map the project to organization’s

mission and objectives

has the profile to carry the project within the

organization (e.g. success at obtaining budget

approvals priority in resource allocation)

is effective in addressing issues and making decisions

(the ‘signing’ process)

is available to the PM and team (attends at meetings)

Project Executive & Business Sponsors

• Understand the Sponsor’s needs

• Set expectations early such as

criteria for success

availability

participation at meetings/events

decision turnaround

• Reconfirm objectives regularly

• Keep Sponsor informed of progress, risks, issues

and decisions needed

• Do not ‘waste’ the Sponsor on trivial matters

Project Sponsor - How to Manage



Group Development Stages

Form Storm

Norm Perform

Adjourn

Tuckman Ladder

Signs of a Jelled Team

Low turnover

Strong sense of

identity

Sense of eliteness

Joint ownership of the

product

Obvious enjoyment

Signs of a Troubled Team

Frustration

Conflict and unhealthy competition

Unproductive meetings

Frequent inspections and test problems

Low morale

Lack of trust and confidence in project manager

Project Team Development

Negotiate for team members

Hold a kickoff meeting

Develop team-member commitment

Build communication links

Incorporate team development / team building

into all project activities

Team Development Tips

Timely project completion is important for many reasons:

End the phase/project professionally & gracefully

Provide client with all project information

Reassign staff

Preparation of final cost and schedule report

Disposition of materials and supplies

Complete final payment

Lessons learned

Importance of Phase/Project Closeout

Closeout – Sample WBS (Team)

Project

Team

Plan

Reassignment

Evaluate

Performance

Conduct

Closeout

Review

Motivational Loss of interest in remaining tasks Fear of no future work

Dissatisfaction with next assignment Loss of project-derived motivation Loss of team identity

Diversion of effort

Procedural Selection of personnel to be reassigned Reassignment methodology

Phase/Project Closing

(Related HR Issues)

Leadership Success – Key Points

1. Project roles

2. Leader vs manager

3. Develop and manage team

Learning Summary

What have we learned about HR and project

management?

“There's no point in marching your troops

over the hill, no matter how inspired they

may be, if it's the wrong hill!"

Clem Sunter - Futurist

Does Project Fit the Business Need?

Common Project Language is Essential

Leadership Factoid How did you become a leader?

• 33% - hired into position

• 20% - reward for expertise

• 12% - natural leader

• 11% - no one else available

• 11% - groomed by company

• 9% - requested it

• 4% - education

Source: Finding the First Rung, Development Dimensions International

(Canadian HR Reporter 11 April 2011)

Leadership Factoid

Managers unprepared to lead

26% were not ready

58% did not receive training

59% believe boss doing good

or great job

Managers’ biggest challenge

25% - Co-workers issues

22% - Motivating team

15% - Performance reviews

15% - Finding resources

12% - Creating career

paths

Source: Career Building (Canadian HR Reporter 25 Apr2011)

HR and PM Common Ideas

Get the Right Skill Set

Key Issues and Lessons – So What?

Demonstrated leadership from Project Sponsors & Managers is essential to success

Management or technical skills ≠ Leadership – but are complementary

Knowledge of basic project management & project HR management critical for delivering effective HR services

HR practitioners: Do possess rudiments of project management through day-to-

day experience

Do Influence projects with HR services by collaboration with PM

Do not subsume project manager’s leadership role

May participate in HR projects as;

Sponsors HR team leads

Business analysts Project Managers

Learning Objectives

What?

Understand the what, why,

who, when and how of

project management as a

component of your

knowledge set

So what?

Gain situational awareness

about interaction between

HR and Project Management

How?

What are basic Project

Management concepts?

What are some key HR

actions in all projects?

What are major issues

& lessons touching HR

practitioners working

within a project?