Project Management & Office Politics By Agnes Kosiorek

Project Management & Project Management & Office PoliticsOffice Politics

By Agnes KosiorekBy Agnes Kosiorek

-Typical Problems--Typical Problems-• Programmers are working long hours.

• System test group is waiting anxiously to test a copy of the software during it’s 5 day “make it work” period.

• Support engineers are still fixing bugs from the previous release.

• Tech Writers are lost in 300 pull-down menus and can’t get engineering feedback on their documents.

and

Marketing departmentMarketing department has been promised the has been promised the

shipment by Dec. 1.shipment by Dec. 1.

ManagersManagers have established year-end bonuses have established year-end bonuses based upon product shipment.based upon product shipment.

CustomersCustomers guaranteed on time guaranteed on time delivery.delivery.

These problems can be These problems can be solved with solved with

Project Management Project Management Techniques.Techniques.

Project Management is…Project Management is…

the application of the application of knowledge, skills, toolsknowledge, skills, tools and and techniques to a broad range of activitiestechniques to a broad range of activities in in

order to meet the requirements of the order to meet the requirements of the particular project. particular project.

It is also an approach used to manage work It is also an approach used to manage work with the constraints of time, cost, and with the constraints of time, cost, and

performance targets. performance targets.

Project ManagementProject Management involves the followinginvolves the following::

Team management :

develop skills that create an efficient production system

and a cooperative and effective team culture.

-Staffing -Team structure

-Team communication -Team building

-Conflict resolution -Training

-Performance appraisals

Communication managementCommunication management

• enables interaction between project stakeholders, the development team, the client and senior management

-Effective reporting

-Weekly project team meetings

-Weekly project status reports

Risk managementRisk management

• Risk Management is comparable to performing preventive health care and buying insurance for your project.

• It involves identifying potential problems, analyzing those problems, planning to manage them and reviewing them.


• Performed at the start of a project, at the beginning of major project phases, and when there are significant changes.

• The time allowance varies because of the scope of the project, but most sessions usually take less than 2 hours.

– 90 - 120 minutes for projects 12 to 60 person-months of effort. – 40 - 60 minutes for projects smaller than 12 person-months of

effort.


Risk Identification – A 15-30 minute brainstorming session to identify

potential problems• Invite anyone who can help: (about 9 people)

– Project team– Customers– People who have worked on similar projects– Experts in the project's subject area


Risk Identification consider ….

• Weak areas

• Aspects critical to project success

• Problems that have plagued past projects


Risk Analysis

• Make each risk item more specific

• Set priorities and determine where to focus risk mitigation efforts

• Discuss each risk item to determine its potential damage, and whether or not it is likely to occur

• How likely it is that each risk item will occur, using a scale from one to 10

• Determine the priority of each risk item

Table 1. The Priority SchemeTable 1. The Priority Scheme

Risk Items (Potential Future Problems Derived from Brainstorming)

Likelihood of Risk Item Occurring

Impact to Project if Risk Item Does Occur

Priority (Likelihood x Impact)

New operating system may be unstable.

10 10 100

Communication problems over system issues.

8 9 72

We may not have the right requirements

9 6 54

Requirements may change late in the cycle.

7 7 49

Database software may arrive late.

4 8 32

Key people might leave. 2 10 20


Risk Management Planning

– you must decide which of risk mitigation action you are going to pursue

– take action to reduce (or partially reduce) the likelihood of the risk occurring

– reduce the impact if the risk does occur

Table 2. Advanced Risk Priority Table 2. Advanced Risk Priority

SchemeScheme

Risk Items (Potential Future Problems Derived from Brainstorming)

Likelihood of Risk Item Occurring

Impact to Project if Risk Item Does Occur

Priority (Likelihood x Impact)

Actions to Reduce Likelihood

Actions to Reduce Impact if Risk Does Occur

Who Should Work on Actions

When Should Actions Be Complete

Status of Actions

New operating system may not be stable.

10 10 100 Test OS more. Identify second OS.

Joe 3/3/01

Communica-tion problems over system issues.

8 9 72 Develop system interface document for critical interfaces.

Add milestone to realign the team's schedule with other areas.

Cathy 5/6/01

We may not have the right requirements.

9 6 54 Build prototype of UI.

Limit Initial product distribution

Lois 4/6/01

Requirements may change late in the cycle.

7 7 49 Prototype top 10 requirements to refine the scope of initial release.

Ship core features and limit initial product distribution.

Cecil 1/2/01

Database software may arrive late.

4 8 32 Check with supplier. Get early copy of database. Offer testing help to

Make application compatible with a substitute database.

Joe 2/2/01

Key people might leave.

2 10 20 Make sure Jim is happy.

Earmark Fred as a backup.

Pete 3/4/01


Risk Review

• review your risks periodically

• When change risk priorities or discover new risks

Configuration ManagementConfiguration Management

• To ensure that you can identify each component, as well as different versions of the same component

• Establish and maintain the integrity of all the work products of the project.

• Documents how changes items will be controlled, recorded, reported, and audited to verify conformance to

requirements

Configuration ManagementConfiguration Management

Record fields such as:

– date -recorded by

– requested by -product and component

– comments -recommendation

– action -authorized by

– action taken

Quality ManagementQuality Management

• Activities and techniques used to ensure that all project activities and work products comply with all relevant standards

-Quality assurance- evaluating project performance on a regular basis

-Quality improvement -to factor-in time to plan for future projects or procedures, with an aim to improving those packages and procedures

• Procedural definitions, product definitions and desired outcomes

Time managementTime management

• A detailed project schedule

• Differences between planned and actual duration of

activities begin to emerge

• Monitor and control changes to the schedule of activities as well as to the overall project

• Processes of sequencing, estimating and schedule development

Cost ManagementCost Management

• Processes used to ensure that the project is completed within the approved budget

• Confirmation of resources (people, equipment and materials) and estimation of the budget needed to complete project activities for the phase/cycle

• Budget and schedule reviews are necessary especially when the requirements, design and content of the product are going to be defined.

• Certain design decisions or limited testing may result in increased cost to the end user's operating costs.

Ten Guaranteed Ways to Ten Guaranteed Ways to

Screw Up Any ProjectScrew Up Any Project By: By:

Michael GreerMichael Greer

1. Don’t bother prioritizing your organization's overall project load. After all, if there’s a free-for-all approach to your overall program management (i.e., “survival of the fittest”), then the projects that survive will be those that were destined to survive. In the meantime, senior management need not trouble themselves aligning projects with strategic goals or facing the logical imperative that people simply cannot have 12 number one priorities!

2. Encourage sponsors and key stakeholders to take a passive role on the project team. Let them assert their authority to reject deliverables at random, without participating in defining project outcomes in a high-resolution fashion. And above all, don’t bother project sponsors when their constituents (such as key SMEs and reviewers) drop the ball and miss their deadlines.

3. Set up ongoing committees focusing on management process (such as TQM groups, etc.) and make project team members participate in frequent meetings and write lots of reports… preferably when critical project deadlines are coming due.

4. Interrupt team members relentlessly … preferably during their time off. Find all sorts of trivial issues that "need to be addressed," then keep their beepers and cell phones ringing and bury them in emails to keep them off balance.

5. Create a culture in which project managers are expected to “roll over” and take it when substantive new deliverables are added halfway through the project. (After all, only a tradesperson like a plumber or electrician would demand more money or more time for additional services; our people are “professionals” and should be prepared to be “flexible.”)

6. Half way through the project, when most of the deliverables have begun to take shape, add a whole bunch of previously unnamed stakeholders and ask them for their opinions about the project and its deliverables.

7. Encourage the sponsor to approve deliverables informally (with nods, smiles, and verbal praise); never force sponsors to stand behind their approvals with a formal sign-off. (In other words, give ‘em plenty of room to weasel out of agreements!)

8. Make sure project managers have lots of responsibilities and deadlines, but no authority whatsoever to acquire or remove people from the project; to get enough money, materials, or facilities; or insist on timely participation of SMEs and key reviewers.

9. Describe project deliverables in the vaguest possible terms so sponsors and reviewers have plenty of leeway to reinvent the project outputs repeatedly as the project unfolds.

10. Get projects up and running as quickly as possible – don’t worry about documenting agreements in a formal project charter, clearly describing team roles/responsibilities, or doing a thorough work breakdown analysis. After all, we know what we’re doing and we trust each other. So let’s get to it without a pesky audit trail!

APS Document ManagementAPS Document Management

• Matt Carter: Project Manager……..Duties:

-The initial point of contact for all client issues and provides the client with updates, answers to questions, and solutions to issues

-Assists general manager in developing timeline and specifications for projects

-Status Reports

APS Document ManagementAPS Document Management

• Matt Carter: Project Manager…….Duties:

-Maintaining a productive work environment developing new procedures

-Employee scheduling, illness, or tardiness

-Conducting employee evaluations and performance reviews,

-Employee scheduling, illness, or tardiness

and assigning work

OOffice ffice PPoliticsolitics

Communication !

• Two basic Problems:1.Talking 2.Effective listening is active not passive

Really Cool WebsiteReally Cool Website

• http://www.officepolitics.com/index1.html