Monday, March 27, 2017
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Estimates are Usually Guesstimates!
I have been burned more times than I can
count by bad estimates. What can a project manager do to help ensure the
accuracy of estimates? First we should understand the basics behind
the estimating process (there are many more than I have listed here). Some are:
• The more unique , complex, or larger the project, the more of a challenge it will be to get good estimates
• Estimates are only as good as the estimator is at predicting the future
• "Padded" estimates are not always bad as long as the padding is communicated (... and as long as the Project Manager is the one doing the "padding")
• An estimate is not a bid
• Estimates using sound estimating practices, performed by experienced estimators from clear specifications should never be negotiated
• Ballpark estimates are guesses and should be treated as much by the project team, management, and the project sponsor
Other items to consider when estimating are:
• Ensure the statement of work or contract is clear and understood by the person(s) doing the estimates
• Ensure that a schedule or mandated date doesn't drive the estimating thought process
• Include Risk Management in the estimating process
• Ensure that estimates take into account the skill level(s) of the person(s) that will do the work
• If your work breakdown structure (WBS) is flawed, your estimates will be inaccurate
Accurate estimating is an art and a science. The estimator (or team) must take into account historical data from past projects, the team's knowledge and experience, the project risks, the statement of work and other project information to make the best estimate possible.
Keep in mind when planning your project that estimates aren't hard and fast numbers. They are guesses, however they should be very good guesses if you have good estimators and are following tried and true estimating practices.
Wednesday, March 02, 2016
Your Must Fail to Succeed!
If you are an "experienced" project manager and haven't had a few project failures, in my mind, you aren't a very good project manager. Project managers must constantly push their team members towards exceeding their comfort levels, take (calculated) risks, be decisive, make firm commitments, and be aggressive when base-lining and managing the triple constraints (Time, Cost, Quality). Just like a successful NASCAR driver, a project manager must learn to live close to the edge of disaster, but while doing so, he or she must aggressively manage their project’s Risks.
In my opinion, too many project managers are unwilling to set firm expectations with their team for fear of being unpopular. There are going to be times when your project team doesn't really care if a milestone is missed or a promise isn't kept. The problem is your project isn't always your team’s top concern. Don’t forget that. You live with and for your project and at the same time some of your team members might loathe your project. Many team members have other responsibilities outside of your project and your project may be preventing them from doing their regular job.
Project Tip - If you find that you have members on your project team that aren't 100% committed to achieving the goals of your project, you need to start thinking about replacing them.
Based upon my experience, - at least on IT projects - most project problems that are encountered in the Project Execution phases are the fault of the project manager. Proper Risk Management will help the project manager foresee and mitigate many problems that will arise during project execution. If you have lots of problems and issues on your project you did a poor job of Risk Management in the planning phase.
Some things to keep in mind to avoid failure when planning your project:
Be crystal clear when communicating with your team. All important communications should be in writing.
Don't allow project committees or executive oversight groups to dictate how you plan your project.
Communicate quickly to your team and senior management if you believe that your project is out of control.
Don't assume that suppliers or vendors will be honest with you. Make sure you continually follow-up and get commitments in writing (preferably in the contract).
Split your project into manageable phases.
Ensure that your end users are involved every step of the way.
Communicate Status as often as is needed. Include bad news, problems, issues, and concerns in your status report and be sure to include how you plan to overcome them.
Don't let your project fail because you aren't communicating or your team isn't functioning properly.
Believe in the statement that “Project failure is always the Project Manager's fault”!
In my opinion, too many project managers are unwilling to set firm expectations with their team for fear of being unpopular. There are going to be times when your project team doesn't really care if a milestone is missed or a promise isn't kept. The problem is your project isn't always your team’s top concern. Don’t forget that. You live with and for your project and at the same time some of your team members might loathe your project. Many team members have other responsibilities outside of your project and your project may be preventing them from doing their regular job.
Project Tip - If you find that you have members on your project team that aren't 100% committed to achieving the goals of your project, you need to start thinking about replacing them.
Based upon my experience, - at least on IT projects - most project problems that are encountered in the Project Execution phases are the fault of the project manager. Proper Risk Management will help the project manager foresee and mitigate many problems that will arise during project execution. If you have lots of problems and issues on your project you did a poor job of Risk Management in the planning phase.
Some things to keep in mind to avoid failure when planning your project:
Be crystal clear when communicating with your team. All important communications should be in writing.
Don't allow project committees or executive oversight groups to dictate how you plan your project.
Communicate quickly to your team and senior management if you believe that your project is out of control.
Don't assume that suppliers or vendors will be honest with you. Make sure you continually follow-up and get commitments in writing (preferably in the contract).
Split your project into manageable phases.
Ensure that your end users are involved every step of the way.
Communicate Status as often as is needed. Include bad news, problems, issues, and concerns in your status report and be sure to include how you plan to overcome them.
Don't let your project fail because you aren't communicating or your team isn't functioning properly.
Believe in the statement that “Project failure is always the Project Manager's fault”!
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
The Absent Executive - replayed
Ever had a project that begins with strong executive/senior management support and over time that support fades?
The symptoms of executive disintrest are:
Executives/senior management don't ask questions during status meetings or stop coming to the meetings
Executives/senior management lack a sense of urgency regarding "your" project
Executives/senior management become more confused and/or less supportive over time regarding project goals and objectives
Executives/senior management begin to focus on what has been "installed" vs. what business results have been realized
The project sponsor(s) becomes detached and less available for project updates
Executives, sponsors, and stakeholders start to forget the culture and try to force solutions to meet deadlines
I know first hand that executives/senior management will tell you they support your project, and then turnaround and encourage resistance in their departments, and allow or ignore passive-aggressive behaviors of key staff members regarding the project's goals and objectives. What can be done? Here are some ideas; however you must realize that your project is in serious trouble if you have observed the behaviors listed above.
Calculate the costs of the project so far. Consider scaling back the project or killing it all together. I know from experience that this is much easier said than done.
Identify key executives and stakeholders and meet with them personally and restate the projects benefits. If they still aren't sold or supportive, move on to the next group. Ensure you create a Scope Change and de-scope portions of the project that aren't getting support.
Reevaluate the project team. Do you need new people? Are they really focused on meeting the project's objectives and scope? Are the project's objectives and scope still realistic, attainable and relevant?
Reevaluate the organization's culture and re-plan the project if needed. Reset expectations, and identify sources of resistance. If the culture can't be changed quickly, perhaps the project's objectives, goals, and/or scope need to be adjusted.
Remember, project failure rests on the project manager's and project sponsor's shoulders. Sometimes senior management is too busy to get or stay involved, however that doesn't release them from their responsibility to support your project. Determine if they are too busy or just too lazy to support your project. Not easy to do, but absolutely necessary.
Remember what Dr. Stephen Covey says is the 4th Discipline (The 4 Disciplines of Execution) - "Hold Each Other Accountable - All of the Time". If you are a project manager it is your job to hold all levels of the organization accountable for project success. Having said that, you must proceed with caution if you plan to do this with executives. Be tactful and respectful; however, don't let them off the hook!
A recent survey found that only 39 percent of workers feel highly energized and committed to their organization's most important goals. This survey includes executives and senior managers. Just because they have the title doesn't mean they will behave responsibly or be focused on doing the right things right!
Executives, senior management, and your project sponsor(s) may say they support you and your project, but it is up to you to figure out if they really are being supportive. Silence is not acceptance when it comes to dealing with the decision makers. When they stop asking questions, you are in deep trouble.
The symptoms of executive disintrest are:
Executives/senior management don't ask questions during status meetings or stop coming to the meetings
Executives/senior management lack a sense of urgency regarding "your" project
Executives/senior management become more confused and/or less supportive over time regarding project goals and objectives
Executives/senior management begin to focus on what has been "installed" vs. what business results have been realized
The project sponsor(s) becomes detached and less available for project updates
Executives, sponsors, and stakeholders start to forget the culture and try to force solutions to meet deadlines
I know first hand that executives/senior management will tell you they support your project, and then turnaround and encourage resistance in their departments, and allow or ignore passive-aggressive behaviors of key staff members regarding the project's goals and objectives. What can be done? Here are some ideas; however you must realize that your project is in serious trouble if you have observed the behaviors listed above.
Calculate the costs of the project so far. Consider scaling back the project or killing it all together. I know from experience that this is much easier said than done.
Identify key executives and stakeholders and meet with them personally and restate the projects benefits. If they still aren't sold or supportive, move on to the next group. Ensure you create a Scope Change and de-scope portions of the project that aren't getting support.
Reevaluate the project team. Do you need new people? Are they really focused on meeting the project's objectives and scope? Are the project's objectives and scope still realistic, attainable and relevant?
Reevaluate the organization's culture and re-plan the project if needed. Reset expectations, and identify sources of resistance. If the culture can't be changed quickly, perhaps the project's objectives, goals, and/or scope need to be adjusted.
Remember, project failure rests on the project manager's and project sponsor's shoulders. Sometimes senior management is too busy to get or stay involved, however that doesn't release them from their responsibility to support your project. Determine if they are too busy or just too lazy to support your project. Not easy to do, but absolutely necessary.
Remember what Dr. Stephen Covey says is the 4th Discipline (The 4 Disciplines of Execution) - "Hold Each Other Accountable - All of the Time". If you are a project manager it is your job to hold all levels of the organization accountable for project success. Having said that, you must proceed with caution if you plan to do this with executives. Be tactful and respectful; however, don't let them off the hook!
A recent survey found that only 39 percent of workers feel highly energized and committed to their organization's most important goals. This survey includes executives and senior managers. Just because they have the title doesn't mean they will behave responsibly or be focused on doing the right things right!
Executives, senior management, and your project sponsor(s) may say they support you and your project, but it is up to you to figure out if they really are being supportive. Silence is not acceptance when it comes to dealing with the decision makers. When they stop asking questions, you are in deep trouble.
Monday, October 19, 2015
The Seven Step Path to Sustaining Project Success
Tom Peter's Wisdom!
You take care of the people.
You take care of the people.
The people take care of the service.
The service takes care of the customer.
The customer takes care of the profit.
The profit takes care of the re-investment.
The re-investment takes care of the re-invention.
The re-invention takes care of the future.
(And at every step the only measure is EXCELLENCE.)
More project wisdom at www.tompeters.com
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Tom Peters!
The Top 27: Twenty-seven Practical Ideas That
Will Transform Every Organization
1. Learn to thrive in unstable times—our lot (and our opportunity) for the foreseeable future.
2. Only putting people first wins in the long haul, good times and especially tough times. (No "cultural differences" on that one! Colombia = Germany = the USA.)
3. MBWA/Managing By Wandering Around. Stay in touch!
4. Call a customer today!
5. Train! Train! Train! (Growing people outperform stagnant people in terms of attitude and output—by a wide margin.)
6. "Putting people first" means making everyone successful at work (and at home).
7. Make "we care" a/the company motto—a moneymaker as well as a source of pride.
8. All around the world, women are an undervalued asset.
9. Diversity is a winning strategy, and not for reasons of social justice: The more different perspectives around the table, the better the thinking.
10. Take a person in another function to lunch; friendships, lots of, are the best antidote to bad cross-functional task accomplishments. (Lousy cross-functional communication stops companies and armies alike.)
11. Transparency in all we do.
12. Create an "Innovation Machine" (even in tough times). (Hint: Trying more stuff than the other guy is Tactic #1.)
13. We always underestimate the Innovation Advantage when 100% of people see themselves as "innovators." (Hint: They are if only you'd bother to ask "What can we do better?")
14. Get the darned Basics right—always Competitive Advantage #1. (Be relentless!)
15. Great Execution beats great strategy—99% of the time. (Make that 100% of the time.)
16. A "bias for action" is a "bias for success." (Great hockey player Wayne Gretzky: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.")
17. No mistakes, no progress! (A lot of fast mistakes, a lot of fast progress.) (Australian businessman Phil Daniels: "Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes.")
18. Sometimes "little stuff" is more powerful than "big stuff" when it comes to change.
19. Keep it simple! (Making "it" "simple" is hard work! And pays off!)
20. Remember the "eternal truths" of leadership—constants over the centuries. (They say Nelson Mandela's greatest asset was a great smile—you couldn't say no to him, even his jailors couldn't.)
21. Walk the talk. ("You must be the change you wish to see in the world."—Gandhi)
22. When it comes to leadership, character and people skills beat technical skills. (Emotional Intelligence beats, or at least ties, school intelligence.)
23. It's always "the little things" when it comes to "people stuff." (Learn to say "thank you" with great regularity. Learn to apologize when you're wrong. Learn the Big Four words: "What do you think?" Learn to listen—it can be learned with lots and lots of practice.)
24. The "obvious" may be obvious, but "getting the obvious done" is harder said than done.
25. Time micro-management is the only real "control" variable we have. (You = Your calendar. Calendars never lie.)
26. All managers have a professional obligation to their communities and their country as well as to the company and profit and themselves. (Forgetting this got the Americans into deep trouble.)
27. EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. (What else?)
1. Learn to thrive in unstable times—our lot (and our opportunity) for the foreseeable future.
2. Only putting people first wins in the long haul, good times and especially tough times. (No "cultural differences" on that one! Colombia = Germany = the USA.)
3. MBWA/Managing By Wandering Around. Stay in touch!
4. Call a customer today!
5. Train! Train! Train! (Growing people outperform stagnant people in terms of attitude and output—by a wide margin.)
6. "Putting people first" means making everyone successful at work (and at home).
7. Make "we care" a/the company motto—a moneymaker as well as a source of pride.
8. All around the world, women are an undervalued asset.
9. Diversity is a winning strategy, and not for reasons of social justice: The more different perspectives around the table, the better the thinking.
10. Take a person in another function to lunch; friendships, lots of, are the best antidote to bad cross-functional task accomplishments. (Lousy cross-functional communication stops companies and armies alike.)
11. Transparency in all we do.
12. Create an "Innovation Machine" (even in tough times). (Hint: Trying more stuff than the other guy is Tactic #1.)
13. We always underestimate the Innovation Advantage when 100% of people see themselves as "innovators." (Hint: They are if only you'd bother to ask "What can we do better?")
14. Get the darned Basics right—always Competitive Advantage #1. (Be relentless!)
15. Great Execution beats great strategy—99% of the time. (Make that 100% of the time.)
16. A "bias for action" is a "bias for success." (Great hockey player Wayne Gretzky: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.")
17. No mistakes, no progress! (A lot of fast mistakes, a lot of fast progress.) (Australian businessman Phil Daniels: "Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes.")
18. Sometimes "little stuff" is more powerful than "big stuff" when it comes to change.
19. Keep it simple! (Making "it" "simple" is hard work! And pays off!)
20. Remember the "eternal truths" of leadership—constants over the centuries. (They say Nelson Mandela's greatest asset was a great smile—you couldn't say no to him, even his jailors couldn't.)
21. Walk the talk. ("You must be the change you wish to see in the world."—Gandhi)
22. When it comes to leadership, character and people skills beat technical skills. (Emotional Intelligence beats, or at least ties, school intelligence.)
23. It's always "the little things" when it comes to "people stuff." (Learn to say "thank you" with great regularity. Learn to apologize when you're wrong. Learn the Big Four words: "What do you think?" Learn to listen—it can be learned with lots and lots of practice.)
24. The "obvious" may be obvious, but "getting the obvious done" is harder said than done.
25. Time micro-management is the only real "control" variable we have. (You = Your calendar. Calendars never lie.)
26. All managers have a professional obligation to their communities and their country as well as to the company and profit and themselves. (Forgetting this got the Americans into deep trouble.)
27. EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. (What else?)
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Ten Project Ideas from Florida Power and Light
Florida Power and Light management came up with the list below of the ten most important things they think helped them complete the St. Lucie 2 Nuclear Power Plant on schedule, within cost, and without major quality issues.
- Management Commitment
- A realistic and firm schedule
- Clear decision-making authority
- Flexible project control tools
- Teamwork
- Maintaining engineering before construction (design before build)
- Early start-up involvement
- Organizational flexibility
- Ongoing critique of the project
- Close coordination with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (strong, fair oversight)
This is an awesome list that can be adapted to any environment and project. Do you have a top ten list of things you need for your project to be successful?