Chapter 1 - Project Management: The Key to Thriving in the New Project - Driven World

PM is a discipline – a set of methods, theories, and techniques that have evolved to manage the complexities of work that is unique and temporary.

Greater change=more innovations = more projects

Projects dominate our headlines.

Projects dominate our workplace.

Projects help us react, survive, and thrive. A global economy on the rise or in recession creates constant change, and the pace is increasing.

Projects are the new way to work.

The world fundamental shift - rewarding excellence in ongoing Ops è rewarding the ability to chart an effective path of change & deliver on the goal. The discipline of PM provides the methods and techniques to meet the challenge.

PM is keeping pace with global change

PM techniques cover a range of topics:

·         Communicating with team members and stakeholders from project conception through completion.

·         Estimating the effort, cost, and time it will take to deliver a project, and evaluating whether the benefits of the project will justify the forecasted costs.

·         Rapidly building cohesive project teams that are highly productive even though team members have not worked together before.

·         Coordinating the actions of a diverse workforce, assembled specifically for a project, to achieve the goal for the least possible expense and in a reasonable time frame.

·         Accounting for progress and productivity to provide accurate forecasts of project completion dates and budget amounts.

·         Managing the varying staffing needs that result from constantly running multiple projects concurrently, all of which share a common pool of personnel.

Agile was originally a term that applied to a particular style of developing software, and was meant to counter extremely linear or rigid software development practices when the circumstances seemed to demand more flexibility.

PM as a strategic strength

Given the importance of thriving in a project-driven world, the people who lead projects – who turn visions of what might be into tangible products and services – stand out.

·         Executives select projects. [There is one VP level executive or President level executive (for big & important projects) stand behind projects as champions or sponsors, overseeing project progress and providing advice to the project manager and team. Every major project or program has an executive who is ultimately accountable for its success.]

·         Functional managers sponsor, lead, or oversee projects within their departments. [Yes, it is true that Functional leads make decisions about project priorities as they assign their staff to project teams.]

·         Team members who understand project management make the entire project run more smoothly. [They make the project manager more effective because they make better estimates, identify risks, and participate in planning and problem solving.]

Our company recently failed on several Aerospace & Defense bids and I could not understand why even after 8D corrective actions analysis. Now, I understand it is because of the size and complexity of the projects and lack of strong project management.

The art and science of project leadership

 How mastering the science of PM provides a foundation for the art of leadership. There is no question that the best project managers are also outstanding leaders. They have vision, they motivate, they bring people together, and, most of all, they accomplish great things.

PM is a skill that can be taught and learned. Successful projects consist of these five project success factors:

1.       Agreement among the project team, customers, and management on the goals of the project. [on the kickoff call for every project, we set up clear project goals] [I can’t wait to learn about the techniques that clarify goals and discover how to make these techniques work together.]

2.       A plan that shows an overall path and clear responsibilities and that can be used to measure progress during the project. [A good plan shows who is responsible for what and when, demonstrates what is possible. A plan is the basis for measuring progress.]

3.       Constant, effective communication among everyone involved in the project. A successful project is a result of people agreeing on goals and then meeting them. [We have kickoff call, weekly team call for constant, effective communication and even internal lockdowns for effective collaborations.]

4.       A controlled scope. [agree to the original scope but also understand any changes in scope]

5.       Management support. [Manage upward to guide the people with power toward timely decisions that keep the project moving.]