The Hard-Nosed Project Manager

Focus on the Management of Uncertainty and Risk webinar

Today I listened to the PMI Risk CoP webinar on Focus on the Management of Uncertainty and Risk.

The presenter covered the worst offenders in risk management, in particular not looking far enough (being too conservative), not looking at opportunities (having only dark glasses), and making risk management a once a project activity.

As a corollary, some takeaways are that:

• You also need to look at the bright side of risk management and at opportunities.
• You need to look deep for risks.  The tsunami in Japan proved this as three mitigation strategies (at least) failed in Fukushima.  If you use a checklist for risk management, it should be only a starting point, not the end of the effort.  If a risk cannot be mitigated, transferred, etc. it still need to be on the register or you will be blindsided.
• Be disciplined; review risk management at each team meeting without fault.

On other topic that was discussed is the confusion that often happens between risks and decision that have already been taken.  Nothing that has already been decided in a project is a risk, it may not happen; it HAS happened.  Many manager keep on monitoring their projects for things that have already happened.  That is a waste of time and the item should be moved off the risk registry.

Another way of getting in trouble is devoting the same effort to a risk with a low impact as to a risk with a high impact.  A bet the company risk should get much more of your attention.

Of course the webinar did not limit itself to these so I encourage you to listen to the recording.

What do you think?  As always questions and comments are welcome.

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IPMA C/B/A or PgMP

In my last few post I’ve discussed issues of certification and competence.  Lately I’ve also been interested in standards-based project, programme, and portfolio management and researching what is currently out there. 

Two of the approaches I’ve been comparing are the IPMA C/B/A and the PgMP.  One aspect I like in the IPMA C/B/A is peer reviews.  Basically a board constituted of your (prospective) peers has to accept you into the fold.  The PgMP just doesn’t have that; instead it relies of a 360 degree type of review which in my opinion would be way too easy to “game”.  If I decided to pursue a more advanced certification I think that I’d go for the IPMA C.

What do you think?  As always questions and comments are welcome.

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The emperor has no clothes…

I’m in the middle of listening to a PMI Agile CoP webinar on “The Merits and Limits of Certification”.  It is basically a debate between James Shore and Alistair Cockburn.  James Shore took a tack that certification is evil, causes stagnation, does not prove that you know something, etc. Some of this is true and I agrre with those but some of his arguments sounded like James Shore vs "The Man"

Alistair Cockburn then asked Shore if he offers certificates to which Shore answered yes.  The emperor has no clothes…

What do you think?  As always questions and comments are welcome.

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Global project management standard

If a global project management standard emerged would you want it to be solely informative or would you want it to have a normative component?

Personally I’d go for a competency based normative standard which in my opinion could lead to a globally recognized credential.  Individual practitioners and/or organizations would be subject to reviews and auditing to improve the public perception of the PM field and most likely improve the outcome of project, programmes, and portfolios.

What do you think?  As always questions and comments are welcome.

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PMO crazy talk

In the past I may have occasionally ranted about PMOs.  I may even have said that I would not rant about PMOs ever again.  If I did say that; I LIED…

A PMO may mean:

• Project Management Office.  Sounds fine.
• Program Management Office.  Still fine; a program is a collection of projects.
• Portfolio Management Office.  OK, I’ll buy that; a portfolio is a collection of projects or programs.

Now, let me just refresh everyone’s memory with the definition (PMBOK) of project:

A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result.

I’m pretty sure that anyone involved in project management regardless of the certification body, framework, or methodology can agree to this definition or something close to it.

As I often do while driving around I was listening to podcasts.  Actually I was catching up on my listening when I heard 2 well know PM talking heads mention OPERATIONS PMO… 

I almost drove off a bridge at the first mention and I yelled at the top of my lungs at the second.  I checked the date on the podcast to see if it was an April Fool's prank.  I replayed both passages to check if I was not hallucinating.  Negative on both counts...

What the hell is wrong with these people?  Operations are continuing endeavors; they are not projects.  You can’t PMO them; stop the crazy talk.  What’s next; PMOs that run PMOs?  Do we really have to call a PMO any structure that holds 2 or more PMs?  Call I call the pub a PMO if I go there with another PM?  Again, stop the crazy talk.  Do it right now and I promise that I will not rant about PMOs ever again.

What do you think?  As always questions and comments are welcome.

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PMOs don't have to be fads

Geoff Crane commented on one of my previous posts on PMOs.  I do agree with him completely and I must admit I intended to create some controversy around the flurry of Project, Program, and Portfolio Management Office activity.

His point about ineffective implementation of PMOs is part of the “fad” pattern and my main concern with these structures.  I’ve been bouncing around Manufacturing IT for almost 23 years and I’ve seen my lot of fads and bad to horrible implementations.  Let’s see if you remember any of these; if so you may still have nightmares about them and I am sorry for torturing you:

• Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM). Regardless of what some may say; CIM s pretty much dead. Grandiose promises, but most of what was called CIM only had limited functionality. Most of the people who were pushing this moved on to MES or ERP. 

• Manufacturing Execution System (MES). Still very much alive with a large number of software and service providers. The main problem is that most companies that decide to implement an MES do not take the time to streamline their processes and end up automating bad practices.

• ISO 9000. This one I’ve “enjoyed” a lot… The first two attempts at ISO 9000 I experienced where multi three ring binders full of procedures, best practices, workflows, forms, etc. that were so cumbersome that the emergency change management procedure was the only one really used. A pared down version was finally developed, audited, certified, and promptly forgotten.

• Quality Management Systems. Pretty much the same as ISO 9000; once again three trips around the block but nothing much at the end. After ISO 9000 and Quality Management Systems my take is that Quality is either second nature or some unachievable goal. You just can’t put Quality into the product you can only preserve it.

• Project Management Methodologies. Most of them are similar efforts to ISO 9000 and Quality Management Systems. Guess what the result is…

A Project Management Office (boy I hate that term) can work as long as it does not try to fix all the ills of the world in one fell swoop. There is hope if a Project MO, acting as a collegial group of PMs, identifies and then tackles the 3 worse problems PMs can influence, eliminate or mitigate those problems, and then repeats the process as many times as needed.  Eventually all PMs will sit quietly, with their feet on their desks, doing nothing.  Not grandiose, just workable.

What do you think?  As always questions and comments are welcome.

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I don't like PMOs

Actually I don’t hate PMOs but I needed another serving of TLA salad…

What are we supposed to like exactly? What does PMO stand for?  Is it Project, Program, or Portfolio Management Office?  Projects, Programs, and Portfolios are different beasts that do not fit in the same cage. 

What is the purpose of the various PMOs?

• Is the Project Management Office supposed to ensure that best practices are documented and followed? Do you need a formal corporate structure for this to happen or can you rely on a collegial approach base on a document management system?
• Since a Program is a group of related Projects do you need a Program Management Office or could you do with a Project Management Office? It looks to me like both forms deal with the tactical level and may be competing for the same turf.
• Since a Portfolio is a mix of Projects and Programs that have to be coordinated at the enterprise level do you need both a Portfolio Management Office to deal with the strategic level and a Project Management Office that deals with the tactical level?

What is the value of a PMO (of any form) to the enterprise?

• Do we need multiple PMOs for a single enterprise? How many do we need; one for IT, one for HR, one for Manufacturing, etc.? Aren’t most of the best practices the same anyway?
• What do the various PMOs do to fix #1 problem of most projects, i.e. bad requirements?
• Are PMOs created only as a “me too” fad?

I’m thinking we may be looking at solution(s) looking for problem(s).

What do you think?  As always questions and comments are welcome.

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