The Hard-Nosed Project Manager

Manage Projects using SharePoint and Microsoft Project webinar on 9/14

I just finished listening to this webinar.  It was less about project management than project management tools so I got less than I expected being a long time SharePoint and Project user.  Obviously the speaker knows these tools very well and her demos where almost flawless.  I think you should listen to this if you are interested in tools or if you are a newer project manager.  Kind of as a stepping stone to Project Server and SharePoint workspaces.

One thing that we were sadly reminded of is that the tool most used for scheduling is Excel… Personally I suffer a mental block if I try using Excel for schedules.  You can open a can of beans with a screwdriver but why would you if you have a can opener? 

By the way, sound quality was very bad with lots of hissing.

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

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And the Old shall become New again...

No, I’m not talking about myself…

I was reflecting about a blog post I read by a proponent of “PM à la Web 2.0” in which he writes about the benefits of actually getting up and having a face to face with a person instead of using email or some other communication mean.

I don’t know about you but I find posts like these amusing; they just prove that what is seen as new actually isn’t, that good practices are always rediscovered, and that tools by themselves don’t do anything.

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

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Gizmos, gadgets or just plain SMART?

More catching up and I landed on this post.  I fail to see how an iPad or for that matter any other hardware gizmo would improve requirements.  In most cases the issue is not with the format but more with the quality of the requirements. 

What about coming up with SMART requirements?

· Specific

· Measurable

· Attainable

· Realistic

· Timely

I think that we may be able to do this without gadgetry.

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

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Interesting video on resource leveling

Many PMs struggle with schedule resource leveling.  Most of the time, the schedule is not dynamic enough and resists leveling. 

The Ask a Project PM: Resource Leveling video (14 min, 37 sec) discusses a number of best practices around resource levelling.  The demo uses MS Project but the same best practices can be applied to other software packages.  Some of the best practices reference an Enterprise Project Management (EPM) system and portfolio management.

My take away ordered punch list:

• Use an up to date company calendar.

• Use individual calendars for each resource, based on the company calendar and on their specific availability constraints.

• Remove all constraints that are not essential. You may have set fixed start dates or other constraints for tasks that do not require them.

• Remove all dependencies that are not essential. You may have set dependencies between tasks that are not logically related. I’ve been guilty of that.

• Assign resources or resource groups to tasks.

• Set task priorities; higher priorities get scheduled first. I’ll start doing this; never knew about this.

• Set the leveling options for your software package.

• Start leveling and level periodically.

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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Steal Geoff’s tools!

I was taking a second look at one of Geoff Crane’s free tools on Papercut Edge and it brought back memories of my days as a Battery Sergeant Major; the “good ol’ days”

Back then I had this board on the wall that showed me on the vertical axis every qualification available to a Gunner (Red over Blue!) and on the horizontal axis the name every member of the unit.  This is in the mid to late ‘80s before computer became widely available in the military so the board used a bunch of nails from which I’d hand a cardboard disc indicating that the qualification had been achieved.  Crude but efficient.

Along the same lines as Geoff’s tool one of my colleagues had a spreadsheet that listed qualifications and proficiency of the members of his practice.  Adding proficiency to the mix is a big plus; it helps identify resources that are able, ready, and proven to move to the next level.  For a project or department manager having this kind of information right in your face is invaluable.

Steal Geoff’s tools!