Strategy clinic: Communication builds project confidence
- Posted:
- 14:51 20 May 2004
- Topics:
- Project Management
This week we publish a selection of
readers' solutions to recent Strategy Clinic problems
One of our IT projects seems to be spinning out of control.
The project manager, however, denies the existence of the problems.
Given that this project is viewed as critical by the business, how
can I ensure that it does not end in failure?
Work to make people believe in the project
Tom Clark, IT manager, international financial services
company
If the project appears to be spinning out of control, then it
probably is. This must be addressed. Another aspect is the
perception of the project and this is just as important as
successful delivery. Internally you may have everything under
control, but the perception could still be that of a struggling
project. This is hard to shake and must be managed.
The project manager needs to be made aware of this perception and
be concerned enough to address it. If not, it may be time for a new
project manager.
The first thing to do is to listen and to gauge what is important
to the business to start to gain business users' confidence in your
ability to deliver. This goes a long way to overcoming
problems.
Confidence can be further restored through demonstrable processes
such as cost/resource control, planning and monitoring, risk and
issue management, and requirements management. Finally, regular
formal communication and involvement helps to give a sense of
progress and success.
Revert to basics to retain confidence in
projects
David Threlfall, director of MIS, Enesco
As project sponsor it is vital that executive IT always keeps
overall project control without undermining the project
manager.
The perception by departments outside IT of how well a project is
doing may or may not reflect the project's progress on the Gantt
chart. However, perceived success is how company confidence in IT
projects is developed and will affect support in any future
proposals.
The way to avoid these problems is to get back to basics:
Define clear and realistic project goals
Ensure full company buy-in by involving all
departments from user to executive that can be affected by this
project, no matter how minimal. It really pays off
Define clear realistic milestones
Don't overlook or ignore any personality
conflicts. Address them and act quickly and professionally
Avoid a blame culture, learn from mistakes,
support team members and move on
Most importantly of all - communicate,
communicate, communicate.
Get value from heavy-hitters before failure sets
in
Trevor Moreton, UK SESC ABCD Project Risk Management
Your experts' solutions revolved around communication and risk
management, plus the more extreme solution of bringing in a
heavy-hitter to rescue the project, which is the recovery option
when all else has already failed.
In recent years EDS has implemented the ABCD risk management
method, a coherent process that promotes elements of all the
suggested solutions:
Effective identification of risk
Promotion of a blame-free culture
Communication across all stakeholders
Regular independent review (healthcheck)
Escalation through well-defined governance
Provision of real, practical help for project
managers.
Of these, I would suggest that the last is the greatest benefit,
derived from the others. By recognising that certain risks are not
controllable within the project, and communicating that message to
all concerned, the onus is placed on senior management to provide
support, rather than simply making demands on project staff.
The effect is to get some value from the heavy-hitters already in
the organisation, before the project starts to fail, and avoiding
the problem in the first place.
Write objectives and scripts so no one is in any
doubt
Brian Shea, chief executive, Vizuri
The ideal way to ensure a project is successful is to create a
project plan that maps onto the business plan exactly. This helps
to eliminate ambiguity in product delivery.
Outlining deadlines and responsibilities on a phase-by-phase basis
allows little room for confusion. High -level, mid-level and
detailed project plans are necessary. Everyone involved in the
project needs to be in no doubt as to their responsibilities and
deadlines.
This process means it is easier to spot problems and issues as soon
as they arise. Visual aids and written objectives must be available
to everyone at all times as these add to the likelihood of
success.
Similarly, business use cases and functional verification scripts
should be written from the very outset to ensure the developers
know the precise path they need to follow instead of building, then
writing the scripts.
However, if the project has begun in earnest and problems have
arisen down the line, project teams need to take practical steps to
ensure it does not fail.
Call in an external person to assess the current state of the
project and report to the project sponsor. This may show that IT is
actually on schedule, or can be brought back on track easily. The
earlier these meetings take place, the greater the likelihood of
recovering the project.
Ultimately, the concept of failure is subjective. By having
specific benchmarks in place, a manager and the board can assess
whether the project has met its objectives or discuss how problems
can be addressed in the future. And if the manager is still in
denial about the project failing, someone more senior needs to step
in and take control.
What is the difference between a sourcing strategy and good supplier management?
The difference is in how you use your
suppliers
John Clemmow, managing director, Quantum Plus
A sourcing strategy and good supplier management are two very
different things - both are needed, but in the right order.
Your sourcing strategy should be defined first. A structured,
strategic approach to sourcing decisions will ensure that
insourcing and outsourcing are used appropriately and that the
right internal and external suppliers are in place to deliver what
you need to drive your business forward.
The strategy is about understanding the needs of the organisation
and deciding how to best address those needs. It must be well
thought out and thorough enough to cater for various scenarios,
help retain your competitiveness, mitigate risk and retain
flexibility.
Once the correct sourcing strategy has been implemented, supplier
management is how an organisation protects its investment in its
chosen sourcing arrangements.
Relationship management underpinned by strong governance and a
robust contract will ensure you are getting what you paid for, that
the supplier is adding value to the relationship, the goals of both
organisations are being achieved and success shared. Terminology
can make the difference - if you label suppliers as such, they will
behave as just suppliers.
A sourcing strategy is forward-looking, evolves slowly and takes a
holistic view. Supplier management is then part of the
implementation of the strategy and is more current, tactical and
reactive.
We get regular feedback from the executive team that they are satisfied with the way we run the company's IT systems and with our delivery of IT projects. Have we won, or are we missing something?
The answer lies in past utterances
Nigel Davey, Emerthames Group
The initial statement seems to indicate that you are winning, but
be careful as the race never ends.
What is the favoured terminology of the executive team? Is it prone
to lavishing praise and therefore the word "satisfied" is not
particularly high, or is it a group of very few words, in which
case satisfied is high praise indeed.
Ask the people on the team for a definition of what satisfied means
to them and if there are certain areas that the praise is aimed at.
The areas that they are less than satisfied with are the ones that
need to be identified and worked on while maintaining your
performance elsewhere. Take these comments positively but look at
adding flesh to the bones you have been thrown.