Effective Execution

“Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that
is inevitable.” - William Pollard

Lecturer: Tankou Nana

PMD 46: Day 2
Todays journey of events – Day 2
What makes a good Project Manager?
The Skills you need as a Project Manager

~ Skills = The ability to do something well. “Expertise”

 Skills

Behavioural (Art) Technical (Science) Handle Issues

Leadership Tools
People

Change Management Technique Processes

Problem Solving
Methodology Technology

Communication

Organising/Planning

Team Building

Commitment

Diplomacy
 What makes a good Project Manager?

1. Command authority naturally.

2. Possess quick sifting abilities, knowing what to note and what to ignore.
3. Set, observe, and re-evaluate project priorities frequently.
4. Ask good questions and listen to stakeholders.
5. Do not use information as a weapon or a means of control.
6. Adhere to predictable communication schedules.
7. Possess domain expertise in project management as applied to a particular field.
8. Exercise independent and fair consensus-building skills when conflict arises.
9. Cultivate and rely on extensive informal networks inside and outside the firm to solve
problems that arise.
10. Look forward to going to work!

Source: http://99u.com/articles/6946/top-10-characteristics-of-great-project-managers/
 What makes a good Project Manager?

1) Command authority naturally

They are optimistic in nature, leaders who
naturally attract support through their own
right. Viewed in a favourable light and are
valued by the organization.

2) Possess quick sifting abilities, knowing

what to note and what to ignore
They have the ability to adapt to their
environment on a constant basis. Their focus is
placed on what matters to the outputs
required.

Source: http://99u.com/articles/6946/top-10-characteristics-of-great-project-managers/
 What makes a good Project Manager?

3) Set, observe, and re-evaluate project

priorities frequently.
They spent their time on the right activities
that have the most impact on the overall
delivery of the project.

4) Ask good questions and listen to stakeholders.

Great project managers don’t just go through the
motions. They care about communication and the
opinions of the parties involved. They are also
sufficiently self-aware to know how their
communication is received by those stakeholders.

Source: http://99u.com/articles/6946/top-10-characteristics-of-great-project-managers/
 What makes a good Project Manager?

5) Do not use information as a weapon or a

means of control.
They communicate clearly, completely, and
concisely. All the while giving others real
information without fear of what they’ll do with
it. Trust is essential to sustainable networks.

6) Adhere to predictable communication

schedules.
They have a set frequency (from the start of the
project lifecycle) in driving constant
communication to eliminate as many variables as
possible.

Source: http://99u.com/articles/6946/top-10-characteristics-of-great-project-managers/
 What makes a good Project Manager?

7) Possess domain expertise in project

management as applied to a particular field.
It’s not just that they have generic project
management skills; they have a deep familiarity
with one or multiple fields that gives them a
natural authority and solid strategic insight.

8) Exercise independent and fair consensus-

building skills when conflict arises
But they embrace only as much conflict as is
absolutely necessary, neither avoiding nor
seeking grounds for control of a particular project
segment.

Source: http://99u.com/articles/6946/top-10-characteristics-of-great-project-managers/
 What makes a good Project Manager?

9) Cultivate and rely on extensive informal

networks inside and outside the firm to solve
problems that arise.
They identify any critical issues that threaten
projects and handle them proactively.

10) Look forward to going to work!

They believe that project management is an
exciting challenge that’s critical to success. The
truly great ones view project management as a
career and not a job, and they treat it like so by
seeking additional training and education.

Source: http://99u.com/articles/6946/top-10-characteristics-of-great-project-managers/
 What makes a good Project Manager?

1. Command authority naturally. In summary,

great project
2. Possess quick sifting abilities, knowing what to note and what to ignore.
managers plan,
3. Set, observe, and re-evaluate project priorities frequently. manage, and
handle details in
4. Ask good questions and listen to stakeholders. a way that lets
5. Do not use information as a weapon or a means of control. others relax.

6. Adhere to predictable communication schedules.

7. Possess domain expertise in project management as applied to a particular field.
8. Exercise independent and fair consensus-building skills when conflict arises.
9. Cultivate and rely on extensive informal networks inside and outside the firm to solve
problems that arise.
10. Look forward to going to work!

Source: http://99u.com/articles/6946/top-10-characteristics-of-great-project-managers/
Driving your conscious forces
Driving your
SYSTEMS conscious– THE
THINKING forces
CONCEPT

Conscious
Forces

External
Forces
Driving your
SYSTEMS conscious– THE
THINKING forces
CONCEPT
Driving your
SYSTEMS conscious– THE
THINKING forces
CONCEPT

External Forces

Dependency
Constraints

“Murphy”
Change
Culture

Politics

People
Legacy
 Driving your
SYSTEMS conscious– THE
THINKING forces
CONCEPT

CONSCIOUS FORCES
Adapt to change

___________

_______________________
___________
EXTERNAL
FORCES

___________

___________

___________

___________
 Driving your
SYSTEMS conscious– THE
THINKING forces
CONCEPT

CONSCIOUS FORCES
Adapt to change

Disaster Detection vs. Prevention

_______________________
___________
EXTERNAL
FORCES

___________

___________

___________

___________
 Driving your
SYSTEMS conscious– THE
THINKING forces
CONCEPT

CONSCIOUS FORCES
Adapt to change

Disaster Detection vs. Prevention

_______________________
Emotional Mapping
EXTERNAL
FORCES

___________

___________

___________

___________
 Driving your
SYSTEMS conscious– THE
THINKING forces
CONCEPT

CONSCIOUS FORCES
Adapt to change

Disaster Detection vs. Prevention

_______________________
Emotional Mapping
EXTERNAL
FORCES

Manage the principles

___________

___________

___________
 Driving your
SYSTEMS conscious– THE
THINKING forces
CONCEPT

CONSCIOUS FORCES
Adapt to change

Disaster Detection vs. Prevention

_______________________
Emotional Mapping
EXTERNAL
FORCES

Manage the principles

Drive Continuous Improvement

___________

___________
 Driving your
SYSTEMS conscious– THE
THINKING forces
CONCEPT

CONSCIOUS FORCES
Adapt to change

Disaster Detection vs. Prevention

_______________________
Emotional Mapping
EXTERNAL
FORCES

Manage the principles

Drive Continuous Improvement

Drive by solution

___________
 Driving your
SYSTEMS conscious– THE
THINKING forces
CONCEPT

CONSCIOUS FORCES
Adapt to change

_______________________
Disaster Detection vs. Prevention

Emotional Mapping
EXTERNAL
FORCES

Manage the principles

Drive Continuous Improvement

Drive by solution

Constant Communication
 Driving your
SYSTEMS conscious– THE
THINKING forces
CONCEPT

CONSCIOUS FORCES
Adapt to change

Disaster Detection vs. Prevention

Foster Intrapreneurship
Emotional Mapping
EXTERNAL
FORCES

Manage the principles

Drive Continuous Improvement

Drive by solution

Constant Communication
IT…….the mechanism to change
 Why IT Projects fail?

Source: : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a4ZxOAQifE
 Why IT Projects fail?

Source: : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a4ZxOAQifE
Momentum = C.M.O.U x Velocity
Momentum = C.M.O.U x Velocity
Momentum = C.M.O.U x Velocity
Momentum = C.M.O.U x Velocity
Exercise – M = C.M.O.U x V

With reference to:

Momentum = C.M.O.U x Velocity

A) How would you improve the process to critical mass of

understanding?

B) How would you improve the process to driving the velocity

required?
 What makes software development projects complex?

~ Intangible asset

~ Integration (legacy to new)

~ Managing the internal and external system interdependencies

~ Difficulty in sizing the required change

~ Converting business requirements to IT specifications

~ Covering all possible scenarios end-to-end

 Development life-cycle

Source: http://www.hashe.com/typical-development-life-cycle.php
 Key factors to managing IT projects

1. Clear detailed business requirements

2. Vendor selection process (system selection through to SOW)

3. System design and architecture

4. Defined approach through the Development life-cycle

5. Integration management

6. Testing process (CIT through to Pilot)

 Sum up - Key factors to managing IT projects
Key Factors Description Key outcome
1. Clear detailed business Clear articulated understand and agreement to what the A well articulated, understood
requirements business is expecting form the system once its and signed-off BRS.
completed and working in a production state.

2. Vendor selection process Ensuring that the product and its vendor has been A strategic partner aligned to the
selected correctly taking into account their role and businesses expectation with
responsibility throughout the project life-cycle up to commitment to the final end
production support and monitoring. result.
3. System design and architecture That the solution being derived and proposed has been A signed off architecture that is
well articulated and depicted among the overall aligned to the businesses
organisations architecture & design. architecture and relevant
support and services.
4. Defined approach through the An agreed approach and set ‘norm’ on how the A well articulated and agreed
Development life-cycle development process will be applied with agreement approach on how the
and dedicated resources from all relevant parties. development will be
implemented.
5. Integration management Depicting, securing, managing & monitoring the systems A clear view of all involved
delivery in scope for the required end-to-end systems in scope with their
architecture to be applied. confirmed commitment to the
projects expectations.
6. Testing process Ensuring the development being conducted has gone A system ready for production
through the relevant testing cycles to ensure its deployment with business
alignment to businesses requirements and its readable agreement and sign-off.
state for production.
 1. Clear detailed business requirements

~ Clear articulated BRS (Business Requirements Specification);

~ Scope clarification (product, process and functional based);

~ Functional specification (BRS to IT language);

~ Having the right allocated business SME’s;

~ Understanding what the future state needs to look like;

 2. Vendor selection process

~ Detailed feasibility study of the product;

~ Deriving GAP analysis between vanilla product and business needs;

~ Agreeing on the scope, T&C’s, approach, methodology and SOW;

~ Negotiate (where your portfolio hat);

 3. System design and architecture

~ Clear alignment to IT architecture of the organisation;

~ Clear system mandate;

~ Technical flow diagrams (depicted against operational and product flow);

~ Hardware, software and network requirements (infrastructure);

~ Agreement to quality approach;

 4. Defined approach through the Development life-cycle

~ Agree (as a whole) to the development approach that will be applied to

the Project life-cycle (i.e. Iteration, Agile or an amalgamation);

~ Ensure all the required resources are allocated and dedicated as expected;

~ Ensure the process allows for frequent feedback and demoing to the
business with room for adjustments when depicted;

~ Apply strict adherence to scope change management;

~ Ensure developers have applied standards to their code deployment;

 5. Integration management

~ Agreement with the involved systems in scope (on approach, proposed

solution, resources & timeframes);

~ Securing of resources and environments;

~ Common agreement to TID’s (technical integration documents);

~ Constant engagement from the various teams involved;

~ system-level quality assurance;

 6. Testing process

~ Functional testing (done by the developers);

~ Component testing (CIT);

~ Systems integration testing (SIT);

~ Infrastructure testing (Stress testing, network latency, etc)

~ Regression testing;

~ User acceptance testing (UAT);

Key Project Artefacts
 Key Project Artefacts
Acceptance Criteria
Benefits Review Plan
Business Case
Checkpoint report
Communication Management Strategy
Communication plan
Configuration item register
Configuration management plan
Configuration Management Strategy
Daily log
End project report
End stage report
Exception report
Highlight report
Impact Analysis Register
Impact Analysis Report
Issue (log) Register
Issue Report
Lesson learned log
Lesson learned report
Off specification
Project Brief
Post project review plan
Product Structure Breakdown
Product description
Project feasibility
Project Brief
Project plan
Project quality plan
Quality Management Strategy
Quality log
Request for change
Risk Register
Risk Management Strategy
 Key Project Artefacts – Business Case

Business Case

~ Key content to a business case:

̚ What is the problem/opportunity we wanting to address

̚ Rationale & intend behind the project (why?);

̚ Strategic intent and alignment;

̚ Business/Client/user readiness;

̚ Benefits (Tangible and intangible);

̚ Cost of the project (Capital and operating costs);

̚ Estimated Timelines (high-level depiction) of the project plan;

̚ Key assumptions made;

̚ Current envisaged risks and issues in initiating the project;

̚ Investment assessment (ROI, NPV, strategic alignment, etc.)….Cost benefit analysis

 Key Project Artefacts – Business Case

~ Key content to a business case:

̚ What is the problem/opportunity we wanting to address

̚ Rationale & intend behind the project (why?);

̚ Strategic intent and alignment;

̚ Business/Client/user readiness;

̚ Benefits (Tangible and intangible);

̚ Cost of the project (Capital and operating costs);

̚ Estimated Timelines (high-level depiction) of the project plan;

̚ Key assumptions made;

̚ Current envisaged risks and issues in initiating the project;

̚ Investment assessment (ROI, NPV, strategic alignment, etc.)….Cost benefit analysis

Key Project Artefacts – Business Case
 Key Project Artefacts – Project Plan

Project Plan

~ Key attributes to a project plan:

̚ Define your project stages`/ Phases;

̚ Define your products (tangible activities/Tasks);

̚ Identify your key milestones;

̚ Calculate durations per activity/task;

̚ Identify resource available / needed;

̚ Identify your dependencies;

̚ Estimate the effort required per activity;

• EFFORT = Duration X dependency X resource allocation;

̚ Assumptions and any other supporting data to why you planned a particular activity the way you did;
 Key Project Artefacts – Project Plan

~ Key attributes to a project plan:

̚ Define your project stages`/ Phases;

̚ Define your products (tangible activities/Tasks);

̚ Identify your key milestones;

̚ Calculate durations per activity/task;

̚ Identify resource available / needed;

̚ Identify your dependencies;

̚ Estimate the effort required per activity;

• EFFORT = Duration X dependency X resource allocation;

̚ Assumptions and any other supporting data to why you planned a particular activity
the way you did;
 Effective planning – The Don’ts

~ Don’t plan in isolation (you part of a bigger system…don’t ignore it).

~ Don’t set a date and plan backwards…….plan forward on where you are today.

~ Don’t commit dates based on Senior Management expectation. Planning is a process, not

an event!

~ Don’t tell your resources what the plan will look like, set the scene, provide the rules of

engagement and facilitate the plan out of your team.

~ Don’t plan with what resources you “wish "to have, plan with what it will take versus what
you currently have and factor percentage of availability (time available versus
competency).
 Effective planning – The Do’s

~ Ensure all tasks are tangible (Product based planning);

~ frequency drives execution (weekly deliverables is a great way to manage traction).

~ Update durations, allocate resources, link your dependencies…….have an effort view;

~ Detailed planning requires “details”………..do the homework.

~ Ensure the bigger flight-plan is bought into by the team and Sponsor before

communicating and committing to key stakeholders.

~ Always build “murphy” into your plan. Change hence contingency is inevitable.

~ Take expectation into account when planning the “science versus emotional”.
 Key Project Artefacts – RAIDS Log

RAIDS Log

~ Key attributes to a RISK LOG:

̚ Identify the risks to the project and log them;

̚ Review each risk and capture the following:

• What is the probability of this risk becoming an issue?

• What will the impact be if the risk were to materialise?

• Provide mitigating actions to ensure this risk does not materialise;

• Place the mitigating action in your project plan as an activity;

• Assign an Owner to the risk;

• Provide a due date of review;

• Update risks and priority rating levels when reviewed;

 Key Project Artefacts – RAIDS Log

~ Key attributes to a RISK LOG:

̚ Identify the risks to the project and log them;

̚ Review each risk and capture the following:

• What is the probability of this risk becoming an issue?

• What will the impact be if the risk were to materialise?

• Provide mitigating actions to ensure this risk does not materialise;

• Place the mitigating action in your project plan as an activity;

• Assign an Owner to the risk;

• Provide a due date of review;

• Update risks and priority rating levels when reviewed;

Key Project Artefacts – RAIDS Log
Key Project Artefacts – RAIDS Log
Risk Management

13
 Key Project Artefacts – Stakeholder Plan

Stakeholder Plan

~ Key content to a stakeholder plan:

̚ Identify who you key stakeholders are;

̚ What role does each individual play?

̚ Group them in terms of relevance;

̚ Rate their influence and current status in terms of project alliance versus project constraint;

̚ Define your current activity(s) that is currently being pursued (if required) to manage any particular stakeholder;
 Key Project Artefacts – Stakeholder Plan

~ Key content to a stakeholder plan:

̚ Identify who you key stakeholders are;

̚ What role does each individual play?

̚ Group them in terms of relevance;

̚ Rate their influence and current status in terms of project alliance versus project
constraint;

̚ Define your current activity(s) that is currently being pursued (if required) to
manage any particular stakeholder;
 Stakeholder Mapping

Source: Mind Tools (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_07.htm)

Stakeholder Mapping

1. Update the Worksheet with Power/Interest Grid Information

2. Plan Your Approach to Stakeholder Management

3. Think Through What You Want From Each Stakeholder

4. Identify the Messages You Need to Convey

5. Identify Actions and Communications

Exercise – Stakeholder Map

If you were getting married and the ‘project’ was

the wedding ceremony taking place, who would
the key stakeholders be?
A) Identify 8 key stakeholders;
B) Apply the power/interest grid;
C) How would you manage them;
 Key Project Artefacts – Quality Plan

Quality Plan

~ A quality plan has three main processes:

̚ Quality Assurance - A method to ensure the project will satisfy the quality
standards and will define and record quality reviews, test performance, and
customer acceptance;

̚ Quality Control - Activities performed continually to verify that the project

are of high quality and meet quality standards;

̚ Acceptance Criteria- A prioritised list of standards that the final

product(s)/services must meet before the customer will accept them;
 Key Project Artefacts – Benefits Realisation Plan

Benefits Realisation Plan

Ronan Herlihy - Benefits Realisation Plan (Health Support Services)

~ Key aspects to a benefits realisation plan:

̚ Detail view of all the benefits (pertaining to the business case);

̚ A timeline depicting when each benefit or group of benefits will be realised;

̚ A plan and approach on how these benefits will be measured and realised;

̚ Depiction of who is responsible (The Benefits Owner) for the tracking and realisation of each benefit;

̚ Plan on how the benefits tracking process will work for each benefit (tangible and intangible) to
ensure it delivers against the original business case and within set standards;
 Key Project Artefacts – Benefits Realisation Plan

Source: (http://www.apcp.ie/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/)
Top 10 project success factors
 Top 10 project success factors

Provided by the Standish Group – 2011 CHAOS Manifesto

 The top 10 project success factors

Execution

~ While the three key measurable components of project management are scope, cost and time, the key to project success is getting
things done efficiently and correctly. Execution is not just simply getting the job done with the least possible resources. Execution is
understanding the process, rules, governance, and compliance, but not letting them stand in the way of progress and completing the
project.

~ Due to past challenges and failures, many Organisations allow these past pitfalls to influence their processes, approaches and
governance structures which causes more restrictions and a cycle of projects that do not deliver as expected tend to be the outcome.
Projects are risky and therefore need to be managed responsibly but with a view to take the risks associated with the project.
 The top 10 project success factors

Skilled Resources

~ Ultimately its people that execute on your initiatives and therefore is naturally a key success factor to project success. Having the
right resources on your project is like having the right ingredients to a recipe.

~ One of the biggest impacts to project delivery is the turnover of people. Key to this success factor is ensuring you always have a
consistent level of competency within the team.

~ Key to maintaining the level of competency within a project team is:

̚ Knowing your resources abilities, strengths and weaknesses;

̚ Providing mechanisms to drive knowledge transfer and enhance current skills within the team.

̚ Incentivise, know what motivates the individuals in your team;

̚ Have a balanced compliment in your team (e.g. types of skills, personality's and attributes, types of employment, etc.);
 The top 10 project success factors

User Involvement

~ A project may finish on time, within budget and against agreed scope, but if the Users of the finished product/service do not embrace
the change, the project is then doomed for failure.

~ Users that will be affected by the change (once implemented) should be involved from the inception of the project. They should form
part of the project team and work within the Projects governance structure.

~ Important that the user(s) that are chosen to from part of the project have not only the right skills and experience (within their field
of expertise) but are deemed as Team Leads and have good communication abilities.

~ The user(s) are the most important “agent(s)” of the projects and should have the mandate to contribute to the overall scope and
direction that the project intends to take.
 The top 10 project success factors

Agile Process

~ The agile process looks at breaking down the projects deliverables and milestones into smaller manageable packages, with clear
steps with small focused teams on those packages.

~ The smaller the project, the more manageable and ultimately the greater the success rate. Key to the agile is creating stepping stones
(smaller tasks with visible outcomes) that have an assigned owner, clear outcome and desired timeframe.

~ Agile promotes collaboration between cross-functional teams that become self-organising (against a bigger objective) and deliver
quicker results. Agile originates from software development projects and is mostly adapted in I.T environments, yet is principles and
practices can be beneficial to normal sized projects with set objectives.
 The top 10 project success factors

Project Management
Expertise

~ The role of the Project Manager is a key success factor and therefore the person who plays this role needs to have the necessary
attributes and credentials.

~ Key Attributes to a good Project Manager:

̚ Have a worldly view of things;
̚ Leadership qualities;
̚ The ability to delegate, prioritise and see a deliverable through;
̚ Effective communicator;
̚ Problem solving skills;
̚ Operate under pressure;
̚ Consistent balanced individual;
̚ Passion and enthusiasm;
̚ Have the necessary qualifications, experience and credentials;
 The top 10 project success factors

Clear Business Objectives

~ The business objectives which the project plans to deliver on needs to align to the Ogranisations strategic intent.

~ The business objectives is the core component of the business case and needs to be re-visited during the life cycle of the project to
ensure it validity and relevance.

~ The benefits of the project should be tangible and measurable (ROI, NPV, Cost reduction, Cost avoidance, Increase in revenue).

~ All project board members need to be on the same page and aligned to the projects mandate. “hard to move the bus if people are
pushing it in different directions”.
 The top 10 project success factors

Executive Support

~ If its important and a high priority at the top, the result will be the right behaviour at the remaining levels of management.

~ The overall Sponsor of the project must have a vested interest and be accountable for the outcome of the project.

~ The Project Sponsor should be intimately involved in the project and provide the direction and vision throughout its lifecycle.

~ Crucial is the effectiveness and mandate of the Project Sponsor.

 The top 10 project success factors

Emotional Maturity

~ It is the “ability and capacity to perceive, assess, manage, and direct the emotions and actions of the project stakeholders”. – Standish
Group – 2011 CHAOS Manifesto

~ This is a key attribute (which is a key criteria when appointing the the Project Sponsor and Project Manager) in order to bring
transparency and balance to the project. People deliver projects and the ability to manage people to deliver on the same goals and
objectives is a key success factor.

~ The CHOAS Manifesto refers to the “5 deadly sins” which you need the ability to identify in order to manage and rectify:
̚ Overambition;
̚ Arrogance;
̚ Ignorance;
̚ Abstinence;
̚ Fraudulence;
 The top 10 project success factors

Tools & Infrastructure

~ Often, Organization focus on and put too much effort and reliance on tools that it believes will give it the ability to manage projects
to a successful conclusion.

~ The purpose of any tool that is adopted should be to support the project management process, not the delivery itself.

~ Tools that help the project team to collaborate with all project contributors and stakeholders are the most useful.
 The top 10 project success factors

Optimisation

~ This is key to ensuring that you have defined your scope clearly and in controlling and managing your scope during the lifecycle of the
project.

~ You need to transform the scope into short-term, mid-term, and long-term objectives and ensure that these align with all key
stakeholders and the Project Board.

~ On long term driven projects (or projects under a bigger Programme portfolio), changes and modifications to scope is inevitable.
Optimisation is a key attribute to ensuring its validity, prioritisation, control and management within the project.
Recommended reading to improve on your leadership Style

1. How To Win Friends And Influence People

By Dale Carnegie
2. Outliers
By Malcolm Gladwell
3. Think and grow Rich
Napoleon Hill
 Questions

nanantankou@gmail.com nanatankou@expertect.co.za
Cell: 078 152 8242