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My list of project risks

There are at least a hundred reasons projects fail.  Expect anything from vague requirements to budget shortages to waning passions to unreasonable project schedules.  All novice mistakes…  But we can’t all be experts on every topic.  About the best we can do is identify the most common areas for failure, and discuss these with the team.  At least the team will be aware.

Here’s a quick starter list.  You’ll probably have to make it a little more diplomatic before presenting it to your group.  “:)

1. Newbies don’t know how long things actually take.
2. Unfamiliar technologies need extra research time.
3. Virtual development teams don’t communicate the same as in-house.
4. Team members without a passion for the product won’t perform.
5. Vaguely defined projects either go on forever or burn up in debate.
6. Projects without top-level commitment get lost in the minutia.
7. If the company doesn’t need it bad enough, it will fail.
8. Pick only two: Cost, Quality, or Time.  Let the third fall where it may.

–newshirt

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Success Factors in Knowledge Management

Knowledge management professionals must keep in mind that KM’s explicit end-goal is profitability while its implicit purpose is to empower participants through intellectual platforms and processes that promote learning and practical knowledge.

Knowledge, without a doubt, plays an important role in the success of any organization. In fact, in order to maintain a competitive advantage, modern organizations incorporate knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, and knowledge management into their business processes. The mere survival of many organizations hinges on the strength of their capabilities; moreover, companies form decisions based on their relevant knowledge of their business landscapes.

Thanks to developments in information and communication technologies, it is now easier to develop, store, and transfer knowledge. This capability is particularly true among organizations with global workforces. After all, international competition and globalization are the driving forces behind most technological innovations, and companies quickly take advantage of these developments when it comes to managing the creation and flow of information.

“Ultimately, leveraging relevant knowledge assets to improve organizational performance is what knowledge management is all about,” says Murray E. Jennex in his book, Knowledge Management in Modern Organizations (2007). However, in spite of the lightning-speed creation of new knowledge and the improvements in communication technologies, many organizations still find that their knowledge management practices are lacking. Specifically, within client-consultant relationships, knowledge transfer does not always translate into better performance by all project team members, nor does it always translate into the successful delivery of projects.

To be successful, knowledge management programs require more than simply conducting training sessions or transferring knowledge. Practitioners must always remember that KM’s explicit end-goal is profitability – while KM’s implicit purpose is to empower participants by providing them with the intellectual platforms and processes that promote learning and practical knowledge.

Here are a few factors that contribute to successful knowledge management initiatives:

  • Linkage between knowledge and economic performance – Knowledge management exists because it enables the organization to reach its business goals. Otherwise, there is no point in putting together all the best practices, tacit knowledge, and skill sets in a cohesive system that is accessible by all parties – when and where they need it. As business increasingly becomes more global, the competition for greater market share depends on the capabilities of its players to a certain degree. KM practitioners must be able to identify the business value of knowledge management in their organizations – whether it is to manage projects, provide back-office operations services or to give ideas on how processes can be better optimized – among others. In most consulting relationships, knowledge is the currency by which all transactions are made.
  • Setting and communicating clear objectives for specific organizational or project levels – Heather Kreech, the Director of Knowledge Communications of the International Institute for Sustainable Development has some specific ideas on this very subject. In her paper, Success Factors in Knowledge Management (2005), she states that knowledge-sharing works best when knowledge managers “gather and communicate knowledge at the project/activity/field level before [they] begin to aggregate up to corporate systems and general knowledge marketing strategies”. Having a specific organizational level or project group in mind, results in better designed knowledge management systems, training programs, and tools that can meet the specific needs of workers.
  • Having the appropriate systems and infrastructure – Ideally, knowledge is created, processed, stored, and archived. Managing the process of creating knowledge, communicating this knowledge to participants, and making knowledge available to anyone in the organization, means that an organization must have the right communication systems and data storage facilities. However, it is not enough to simply store knowledge as this knowledge must be found whenever it is needed. Thus, the availability of internal search facilities and computer-based training programs is critical.
  • Having the right champions – KM initiatives need project and process champions who can rally the support of everyone – from top management down to individual staff members. Having management support can result in the freeing up of resources – such as financial, expertise, and infrastructure – all of which are critical to the successful implementation of KM projects. Financial backing means that KM managers can implement training programs, hire both internal and external specialists – as well as acquire the required infrastructure to manage training programs. On the other hand, access to experts from either within or outside the organization, means better identification of knowledge gaps and training requirements, and more importantly, engineering training and communication programs that meet the said needs.

By ExecutiveBrief
Technology Management Resource for Business Leaders
http://www.executivebrief.com
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The X, Y, and Z’s of Product Development

A certain thing happens in product development…  (It used to bug me to death, until I got used to it.)  Your product development team just finishes a great new feature.  Everybody rejoices.  Good feelings, pride, and celebrations.  All that…  The new release is posted on the web, and you start to get downloaders.  Potential customers are giving it a look.  And you know they are seeing the great new feature you just added.  It has “X” and “Y” new things.  Everyone will love it.  Everyone will buy.  You’re sure of that!  Finally… we’ve gotten a great product out there…

The next thing you know, you get an email from an evaluator.  He can’t believe how short-sighted your product is.  In fact, he’s practically indignant.  It’s missing a key feature he needs, and he can’t belive you’d ever consider shipping a product without it.

He asks, “Can you do it?  When will it be available?

“Maybe, next month.  Can you describe it more fully?”

“Oh, I can’t wait that long…  Forget it.”

The situation is that you’ve completed “X” and “Y” but haven’t gotten to “Z” yet.  And that’s what spoiler-boy wants.  Problem is, you never considered “Z” until you completed “X” and “Y.”  Or worse yet, didn’t consider it until he pointed it out.

This is so common.  People cannot see to very down the product road-map.  That’s human nature.  They can see “X” and “Y” but only have fuzzy glimpses of “Z.”  That is, until some grumpy customer complains that it’s not in the product.  He doesn’t see the hard work you put into getting the first releases out.  I.e. getting “X” and “Y” out.  He just sees that “Z” is missing, and feels pretty certain that he can’t do without it.  He’ll move on…  Somebody out there must have it.  “I’ll look around…” he says.

Better get cracking.  Again…

 

–ray

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Let the Client Be Your Project Leader

Customer-driven project management uses the voice of the client as a guide at every turn of the project’s life cycle to achieve optimum quality.

Project teams that put the interest of their clients are assured of repeat businesses and long-term relationships. They know that at the end of the day, their processes and methodologies are established to meet clients’ expectations. And meeting clients’ expectations hopefully means satisfaction.

It has always been the goal of project teams to complete projects on time within cost and fulfill quality criteria, but it has often been the case that when projects are implemented, project teams focus on their tasks more and lose sight of their relationships with clients. Now, thanks to the current dynamics of an increasingly demanding business environment, the management concept of too much organizational and process control that on many occasions resulted in alienating customers is slowly giving way to a marriage of disciplined process implementation and customer satisfaction. And by satisfaction, it means giving more than what is required.

Customer-driven project management uses the voice of the client as a guide at every turn of the project’s implementation process to achieve optimum quality. According to Bruce T. Barkley and James H. Saylor in their book Customer-Driven Project Management (2001), this management approach involves the following items, which we expand to meet the more complex needs of today’s client-supplier relationships:

  • Cooperation between client and vendor through a structured process. There has to be a mutual understanding of every step of the process and what is required from either party. Such expectations are written down as requirements, roles and responsibilities, decision points, milestones, and metrics.
  • The customer drives the project through customer-driven teams. The customer’s satisfaction is the end-goal of all efforts, and this satisfaction is defined by continuous quality improvement of products and services.
  • A link among the customer, process owners, and suppliers. The link refers to the integration of all efforts and internal processes used to arrive at task completion and their integration. Furthermore, this link also means unlimited access to clients, sponsors, and their project counterparts through open communication to set expectations and facilitate feedback.
  • A customer-led team that is fully capable to accomplish and improve every aspect of the project. The client is involved in building and managing the project team. But while the client has a high level of involvement in managing the team, members are encouraged to identify key areas of improvement, and communicate this knowledge. Unless empowered to do so through open communication, access to the right tools and technologies and trainings, project team members will only focus on accomplishing their tasks without so much regard for improvements in products and services, and this does not spell a healthy competitive spirit in the grander scale of things. In other words, make consultants out of project teams because in the long run, their accountability for the project will result in competitive products.  Encourage creativity and innovation.
  • A disciplined project management methodology. Clients and providers should agree on a project management system and implement this agreement at every stage of the product lifecycle. Because of the nature of this approach, the project starts and ends with quality, which means that quality issues are identified at the start of the project and addressed throughout its course. How quality issues are addressed also largely depends on a well-designed systems and implementation plans.

    • Customer-driven project management does not veer far from many project management approaches. However, client leadership and continuous improvement through the team’s feelings of ownership of the project spell the difference between just finishing tasks and pleasing the customer. 

    By ExecutiveBrief
    Technology Management Resource for Business Leaders
    http://www.executivebrief.com

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    IT Snow Days

    eWeek did a little editorial on “IT Snow Days.”  (See link below.)  Anybody out there read eWeek?  It sure is collapsing slowly – down to 42 pages, and no more Spencer Katt.  The competitor InfoWorld went out about a year back.  Now, I suspect eWeek will follow.  I guess it’s pretty hard to get IT folks interested in industry news.  Anyway…  Here’s the article.

     

    http://blogs.eweek.com/up_for_discussion/content/it_management/it_product_snow_days.html

     

    I liked the article because it sympathizes with IT managers who are being hit with economic snowstorms.  It’s really hard these days.  Mostly for me, it’s hard staying motivated when everything around me is crumbling.  Anybody feel that way?  There will be a few snow days to make up for when good times come again.  That’s for sure.

     

    –newshirt

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    Our Projects Are Always Late

    I talked with an IT professional over the weekend.  This person lamented over their constantly late projects.  I told them about Standard Time®, and how it tracks project time.  They loved the idea!  But continued the lament, claiming they would never use such a product.

    I just stood there stunned.  Why not?  I didn’t ask, but assumed it had something to do with the economy, frozen purchases, and what not…

    But I just kept thinking…  Wouldn’t Standard Time pay for itself?  Late projects, especially persistently late ones costs companies money.  Lots of it.  A few thousand dollars for software would tighten up those schedules and force the company into compliance.  The ROI would be 3X or more.  So, why not use it?

    I suspect it’s unfamiliarity.  People simply don’t know how to use time tracking and project management products.  No training.  No familiarity.  Nobody’s firing them for late projects, so they keep doing what comes naturally.  Oh well…  🙁

     

    –newshirt

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    Interview: Warren Peacock from Scoutwest, Inc.

    The following text is an interview with Warren Peacock of Scoutwest, Inc.  They are the developers of Standard Time® and Standard Issue® – two leading project management products.  Project Team Blog wanted to hear from an authority regarding the status quo of enterprise project tracking and management, and learn what consulting and manufacturing companies face when attempting detailed time tracking.  We’re talking full-blown project schedules, timesheets to track task status, resource allocation, employee status, detailed reporting services – the whole enchilada.  Are most companies using these tools?  Or, do they attempt to roll their own with little in-house apps and spreadsheets?  Does the economy have a bearing on these choices?  One thing is certain; Warren Peacock has heard it all.  Let’s see what he has to say.

     

    Q: Warren, would you say most organizations are doing an excellent, poor, or fair job of tracking project status?
    A: Based on my experience I would say they are doing a poor-to-fair job, though well intended.

     

    Q: What tools are they using now?
    A: Some are using actual time tracking tools like Standard Time.  However, most companies are using Excel, shareware, or shabby little in-house programs.

     

    Q: Where do you see room for improvement?
    A: One word…Efficiency.   Time is our most valuable commodity and success starts with improving our use of it, regardless of the industry.

     

    Q: Aside from acquiring better tools for project  tracking, what are the other ongoing costs of tracking projects and employee status?
    A: Lost billable hours, unfortunately this is very common.  Also, which employees are most productive?  Standard Time has one simple report that gives you that type of data.  If you need to streamline costs where do you start, what do you cut?  Again, the right tools can give you that detail.  They will show you where you spend time as an organization.  What areas are over, or under allocated.  All of this is just a glimpse of improving efficiencies with project management and associated costs.

     

    Q: And the return on investment for these tools?  How do you get there?
    A: That sounds complicated, yet is very simple.  Most consultants and business owners I speak with estimate they are losing anywhere from 3%-10% of their billable hours.  Without question a conservative estimate is 1-3 hours per week, per employee.  Multiply that times their billing rate and you quickly realize how fast a time tracking tool like Standard Time pays for itself.  Not to mention the loads of reports and other information available to help guide any number of key decisions, regarding customers, projects and employees.  We don’t think twice about spending money on an employee’s phone, computer and any number of other items.  Time tracking is just as important.

     

    Q: Let’s talk low-hanging fruit…  What can a company do to get started cheaply?  Spreadsheets?  Paper time cards?  Smoke signals?
    A: Spreadsheets work to a certain point, but again the time spent managing, compiling and crafting reports will eat an employee’s productivity and provide very basic information at best.  Standard Time is less than $150 per user and easy to use.  You can place it on your own computers or we can host it for you.  No installation necessary.  Employees can be shown the basics in 5 minutes, no down time, no compiling spreadsheets and less user error!  Instantly you have more accurate information that will help propel and streamline any organization.

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    Project Managers: People Don’t Like To Be Led

    Project management advice: People don’t like to be led, especially professionals with clear responsibilities.  Nobody likes “a person who knows” to tell them what to do next.  All the time.  It’s demeaning and annoying.  So what’s a project manager to do?

    Clearly, project managers and leads need to stay a few steps ahead of team members.  If they don’t, projects go astray.  Why?  Because it takes time to formulate a clear vision, one that won’t break down in the face of life’s challenges.  Only by staying ahead of the team can the leadership maintain that strategic edge.  But it’s when that strategic direction turns into tactical dictatorship that things go badly.

    Some managers have such a hard time articulating their vision that they resort to dictating exact tactical steps to achieve it, rather than relying on competent people to pull it off.  See the issue?  It’s a difficult balance.

     

    –ray

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    CIO Insight: How to Retain Top IT Workers

    CIO Insight did an article listing the top 10 ways to retain IT workers.  The link to that article and results are listed below.  It’s pretty interesting, but appeals strictly to the least-common-denominator or employment.  The results could apply to a landscaping firm.

    http://www.cioinsight.com/c/a/Management/How-to-Retain-Top-IT-Workers/

     

    They rated each criteria from 1 to 3, with 1 being the lowest, and 3 being the highest.  Notice that the results have little to do with IT workers.

        Lowest                                                       Highest
            1                               2                                3

        1. Salary: 2.82
        2. Training: 2.47
        3. Incentive pay: 2.40
        4. Paid Time Off: 2.38
        5. Flex Schedule: 2.36
        6. Work Facilities: 2.26
        7. Insurance Benefits: 2.26
        8. Retirement: 2.13
        9. Work at Home: 2.06
        10. Social Environment: 1.99

    I’d like to add an intagible criteria to the list: “IT Imortality.”  And I’m wondering where you would place it.  A 1 or a 3?  Send in your comments.

    IT Imortality is the chance to rise above your peers in a significant way, building products that change the industry.  It involves working with the brightest and most motivated individuals on the planet.  It means leading (or participating in) a product development team that makes a true impact on your generation.

    Although I cannot say I’ve achieved such a lofty status, the lure has certainly been there for every company I’ve worked for.  And, at least a few of my projects have impacted individuals around the world.  That’s offers a sense of achievement that no cubical job can.  I rate that somewhere near 3.

    –newshirt

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    My Dead Project. What Went Wrong?

    Last night I attended a party at an old friend’s house.  After small-talking my way around the deck, I hooked up with some old acquaintances, with whom I had participated in a software project.  The gig we shared had taken place back in 1999, in Atlanta.  It was one of those 90’s love-fest dot-com jobs.

    While sipping cokes and gobbling slices of homemade pie, we discussed the project’s failings.  “What went wrong?” I asked my colleagues.

    “I think it was the fault of the CEO,” one said.  “He just had no experience, and wasted all the money.”

    “No, the development organization was all messed up,” the second said.  “The lead engineer kept jumping in and changing everything I did.”

    “Well, I think they spent all their money on marketing before they even had a product to sell,” I put in.  “You have to make some sales and get customer feedback before you can spend millions on marketing.  Don’t you think?”

    The discussion heated up for the better part of an hour, and I realized that none of us, even ten years later, knew exactly where the faults were.  Who had messed up?  What had gone wrong?  Why hadn’t we succeeded in shipping a product and engaged the sales channel.  None of us knew for certain, yet we all saw some pretty gross mistakes.

    That really got me thinking…  Sometimes project failures are not as easy to diagnose as one might think.  Even by salty old dogs like us.  And everybody has their own opinions.  Think about that the next time your project bites the dust.  Or before it does.

     

    –ray