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Charvat J. Project Management Methodologies Selecting, Implementing, and Supporting Methodologies anCharvat J. 
Table of Contents Project Management Methodologies Selecting, Implementing, and Supporting Methodologies and Processes for Projects Foreword Introduction Ch apt - Understanding Project Methodologies 1 Ch apt - Project Methodologies Explained 2 Ch apt - Project Management Frameworks er 3 Ch apt - Development Methodology Selection and Utilization 4 Ch apt - Implementing Project Methodologies 5 Ch apt - Supporting the Methodology 6 Ch apt - Project Templates and Techniques 7 Ch apt - Project Processes and Trends er 8 Ap ndi - Questions and Answers x A Foreword Any reader of this book undoubtedly has been associated with an IT project in distress. It is the fundamental nature of every IT project. First, IT projects are always complex with a multitude of variables. Most application implementations cut across multiple business units, each with their unique business requirements. The implementation often has differing degrees of priority, depending on the business unit. Second, a new or altered application must often interface with many other applications, thereby creating an integration challenge that is difficult to estimate in both time and resources. Worse yet, the downstream impact to these other systems may cause adverse consequences that may not be felt until long after "go live" day. Further, assigning and managing scarce resources often cause a project manager to rethink his or her chosen profession. And what about your client's responsibilities? Whether a paid external engagement or an internal business unit, your client, too, has deliverables along a project's path. Strong requirements definition, design approval, end user testing, and end user training are typical client tasks that, if not completed on time, cause schedule slippage and cost overruns. And the finger of blame usually gets pointed at the project manager. Who among us has never been associated with a failed project? Some very extensive and well-documented surveys indicate that 84 percent of IT projects either fail outright or are delivered late. A Fortune 100 CIO once told me that an IT project is like the Bermuda Triangle: cost, schedule, quality. On a good day, you can hit two out of three, but you never can declare success in all three. Well, I strongly disagree! Effective project management begins with executive commitment and sponsorship. Without the "chief" declaring a sense of urgency and importance to the project, it is doomed to dismal results right from the start. Second, it is critical that an enterprise adopt a common process and a common toolset for how projects are managed. Your company must select a project management methodology and a standardized framework for measuring progress. Then, select a toolset for project plan and milestone capture. Next, deploy a plan to educate the enterprise. Finally, aggressively communicate status with clients and stakeholders. This is easier said than done. But what I am describing is a systemic, methodical approach to making project management a part of everyday culture. When all projects in the enterprise follow a standardized template, then and only then will project management evolve gradually into an everyday way of life. When an organization's maturity reaches a repeatable model, management of projects becomes an institutionalized process. Hence, results become predictable. Therefore, all three corners of the Bermuda Triangle can be achieved on every project. In Project Management Methodologies: Selecting, Implementing, and Supporting Methodologies and Processes for Projects, Jason P. Charvat deals explicitly with the manner in which project methodologies relate to organizational processes. He deals with the essentials of selecting a project framework not only for competency on a particular project, but for the entire enterprise. He also recognizes that corporations are dynamic and ever changing and instructs us, therefore, on how organizational project methodologies and processes can be maintained and supported. As he points out, "It is a rare occasion that a project process will remain the way it is." Perhaps most important, Jason discusses the crucial role of the project office within the organization the role of managing project methodologies and project processes in general. For an enterprise to truly make its approach to project management part of its everyday culture, the role of the project office cannot be understated. This book ideally covers topics from simple project management templates to the challenges of implementing a common framework across an entire enterprise. Introduction Most conferences are based on technology gadgets or operating systems or the latest stuff and it was during an international gadget show that I remember being asked by an attending delegate exactly what it was that we did, as he didn't see many gadgets lying around. "We provide companies with various solutions using various project management methodologies and best practices. We will help you achieve the business benefits you need, because we can bring projects within specification, schedule, and cost," I said. It has been my custom to attend as many leading-edge technology conferences and seminars as time permits, as I believe that project management can be applied to any conceivable industry and I was now hoping to provide the best answers where and when needed. The delegate asked me a fundamental question: "Which methodology would you use in my company, as we use various technologies and platforms? Some projects are not IT-related but fall more into the manufacturing and logistics environments." I was very bluntly told to cut all the superfluous nonsense, as he'd sent many of his staff on project training and, to date, nothing much had changed! Projects were changing almost every second week. This directness amazed me and made me wonder what perception businesses had regarding project management structures and methodologies needed for companies worldwide. Nonetheless, I invited the delegate into our meeting room to discuss some of his concerns, the projects they were managing, their technologies, and the products being produced. In a short time, I realized they had no formal project framework by which their projects were managed. It seemed that even their product development was incorrect. I subsequently illustrated a few methodologies they would most likely need. He seemed impressed and we exchanged some details. It turned out the delegate was the president and CEO of a Fortune 100 company who needed some detail surrounding project management methodologies and someone to design and deploy this for his company. The delegate was very excited about this, and we set up another series of meetings with his executive team. Within a few weeks, a purchase order was signed allowing us to implement an enterprise-wide project methodology framework, establish a project management office, and tailor his development practices for his product lines. Additionally, we included a fresh relook at the company's project templates and processes. I realized some time later that there weren't many publications that addressed project methodologies and templates. Those that did were either too complex or extremely expensive. Information available at project conferences I attended was limited and you had to spend a small fortune to buy a generic project methodology, which attempted to solve everything. By that stage, I knew about 20 methodologies in use, but those methodologies were not well known by the project management community. I knew something was missing and concluded that I needed to add value to the project community by filling in some or most of the project methodology gaps. This publication on project management methodologies shows various project life cycle approaches, which any newcomer or practicing project manager can work with. If you are in the construction, aeronautical, energy, education, social, government, or information technology sectors, you soon realize that there are many common factors evident throughout this book that can be universally applied to your projects. Even if it looks very IT-orientated, you can use it elsewhere. This is a book of loosely coupled project methodologies and development strategies used by project managers today. They are coupled in that they all focus on the same broad subject project methodology/processes. Today's leaner, meaner project organizations look to project management to provide them with a sustainable competitive advantage. That's why the project managers who are in greatest demand are those who are well versed in modern planning techniques and are capable of developing and deploying projects from start to finish, ever alert to their companies' current and future business needs. There is no time to waste after a project has been started! This book is for neophyte managers, seasoned executives, and practicing project managers who worry that their companies will be caught flat-footed by not having a project methodology in place. I also provide advice on actions to radically design and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of current project methodologies and processes used in organizations. The word efficiency means the organization's productivity or its ability to productively meet the needs of any project, irrespective of the industry type and size. Every project undertaken today requires a common structure or framework in which to start these projects. Most people, when asked to characterize the project methodology or processes they use, say that their company is either in the banking, construction, manufacturing, or information technology industry and that they use a tailored project methodology often proprietary that was designed specifically for their unique environment. Surely, however, there has to be some common thread between all projects! Or are all projects tailored specifically just by using only the life cycle phase components that are needed, which forms the basis for a specific industry? Hence, the question is: Do we have a universal project management framework or are there others we can use? There are many organizations that would profess that theirs is the only true methodology available, but sometimes it may not be suitable for their environment at all. Project managers should explore their options more closely, and they will find at least a dozen project methodologies available for use immediately. The methodology choice depends on the project type, size, complexity, duration, and organization. In this book, I present you with many options. In my previous book, Project Management Nation: Tools, Techniques, and Goals for the New and Practicing IT Project Manager, I presented an introduction to this universal methodology framework, which was customized for the information technology environment. In this book, I present various methodologies that can be used by virtually every industry using project management not just IT as the way to achieve business goals. You will find that these methodologies work. It is my recommendation that the overriding objective of the project manager and executives must be to achieve a state of alignment between the business and the project itself. Many organizations are not aligned to project processes, and projects subsequently fail in a great many areas because of this. It is fundamental that these misaligned organizations be redesigned and reengineered painful but necessary. As Descartes said, "Perhaps everything we believe is wrong. Perhaps." This book focuses on two major themes: 1. What are project frameworks and methodologies all about? 2. How do you design and implement them in your organization? My view is framed in the idea that companies must adapt to accommodate and serve the business models of the future. My entire thrust here is, therefore, to explain how to design a project methodology and determine if the existing methodology is sufficient. In most areas, eventually everything has only a past rather than a future, so we should challenge existing project methodologies and review their advantages and disadvantages and their mannerisms and success. Organizations all use processes, project templates, and techniques to deliver and deploy projects. It's obvious and glaring that project methodologies will pave the way for the future for the next wave of organizations. Just look at innovative companies such as Nokia, Disney, Virgin, J&J, Honda, and Charles Schwab. They have proved themselves more than competent to bridge economic obstacles by having innovative methodologies and systems in place, and they are able to adapt faster than most competitors. The past four years have been an exceptional period of intense change and excitement in the project management environment. With all this activity, however, tremendous pressure has come for organizations to get results. Businesses demand better value for their dollars. During this time, the topic "project methodology" conjured up images of a high-tech project process, which was formed in stone. Few at the time had even been exposed to a project methodology. Today, anyone with access to consulting companies and leading edge organizations knows that there are a host of dynamic project methodologies that can be used for either project development or project deployment. Likewise, the past four years have been a unique creative and changing period for me. This book provides advice on methodologies and templates for the harried project manager or executive advice and counsel that is best described as "deep and far reaching." The genre of project methodologies rose to prominence in the late 1990s after being introduced more formally by various project management and military organizations. However, during the past four years, various project methodologies have lived up to their initial hype, and the flexibility of such methodologies is a testament to the continuing success and growth of project management as a professional discipline. In this book, I survey the terrain of existing and emerging project methodologies and reveal how successful organizations have adapted their business strategies to this new environment and triumphed. I define project methodologies in terms of goals, relationship to actions, and impact on organizational structure, and point out specific ways these methodologies affect the overall business plan. The most important principle is that your project strategy must be right; if it is wrong or the methodology inappropriate for the project, it is not surprising that the results are less than satisfactory. |
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Project Management Methodologies Selecting,