Complex projects can be a real headache for project managers. PMI has recently launched a new guide to navigating complexity on projects (you can see all their resources on dealing with complexity on their website). It’s a very detailed practice guide for project and program managers. In this article I’ll briefly summarise some of the tools and techniques available to you that will help deal with a complex project. These help mitigate the obvious risks of working in a highly complex project environment. Let’s get started straight away…
1. Optimise the organisation
First, look at what you can do to ensure the organisational structures support the project you are delivering. For example, make sure that senior managers have the authority (and willingness) to empower project managers and their teams to get things done. Clear structures help everyone know where they sit in the hierarchy and who they need to talk to in order to get things done, like project approvals and releasing resources. On complex projects you may have to go outside the ‘standard’ ways of working. Make sure that everyone understands this is possible, provided there is a clear rationale for the exception, and that they know how to gain approval for circumnavigating the prescribed ways of working. If you have engaged, supportive senior leadership for your complex initiative, they should understand that you’ll need some freedom to consider alternative routes in certain circumstances. Not sure how your organisation maps out against this best practice? Use mind mapping software to plot out how the teams and hierarchies fit together across the project.
2. Establish effective governance
You’d expect effective governance to happen on all projects, but it’s even more important on complex initiatives. Governance is how project managers and their stakeholders ensure that the project is effectively directed and that there is adequate oversight. On difficult projects with lots of stakeholders this is so important, so give some thought to how you can set up appropriate governance that actually works.
- How do you know if your governance structures work? They should be able to:
- Quickly change direction if there is an urgent problem that needs addressing
- Include a clear decision-making body such as a steering group or project board
- Manage changes to the project
- Provide clear guidance when you need it, especially around the direction that the project should be taking
- Operate in an efficient and timely way: there’s no point getting a decision if it arrives three weeks after you’ve put in a change.
3. Know what you’re getting into
Do your homework. Know what sort of project you are starting and what is likely to affect the program of work as you move forward. The more research you do about the project, the more likely it is that your estimates will be accurate. Dig into the data – don’t accept estimates unless you truly understand what they are based on. Don’t know where to look? Seek out case studies of similar projects. Look for lessons learned. Use previous projects to prepare your estimates, basing them on data-driven metrics instead of your subject matter experts’ best guesses. Carry out a detailed risk identification exercise so you’re as aware as you can be of any potential pitfalls. Consider using an external auditor to help you assess whether the expectations on the project are realistic. For example, they could review the benefits plan and timescales and give you an objective view of whether they are sensible and achievable. External doesn’t have to mean external to the company (and expensive). Someone from your PMO could easily carry out this role for you, giving you valuable insight into what sort of challenges you may face moving forward.
4. Get the right resources
Your project will really struggle if you don’t use the right resources. As a project manager, you may not have much influence over some aspects of resourcing, but use your voice to influence the process as far as possible. Use a resource gap analysis to identify the skills required to run the project and the skills available to you amongst the pool of existing resources. This will help you identify whether you need to outsource some elements of project work in order to get skilled, experienced people. The people you’ll need should be good leaders with excellent business knowledge. Being an experienced project manager isn’t enough on a complex project. As well as the right people, make sure you have access to enough people. Forecast your resource needs at various points throughout the project to ensure you’ve got adequate staffing levels. This is another reason why you might want to outsource some elements – if you’re short of bodies you might have to buy some in. If you need certain people to be available for the lifetime of the project, specify that and build it into your plans – and do the same if you only plan to use certain resources on a part-time basis.
5. Listen to your experts
The experts in the business will no doubt have plenty to say about this new initiative. Listen to them. But filter the information they provide through a critical lens. You should be at home challenging them and asking them to explain their views. Don’t let them make decisions about the project based on out-of-date or lazy thinking. Having said that, the pool of subject matter experts is your best resource when it comes to delivering projects successfully. Keep them on your side and involve them in decision making and planning. After all, they have the most experience in this area and really do have something valuable to contribute.
6. Manage integration effectively
Project integration management is the art and science of blending all the different functions and processes together to ensure a cohesive, effective whole. This might come naturally to some people but it always helps to plan out how you are going to achieve this. In complex projects there are more elements to integrate, some of which have high levels of uncertainty, such as requirements. There are also likely to be greater dependencies on other projects or external forces. In short, there’s a lot to pull together. Unsure how to start? Good communication is your friend. Keep talking to people. Keep communicating. Share the vision of the project and the business case. Ensure people understand their role in the project. Above all, manage change effectively: changes have a huge implication for other things on the project so you’ll have to update and inform a number of people and systems when changes happen. Next week I’ll be looking at 5 more practices you can use when managing complex projects.