When the Path to Project Success Narrows

When your project starts, the whole world is at your fingertips. Everything is new and fresh…even your team of talented resources believe everything you say and accept all the tasks thrown their way. Because it’s a new project, full of optimism and hope. Fluffy…fluffy.

Now, fast-forward 6 months and look around. What happened? Your 6-lane interstate that you were driving on has become a 2-lane blacktop. You’re running dangerously close to the edge with every turn and every bump. You’re just one wrong move from completely losing control and you’re trying to figure out what happened to the slack time, the confidence, the enthusiasm and the teamwork.

Optimism Reigns Supreme

When you first start out on a new project that is new and fresh and all yours to either succeed with or sink like a rock, optimism reigns supreme. You can do anything with it – your thumbprint is all over it and it is your baby. The customer hangs on your every word. Your team is genuinely interested in everything you have to say. And the project budget….it’s wide open…there is so much money remaining…it’s virtually untouched, except all that money that was chewed up in the past two weeks first getting ready for and then flying to and conducting the kickoff meeting at the customer site. But other than that, it’s all there and ready to be gobbled up by resources anxiously waiting to work with you on a successful project and maximize their billable time.

The Honeymoon Is Over

Soon, though, reality sets in. It’s like when you’re newly married and you have all those wedding presents and money gifts and a good paycheck that was definitely enough for you and should be enough for the two of you. Eventually it hits you that what you thought was a surplus is really barely enough to get by…so you darn well better pay attention and manage it closely.

The same holds true with the projects we manage. Early on the project schedule is laid out before us mapping out every task showing how we’re going to complete the project on time eight months from now. The project buck of money is full to the brim and ready for resources and travel expenses to get charged to it. But remember, just because you have checks left in the checkbook doesn’t mean you still have money in the bank. That project money bucket can empty fast if you don’t manage it well. And the same holds true with the project schedule. First one task runs over its allotted timeframe. Then another one. Then a major one slides and suddenly you find yourself dialing the customer’s number to explain your eight-month project will now be a ten-month project and you’re not sure why.

Summary

As project managers, we have to be in control. Nothing can be left to chance. Those first few months – the honeymoon on a long-term project – are exciting and full of progress and successes. It’s the period near the end where issues arise, risks are realized, and glitches and scheduling conflicts happen that can derail what appeared to be a successful project so fast it will make your head spin.

How can we avoid this? The answer is we can never full avoid it. But aggressive preparation and planning can take us a long way in trying to avoid a negative outcome. Identify the issues, manage for the risks…and discuss them often, truly manage the budget as if it were your own money, and revise that project schedule with realistic information at every turn. Monitor it daily and manage it weekly. Success doesn’t happen by luck. The true road to project success is not paved in gold…there is a lot of carnage on that road. And it is narrow…not wide as it appears at the beginning of a project. Plan well and understand how things can impact your project’s chances for success and act accordingly.

Senior Project Manager – Rail

Location: London
Salary: £45000 – £50000 per annum + Ful Package
Company: Capita Technical Services
Sector: Commercial
Job role: Project manager
Job type: Permanent

Job Description:

My client is a and is a top 5 consultancy business, specialising in property and infrastructure services to both the public and private sector. Operating all over the UK, with services including project and cost management, transport planning, environmental consultancy, design, engineering and construction management.

The Rail Team is a key part of the Infrastructure Division of and comprises of Commercial Management, Project Management and Controls and Engineering.

My cliern has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Project Manager to join the fast growing rail team where career defining opportunities are offered. Successful applicants will thrive on being part of a team orientated environment contributing fully on both rail and other infrastructure related projects.

Successful candidates will lead the safe delivery of all aspects of the full project cycle. Ensuring that quality and value for money are met, and keep specifications and agreed targets for cost and time scale and manage a team of less experienced staff.

The post holder will provide professional, first class, consistent and effective project management service to the clients, aswel as participating in the development of supply strategies and frame work contracts.

Apply here..

PMXPO 2009

PMXPO 2009 occurs on Thursday, May 14 beginning at 9am EDT – Register here.

Keynote: Fourth and Goal: Making the Tough Calls that Make Leaders Successful – Bill Cowher, Head Coach, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1992-2007; NFL Analyst, CBS Sports

Here are the details:

gantthead is once again excited to be bringing you our annual virtual conference and exhibition on Thursday, May 14th, 2009. It’s your opportunity to learn, network, earn PDUs and gain valuable knowledge all from the comfort of your home, office-or home office.

With today’s tight budgets, PMXPO 2009 is a fantastic way to get the trade show experience without all the trade show expense. You’ll have the same interaction with experts, peers and solution providers, the same educational opportunities and the same professional networking capability, all within typical work hours, and all completely free.

This conference addresses the specific needs of project executives and aspiring executives, charged with managing project offices, program offices and project portfolios of organizations big and small.

In five sessions-plus an exciting keynote presentation-we’ll offer overviews of common PPM and PMO issues with valuable take-away materials, including templates, checklists, project plans and presentations that you can modify and use in your own practice. Session topics include:

• Agile Project Management for Extreme Projects: Getting a grip on chaos
• Rethinking Project Priorities During a Recession
• Making Successful Decisions: A PM’s Path to Success
• Mind Mapping for Efficient PM
• Managing Projects to Deliver Maximum Business Value
  

Get all of this, without the hassles of travel, wardrobe and sore feet that come with the typical trade show experience. You won’t be getting the pens, squishy stress balls and keychains that you pick up at a live conference, but you will get hand-outs that you can use, like product demonstrations and other special offers from vendors at their virtual booths.

Registration is free, so take a minute now and make sure you don’t miss out on what promises to be one of the highest-value conference experiences in project management this year.

Five Signs You Aren’t Cut Out to be a Project Manager

Not everyone is cut out to be a Project Manager.  Being a PM is not an exclusive club.  It’s not even necessarily a highly desirable profession.  You get a lot of visibility, but not necessarily a lot of recognition.  That often goes more to the technical team than the PM, unless the project is very successful and highly visible.

I’ve written an article on the Background of an IT Project Manager and I’ve written five articles so far on the Characteristics of a Project Manager.  Here I’d like to look at five possible signs that indicate you may not be choosing the right career as a Project Manager.

Like Technology more than People

If you’re not a people person and prefer technology over people, then it’s not likely that you’re ready for a career as a Project Manager.  PMs are often thrust into customer-facing roles and are looked upon to lead a team of skilled resources on projects.  They must be ready to present materials, lead status meetings and status calls, initiate adhoc communication, and just in general be very confident dealing with people. 

If that’s not you, then run don’t walk.  If you prefer technology more than people you may be more designed for the role of the techie on the project – the person who develops the solution, not the individual who maps out how and when it will be delivered.  And patience with your team and the customer is critical.  If you don’t have patience, don’t sign up to be a PM.

All People, No Technology

Likewise, if you’re all about people but do not have any technical background then running IT projects as a PM is not for you.  I still contend that a good IT PM must have some technical background in order to be trusted, understood, and followed by the technical resources they are leading on a long project. 

You might get away with it on a very short engagement just by being a strong, confident leader.  But on a 6-12 month engagement or longer you’ll be exposed and the technical team will question decisions, etc.  I’ve seen it happen and I’ve witnessed very frustrated PMs who aren’t PMs anymore.

Don’t Handle Pressure Well

Being a PM means you have the target on your forehead for the entire project.  The Project Manager has to stay on top of status, project schedules, issues, risks and all project communications constantly.  Pressure is frequent throughout the project. 

If you don’t handle pressure well, then being a PM is probably not the best choice for you.  Being anything in IT is probably not for you, for that matter….because pressure on IT projects is felt pretty much throughout the entire team and throughout the entire project duration.

Need for Constant Recognition and Praise

Like I said earlier, you can get a lot of recognition, but it’s harder to get good recognition than it is to get bad recognition.  On the surface, much of the good recognition for a successful project will often go to the technical resources that developed the solution.  This, of course, depends on the company, but it is common…and it’s ok.  The developers likely did great work on a successful solution.  You led, but you didn’t create…and that’s ok. 

If you are one who needs constant praise, then a Project Management path is probably not for you.  It’s rewarding, but most of your rewards will likely come from the relationships you build on your teams with your team members and with your customer, not from the overflowing of praise and recognition you hope to get on a project.

Shaky Problem-Solver

Being a PM means you’re required to be a confident decision-maker.  Look to your team and other available resources – including your customer – as sources to help you solve issues and make decisions.  But if you’re inclined to run from problems or put them off and hope that they resolve themselves or that someone else steps up to solve them, then a PM career is not for you.

At every critical problem point, both your team and your customer’s team are going to look to you as the key leader and decision-maker and you can’t back down.  If you’re shaky in your decision-making or tend to be wishy-washy when it comes to problem solving and leadership, seek a different path for your own good.

Summary

These are just five – I’m sure I could come up with more and I probably will.  I would definitely welcome your input, as I’m sure the list could be nearly endless.  Please share your thoughts on what you’ve seen ‘not work’ in the PM field.  I’m sure everyone has some great colleague stories.  Thanks.

What the Customer is Trying to Tell You

I’ve discussed the effective listening issue previously. In order to avoid miscommunication, misunderstanding, and heading down the wrong path with something, it is imperative that we listen carefully to our team members and to our customer. We know this…and we all try hard to practice this.

So let’s examine things that our customer says or does and try to figure out what they’re really trying to tell us.

What the Customer Says…

Have you ever been told by your customer that “that’s not what Sales told us”? Or have you been told by your customer that they needed Phase 3 implemented in place of Phase 2 and Phase 2 pushed out to the Phase 3 timeframe? Have they ever said, we’re still gathering our internal requirements from our SMEs and we’ll fine-tune things as we go along?

What They Really Mean…

I have heard each of these things and other similar requests and pieces of information from my customers at one time or another. They are telling you something. Deep down, the customer is telling you indirectly that they’re ill-prepared to start this engagement and therefore risk and issue assessment better be a top priority because you’re going to have a few of them to deal with.

A customer who didn’t iron things out well with Sales isn’t truly ready to start. If possible, you – as the PM – need to step back, have another Sales-to-Professional Services handoff meeting and postpone the start of the project long enough to figure out what you’re walking into.

A customer who hasn’t mapped out their needs, requirements, and business processes well enough for a multi million dollar enterprise-wide implementation to know what phase needs to be implemented when is clearly not fully prepared. Yes, things can change on their end of the business that can switch their priorities around slightly, but for some of these large implementations we’re all dealing with clients who have spent considerable time preparing and acquiring funding. Major changes like switching phases around – which can have major project, budget, and personnel implications – should not be taking place at that late date.

And certainly a customer who is still fine-tuning their requirements while meeting with you to document functional requirements clearly wasn’t ready to get started. Again, this is an example where it is best to halt the project, send the customer back to perform further work on requirements, and then proceed.

Point of View

Now clearly I’m writing this from the Project Manager’s standpoint and what’s best for the delivery team and what’s best for the overall success of the project. I’m not writing this from a customer satisfaction standpoint, or from the standpoint of your organization’s bottom line or the executive management viewpoint. I’m fully aware that most of the time your management is not going to support the notion of pulling the plug on the project to give the customer more time to prepare – especially if that is not a request coming from your customer.

How We Have to Respond…

So, how do we make this work? Well, since we’re all Supermen and Superwomen in Professional Services organizations, we just DO make it work. But seriously, we put our heads down and push forward with the customer to fully define what it is they need. Additional requirements definition, switching phases around, more training, etc. etc. Whatever they need, we try to accommodate.

We still need to pay attention to the timeline and budget and identify where change orders are needed and present those to the customer. But when we’re flexing for the customer, those things that require more time or money are easier to push through with the customer anyway.