Entry Software Corporation
Entry
There is an argument, and an effective one, that all projects should be broken down into smaller 1 – 4 week mini-projects and executed through a technique called Scrum resulting in high quality projects developed by in-communication IT teams. This is known as Agile Software Development
[Read more…] about Agile & Scrum | Executing and Managing Projects
Setting the right project milestones can keep your projects on track. Setting project milestones and developing a milestone schedule is a key factors in the success of a project. By following a little advice from experts in the project management field, you can increase your project success
[Read more…] about Proper use of Project Milestones in the Field of Project Management
The saying “no man is an island” is so true when it comes to strategic thinking and action in business. You can’t always go it alone but rely on the subject matter experts (SME) to manage certain aspects of the day-to-day business, to get things done.
Without these SME’s to rely on, you have would have to wear many “hats” ranging from accounting, sales, marketing, through to customer support. Taking ownership and driving projects to a successful conclusion is what structures a business and moves it forward.
Defining and implementing business process and infrastructure without a project management function in your business means you will be responsible for managing all the tasks associated with the project; budgeting, planning, process, people, meetings, implementation, timing etc. the list goes on… which can all get on top of you very quickly.
When rolling out IT related projects it is critical to assign an IT project manager to keep things focused and on track. IT help desk are event-driven; many of these events are unplanned i.e. Help desk staff deal with calls for support as users experience problems. There are also planned IT projects that need to be implemented that are critical to support business continuity or efficiency; Server upgrades, network infrastructure upgrades, new CRM roll-out, etc. that are time critical and require participation from many business departments to succeed.
This is where the assigned IT project manager is an invaluable resource as the “go to” person for all IT projects as communication and teamwork are vital to achieve success.
Communication is critical. Ensure there are at least weekly discussions with your IT project manager that include all the key stakeholders in the project, and regular discussion of new issues between meetings. Keeping everyone on the same page will allow you to keep the project deliverables and timing on track.
It is important that the IT project manager keep the IT Helpdesk staff in the loop on the status of IT projects. This way an accurate time-line on projects can be given to anyone inquiring on the IT help desk.
Business is about teamwork, you cannot do everything alone.
Who is your “Go To” Project manager in IT?
Do you have one?
We’ve seen organizations where the project manager seems to be continuously pitted against the project teams. We’ve even been part of them and led them. Project Managers and PMO’s on these teams are often isolated units within the IT organization with a distinct “over thereness” to them. Project managers who trend towards isolation and Ivory Tower type interaction with teams may do so because there is no other choice. Isolated, fraction-ed project management, and the lack of IT work management systems are significant contributors to work isolation in general. Properly using team project management software can help.
The Project Manager, faced with these issues may face a number of insurmountable challenges. These include:
The remedy is obvious; join the team and solve the problem!
As we look at these four symptoms of bad project-management we see an obvious remedy; use a tool that everyone can contribute to.
By using a common tool each person on the team becomes responsible for the work assigned. No cat-herding required, (okay, maybe a little :)). As we examine the effect that an integrated IT work management system has on each of the four symptoms above we note that:
It is overwhelming how many different methods of project management there are. If you have not considered using iterative techniques with agile especially for software projects, then I highly suggest you check out the links at the bottom of the page to improve project management success by 20%.
[Read more…] about Improve Project Management Success by 20%
Doing it right the first time is always a good idea. And when you’re talking about kicking off a long-term IT project worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, it’s essential because you’ll usually find that your project schedule and your budget doesn’t have much of an allowance for rework. When we start a project, we want to make sure we have everything in place so that our team and our customer are as focused and equipped as possible to help us run a successful engagement.
To that end, there are five critical steps to run through to make sure you kick off the project right. To help ensure that you’re ready to meet with the customer, establish the ground rules, and move forward with the subsequent phases of the project.
These five steps are:
The deal closer in your organization – whether that’s Sales, the account manager, or maybe a PMO director – has the original project materials and you, as the project manager, need them. Hold a quick handoff meeting and get all materials transitioned to you because those materials will be the basis for everything you put together in planning out the kickoff and the rest of the project.
From the handoff materials, the next step is to put together a project schedule, a draft budget for the project planned out by a week or by phase, and a resource plan that identifies when and what resources are needed on the project. Most of this will likely come from a statement of work and whatever materials Sales used to put together a sales price for the project. Ideally, you’ll have someone from your project team to assist you, but at this point, it may just be you.
Next, introduce yourself to the customer and set up the formal project kickoff meeting. Set expectations for the meeting including the number of attendees the customer should bring. I’ve lead project kickoffs where the customer brought 25-30 representatives. What this often results in is a question and answer session that takes over the kickoff meeting leading to lots of necessary discussion being left on the table due to time constraints. This has been a checkpoint discussion with the customer for me ever since so that history doesn’t repeat itself.
With your materials in hand, put together a formal presentation that addresses key dates, deliverables, assumptions and lays out how you plan to manage the project. The kickoff session is all about setting expectations and laying the groundwork for what is to come and a chance to ask questions to fill in the gaps.
There will always be post-kickoff session changes to be made based on the discussions that took place during the formal meeting. Adjust the project schedule, budget and resource plans, and any key assumptions based on these discussions and prepare your team and customer for the next phases of the project.