carey_rabbitte_project_management_in_the_virtual_organisation - 2015
TRANSCRIPT
Project Management in the Virtual Organisation
Carey Rabbitte, PMP
Senior Programme Director
1
2. Contents
– Introduction
– The Environment:
– Benefits of a Virtual Organisation
– The Corporate Environment
– My Project Management Team
– A Typical Virtual Project: Application Data
– Another Virtual Project: Lebanon Office Move
– Constraints
– Tools and Techniques:
– Tools and Techniques
– Virtual Meetings
– Status Communication
– Escalation
– Collaboration Tools
3. Contents (Continued)
– Tools and Techniques (Continued):
– Video Conferencing
– Cultural Aspects
– Portfolio Prioritisation
– Questions and Answers
4. Introduction
– I will look at aspects of managing projects in large, multi-national, multi-cultural corporations, in the so
called “virtual organisation”.
– I will lay out the typical structure in such organisations, and give some examples of projects and the
project management scenario.
– I will then look at tools and techniques for operating in this type of environment.
5. Benefits of a Virtual Organisation
– Why do organisations go virtual?
– Cost saving: moving activity from high cost to low cost locations.
– Geographical growth: moving activities closer to the customer.
– Creating Centres of Excellence: consolidating technology development skills, or business
processing skills in a single location.
6. The Corporate Environment
– Multi-national
– Multi-cultural
– Remote managed
– Matrix managed
– Highly Specialised
– Off-shoring
7. My Project Management Team
– Covers technology infrastructure projects throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa.
– Portfolio managers: 2 in London, 1 in Warsaw.
– Project managers: 4 in London, 4 in Warsaw, 1 in Belfast, 1 in Cairo and 1 in Bahrain.
– Matrixed project managers in Moscow, Johannesburg, Istanbul and Karachi.
– Dependent on project management office based in Warsaw.
– … and my team is just 1 of 4 similar project management teams in my organisation in this region.
8. A Typical Virtual Project: Application Data
Centre Move
– Technology Infrastructure project manager in Warsaw.
– Application project manager in London.
– Developers in India.
– System administrators in Belfast.
– Information security administrators in Budapest.
– End users in Dublin.
– Budget control in New York.
– All reporting to different managers.
– Current system in London.
– New system in Frankfurt.
– … and myself in London trying to coordinate it all!
9. Another Virtual Project: Lebanon Office Move
– Technology infrastructure project manager in Cairo.
– End users in Beirut.
– Network engineers in London.
– Desktop support in Bahrain.
– Information security administrators in Budapest.
– Budget control in New York.
10. Constraints
– Budgets need approval by many different people at different levels.
– Travel restrictions.
– Matrix management: Most project team members report to a line manager in their functional area, but
have a matrix report into the project manager for the duration of the project.
– The project manager is typically managing 6-7 projects in parallel.
– The project team members are also contributing to several projects at the same time, not necessarily
with the same project manager on each project.
11. Tools And Techniques
– A good communication plan is vital!
– Weekly one on one calls.
– Daily short status calls, particularly when the project gets into the Implementation phase.
– Video conferencing.
– File sharing tools.
12. Virtual Meetings
– Send out the agenda in advance.
– Ensure project team members have access to most recent documentation: project status report,
risk/issue logs etc.
– Ensure people join on time.
– Conference call etiquette: team members should be trained on basic concepts such as staying on
mute unless speaking.
– Time management: Keep the meeting moving, allow time for all topics.
– Take difficult or protracted decisions off-line.
– Make sure action owners are clearly identified and are aware of their actions, and that target resolution
dates are understood.
– Send out minutes promptly after the meeting.
13. Status Communication
– Send to a large audience. Keep everyone informed.
– Suggestion: Short, plain text e-mail with next 2 or 3 milestones, and top 2 or 3 risks. Supplement by a
more detailed report containing full project plan, full risks/issue logs.
– Flag the status at the top of the communication (Red/Amber/Green).
– Send out on a regular basis: weekly for most projects, daily if a project is in Red or Amber status, or is
close to going live.
14. Escalation
– Escalate quickly.
– Keep the project sponsor/project board informed at all times.
– Highlight key issues – don't bury in detail.
– Hiding issues tends to lead to mistrust.
• Project Board
• Portfolio Manager
• Project Manager
– Content Management Systems (CMS): Sharepoint
– Use to host key documents, including project status reports, meeting minutes, risk logs etc.
– Open Access: Use the Principle of Least Restriction.
– Instant Messaging: Microsoft Communicator
– Useful for recorded communications.
– Written rather than spoken, may be easier for non-native speaker to follow.
– Enterprise Project Management (EPM) Systems: PlanView, Clarity PPM, Microsoft Project Server
– Key to maintaining project data in a standard format.
– Holds project plans, time booking, central risks/issue logs, financial data etc.
– Scalable when large number of projects are being managed.
15. Collaboration Tools
16. Video Conferencing
– Only really practical for meetings with two or three locations.
– Ideal for one on one meetings.
– Does not work well for project-wide status meetings, with people in 6 or 8 different countries.
17. Cultural Aspects
– Allow time on calls for language gaps.
– Speak slowly!
– Even native speakers have difficulties understanding each other – accents, vocabulary differ.
– Always follow up with written minutes.
– Hold one on one calls with individual project team members where necessary.
18. Portfolio Prioritisation
– The need to prioritise: For each customer, their project is top priority, but project team members may
have several projects.
– Should aim for a consistent, region-wide, organisation-wide method of prioritisation.
– Example:
– Legal/regulatory requirements – projects that must be completed to ensure the company follows
relevant legal or industry regulations
– Return on Investment – projects that provide a definite increase in revenue, or a definite
reduction in expense.
– “Nice To Have” - projects that may indirectly increase revenue, or decrease expense, by
improving productivity.