compgz07 project management why projects fail graham collins university college london (ucl)
TRANSCRIPT
The ‘Tar Pit’The ‘Tar Pit’
Illustration from Chapter 1 The Tar Pit. Brooks, F.P., The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering Anniversary Edition 1995 Addison-Wesley
Definition of SuccessDefinition of Success
On time - the product is delivered according to schedule
On budget - the project meets forecasted cost estimates
High quality, i.e. conformance to requirements which includes the components functionality and performance.
Illustration from, Florence:The Biography of a City, Christopher Hibbert, 1993 Penguin
Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore)Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore)
Cost-Schedule-Quality EquilibriumCost-Schedule-Quality Equilibrium
Delivering these criteria doesn’t mean you are successful
Each stakeholder has a different view, manage expectations
The ultimate challenge: no damage.
Requirements not metRequirements not met
Failure to meet requirements in software engineering projects is the most common cause for dissatisfaction
Involve users from the beginning and involve them in requirements elicitation
Workshops that allow everyone to be involved help develop ownership of the project and agreement on requirements
Rapid Application Development (RAD) to prevent requirements creep. Requirements Engineering and Rapid Development, Ian Graham, 1998 Addison-Wesley.
Ascertain the most valuable benefits firstAscertain the most valuable benefits first
Maximum benefit is derived if the project is cancelled early
Project can be delivered on time and budget if the scope includes only the essential elements, that derive business benefit
Concept of agile project management is that requirements are continually reviewed and prioritized in order that the most important requirements (goals) are delivered first. Craig Larman, Agile & Iterative Development: A Manager’s guide, 2004 Addison-Wesley (Agile Software Development Series).
Need to be clear on the GoalsNeed to be clear on the Goals
Need to ask, what is the purpose, what are we trying to achieve Need to agree this as a team Need to meet the mission of the project and be inline with the
organisations aims.
One never goes as far when one doesn’t know where one is going.
Goethe
Kamikaze
Suicide
Mission Impossible
Ugly
low high
high
low
Chance of success
Happiness
The Death March Project Style Quadrant
Edward Yourdon, Death March:The complete Software Developer’s guide to surviving ‘Mission Impossible’ projects, 1997 Prentice Hall
The Death March Project Style QuadrantThe Death March Project Style Quadrant
To survive we need toTo survive we need to
Triage (Stephen R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill, and Rebecca R. Merrill, First Things First, 1994, New York: Simon & Schuster)
Ensure there is a ‘Champion’ Early wins (John Kotter, Leading Change, 1996,
Harvard Business School Press) idea of small successful projects being widened in scope and spreading across the organisation.
Realistic SchedulingRealistic Scheduling
Accurate estimation, involve all stakeholders Need good negotiation skills from an
experienced project manager.
How does a project get to be a year late?
…One day at a timeBROOKS
The right balance of peopleThe right balance of people
Small, dedicated teams are required
The team needs to have the right mix, commitmentand support from a sponsor.
Who selects the team?
Adding more staffAdding more staff
Often projects have new staff added when its falling behind schedule
Apart from the learning curve required this lowers morale
More staff increase the communication burden and can decrease productivity, Brookes Law.
People do not always get onPeople do not always get on
Ideally the team has worked together before and has reached a co-operative and fully productive phase
The use of a facilitator Have the team formed themselves?
Harvey Robbins and Michael Finley, Why teams don’t work: What went wrong and how to make it right 1996 Peterson’s (UK 1998 Orion).
To develop members’ capabilities; to build and exchange knowledge
Passion, commitment, and identification with the group’s expertise
To accomplish a specified task
The project’s milestones and goals
Adapted from: Communities of Practice: The organizational Frontier, Etienne C. Wenger and William M. Snyder, Harvard Business Review p139-145 Jan-Feb 2000
What is the purpose? What holds it together?
Community of practice
Project team
Project teams need to adopt some attributesProject teams need to adopt some attributes
We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
ARISTOTLE
To be successful projects must haveTo be successful projects must have
Agreement among the project team, customer, and management on the goals of the project
A plan that shows an overall path and clear responsibilities and will be used to measure progress during the project
Constant,effective communication among everyone involved in the project
A controlled scope Management support.
Pinto and Slevin’s Success FactorsPinto and Slevin’s Success Factors
Cited by Turner, R., Section 20, Project Management Pathways, edited by Stevens, M., APM, 2002
Success Factor Description
1. Project mission Clearly defined goals and direction
2. Top management support Resources, authority and power for implementation
3. Schedule and plans Detailed specification of implementation process
4. Client consultation Communication with and consultation of all stakeholders
5. Personnel Recruitment, selection and training of competent personnel