pa consulting: vpl – et nyt værktøj til visuel programledelse

© PA Knowledge Limited 2013 1

VISUAL PROGRAM LEADERSHIP WHAT IS NEW? The rationale behind VPL

Peter Weihe Wolfsberg

November 2013


We bring you the right team – unconstrained by conventional thinking we deliver exceptional results with lasting impact

About PA

We are an employee-owned firm of over 2,500

people specialising in management consulting,

technology and innovation.

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PA has taken the thoughts, trends and

concepts from a number of acknowledged

authorities like Gartner Group, Linda Gratton,

Cabinet Office (PRINCE2) and others. We

have combined this with our own extensive

experience.

Based on this we have created the unique

concept of Visual Program Leadership – VPL

What thinking lies behind the concept of Visual Program Leadership?

VPL


Complex collaboration

Situation:

Linda Gratton in Harward Business Review:

When tackling a major initiative like an acquisition or

an overhaul of IT systems, companies rely on large,

diverse teams of highly educated specialists to get

the job done. These teams often are convened

quickly to meet an urgent need and work together

virtually, collaborating online and sometimes over

long distances.

Complication

• Although teams that are large, virtual, diverse, and

composed of highly educated specialists are

increasingly crucial with challenging projects, those

same four characteristics make it hard for teams to get

anything done. To put it another way, the qualities

required for success are the same qualities that

undermine success. Members of complex teams are

less likely—absent other influences—to share

knowledge freely, to learn from one another, to shift

workloads flexibly to break up unexpected bottlenecks,

to help one another complete jobs and meet deadlines,

and to share resources—in other words, to collaborate

Lynda Gratton is the Professor of

Management Practice at London Business

School and the founder of the Hot Spots

Movement


The technology to support Global, Complex Collation by

electronic means, and VPL can therefore become a reality not

just as a concept , but also as a true implementation

• Large size (70”) touch screens have become affordable

• Video conferencing and screen sharing (LYNC and Scopia) software

has become stable and easy to use as well as low cost

• High speed internet links combined with 3G / 4G mobile technology

makes most places in the world accessible in real time

• Software to support product based planning and integration with

traditional PERT and GANNT planning has emerged

The technological foundation to implement live VPL is now real

and available

Technological availability

Nowadays, as a smart device is in

everyone’s pocket, the use of

digital planning boards will most

likely take off just like the word

processor did in the late eighties,

thanks to the proliferation of

affordable and easy-to-use

smartphones, tablets and large

TV screens. The digital planning

board–the digital kanban board–

simply has fantastic potential

when it comes to helping people

visualise, plan and coordinate

their work in an easy and playful

way. Use it!

© Projectplace 2013


Visualization and Gamification

Overall observations Talking points/key questions:

Gamification is on the rise The change Imperative:

Integrate the Engagement Workstream

Continuous Engagement is Necessary

to Deliver Business Outcomes

Why it Works:

Gamification Changes Brain Chemistry

• In relationship to management of

people a key trend is gamification –

which fits nicely with “visualisation”

• Gamification is the use of game

mechanics in non-entertainment

environments to motivate a change

in participant behaviour

• Gamification in your

project/programme/portfolio

management

1. Progress bars – advancing to a goal

2. Multiple long-term and short term

aims – many ways to achieve

3. Rewards for effort – Reinforces

completeness

4. Feedback – directly links

consequences to actions

5. An element of uncertainty – the brain

likes novelty and puzzles

6. “Flow” – better memory, builds

confidence, willing to take risks

7. Collaboration


Covey 1989

Begin with the end in mind


Benefits of Product Based Planning – from Cabinet

Office UK

• Product Focus enhances the dialogue between the

program and the stakeholders

• Focuses on the final product and thereby ensures

that all breakdowns and activities add value and

contribute to that final product

• Products are definable, measurable and focused

• Product are easily visualized

• Products can be tangible (e.g. valve) or intangible

(e.g. changed culture)

Product focus

One of the main benefits of Product Based Plan is that

it turns the focus to deliverables. Experienced

PRINCE2 people start developing a Business Case

and then move to defining what has to be delivered.

Non-PRINCE2 people start drawing up a list of tasks.

How can you develop a plan without clearly

understanding what you have to deliver? Product

Based Planning brings about this discipline.

The other major advantage is in measuring progress.

As a project manager, I'm not really concerned about

what you are doing. I really care about what you are

delivering. The true measure of progress is the

successful creation of products that have passed

review against the quality criteria defined in their

Product Descriptions. PBP is an effective tool for this.

Peter Foster – experienced PRINCE2 PM


A lot of the thinking and principles in Lean and Agile development methodologies

have proven to facilitate and promote efficient communication and decision

making:

• Stand-up meetings

– The SCRUM meeting

• Visual aids

– The KANBAN board

– The BURN-DOWN chart

• Short term focus

– The iterative approach in agile methods

• Focus on the customer / what is to be delivered

– No process for the processes own sake

Lean and Agile


PA has found, based on PA’s thousands of man-hours in practising program management, that next to

stakeholder management, the most important key to successful program leadership is:

• Proactive RISK and ISSUE handling

– Most of the time and energy in program meetings, whether it is status meetings or steering board

meetings should be focused on pro-active risk and issue resolution

• Risks and issues are difficult concepts to grasp

– They are often handled on separate lists without specific relation to the project or program plan or

any of the products delivered

• Risks and issues need to be associated directly with the products in the program

– By having this association, it is easier to grasp the direct impact of the risks and issue, and any

required mitigating actions becomes more apparent

Risk and issue handling


Visual Program Leadership is improved leadership through product focused

and proactive risk and issue handling in a collaborative approach embracing the newest trends in

visualization and gamification as well as well proven principles from lean and agile

implemented on an affordable and efficient it-platform with global reach

Visual Program Leadership – benefits

Enabling True control

This is when decision making in the program

leadership is based on:

• Common and up-to-date information and plans

• A collaborative process

• Common understanding of the consequences

• Clear ownership of actions


Come and visit us

PA bring well proven PM components into a new and unique concept,

VPL, now also implemented in and supported by MPI from Marstrand

Innovation

• 630 MWatt offshore installation

• 175 3.6 Mwatt Wind mills

• Delivering power for 750.000 homes

• Project span UK, D, DK, B and N

• Multi National project teams Come and see how VPL and MPI meets this challenge!

At PA Consulting Groups booth or at 15:35 in room 203

Full story at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZlv98PYC28

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZlv98PYC28


The End


Come and visit us

PA bring well proven PM components into a new and unique concept, VPL, now also

implemented in and supported by MPI from Marstrand Innovation


Improve your program leadership through:

VPL


Brian Tracy, Motivational speaker and author, Brian Tracy International

Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems

Ghost (signpost) – current chapter title...

pa consulting: vpl – et nyt værktøj til visuel programledelse

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