The Dark Art of Project Management

"Only 11% of organisations are successful with IT according to any objective measure" (A.T.Kearney)

"30% of systems projects fail to meet user needs" (KPMG)

"Over 40% of systems projects are not completed within time or to budget" (Butler Cox)

"Only 27% of CEOs in the UK are satisfied that their IT department can deliver them the business advantage they need"

(Amdahl)

“70% failure rate for all IT projects”(failure defined as 100% over-budget)

“31% projects cancelled before completion”

“88% exceed deadline or budget or both”

“average cost over-run 189%”

“average schedule over-run 222%”

Standish Group – Chaos Report(Voice of Project Management, Feb 2007)

Failed projects can:

• bankrupt businesses

• generate humiliating publicity

• destroy investor confidence

• help to bring down governments

• soak up huge sums of money

• kill people

How do you guarantee project failure?

• Don’t select a competent project manager

• Don’t define goals and scope

• Don’t try to build trust with anybody involved

• Don’t listen or communicate

• Don’t obtain executive sponsorship

• Don’t consult with end users

• Don’t look for evidence of work done

• Don’t worry about scope creep

• Do equate methodology with project management

• Do under-resource

Decisions, Decisions

The project team suggests a two hour project kick-off meeting…

What do you do?

a) OK b) OK, but 1 hour c) No way - no time

You discover the new laptops you ordered for your project have been taken by another manager…

What do you do?

a)Seek a compromise (half each) b) Absolutely no way

c) Go over his head

A team member asks if he can work from home…

What do you do?

a) Fine b) No c) Try to convince the team this is not a good idea

In the middle of a 3 month project, your boss’s boss invites you on a 2 week business trip to Asia

What do you do?

a) Let’s go! b) Look for a stand-in whilst you are away c) No way – no time

As part of a downsizing initiative, you are advised 1 of your weaker team members has to go at the end of the

month

What do you do?

a) No way! b) OK c) Good riddance

Project management is all about people

Top 10 Laws of Project Management(Management Concepts, 2010)

Augustine’s Law: A bad idea executed to perfection is still a bad idea

Lakein’s Law: Failing to plan is planning to fail

Saint Exupéry’s Law: Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is

nothing left to take away

Fitzgerald’s Law: There are two states to any large project – too early to tell and too late to stop

Parkinson’s Law: Work expands to fill the time available

Constantine’s Law: A fool with a tool is still a fool

Murphy’s Law: If anything can go wrong, it will

Graham’s Law: If they know nothing of what you are doing, they suspect you are doing nothing

O’Brochta’s Law: Project management is about applying common sense with uncommon discipline

Kinser’s Law: About the time you finish doing something, you know enough to start

Questions?