IT Governance: Operational Excellence: VITA IT Infrastructure Transformation ...

VITA selects Northrup Grumman to support its IT infrastructure transformation as it radically restructures the state's information technology for operational excellence, while exercising strong governance. ...

IT Governance: Operational Excellence: VITA IT Infrastructure Transformation: Via Northrop Grumman Corporation: Defining the Future: Commonwealth of Virginia Selects Northrop Grumman for $2 Billion IT Infrastructure Partnership Contract ...

... "Northrop Grumman's Information Technology (IT) sector will support the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) in its IT infrastructure transformation of 91 executive branch agencies. Northrop Grumman was selected under the commonwealth's Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002. Through the use of this law, VITA is pioneering a model for information technology governance and operational excellence which represents the most comprehensive reform of state government information technology in the nation. This model establishes Virginia as a leader in the use of technology in government. " ...

SAP R/3 ERP Customers Have a Tough Decision to Make

From eWeek comes interesting news that many customers of SAP's R/3 4.6c are going to soon be stuck without maintenance support (by the end of 2006). Their choices seems to be paying a fortune for a new release that doesn't bring much in the way of functionality, moving to SAP's next generation platforms, or taking the opportunity to jump ship.

A leading alternate contender seems to be Oracle, whose waiting-in-the-wings Project Fusion suite (which combines the best of PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, Siebel, and Oracle's E-Business) could make organizations want to wait and see.

I'd add that others will probably use the opportunity to revisit hosted solutions, which can decrease infrastructure complexity (even if cost benefits are minimal).

Here's the report below...

R/3 Orphans-to-Be Contemplating Jumping Ship

Running Effective Meetings; Beware of These Myths

From PageGlobe.com, here are 7 myths that lead to ineffective meetings:

Myth 1: Executives Belong in Meetings
Myth 2: Holding a Large Meeting is Impressive
Myth 3: Structure Inhibits Spontaneity
Myth 4: People are too busy to prepare agendas
Myth 5: Minutes are Unnecessary
Myth 6: Meetings should last a long time
Myth 7: The effectiveness of meetings is a low
priority

Check out the link below for the full report...

7 Myths That Make Meetings Miserable ~ Business and money Articles

Sustainable Construction Project: Green Roof Projects ...

Inhabitat explores construction techniques (green roof) to combat the urban heat effect. ...

Via Inhabitat: Green Roofs ...

... "the city of Chicago is leading the way. Chicago's Department of Environment is actually giving away $5,000 grants to any building owners who want to start a green roof project. ... " ...

Information as a Service: Transition From Project Environment ...

IBM has launched software that transforms data into information to be aimed at increased insight and visibility of business operations. ...

Information as a Service: Transition From Project Environment: Via Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Journal: IBM's Deep Insight ...

... "Helping organizations to leverage information as a service allows them to move from a project-based environment to a flexible architecture which is crucial for business agility and responsiveness, said Ambuj Goyal, general manager, IBM Information Management. " ...

Top 3 Qualities of a Successful Project Manager

Although there are many qualities that a good project managers should have, it has occurred to me from recent observations that there are really 3 key ones. If nothing else, a project manager needs to be:

• Organized
• Assertive (not to be confused with aggressive)
• Empathetic

They need to be organized in order to keep up with all the events and details going on during the project; including issues, schedule monitoring, communications, status reports, risk monitoring, and a whole host of other things.

They need to be assertive when dealing with resistant stakeholders, overbearing managers, and lackadaisical team members.

And they need to be empathetic to the needs of customers, stakeholders, team members and all sorts of constituents. To be overly assertive or too soft is equally ineffective, so both are needed in balance.

The rest, as they say, is details

Project Management Lessons: Sakhalin2 ...

We think IT projects are challenging to bring on-time and on-budget. Put yourself in the postion of Shell project managers delivering the Sakhalin 2 project. What lessons can we learn? See commentary by Mr Alfred Donovan. ...

Via Mondaq: Rattled Shell Management Swamped With Bad News, Issues Threat Following President Putin's Sakhalin2 Tirade ...

... "There is one issue however which dwarfs all others in terms of importance to Shell and its stakeholders: the Sakhalin2 project in Russia. Shell hit the headlines two weeks ago when President Putin in a face-to-face meeting with Shell CEO Jeroen van der Veer, savaged Shell management in relation to the staggering cost overrun of the project. " ...

Project Management: Google Innovation Machine ...

Quentin Hardy explores insights from Google CEO Eric Schmidt to better understand the project management methods powering the Google innovation machine, such as small teams, data-based decision making, rapid project life cycles, and collaboration networks. ...

Project Management: Google Innovation Machine: Via Forbes.com: Google Thinks Small ...

... "Brin and Page have created a corporate organism that tackles most big projects in small, tightly focused teams, setting them up in an instant and breaking them down weeks later without remorse. " ...

IT Governance Excellence: Conference Workshop ...

Intellilink offers services in IT governance excellence. At recent project management conference, Intellilink leaders present workshop on solutions for accelerating the implementation of IT governance. ...

IT Governance Excellence: Conference Workshop: Via Intellilink Solutions: Intellilink Solutions Hosts IT Governance Workshop at ProjectWorld USA 2005: Company executives share their expertise to resolve the most critical issues encountered when implementing IT governance ...

... "The Intellilink workshop, Solving People and Process Issues When Implementing IT Governance, was run jointly by Intellilink's CEO, Patrick Boylan, and Managing Director, Fumiko Kondo, who are both leading experts in deploying solutions for IT governance for clients across a range of industries. In addition to offering real-world solutions to common IT governance issues, the interactive event outlined typical IT governance business models and detailed common roles, responsibilities and business processes. " ...

Project Management Mind Mapping Made Easy

As Hal Malcomber points out in his intriguing blog site, Reforming Project Management, mind mapping software is one of the most unsung project management tools out there. We've mentioned that here at PMThink as well.

Hal points to a new ebook from Chuck Frey on mind mapping strategies, as well as a great article from Chuck on How to Use Mind Mapping Software for Project Management.

Check out Hal's blog below, which contains links to Chucks article and ebook.

Reforming Project Management

Innovation Idea Bank: Questionate ...

Article explores the use of question banks to spur innovation at companies. ...

Innovation Idea Bank: Questionate: Via Business Innovation 2005: What are the right questions to ask about innovation? ...

... "As part of the Questionate to Innovate framework that Haman has developed, companies are asked to create Question Banks and to think just as hard about the right questions to ask as how to answer them. " ...

ITIL Path to IT Service Management ...

ITIL offers a standard vocabulary for IT services and provides a guideline for key IT processes. Johanna Ambrosio explores the use of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) to accelerate the adoption of best practices for IT service management.

ITIL Path to IT Service Management: Via SearchCIO: ITIL, a data center's yellow brick road ...

... "It took about a year to learn the ITIL lingo, have individuals become certified in the process, choose a tool and then actually do it. The firm focused on processes it did not already have in place, Metcalf said, and change management was selected because the company wanted to replace old tools. " ...

More PMO Advice: Focus on Principles, Not Rules

Here's another good presentation (PDF format) on how to improve PMO success-- this one states the need for a "Next Generation PMO."

The presentation, from Projectize.com, talks about the need for PMOs to be less rigid; less focused on rules and internal processes; and instead focused on being agile, flexible and innovative in order to satisfy the business need.

Instead of rules, it suggests focusing on principles for success, providing people with a compass to steer them in the right direction, rather than a dense playbook to follow.

Good advice indeed.

http://www.pmiglc.org/pd/docs/0411_din_mtg.pdf

PMO Dilemma: Two-Thirds of PMOs Fail! Here's Why

Although this article is from several years ago, recent studies show that the figures haven't changed. The sad fact is that two-thirds of IT PMOs fail.

And the key reason, according to this article, is that most of them start out as a controlling/tracking organization and not a services/support organization. I've seen this happen quite a few times myself. It's like the Chinese finger-trap, the harder you pull, the tighter the trap gets. Better to start lightly by gaining credibility and showing value. And for a PMO, that needs to begin with offering assistance to the needy.

Typically, that is done by offering processes, tools, and services---not all at once---but little by little, to the rest of the IT organization. If a PMO starts out assuming it can be the hero, taking on all projects, whipping project managers into submission, and policing work in the organization, it's fighting an uphill battle for acceptance. Better to start by providing services and removing barriers (instead of creating them), and then evolve to becoming a project management center of excellence.

For more on this, read on...

ITworld.com - Opinion: There's a reason IT PMOs fail

Also, here's a white paper from Premis Consulting that provides even more evidence and comes to the same conclusions. It offers 2 key bits of advice:

An effective PMO should work for the project teams first and management second if they want to achieve any real results.

Effective PMOs provide the project team with the right tools and practices to hit the ground running, making a difference right away.

IT Governance: COSO Cobit Integration with ESAS ...

IT governance needs to manage the risks associated with SOX compliance. Doug Henschen explores the ESAS methodology employed by Chevron information technology organization to manage its complexity and risks. ...

IT Governance: COSO Cobit Integration with ESAS: Via Intelligent Enterprise: Chevron IT Risk Initiative Spurs Corporate Compliance

... "ESAS is compatible with some of the open frameworks now emerging for IT governance. For example, Chevron is an ITIL shop, and Brabeion says it's incorporating the COSO and CobiT frameworks into ESAS ... " ...

Project Management Leadership Quality: Trust ...

The project management leadership soft-skill, "creating trust", is thoughtfully explored through this reference. ...

Project Management Leadership Quality: Trust: Via TechRepublic Blog: Trust: One of the primary keys to project management

... "This trust also allows the PM greater flexibility in her project management because the client trusts that the PM is working in their best interest. " ...

Additional resources on creating an environment of trust ...

Creating a Climate for Trust: "Creating a climate for trust is the foundation for effectiveness in any organization. When trust is weak, the organization is ready to self-destruct. "

Creating and Maintaining an Ethical Corporate Climate: "Leadership from the top is the single most important factor in creating and maintaining an ethical climate in any business."

Building Teamwork and the Importance of Trust in a Business Environment: "Even with the appropriate individuals on a team, a team that does not build a trusting relationship is not an effective team. Research shows that trust is the basis for creating a healthy work environment. "

Lessons from Hackers for Project Manager's

The New Hacker's Dictionary defines management as follows: "Corporate power elites distinguished primarily by their distance from actual productive work and their chronic failure to manage (see also suit)."


Hackers, on the other hand, exhibit five distinct attitudes:

1. The world is full of fascinating problems waiting to be solved.
2. Nobody should ever have to solve a problem twice.
3. Boredom and drudgery are evil.
4. Freedom is good.
5. Attitude is no substitute for competence.

These five attitudes provide excellent guidance for project managers, and indeed for all managers. But how does one apply them in the real world?

Read this article to find out!

People-Focused Project Management; Parkinson's Law Repackaged

Maybe you've heard of Parkinson's Law; "Work expands to fill the time alotted." In other words, if you give someone 10 days to complete a task, they'll take the full 10 days, either by adding unnecessary features during the leftover time, or by waiting until the last minute to complete the work (also called "Student Syndrome").

Well, the same thing applies to the roles we brand people with. We can repackage Parkinson's Law as; "Performance Expands to Fill the Role Alotted." If we give people stretch goals, and brand them with a role or image that is slightly ahead of where they are, they'll stretch to live up to that role. Unfortunately, the reverse is also true.

If we pidgeonhole someone into the role they've always filled (or worse, a less important role), they'll usually limit their performance accordingly.

It's important for morale, employee retention, and the good of the project, to give people goals that will stretch them a little. But this doesn't mean to throw them at the wolves and see if they emerge with their limbs intact. It mean we need to offer the guidance, coaching, and tools for them to be successful.

I've seen too many organizations focus on tools and processes, and only give lip service to their people. They either brand people with an image based on some preconceived idea of their ability, or they give people stretch goals without any guidance or coaching whatsoever. I'd be hard pressed to say which is worse, but neither are good.

Let's remember that it's people that can make or break an organization, even with the best tools and processes. Let's give them the attention and support they deserve.

Earned Value Breakthrough; Operational Effort vs. LOE Effort - Project Frontier Weighs In

There's been much discussion recently about the fact that LOE (Level of Effort) tasks can cloud Earned Value figures and should therefore be treated separately. Garry Booker at Project Frontier proposes replacing LOE work with a new category called Operational Effort.

This also allows an organization to use Earned Value at an organizational level to achieve "management by projects," a model that aligns closely with what Tom Peters has suggested in recent books.

Explore the interactive tutorial below from Project Frontier, which clearly describes the issues and terminology involved.

Operational Effort

Construction Project Management: LEED Green Building Certification ...

Johnson Controls introduces software-enabled process for simplifying sustainable green building construction. The software supports the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. ...

Construction Project Management: LEED Green Building Certification: Via Johnson Controls: Johnson Controls Launches Leedspeed Software to Expedite Environmental Green Building Certification ...

... "Leedspeed is divided into two sections: Assessment/ROI Planner and Project Management/Certification. In the Assessment/ROI Planner Section, the Leedspeed software automatically scores a project against the most current LEED-NC (new construction) or LEED-EB (existing building) standards. It then ranks potential LEED credits so building owners can determine the best green features to help them maintain budgets and gain environmental and social returns. ... In the Project Management/Certification Section, Leedspeed provides comprehensive project development and management functions by organizing tasks and responsibilities to properly manage workflow, maintains electronic work schedules for subcontractors, and archives building data. Finally, Leedspeed acts as an electronic repository of all the documentation needed to submit a LEED certification application using the required USGBC letter templates that can be loaded onto the tool. " ...

Leedspeed is powered by Enverity, industry leaders of Web-enabled software applications that corporations and municipalities use to improve their environmental compliance management. Enverity is managed by a former chief technology officer and co-founder of MarketXT, an online securities exchange, and a former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and World Bank environmental compliance expert.

Project Manager Event: Executive Look at Project Management ...

Project Manager Event: Executive Look at Project Management: Via Huntsville Times: Networking opportunities ...

... "Tuesday: The Project Management Institute will hold its monthly luncheon meeting at the University of Alabama in Huntsville Bevill Conference Center (550 Sparkman Drive N.W.) from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The speaker will be Dr. Richard W. Amos, deputy to the Commanding General, U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command; his topic will be An Executive Look at Project Management. Cost is $20. " ...

Government Projects: Higher Spending and Delays ...

Government project culture needs an infusion. ...

Government Projects: Higher Spending and Delays: Via Business Standard: Economy & Policy: Govt spends 42% more on project delays ...

... "Even in the information technology sector, only a third of all projects are completed on time and within budgets, and give the originally anticipated value, says Gregory Balestrero, global CEO of Project Management Institute (PMI). " ...

Earned Value Management: The Performance Baseline ...

NASA provides nice tutorial on the earned value program management technique, EVM. It emphasizes establishing the performance measurement baseline which becomes the reference to which progress is tracked. ...

Earned Value Management: The Performance Baseline: Via NASA: EVM Tutorial - EVM: Earned Value Management

... "Earned value provides an objective measurement of how much work has been accomplished on a project. Using the earned value process, the management team can readily compare how much work has actually been completed against the amount of work planned to be accomplished. All work is planned, budgeted, and scheduled in time-phased planned value increments constituting a Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB). " ...

Earned Value Management EVM Principles ...

The Earned Value Management methodology enables visibility into cost, schedule, and technical progress on projects to measure and manage performance. ...

Earned Value Management EVM Principles: Via DOE: EARNED VALUE MANAGEMENT APPLICATION GUIDE ...

... "Principles of Earned Value Management (EVM): All work is planned to completion; The work is broken down into finite product-oriented components that can be assigned to a responsible organization; The scope, schedule and cost objectives are integrated into a plan by which progress can be measured; Actual costs are recorded; Performance is objectively measured; Variances and deviations are analyzed, impacts are forecasted and estimates at completion are based on the actual performance to date; Changes to the performance measurement baseline are controlled; " ...

Theory of project management

There's a lot of meat in this paper that Peter Morris delivered as a lecture to the British Institute of Civil Engineers. The annual James Forrest Lecture presents contributions of science to civil engineering.
One of Morris' conclusions is there is, and cannot be, a single theory of project management - rather a collection of theories applying in different areas of project management. One reason for this is that managing a project demands such a wide range of capabilities and must address such broad issues that a single scientific theory can not be applicable. This reinforces the view of a project manager as an expert integrator and not an expert in all the detailed activities required for executing a project.
In discussing different definitions of 'what is a project', an interesting observation is that a project involves a life cycle. Relatively few definitions of a project include a specific reference to a 'cycle' although all methodologies refer heavily to a project life cycle.
This paper is well worth reading for thought provoking assertions and references. We shall be returning to it to pick out further discussion points.
Science, objective knowledge and the theory of project management