Project Management for Executives: And Those Who Want to Influence Executives

Copyright © 2011 by Steve Houseworth, PhD, PMP

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ISBN: 978-1-4620-6158-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-6156-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011918829

Printed in the United States of America

iUniverse rev. date: 11/3/2011

Contents

SECTION I: PERSPECTIVES

Chapter 1: Basic Principles

Chapter 2: Contrasting Perspectives.

Chapter 3: Projects as an entity

Chapter 4: Characteristics of Successful Projects

SECTION 2: THE LOOK OF SUCCESS

Chapter 5: What a Successful Project Looks Like

Chapter 6: Key Success Factors

Chapter 7: Create Your Success Framework

Chapter 8: Slogans and Handles

SECTION 3: FACILITATING SUCCESS

Chapter 9: Soft Skills Rule

Chapter 10: Knowledge Area Topics

Chapter 11: Managing by Metrics

Chapter 12: Methodologies

HELPFUL TOOLS

INTRODUCTION: READ ME FIRST:

This book is intended for two audiences:

First: Executives who want projects in their organization to succeed.

Second: People who want to influence executives to improve project success.

This book is the result of frustration. Not necessarily frustration with executives, rather frustration at experts who complained about executives. During my early project management years I heard a lot of experts and consultants complain and regale situations where executives unwittingly or knowingly hurt projects. But I heard no solutions. So I finally asked some consultants, how they influence executives to help rather than hurt. Nothing was the answer. Having a background in education, group processes and psychology I knew an opportunity existed to educate executives about how they – Okay you, could help projects succeed rather than impede success.

Some books seem to present project management as a panacea. I don’t. It is a set of practices that only work as well as people apply them and structure work environments so the practices can work.

If all projects in your organization flow flawlessly, without challenges and complete within time and budget, and produce quality deliverables, then this book may be confirmation that your organization has great practices. However, if project execution in your organization has room for improvement, this book will help you understand both how projects work and how executives can support project success.

Towards this goal of helping projects succeed, this book contains ample content, exercises to apply, ideas for process improvement and maturing both the work environment and staff. Two quick examples:

• Understanding the perspectives of executives versus project teams

• The concept of a time exchange to encourage more planning and fewer problem fixes.

The book is written to be relatively short and concise. It is not written to be an exhaustive analysis or compilation of reference sources. Rather, I wanted this book to be:

• An easy but meaningful read

• A ready reference for practical application

• An idea generator.

I think you’ll get value from picking it up often and rereading sections, exploring references and using the suggested active exercises to reinforce principles in your organization.

One last book note: Because the focus of this book is project management for executives, some work environment suggestions are included, but this really is a different topic that is addressed in my companion book A Fresh Look at Improving Your Work Environment Using Project Management Principles.

SECTION I: PERSPECTIVES

Chapter 1: Basic Principles

These basic principles are sprinkled throughout the book, but I feel they are so important that I wanted to present them right up front. This also makes finding and reviewing them quite easy. So, here you are.

Adding value / Delivering value

Project management was not ordained by God or fashioned from the big bang via subatomic particles. Project management is a completely contrived human endeavor that is intended to add or deliver value. This deserves emphasis because I know that project management has in many industries been a key buzzword for the past couple of decades. Some implement project management rigidly as in This is THE only way to run projects. In other organizations project management has become ubiquitous; considered like part of the furniture. Oh, just pull that convenient risk assessment unit over here while we talk about work. No, no! Don’t grab that change management unit. It has squeaky springs, is uncomfortable and people get wrankled over the decisions it forces us to make.

Project management as a completely contrived human endeavor has evolved and is intended to add value by completing work. No one way exists to implement it. In fact, if you can deliver value without it – Great! If your organization has difficulty delivering value, or meeting timelines, or fixing a lot of defects after delivery, etc. then project management implemented well can help.

As an executive you are in an ideal position to actively contribute to adding and delivering value.

Providing what is needed to add value

I like to emphasize that the component parts of project management are included because they work! As a completely contrived human endeavor, change management is included because it works, even if people get wrankled over the decisions it forces us to make.

Adding value requires certain ingredients and processes. As an executive, you are either willing to provide what is needed to add value or not. You really can’t expect to add value through work that requires 5 FTE by providing only 1.5 FTE. I see companies and teams ensure adding value by emphasizing foundational processes like building agreement of the project scope, of defining work packages, of interactions and the need for detailed test plans or verification steps.

As an executive, you are in an ideal position to provide what is needed to add value.

Defining work

Defining work is a basic principle because this ensures everyone understands the work in the same way, i.e. the goals, objectives – everything about it. I present examples of agreement and of disconnects throughout the book because this is so important. I’ve seen the consequences of this in the form of success and conversely in the form of - as colleagues label it - swirl.

Don’t assume everyone understands things the same way, or even your way. Sometimes you may even need several weeks of a planned and coordinated campaign to explain what is intended,