In the first installment of this thread, I laid a foundation for a continuing discussion about the value of formal project management practices for technology related projects. As a matter of fact, I stated that it’s not possible to deliver technology projects on time and on budget without using a project management methodology such as the Project Management Institute’s 42 processes and nine knowledge areas. In this installment I want to recognize a couple of reader’s comments and also share some thoughts about appropriate project management tools and processes. It’s a long post but if you can hang with me we may generate some interesting discussion together.

One reader commented that project management for technology projects is actually a myth. The reader’s perspective was that project management is actually a business management tool and not a tool for technology or information systems. I appreciate this reader’s perspective and agree that a project manager working in technology should be a good business manager first and a technologist second. In my opinion, it is a rare person who is a great programmer, application developer or hardware design engineer that also makes a great project manager.

The reason for this is the skills needed to be a good technologist versus a good project manager are very different. Also, a good project manager understands that they are managing a segment of the company’s business; they have to be concerned with a project’s profit objectives and the overall impact the project has on the company. What do you think about this? Does a good project manager working in technology need to first be a good business manager or can a good technologist also be a good project manager without business management experience?

Another reader commented that they wanted to be sure that I wasn’t confused about what a work breakdown structure (WBS) is. The comment was triggered by my sentence, “A task list, activity list or work breakdown structure (WBS) is an important tool of project managers, but this tool doesn’t scratch the surface of what formal project management entails.” After rereading what I blogged I understand why they made the comment and feel the comment was warranted. Many people confuse an activity list with a WBS, but a WBS is nothing like an activity list.

A WBS often looks like an organizational chart; however it isn’t an org chart. It shows a complete hierarchy of a project and allows the project manager and their team to breakdown the work into manageable bites called work packages. It also shows the interdependencies of work packages and details the deliverables of the project. Worked on as a team effort, the WBS allows the team to mentally walk through a project making it seem more achievable and enabling the team to identify ill defined requirements that need clarification. Here is an example WBS that details the work of a project to hire a new employee.

Borrowed from http://www.spottydog.u-net.com/images/wbs.jpg

Most often the description of a work package in a WBS is only a few words like, “Job Spec.” A brief work package description allows the project team to convey the fitness of the work package in the overall WBS, but it doesn’t define the work in enough detail to explain what’s actually needed. The WBS has a companion document called the WBS Dictionary, which is a listing of all the work packages for a project explained in greater detail. Information included in the WBS Dictionary can include when the work is scheduled to begin, identified resources, milestones and other information. Don’t let the word dictionary throw you, you won’t find any word definitions, roots or entomology listed in a WBS Dictionary. Instead you will find detail explanations of work packages listed within a WBS. Tell us about how you create a WBS and WBS Dictionary and how helpful you find the process of creating them.

Lastly, an important principal of any formal project management process is iteration. What does that mean? It means not many project managers and project management teams are able to create all the plans, schedules, registers and other documents that go into a complete project plan fully baked the first time they sit down to work on them. OK, let’s modify that last statement a bit; no project managers or project teams are able to create a fully baked project plan during their first pass.

Actually, as you collaborate on project documents like the WBS and WBS Dictionary, you define work packages with the best information that you have available at that time. All project documents go through multiple iterations and during each pass you incorporate the latest information into them. What does the mean? It means don’t put yourself under the pressure of thinking you need to know every detail of a project to create a good project plan, WBS, WBS Dictionary or any other document related to a project. Revisions to the project plan are a natural part of managing any project.

Ok, I just introduced something new into our discussion; the term “project plan.” Tell us what a project plan looks like in your world and maybe that will provide kindling for the next installment of this thread. By the way, if you want more detail and even a bit of history about the Work Breakdown structure visit www.hyperthot.com/pm_wbs.htm. On this same website you’ll find a nine minute free video by Jim Chapman called 5 Steps to Successful Project Management. Jim succinctly makes excellent points about successfully managing projects. Also, if you want real help learning to create good work breakdown structures, investigate a program called the WBS Coach, http://wbscoach.com/. Developed by Josh Nankivel, WBS Coach is a training course that provides video tutorials and lessons on seven tools for creating great WBS and WBS dictionaries. The WBS Coach isn’t free, but it is reasonable.

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I’ve worked on many technology and telecom projects over the course of my tenure in the technology marketplace. Some of these projects were short term and included a handful of contributors. Some of the projects involved dozens of participants and millions of dollars. Shamefully, most of these projects weren’t managed using a formal project management methodology, but relied mostly on the experience of the project participants and a few tools for its success.

Project management has been practiced by people since ancient times. All major human endeavors that required the coordination of resources, materials and finances involved some level of project management even if it wasn’t recognized as such. For an excellent overview of the history of project management visit Wikipedia.

Everyone does project management; there is any number of home, personal, work tasks or events that we naturally organize into a project. Recently, I had an instructor who mentioned that in their home they have a defined project plan for Thanksgiving dinner; the plan documents who prepares what food and in what order, who sets the table and at what time, who carves the turkey, etc.

Formal project management is more than most people think. If you believe that project management just involves writing a project charter, or a task list, then you don’t you understand the depth and value of project management. A project charter is an important document, but should only summarize a project’s business goals and objectives, define the business case for the project and detail the authority given to the Project Manager to complete the project. A task list, activity list or work breakdown structure (WBS) is an important tool of project managers, but this tool doesn’t scratch the surface of what formal project management entails. Likewise, a Gantt chart is a tool used to display the status of project phases or activities, but project management done right is a lot more than a diagram.

What is project management? According to the Project Management Institute (www.pmi.org),

“Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements. Project management is accomplished through the appropriate application and integration of the 42 logically grouped project management processes comprising the 5 process groups. These groups are: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing, and are illustrated in the diagram below. Managing a project usually includes: Identifying requirements, addressing the needs, concerns, and expectations of the stakeholders as the project is planned and carried out, balancing competing project constraints including, but not limited to: scope, quality, schedule, budget, resources, and risk.” Project Management Book of Knowledge, 4^th Edition.

 

Technology or telecom projects cannot be done right without the application of formal project management methodologies. Too many projects end up needing more time and or capital to complete than was expected because the project was poorly planned. Therefore, a formal project management method is required to conserve all resources associated with any specific project.

Project management software is available for different scales of projects. Using the correct PM software for the right project is analogous to using the right tool for the job at hand. For technology projects that are frequently executed and everyone knows their role, such as implementing a server farm, a simple Excel spreadsheet would suffice. However, for large, multi-year software implementations and/or transitions such as moving to a cloud-based environment, a more formal project management application would be needed.

Personally, after completing a 17-week certification course in project management at Colorado State University, I’m now studying to take PMI’s Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam. While completing the course and working on the PMP exam preparation, I’ve been looking at how to best apply what I’ve learned to my job and the telecom projects I manage.

Look for part II of this post in which I detail some of my lessons learned and recommend a few tools and techniques that I find helpful to appropriately implement a formal project management methodology.

What have been your experiences with project management tools for IT? Share your positive and negative experiences so we can all learn together.