Project Management in Real Life

The Disaster 

A server containing multiple disks managed by a vendor for the State of Hawaii’s driver's licensing programs had multiple hard disks crash. The storage media is encrypted and secured with some data not readable. There was no security or data breach. It will take a couple of months to determine if the data can be recovered.

The Vendor

The spokesperson gives a briefing at a press conference similar to "the dog ate my homework".

1) There was a backup system in place that's supposed to protect the data when the hard drives crash, it was not properly configured.

2) They were not aware that certain documents or images were not getting backed up properly.

3) The backups are checked to make sure everything is working properly. Don't  know what the details are and what the plan was on checking the data.

Summary

When implementing a new system, I have few suggestions on how to make your system bulletproof. I used to be a Systems Administrator and I never lost any data on my watch.

1) The Project Manager in charge needs to have good Subject Matter Experts to recommend the technology, security, and procedures to be in place to ensure the system has the redundancy to withstand a disaster and prevent a security breach.

2) The Statement of Work needs to always include clear expectations.

3) Service Level Agreements need to be in place for the system.

4) Disaster Avoidance plan and Recovery Strategies to meet Service Level Agreements.

5) Test your systems periodically to ensure that the data is being replicated or backed up properly to a media that will go offsite.

6) Make sure you have a good hardware / software support contract in place.

7) Never ever trust the vendor. Make a checklist of your key deliverables to be reviewed and demonstrated when you begin the sign-off stage in the project. Any missing checks will result in a big missing check for that vendor to cash.

The Point Person

A Project Manager is your architect to formulate and execute a plan to deliver a project on-time within the approved budget. Project Managers are involved from the inception of a project or they need to jump in on a project in progress and take it over. 

The Buck Stops Here

Project Managers should assume full responsibility of the project they are entrusted with. Any risks or concerns need to be flushed out. A good Project Manager is transparent. 

Interpersonal Skills

Project Managers need to be approachable. It's a balancing act of authority and treating people with respect. Don't create an atmosphere of fear. Let your team know that you are there for them anytime. You want a team to be open by reporting issues immediately rather than finding out latter when they can no longer cover it up. 

The Project Milestone

Reaching a milestone in a project is an accomplishment. Placing KPI's (Key Performance Indicators) in your Gantt chart after major tasks are completed is your insurance to reach that milestone everyone is working hard to get too. Defining KPI's will provide the needed validation that you are achieving the project goals as you complete critical tasks. Find out early that you are really on track to hit your milestone.

Controlling Scope Creep 

The scope definition of the project should be crystal clear to avoid additional requirements later in the project. Introducing changes and addtional requirements in a project in progress will happen. You need to readjust your Gantt chart to accommodate the new tasks. Be sure to document the justiication for the changes that were inserted in the project. When you start to get many requests for changes that are out of scope that is a red flag. You need to suspend the project and meet with your stakeholders and go over the project requirements again to uncover any additional requirements that might have been missed. New requirements will affect your delivery date and budget. If you just allow changes to keep going through you will miss your delivery date and be over budget with a different deliverable. 

Managing the Vendor 

When you work with vendors they give you a SOW (Statement of Work). You need to build your Gannt chart from the SOW to validate the timeline and the deliverable promised. Some vendors assign their own Project Manager to ensure an implementation is on track. Request a copy of their project plan so you can monitor their progress. You will have your own project plan with high level tasks of the vendors project plan. Reconciling the two project plans will ensure that everyone is on the same page to deliver an on-time project.

The Project is Done

Go over lessons learned to note adjustments for any future projects. Have a celebration to reflect on all the hard work that made the project a success. 

(Note - this article was originally written by Drake Settsu and published on DrakeSettsu.BlogSpot.com in March 2016)

Project Management Attitude 

Project Managers are a special breed of professionals. It's a calling to lead people on the right path to achieve results. Having the right attitude in Project Management is so important. Relying on education and certifications alone is not going to make you a good Project Manager. It's all about heart and soul for the role.

A person can know the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) inside out. Will that guarantee that you are a competent Project Manager. If you know how to recite the alphabets and have a good vocabulary does that make you a writer of novels. The point I'm making is just because you have an aptitude in a profession does not mean you belong in that profession. Project Management is special and not everyone should be in that role. I don't care how many certifications you have.

The Project Manager that knows how to read people to bring out their best and guide them to success is what Project Management is all about. Your role as a Project Manager means that you are the focus of attention. Your attitude will play an important part in your role to be a good leader that is followed and respected.

(Note - this article was originally written by Drake Settsu and published on DrakeSettsu.BlogSpot.com in February 2017)

Project Management should be transparent for Stakeholders to have a good insight on the progress. That will put some pressure on the Project Manager. Project Managers do provide periodic reporting, but is that enough? Go a step further and provide Stakeholders with the ability to have access to real time status that they can get on their smartphones or laptops. Select a Project Management Software that will provide mobile access. 

A Project Manager should welcome transparency. Transparency will demonstrate a confident Project Manager that is leading a team that will deliver results to their Stakeholders.

Transparency will get your Stakeholders engaged in the project by having real time updates on the progress. Good and bad news will be known now and not on a periodic status report.

(Note - this article was originally written by Drake Settsu and published on DrakeSettsu.BlogSpot.com in October 2016)

Going over budget within the scope of a project can happen. You think you covered all the possibilities that could occur in the project. You submitted a budget with padding so you can avoid a budget overrun. You are now at the one third milestone in the project and your funds are being depleted faster than anticipated. How did I not see this happening?

Reporting any budget variances on a monthly Project Stop Light Report will expose your budget creep. You will see how your monthly expenditures keep going up for the project. That is your cue to stop the project and revisit the budget. Are the projected estimates accurate or grossly underestimated? The faith of the project is in jeopardy now. Will the project be shutdown or will additional funds be allocated for it? A big decision needs to be made based on an accurate big picture on what the new realistic funding will be to keep the project moving.  

Project Managers need to always keep an eye on the budget and raise the red flag when the project funds are depleting ahead of time. Avoid what I call Budget Creep.

(Note - this article was originally written by Drake Settsu and published on DrakeSettsu.BlogSpot.com in September 2016)