Jeff MartinSenior Consultant | Technology Management Practice | Local Government Group| BerryDunnSavannah, GA, United States
I work in an organization that has no formal project management methodologies. Typically, the projects that we work in are internal IT projects or a part of a larger construction project. What advice would you offer for starting project management practices in such an organization? Also, I would add that our projects are not development related but focus on IT infrastructure, Security, Business Process Improvement. Saving Changes...
Eric SimmsSenior Program ManagerBaltimore, Maryland, United States
The first thing I introduce into environments unfamiliar with project management is project schedules. People can quickly understand them, and schedules are great for helping people unfamiliar with project management methodologies to understand the project. I usually use MS Project’s Gantt chart, but I also use its network diagram feature when communicating about a project. Saving Changes...
Bruce Gay Principal Consultant| Astrevo LabsPittsburgh, Pa, United States
@Jeff - I agree with Eric. Start small, you don't need a 'big bang' approach. Eventually others working for the town will see the value. Another area to introduce PM methods is around meetings. Show how meetings can be more efficient with agendas distributed beforehand and summary notes after the meeting. Also introduce the concept of an action item tracker to be used to manage actions and issues as they arise. Saving Changes...
Deepesh RammoorthyICT Project Manager ( PMP®AgilePM®Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®))| Australian Red Cross Blood ServiceTarneit, Vic, Australia
I would produce a work breakdown structure using Visio or other visual tools . once the project team can clearly see a visual representation of the whole project scope , they can start appreciating the work that goes into a project and a need to schedule such work in. Saving Changes...
Jeff,
The first step of any good problem solving model is first defining the problem. The first thing I would do is take stock of where you are now, before deciding to change anything.
Although you might not have formal PM processes, it's likely that you at least have informal ones, best practices, and ways the bosses want things done. Although you don't do development, you probably have maintenance, upgrades, etc. and business processes themselves can be quite involved, so map out the major things you do and how you do them today.
Once you know where you are vs. where you want to be, you can start making selective improvements, whether that's increasing your knowledge in certain areas, adding more formal structure to your processes, or solving known problems that led you to believe you need a more PM focused approach. Saving Changes...
Gaurang ShahSenior Project Manager| Pinpoint HRMMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
Hi Jeff,
I am in a similar position to yours at the moment. All of our colleagues above have given you excellent ideas on how to bring in formal project management practices. In my opinion, the best place to start with is simple documentation of your processes. Keith's suggestions above are more or less along the same lines as what I am recommending. By doing this, you will easily be able to identify and document best practices and then adapt the other areas to follow more formal project management practices.
Start small, bring in one change at a time. Simply writing down a basic Project Charter and Project Plan could be the start you need. You don't need to do elaborate templates or formats, just a two page document should also do the work of getting you going.
Hi,
I use MSP to list of activities and prepare the schedule and time plan for resources. There are different options to show the highlight the project details. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
First of all, let me say that I am leading those type of initiatives from long time ago in my actual work place. Second, I fully agree with @Keith comments here. What you called "project mangement practices" are the PMBOK´s knowledge area in the macro and indeed you are covering them. But you did not have to cover them with practices/tools the PMBOK stated. You can cover them with PRINCE2 if it best fit for your current situation or with any other guide/method/process. Here is where the approach I took from years is aligened with last @Keith statement: know where the organization is to define where it needs to be and with basement on that to define the way to do that in terms of approach/process/practices/method/tools. Saving Changes...
First, start with your project. Try to design a structure for managing it. Then develop the different components of the project management system for your project. Using the lessons learned and your experience, redesign a newer system and propose to the organization. Saving Changes...
Dinah YoungProject Manager / Software Asset Manager| Prince William CountySpringfield, Va, United States
I agree. It should all start with a kind of self evaluation. How are you handling projects now, what are the pain points, what would you like to improve, what is working well. Then you can look at established practices, like PMI or Prince2, and discuss how these may support the organization. Focus on time and money saved. Saving Changes...
I would suggest starting with a governance structure, and then policy development. It doesn`t have to be complicated or grandiose, but without a proper PM framework, there is a great risk as to who will be held accountable and responsible. This also forces management to buy-in into the approach, which in turn should produce a PM champion for the organization. Without a true champion(s) from senior executives, it will likely just get lip service.
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1 reply by Søren Udby
Mar 27, 2019 7:23 AM
Søren Udby
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Completely agree about the buy-in from senior executives - absolutely vital for success.
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Wisdom is not truth,
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