Hello everyone, I am happy to be part of this community. I am challenged by implementing project management at the company, We have around 20 employees in the office, rather small. What would be your approach? What would you say are the minimum requirements for project management everyone SHOULD do? Thanks for your help Saving Changes...
Adela TataruSenior Project Manager| Self EmployedVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Hello Christine,
I would start by imagining the expected final result (it may or may not be the real result in the end).
Depending on your organisation needs: are we talking about internal organisation projects to enahance business, employee performance etc? or external projects where you deliver a product/service etc to your clients? this might be slightly different.
Once you start having an idea of what is the end objective, you can start drafting a list of general deliverables and then you will define the steps to reaching those deliverables... you have to project manage the implementation of project management in your company :)
On the fly I would make sure to define:
- The project methodology
- The tools to support the teams (templates, systems, etc)
- Any specific workflows
- Change management plan (how you will embark your colleagues into doing project management, what is he training strategy etc)
Try to exchange maybe with similar companies that went through the same process and try to see what can apply to your organisation.
Start by defining the goals for introducing some formality to how projects are managed, and get some basic definitions agreed to (e.g. What is a project?).
Prioritize your backlog of changes and introduce them incrementally.
I'm a big advocate of taking the perspective of "what is the minimum we NEED to run projects most effectively?". In the past I've seen some PM's set up forms and reporting structures and templates and all kinds of things which might work well (or be necessary) in a 100k+ person company but are ridiculous for a smaller company which only needs to implement certain aspects of PM to run well. This will take some detective work though - find out what problems / roadblocks / obstacles exist within the company's current and past projects, then draw from your wide PM knowledge and choose which things to implement based on what is needed to make the projects thrive in your particular company. And figure out how to implement them in the most efficient manner.
In some companies, it's all about schedule. In others it's all about cost. In others it's all about scope. In most, it's some combination of those - figuring out what matters (and the obstacles) will give you the best answer to know what is required in your case. Saving Changes...
Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
The first question is WHY. Why does the company want to implement project management? What is the problem you are looking for a solution to? Once you know the why it becomes easier to lay out a path the get there. This becomes your first project. Saving Changes...
- Problem is clearly stated
- Solution is clearly defined (what work is needed)
- Risks are identified
- Work is assigned to performing groups/people
- Tasks are planned so that the time and costs are estimated ($ or hrs as a proxy)
- Tasks are sequenced so the project duration and cost is estimated
- Work is tracked to the plan (time and cost)
- Departures from the plan are addressed
- Individual deliverables are accepted
- Completion is declared releasing team
It might sound like a lot, but much of that is Who, What, When, Where, Why, How, and are we meeting the expectations. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
I fully support @Peter Rapin comment above. In fact, it is the same I should answered just in case I did not read all the comments. With that in place remember a critical thing: the reason to have project is for creating a defining solution for a business problem because they are a component of the solution (solution is equal to "the thing" to be created plus "the way" to create it), So, the focus is not "the thing". This belongs to business analsysis field. From "the thing" all related to project is defined. My recomendation is taking a look to PM2 (European Commision free method) Saving Changes...
Thank you everyone. I really appreciate your fast contribution and advice. It helped me a lot. Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Christine
I support Peter's post, you must be clear why you are trying to do this, from the view of the CEO in your case.
I could think that the CEO may not longer have an easy overview on all projects, that the CEO is involved in problem shooting and customer complaints, that some of the project managers have no or differing views on their role and how to run projects.
These are 3 popular why's in small companies. Each of them requires different solutions, for example
- provide a project portfolio dashboard
- identify typical project problems, their root causes and eliminate them (Pareto-wise)
- establish a PM standard, templates and basic training
Good luck from Hackenheim to Berlin
Thomas Saving Changes...
Mary RedmondConsultant| NoneBaltimore, Md, United States
As the cliche goes, "a small potato is hard to peel" can be similar to how smaller businesses operate: it can be challenging but some are intergrative and are able to roll over faster than a bigger business. Generally, in a small company, when the level of knowledge or training to structured processes is limited or doesn't exist to project management processes, resistance to change is very high and quite daunting, and although, all the previously stated comments are great to begin and end a project(s), I also think that for a PM to minimize any risk in attempting to create a new way for a staff or team to function, it is critical to bolster their "soft skills" about how to engage with everyone at every level of the business and be sanctioned to gain buy in from the top to the bottom, especially in a small company to whom this may seem "too difficult and time consuming". Leaders need to see the value that can be achieved, and understand that it does takes time to implement change for the better, and reduce the fear of change so the different work strategy will result in successful outcomes for those who carry out the work and feel encouraged that they can accomplish it under the PM coaching and direction. Find a way, then begin to consider some of the valuable suggestions made above. Good luck. Saving Changes...
Angela LedgerwoodSenior Project Manager| Animas Environmental Services LLCRidgway, Co, United States
Are there any articles or webinars currently available that are geared to implementing PMI's structure at a very small business? Saving Changes...
