Defining Project and Program Complexity to assign Project/Program Managers

The DA resources are excellent, although I got a 404 error on the link Kiron posted. I completely agree with Rami that you must assess each project in context and that terms like large and small are highly dependent on the business. I haven't created a formula, but will share my mental model for breaking down the context.

I consider where I think the project will be most difficult in 4 main categories:
a) Technical constraints
b) Economic constraints
c) Time constraints
d) Personality fit

Some senior PMs can take on anything. Some projects benefit from the right tech background, others from working through a lot of budget compromises or time crunches. Some people can work with different stakeholders better than others, and the stakeholders vary at different cost levels.

An important constraint to consider for the person assigning projects is that you often have limited choice on who is available at the right time. As my teammates or I start realizing that we are winding one project down, we start looking for the next so that we can get one we want. The ideal PM is already committed. The next best choice is who you can help coach in the areas where they are not the best fit and bring them up a level.

Francisco -

I'd suggest looking at the Disciplined Agile scaling factors map (https://www.pmi.org/disciplined-agile/agil...caling-factors) as that provides some dimensions to consider.

Kiron

Francisco, I do recommend taking a look at the DA resources recommended by Kiron. That said, for each project and program, there are unique main factors to take into consideration when assessing complexity. For some, it could be Risk Level, for others it could be the Client itself (Big Client, New Client, Difficult Client) or it could be a mix of many factors. Regarding the size, each company defines size based on their own parameters, for example, for us any projects that extends beyond 2 years and has a budget of over $50 Mil is considered Medium size project, anything less, is small, anything more than $100 Mil is large so size is assessed based on time and budget.

The DA resources are excellent, although I got a 404 error on the link Kiron posted. I completely agree with Rami that you must assess each project in context and that terms like large and small are highly dependent on the business. I haven't created a formula, but will share my mental model for breaking down the context.

I consider where I think the project will be most difficult in 4 main categories:
a) Technical constraints
b) Economic constraints
c) Time constraints
d) Personality fit

Some senior PMs can take on anything. Some projects benefit from the right tech background, others from working through a lot of budget compromises or time crunches. Some people can work with different stakeholders better than others, and the stakeholders vary at different cost levels.

An important constraint to consider for the person assigning projects is that you often have limited choice on who is available at the right time. As my teammates or I start realizing that we are winding one project down, we start looking for the next so that we can get one we want. The ideal PM is already committed. The next best choice is who you can help coach in the areas where they are not the best fit and bring them up a level.

Francisco -

I'd suggest looking at the Disciplined Agile scaling factors map (https://www.pmi.org/disciplined-agile/agil...caling-factors) as that provides some dimensions to consider.

Kiron

Keith, try this https://www.pmi.org/disciplined-agile/agil...scaling-factors