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Mahmoud - of course
Raymond - I never padded - in consulting, we would use the standard 10% contingency reserve but since low price often is the deciding factor at the end, we tried to offer the lowest price possible in which we could still make money and deliver a quality product or service on time, We had an excellent win rate.
Abhijit - It was important in the past as it is today; it was expressed differently but related to the organization's objectives.
Azucena - I am unsure - but go to the PMI web site and download the 2015 Pulse of the Profession Report!
Meena - I do not think you can blame any one person - it could be that the project never should have been done and it lacked a defined business case, it could be a change in the organization's objectives or those of the customer made the need for the project obsolete; it could be the team did not want to finish the project, as in one of the research studies - it cannot be a single individual's fault.
Alexander - we know from research that project manages spend 90% of their time communicating - but one cannot spend time with all of the stakeholders but need to spend time with those who are critical to success - I would try to limit it to 10 - realizing also that some stakeholders will have interest in the project or program at different times. Of course you need to engage with the customer, key managers who are influential in your organization, such as the CFO or CIO, your team, and any other external or internal people as each program and project is unique. Make sure as well that you engage those stakeholders who are positive so they remain positive and use them to help you convince others who may be negative to at least be neutral and hopefully positive - and provide consistent, transparent information to everyone.
Nitin - I am not an expert on Lean but what I do know about it, I like.
Ravi - It is nice to have knowledge of the technical area - why - you then can show you can speak the same language. it is not necessity though as you are the program or project manager. When I was in a position at the FAA and was in its first agency-wide PMO, I lacked any knowledge about aviation. Instead, I tried to contribute to the group by learning as much as I could about project management to compensate for my lack of knowledge of aviation. Also later in consulting, I did a lot of work in the food industry - I was not a food scientist so I contributed by bringing an outside perspective to the various projects I had in a transformation program.
Ignacio - your question is one we need to solve - the business development people need to bring in program and project managers when they are writing proposals and before they are making sales presentations - this means they need some knowledge of PM; in the same way, the PM people need some knowledge of the BD arena - as a member of APMP (Association of Proposal Managers), its Business Development Institute has a Capability Maturity Model. Go to www.bd-institute.org and you should be able to download a copy - it addresses this issue in its Level 3 of he model. Another great reference is recent doctoral student who did his thesis on this area - connect with Dr. Saadi Adra! And recognize on some of these large pursuits, they are actually projects and need to be managed as a project - meaning BD needs to understand PM and involve program or project managers who will do the work once they get the program or project.
Balaji - goals are continually changing with mergers, acquisitions, leadership changes, etc, It is our role then to make sure our program or project is aligned with the goals when they do so - you may, as a program manager, need to adda nother project or as a project manager make some changes to your deliverables. And if you find your program or project is no longer aligned with the goals, it is time to speak up so there are no further sunk cots and resources then can be reallocated to other initiatives.
Chandrasekhar - I would emphasize critical thinking as a required competency as well as communications, which also involves listening as key. And, I would want to deliver value while still being on time, within budget and have a quality product or service - all are required for success,
Raymond - green still is reported as green - the idea is not to be afraid to report as red or yellow - you need to do so to discuss and focus on alternatives so the project is not in a red status and truly is in green.
Balaji - we want consensus - it is the second best way to resolve conflicts, but it should not be forced. If so, we get into an Abilene Paradox situation, as Dr. Jerry Harvey explains, and we then have to focus on managing agreement - if you have consensus make sure everyone agrees - if you are not sure ask each person involved, and if you sense some doubts try to find out why.
Ravi - it is not in the PMBOK but is in leading books on metrics.
Raymond - typically a portfolio will have a few high risk, breakthrough projects - it is a great way for the organization to grow. But since they are high risk, they can fail unless they are effectively managed. Then they deliver tremendous value to the organization.
Sneha - Marjorie Anderson at PMI put together this eBook - it is on the PMI web site or on projectmanagement.com
Jamie - my preference is the internal project manager as he or she then has access to budget data and any other sensitive information. If an external project manager is used, an internal person should take an active role in contract administration.
Jesus - you could use it as a way to gain support for a PMO or you could volunteer to do it especially if there are not many people knowledgeable about project management - you could point out its purpose and why it is needed.
Lori - yes, scope creep could occur if the project's scope changes but it also could result in a way to reduce some other requirements for the project that now may not be needed.
Thanks to all!
