Project Management War Stories

PM War Stories #30 – Employing Sound Project Management Techniques to Avoid Troubled Projects - Part 2

Download PMW_0030_Rescuing_Part2.mp3 (16.5 MB)

Most project managers would agree that the downward spiral of a project can be attributed to poor stakeholder management and communication strategies.  Moreover, the negative momentum troubled projects take on are often due to the inability to identify who are the influencers of the project and what are their level of involvement and expectations.  In many cases, project managers have the most difficulty communicating the right objectives to all the stakeholders involved.  This is especially true when managing external stakeholders (e.g. implementers) in which project managers in many cases have a minimal understanding of their dynamics, leading to the ultimate reality of a troubled project.  Consequently, when faced with a troubled project, highly-skilled project managers excel in quickly assessing the root of a project’s problems and leveraging the best people, processes, and tools to rehabilitate a project that his heading for failure.

For August, we examine the human element that impacts troubled projects and how to ensure stakeholder buy-in to rescue a sinking project. Today, we bring you part two of a two part series on rescuing troubled projects.

To do this we're sitting down again with industry insider, Mark Hall who is an executive with 20+ years experience applying Project Management Best Practices to business operations in the Aviation and Semiconductor industries. He is President and co-founder of William George Associates and a leading speaker on the application of Project Management tools and techniques. Additionally, he sits on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts High Tech Council. Today Mark shares his experiences in managing stakeholders to get troubled projects back on track.

Music Notes

1.    The opening of the episode – “Offroad”
2.    Interview with industry insiders – “Redondo Beach”
3.    The closing of the episode – “Greasy Wheels”

PM War Stories #29 – Employing Sound Project Management Techniques to Avoid Troubled Projects - Part 1

Download PMW_0029_Rescuing_Part1.mp3 (14.6 MB)

Project managers understand that the increasing level of complexity of the project environment, the more likey a project can become a troubled project.  For this very reason employing best practices in project management are critical in keeping all the checks and balances in place.  Expertise in implementing a solid governance framework guiding the processes and the roles each team member plays not only ensures a successful project delivery, but allows for a strategic project plan that can ultimately set an organization apart from its competitors.  When effectively employed, sound project management techniques improve collaboration among all stakeholders.  Experienced project managers are experts in leveraging their own communication talents with the appropriate tools in place to navigate and reduce the inevitable rise of some sort of trouble looming in most project settings.

For July and August, we examine why projects go off course and how to bring them back on track. Today, we bring you part one of a two part series on rescuing troubled projects.

To do this I’m sitting down with industry insider, Mark Hall who is an executive with 20+ years experience applying Project Management Best Practices to business operations in the Aviation and Semiconductor industries. He is President and co-founder of William George Associates  and a leading speaker on the application of Project Management tools and techniques. Additionally, he sits on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts High Tech Council. Today Mark will be sharing his experiences in rescuing troubled projects.

Music Notes

1.      The opening of the episode – “East Ender”
2.      Interview with industry insider – “Half Moon Bay”
3.      The closing of the episode – “Two Seater”

PM War Stories #9 - How having the right project sponsor can be the difference between success and failure in ERP projects

Download PMW_0009_Importance_of_Project_Sponsor.mp3(24.9MB)

In many organizations, more often than not, project sponsors play a critical role in either derailing or keeping a project on track .  Effectively understanding your sponsor’s objectives will increase a project’s positive outcome.  In contrast, heading into a project blind to a sponsor’s goals, or even worse, heading into a project with no sponsor, can kill the successful execution of a project plan.  Often organizations fail to realize that the projects sponsor and project manager play equal roles in a project’s outcome.  Consequently, even with the best project manager in place many projects are doomed to fail.

In this episode we will be examining how having the right project sponsor can be the difference between success and failure in ERP projects. Our show is divided into 2 segments.

In part 1, we will be talking to industry insider, Randy Banks, who is a Chartered Accountant and a Certified Project Management Professional  with over 20 years of business experience. Today Randy will be sharing his experiences in rescuing troubled projects.

In Part 2, the technology corner, I sit down with David Stover, the Chief Financial Officer of Asahi Kasei Spandex America Inc. - a subsidiary of Asahi Kasei Group of Japan - to discuss its switch from SAP to Netsuite for its enterprise resource planning system. This case study demonstrates how the right sponsor, here the CFO, successfully led his organization to choose and implement the right ERP solution.

Music Notes
1. The opening of the episode – “Salty” by Last Page
2. Interview with industry insider – “Troubles” by paul sevy blues band
3. Technology Corner – “spandex_reloaded” by Oberhofer
4. The closing of the episode – “Montreal bound” by harpman64

PM War Stories #7 - Project Portfolio Management: Finding the balance between finishing scheduled projects and pursuing new ideas

Download PMW_0007_PPM.mp3 (20.5MB)

Many organizations are faced with the reality of balancing their portfolio of projects.  Depending on the level of investment of time and money, both projects and their associated stakeholders are continuously competing for face time to meet their own agendas.  Interestingly enough, senior project managers have expressed concerns comparing the ROI calculation of new projects versus those later into their lifecycle.  In fact, new projects at the beginning of their cycle are calculated at the 75%+ ROI in contrast to the more mature projects estimated at a 10%-15% ROI.  It’s no wonder that project portfolio management as a discipline and the emergence of PMOs have gained momentum in recent years in project-centric organizations. 

For industries in which the development of new products is the life line of their organizations, PPM methodology has always been a critical component to their business.  This is especially true for organizations in Consumer Packaged Goods industry that may have dozens of products at one time at different stages in their development.  Every product is treated as a project, and with the complexity of each product the time and resources invested have challenged organizations in their ability to separate the good from the bad that lies within their portfolio of projects.

In this episode, we look at new product development in the CPG industry and we will feature a new segment entitled “Technology Corner.”  Based on emails from listeners Technology Corner will feature IT project case studies and provide insights to their successful delivery. Initially the Technology Corner will make periodic appearances in our monthly shows. If it is well received, we will add it as a regular installment.
                           

Our show is divided into 3 segments:

In part 1, we will go Roaming with the Salty Dogg and explore whether new really is better by exploring a case study in new product development.

In part 2, we will be talking to industry insider, Hugh Woodward, who has over 35 years of project management experience in manufacturing, construction and IT.  Hugh will be sharing with us his war stories and insights of project portfolio management in the consumer packaged goods industry and the challenges of choosing between investments in scheduled or existing projects and new ideas.

In part 3, we will talk with Randy Banks in our first installment of the Technology Corner. Randy is a Chartered Accountant and a Certified Project Management Professional with over 20 years of business experience. Today Randy will be sharing his experiences in rescuing an Enterprise Resource Planning systems or ERP project.

We hope you enjoy the show and encourage you to send your questions, issues, and war stories.

Music Notes

1. The opening of the episode – "montreal stand up" by Lil JJ
2. Interview with industry insider – "Soda Pop Bop" by ItchieCat
3. Technology Corner – "CORNER" by Alex Cebe
4. The outro and closing of the episode – "Troubled" by Mark Haney and The Buzzards