Project Management War Stories

PM War Stories #33 - How PMOs can Provide the Necessary Visibility for Success in Consumer Goods Companies - Part 1

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Project Management Offices (PMOs) have been traditionally viewed as a horizontal discipline that can be applied to any project-centric organization.  Although the basic principles a PMO can deliver are universal, each and every PMO needs to look at the unique requirements and challenges of the vertical industry they are serving in order to fully deliver the value of its role to an organization.  In this episode we look at the unique character of the projects implemented by consumer goods companies and how the highly competitive nature of this industry views the role of a project management office. 

We are pleased to announce that this is the first podcast in a series on project management offices, sponsored by Oracle Primavera.  Today we are examining how project management offices provide the necessary visibility for success in consumer goods companies.  To do this I’m sitting down with my friend and colleague, Hugh Woodward, in a two part interview.

Hugh Woodward is an industry insider, who has over 35 years of project management experience in manufacturing, construction and IT.  He served two terms as Chair of the Project Management Institute and almost six years as a member of PMI's Board of Directors. Today Hugh will be sharing with us his insights and experiences of using project management offices in the consumer goods industry.

Additionally, I am pleased to announce that we are giving away a netbook to one lucky member of our community. To register for your chance, please go to our website, www.pmwarstories.com and click on the hyperlink for the Netbook Contest displayed in the sidebar. Members can only enter once per drawing and entries must be received by 11pm eastern standard time on Thursday, December 17, 2009.

If you would like to learn more about PMOs, project offices, Oracle Primavera, or managing projects in a manufacturing environment, then check out our monthly internet radio show available at www.pmwarstories.com or through apple itunes.

Music Notes
1. The opening of the episode – “Two Seater”
2. Interview with industry insiders – “East Ender”
3. The closing of the episode – “Electric Rodeo"

PM War Stories #32 – Best Practices in Managing Limited Funds and Competing Stakeholders in Large Projects

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Capital projects provide some of the best examples of some of the most complex stakeholder relationships and portfolios that project managers can face.   The sheer magnitude of capital projects pushes the envelope in adhering to the ultimate delivery goal of every project manager – on time, within budget and within specification.  At the core of these projects are the multitudes of stakeholders that need to be managed. Whether it be those who manage the purse strings funding the project or the policy makers that can change the course of the plan on  a moment's notice; stakeholder management requires that all involved parties are kept in the loop every step of the way.  Documenting progress and continuous communication of project status are key elements in facilitating that these projects move forward and obtain the necessary approvals to meet projected timelines.  Additionally, planning for change due to funding issues or a shift in priorities require project professionals to have the necessary tools and methodologies in place to quickly adapt and prevent the potential derailing of the project’s successful outcome.

For the Delaware Department of Transportation (DOT), it, like many state agencies, was facing a budget shortfall due to the economic downturn and was re-evaluating the priorities of capital projects in the state to determine which projects would be shelved and/or canceled. This planning was interrupted and complicated when the US federal government passed its economic stimulus plan for "shovel ready" projects. Unfortunately for the Delaware DOT and other state agencies, they simply could not allocate the federal dollars towards existing projects and narrow their budget gaps. The new federal funds came with a host of conditions, and the Delaware DOT had to sort them out before it could understand the true implications that the economic stimulus plan would have on its scheduling of capital projects.

In this episode, industry insiders, Bob Perrine and Connie Post of the Delaware DOT, will share their insights and experiences in overcoming the challenges and complexities of managing a portfolio of capital projects.

Bob Perrine is a civil engineer with 30 years of experience in the construction industry. He has worked in federal government, private industry, and state government. Currently, Bob is the Constructability Review Engineer / Master Scheduler for the Delaware DOT.   

Connie Post, my other distinguished guest, has over 28 years of experience in Information Technology, and 18 years of experience in Project Management. She is currently an independent consultant with the Delaware DOT and her responsibilities include project management, requirements analysis and implementation of new systems, systems integration, and business process review. 

Today, Bob and Connie will discuss the difficult task of managing and scheduling resources for large, complex projects in the face of limited funds and competing stakeholders.

For more information about capital projects at the Delaware Department of Transportation, please check out Episode 28, Delivering Capital Projects on Time: A Case Study on the "Road" to Success using Oracle Primavera.

Music Notes
1.    The opening of the episode – “Catwalk”
2.    Interview with industry insiders – “East Ender”
3.    The closing of the episode – “Two Seater"

PM War Stories #28 – Delivering Capital Projects on Time: A Case Study on the "Road" to Success

Download PMW_0028_Capital_Projects.mp3 (21.8 MB)

For the State of Delaware, managing the construction program of roads and bridges involves hundreds of projects with thousands of resources to be managed all across the state.  Throw in a mixture of large scale multi-year projects with multiple smaller projects and poor project scheduling, and you can end up literally stopping an entire city in its tracks.  With that in mind, it is critical that a capital program of this magnitude requires extensive workflows and project scheduling capabilities that move beyond the basic scheduling of project dates based on an existing resource pool.   In fact, project scheduling can in effect become both program managers and project managers doorway to obtaining the visibility they need with through the centralization of project information to achieve project success while keeping their constituents satisifed.  

In this episode we sit down with industry insiders, Bob Perrine and Connie Post of the Delaware Department of Transportation or DOT to discuss the challenges and complexities of managing a portfolio of capital projects.

Bob Perrine is a civil engineer with 30 years experience in the vertical and horizontal construction industries. He has worked in federal government, private industry, and state government. Currently, Bob is the Constructability Review Engineer / Master Scheduler for the Delaware DOT where he is responsible for managing the master schedule for the capital construction program, performing constructability reviews of all capital construction and many maintenance and operations projects within the DOT, as well as for determining the construction duration for each of the projects within the capital program.    

Connie Post, my other distinguished guest, has over 28 years of experience in Information Technology, and 18 years of experience in Project Management. She is a member of the PMI Delaware chapter and has also served as an instructor for WorWic Community College. Connie is currently an independent consultant with the Delaware DOT and her responsibilities include project management, requirements analysis and implementation of new systems, systems integration, and business process review. 

In this episode, Bob and Connie will share how the Delaware Department of Transportation improved visibility, communication, resource planning, and delivery of capital projects by moving from an ad hoc system of spreadsheets, usually not synched, to Oracle Primavera.

Music Notes

1. The opening of the episode – “Offroad”
2. Interview with industry insiders – “Collins Avenue”
3. The closing of the episode – “Greasy Wheel"

PM War Stories #11 - Looking back to see what's ahead

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Good project managers understand that adapting to change is what drives successful results.  Whether it be improving methodologies, employing new technology or shifting project goals, successful project managers are continuously gauging the direction of their projects ensuring their on track, within budget and within specifications.  Furthermore, great project managers have the right skills to rally the necessary stakeholders to quickly respond to the evolution of the projects they manage. 

This episode will examine the evolution of projects and their impact on a project manager's success.

Our show is divided into 2 segments:

In part 1, we talk to industry insider, Max Wideman, who has more than 40 years of project and program management experience in a wide range of projects and industries, including heavy engineering works such as hydroelectric projects and construction of major building complexes.  Wideman is recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on modern project and program management. The Wideman PM Glossary is one of the most widely-referenced lexicons of project management terms and terminology in the world. In this episode Max will be sharing with us his insight on the Project Management Institute's (PMI) development of its Project Managment Book of Knowledge (PMBOK).

In part 2, our in-house project management specialist, Willie Maykett, will sound off in Painfully Honest with Willie Maykett.  Willie examines the historical development of the Great Wall of China project and its centuries of evolution.

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 Sessions 1” by whuzzaah
2. Interview with industry insider – “knowledge” by INFAMOUS MINDS
3. Intro to Painfully Honest with Willie Mayket – “Your Honesty Is Killing Me” by Pete Krason
4. Outro to Painfully Honest with Willie Mayket – “Wall of China” by cristofer morley
5. The closing of the episode – “Knowledge” by Graeme Laidlaw

PM War Stories #6 – Creating a PMO: Coping with Risks and Uncertainties of Project Management (Part Two)

Download PMW_0006_PMRisk_Part2.mp3 (12.8MB)

Part one of our August show brought to light the realities project managers face when coping with risks and uncertainties in their projects.  This episode will examine the consequences of both carefully managing and disregarding the signs of risk and uncertainty in projects.  Project managers more often that not are faced with coping with challenges that can stonewall their projects.  Those who have developed the appropriate coping skills to manage these challenges have a better chance in ensuring project success and being perceived effective in their jobs.  Inversely, those who ignore the signs of risk will most likely result in project failure and in some cases the loss of credibility as an effective project manager.

In light of this, the second episode of our August show will provide insight in which risks and uncertainties in project management have lead to success and failure in two different instances.   

In the second episode the show is divided into 2 segments:

In Part 1, we will bring you the second half of our interview with an industry insider. This month we will be talking to industry insider, Beth Partleton, the Director of Operations and Project Management for the Miller Brewing Company.  Beth has more than 30 years of project and portfolio management experience in manufacturing and construction and her current focus is developing a better link between portfolio management and Miller’s corporate strategy. In this portion of her interview she will be sharing her insights and strategies around the sustainability and success of the project management office she created for the Miller Brewing Company

In Part 2, Willie Maykett, our in-house project management specialist, will sound off in Painfully Honest with Willie Maykett. This episode will examine “The Flamingo” hotel construction project and its colorful project manager Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel whose blatant disregard of risk lead to his failure as a project manager and his ultimate murder, despite his incredible vision that would set the stage for the development of the Las Vegas hotel strip.

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" by Glass Rose
2. Intro to interview with industry insider – "Miller Light" by Cabomano
3. Intro to Painfully Honest with Willie Maykett – "Will he make it to monday?" by Undetermined 
4. Outro to Painfully Honest with Willie Maykett – “Casino Hero” by The Pseudonyms
5. The closing of the episode – "Beerology" by BrandX

PM War Stories #3 – What Separates Success from Failure in Project Management

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There are many theories in terms of what separates success and failure in project management.  However, the one common denominator in all theories is the human factor.  Projects are driven by people, and it is people who will determine the direction and perception of a project’s outcome.  Project Managers often focus on the activities that make up a project. However, organizations and stakeholders often judge success on the product or outcome of the project.  Thus, project managers and PMO leaders need to recognize that group dynamics and stakeholder impact on projects.  This episode will examine the critical role people play in making or breaking a project.

Our show is divided into 3 segments.

In part 1, we will go Roaming with the Salty Dogg and examine how consistently executing does not always ensure success.  To do so, Wayne Thompson shares the dominant regular season success of one major league baseball team and its failure to attract fans to home play-off games.

In part 2, we talk to industry insider, Max Wideman, who has more than 40 years of project and program management experience in a wide range of projects and industries, including heavy engineering works such as hydroelectric projects and construction of major building complexes.  Wideman is recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on modern project and program management. The Wideman PM Glossary is one of the most widely-referenced lexicons of project management terms and terminology in the world. In this episode Max will be sharing with us the importance of evaluating the project and its benefits or outcome when determining success.

In part 3, our in-house project management specialist, Willie Maykett, will sound off in Painfully Honest with Willie Maykett.  Willie examines the historical development of the Leaning Tower of Pisa project and its centuries of evolution from failure to success.

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” by Glass Rose 
2. Intro to Roaming with the Salty Dogg – “Braves of Thunder Vocal Bird Youmans” by Ryman Ready 
3. Interview with industry insider – “Baseball Tears” by Chesty Frank
4. Intro to Painfully Honest with Willie Mayket – “Your Honesty Is Killing Me” by Pete Krason
5. Outro to Painfully Honest with Willie Mayket –“Shaky Ground” by The Seventh Triangle
6. The closing of the episode – “Success” by Danny Dep
 

PM War Stories #2 – Project Portfolio Management: Balancing short term gains versus long term success

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Project Managers often face the reality of choosing between doing something that will provide quick, easy results and something that will produce long-term success but require significant time and planning.  It’s human nature to take the shortest road to success. Even small, quick successes can earn a project manager praise, bonuses, promotions or more importantly, support for larger, more grandiose ideas.

From the perspective of the organization, successful projects directly impact the bottom line.  Organizations are challenged by delicately balancing overlapping short-, mid- and long-term goals that can make or break a project’s success.  Ultimately, an organization’s project success will depend on both the soft factors such as stakeholder management and the hard factors such as project execution – being on time and within budget.

In this episode, we look at how an electronics company, a consumer packaged goods company, and a tower designer made choices between short- and long-term goals in project management.

Our show is divided into 3 segments.

In part 1, we will go Roaming with the Salty Dogg and explore how much it really costs when you get something for free. To illustrate the hidden costs and risks of getting something for nothing, Wayne Thompson shares the experiences of a British electronics company during its selection and purchase of enterprise software.

In part 2, we will be talking to industry insider, Hugh Woodward, who has over 35 years of project management experience. Hugh served two terms as Chair of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and almost six years as a member of PMI's Board of Directors. Tonight Hugh will be sharing with us the importance of project portfolio management in the consumer packaged goods industry

In part 3, Willie Maykett, our in-house project management specialist, will sound off in Painfully Honest with Willie Maykett. This episode’s target is Gustave Eiffel – the designer and project manager of the Eiffel Tower, the gateway to the 1889 World’s Fair (Exposition Universelle de 1889) and the tallest structure in Paris, France.

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. Intro to Roaming with the Salty Dogg – “Salty” by Last Page
3. Interview with industry insider – “Penny Wise?” by HealthyMilk
4. Intro to Painfully Honest with Willie Maykett – “Your Honesty Is Killing Me” by Pete Krason
5. Outro to Painfully Honest with Willie Maykett – “Paris” by Kankajou 
6. The closing of the episode – “Time is Money” by Matt Gower

PM War Stories #1 - The Art of Project Management

Download PMW_0001_Art_of_PM.mp3 (17.4MB)

Welcome to our first broadcast of Project Management War Stories.  In an effort to serve our community of project management practitioners, we have developed a podcast to create a forum in which like minded professionals can exchange ideas, experiences and insights.

Each of our shows will have a theme and be divided into 3 segments: Roaming with the Salty Dogg; an interview with an industry insider; and Painfully Honest with Willie Maykett. In this episode, we talk about the art vs. science of project management success.

In part 1, we will go Roaming with the Salty Dogg to a family owned cabane à sucre (sugar shack) in St-Cyprien, Quebec and explore the art of project management in the transformation of maple syrup into maple sugar.

In part 2, we talk to Hugh Woodward, the chairman of the PM Council and an internationally recognized thought leader in project management. His professional experience spans over 35 years and includes projects in the consumer packaged goods industry as well as the architecture, construction, and engineering arena. Hugh served two terms as Chair of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and almost six years as a member of PMI's Board of Directors.
    
In part 3, Willie Maykett, our in-house project management specialist, debunks the art of project management and illustrates the importance of sound science in project management through the construction of the Titanic.

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. Roaming with the Salty Dogg – “Salty” by Last Page
3. Interview with industry insider – “Maple Run” by Rich Duke
4. Painfully Honest with Willie Mayket – “Will he make it to monday?” by Undetermined