Agile and Lean Project Management: A Zen-like Approach to Find Just the Right Degree of Formality for Your Project

Transcription

1 Agile and Lean Project Management: A Zen-like Approach to Find Just the Right Degree of Formality for Your Project George Pitagorsky, PMP International Institute for Learning, Inc. Session # TRN06

2 Presentation Objectives Define a Lean and Agile PM approach Promote the adoption of a rational approach to PM to: Eliminate waste Promote just right team work Creatively address PM essentials Acknowledge the needs of diverse projects and environments

3 Organizational Goals Perform the right projects right Create a healthy process through project centric and organizational perspectives

4 Issues The tendency to seek cure-alls Conflict between the extremes of under and over documentation, planning and control Standardizing PM without overburdening the staff Not throwing the baby (good formal PM practices) out with the bath water (excessive formality)

5 Zen Balance: No Absolutes Comply with regulations and standards Control portfolios, programs and projects Increase flexibility and local autonomy Not this vs. that; This and that Reduce risk Promote ongoing improvement Maximize project and resource efficiency and effectiveness

6 Does Compliance Require Rigidity? Why Control, Standards and Compliance? The easy way: strict, one-size-fits-all Impact: Effort, customer service, duration? The Challenge: Just Right flexibility within structure

7 When Would You NOT Want To Work Lean And Agile? Working lean means eliminating waste Being agile is to be adaptive resilient flexible and appropriate to the situation

8 Systems Approach Apply general systems theory Anything can be described as a system of People Organizations Things Interactions IIL s Unified Project Management Model (UPMM )

9 Process Orientation Anytime there is a result a process produced it Process is the key to performance PMI PMBOK Guide 2006

10 Process Orientation: To Influence the Result, Address the Process

11 Lean: A Quality Improvement And Management Philosophy Eliminate waste to improve quality production time cost While creating a better workplace through respect for humanity

12 Lean PM Eliminates Excessive documentation Excessive planning and control Unproductive meetings Avoidable rework Over detailed definition of requirements Unproductive multi-tasking

13 Leans Five Core Concepts 1) Specify value as the customer sees it 2) Identify the value stream; eliminate waste 3) Make value flow at the customer s pull 4) Involve and empower employees 5) Continuously improve to persue perfection

14 1) Specify Value Clearly identify objectives and requirements Use them as acceptance criteria Doing the right projects right means Satisfying the needs of all stakeholders.

15 Value stream: All the actions, (both value added and non-value added) required to create a product The process Pinpoint 2) Identify the Value Stream; Eliminate Waste Unnecessary steps Steps that overly burden resources Steps that impact risk, relationships and quality Fine tune the process and avoid sub-optimization

16 3) Make Value Flow At The Pull Of The Customer Make sure that every project addresses a meaningful need But Moderate the flow of projects to the performance group based on the group s capacity

17 4) Involve And Empower Employees (1 of 2) Empower people to adapt the process Within clearly defined constraints, Cultivate a human friendliness and support Don t just reduce cost and time at the expense of employees and business partners Empower team members to Critically assess their process and recommend improvements

18 4) Involve And Empower Employees Involve the team in Planning, estimating, and scheduling Avoid commiting teams to unrealistic schedules and budgets (2 of 2)

19 5) Continuously Improve Keep the strategic goals in focus Avoid short sighted efficiencies Measure performance Analyze results Improve the process Involve all stakeholders

20 Agile (with a small a ) Moving quickly and lightly Sleek, nimble, adaptive, responsive Mentally quick Notlimited to software development

21 Agile Approach Iterate to deliver meaningful results Allow Requirements to evolve Communicate - real time, quick, informal (preferably face to face) Give project participants autonomy Minimize writing

22 Avoid Process Fundamentalism Cultivate open-mindedness Appreciate the complex interplay among efficiency, people, communication, and the delivery of meaningful results Avoid cure-all approaches Avoid either-or thinking Creatively combine best practices

23 Goals of the Lean/Agile Approach Deliver performance efficiency & effectiveness Free flowing, meaningful communication No excess and no insufficiency Self-managed teams Commitment to success Managed change & continuous improvement

24 How To Promote A Lean And Agile Approach Apply essential PM principles Manage change Cultivate ambiguity tolerance Apply Situational management to address Diverse projects In diverse settings

25 The Essentials of PM Managed expectations Documented project objectives and constraints expected deliverables comprehensive activity list, at an appropriate level of detail Realistic schedule and budget based on risk assessment Defined way the team will communicate and manage information Clear understanding of roles and responsibilities Performance monitoring and reporting Quality, change and issues control Post project review

26 Case Study A consulting engagement for a global firm Evaluate a high visibility, complex model for the client and provide a report of findings Estimated completion time about ten weeks Schedule constraint: senior management review of the model to kick off of the client s program Fixed fee

27 Case Study: Project Staffing Client team Senior PM professional as leader with authority People representing the critical stakeholders in the project Consulting team in 3 time zones on multiple projects Lead consultant as PM and a key performer Senior consultant with subject matter knowledge and experience Senior SME project director Account executive Support consultant Administrative assistant and an

28 Planning In Writing SOW/Contract Deliverables Major activities Roles and responsibilities Time frames Cost estimates

29 Adapting Agile for a Virtual Team: Virtual Co-location Co-location enables Quick meaningful communications Minimal writing Reinforced team relationship

30 Case Study: Distance Bull-pen Virtual meetings via the web Communications standards Sensitivity and personal accountability The ability to schedule dynamically across multiple projects

31 Informal Project Control No formal written project status reports Progress monitored based on interim deliverables update to the sponsors Accounting for hours of effort by date and task Cost monitored against the original budget Subjective evaluation by the principle performers

32 Flexible and Informal Schedule Management Choice: Firm schedule vs. Fluid task schedule and interim delivery dates Requisites: Engaged, flexible well managed client Reasonably accurate estimates Respect for Down-stream performers Juggling individual schedules Ad hoc changed interim delivery dates

33 Issue: Scope Change What they said they wanted was not what they needed The revealed need: revised high-level model and descriptions Result: a shift from critique to creative development additional effort on the fly change of roles and responsibilities

34 Controversy: Change Control Change Control is essential Make formal Change Control Lean and Agile Traditional change requests and external approvals can jeopardize project success We agreed that the project would be allowed to morph naturally as the needs evolved

35 Case Study: Quality Control Formal assembly line method not appropriate Internal work sessions Simultaneously come to consensus about content and to correct defects Client quality control/acceptance - linear Interim and final results reviewed in depth Individual client team member deliverables review Group work sessions to address issues

36 Controversy: Synchronous Vs. Observers: Asynchronous Work The team spent too much time in synchronous meetings The team This was the only rational way to operate It enabled the high quality result

37 Case Study: Results Exceptionally satisfied client The client s deadline met A very high quality result delivered Cost overrun (35 person days vs. a planned 19 days) and Internal schedule and role changes

38 Situational Management Example Significant cost overrun as a percentage of the project estimate Notsignificant in the overall relationship Overrun managed with the client after the fact

39 Lessons Learned (1 of 3) Situational management, creativity and flexibility are essential to success Initial plan and statement of work and flexibility are equally essential Deliverables are the principle measures of progress Informal monitoring works in small projects

40 Lessons Learned (2 of 3) Detailed schedules can frustrate and hold up the team. Realistic short term delivery targets, maturity and flexibility Cost control and accounting is a must Change control is always necessary, but formality can get in the way

41 Quality control Lessons Learned (3 of 3) Merged into the development of deliverables (e.g., reports, plans, designs) Formal external review and acceptance are effective Lean agility requires open communications and a trusting relationships

42 Critical Factors to Adopt Lean Agility Organizational culture and Maturity Individual Organizational Consciously managed change

43 Lean Agility Requires Maturity Without PM maturity dysfunctional Lean Agility Lean may cut away too much formality Agility may get too Loosey-Goosey Maturity Values just right formality

44 Maturity Implies Lean Agility The right degree Of discipline, rigor and formality Continuous improvement to Minimize paper work and bureaucracy Maximize flexibility and just right PM Promote situational management Effectively plan, monitor and control

45 Manage the Change PM improvement program Publish methodology and Taxonomy Manage PMO and PM attitudes Adapt to culture and competency Enable flexibility and autonomy

46 One Approach Does Not Fit All Is the right PM approach the same for a large complex project in a highly regulated environment a small project in an informal environment with a close knit dedicated team? Define and use Project Type Taxonomy

47 Manage Attitudes: Motivation, Accountability, Empowerment Motivate discipline, planning, control, consistency and flexibility Educate The business case; How-to s Continuously reinforce Enable variance quick, easy and rational Hold people accountable for standards compliance

48 Transform Conflicts into Project teams Checks and Balances Focused on performing individual projects Require flexibility, autonomy, minimal paper work and minimal bureaucracy The PMO promotes consistency and control Focused on portfolio and program management and on overall performance improvement

49 Mature Lean Agility No isms there is no cure-all Eliminate waste Promote just right team work Creatively address PM essentials Acknowledge the needs of diverse projects and environments

50 Conclusion PM Goal: Improve the probability of project success Minimize cost Enable control across multiple projects Create a human friendly environment

51 Questions

52 Contact Information Session # TRN06 George Pitagorsky, PMP International Institute for Learning, Inc. (IIL) 110 East 59 th Street New York, NY George.Pitagorsky@iil.com