Developing a Project. Management System. Using Project Agency Template. Approach. - the Process and the Benefits

Transcription

1 Developing a Project Management System Using Project Agency Template Approach - the Process and the Benefits Project Agency June 2008

2 Developing your own Project Management System. Project Agency has worked with many organisations helping develop project management capability of their staff. This has included developing project management systems (PMS) for staff to use on projects. A PMS is a written document which gives guidance (some mandatory) to staff on how to manage and deliver projects within their organisations. Project Agency has reviewed many of these PMS s and has developed a quick and practical method The Template Approach to producing a customised project management system. Firstly though what are the benefits of having a PMS? These include: providing guidance for staff at all levels of the organisation on how to manage and deliver projects effectively greater project success - research from KPMG shows that those organisations that keep to the rules have a higher project success rate than those who have no such system providing a common language for all staff to use ensuring there are no misinterpretations providing common forms (templates) for use across projects ensuring risks are identified and clearly acted upon better estimating and assessment of project resources providing tools with wide application across projects as well as with business as usual activities Developing a PMS involves a change in the way people operate at the project management level, the senior management level at the stakeholder level and at the strategic level. It is imperative therefore that you take these (and other) groups along with you. Project Agency Template Approach does just this. Project Agency has developed a simple process for organisations to own and manage its own PMS. It can be modified to fit your unique circumstances. Developing your own PMS will provide you with the basis for ensuring that current and future projects are delivered consistently and to an agreed standard. The following pages describe a process for developing your PMS. 2

3 Stages in the development of a PMS for your organisation Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Agree with chosen project sponsor the project objectives and outcomes required by the organisation. Document and put onto a PID, obtaining formal sign off Internal action; identify stakeholders from within the business to help create your own unique PMS. We suggest around 20 key people Hold 1 st stakeholder workshop (2 hours) where we explain the role of those selected Stage 4 Individuals answer questions based around the written PMS focussing on the appropriateness to your business Stage 5 Stage 6 Stage 7 Stage 8 Project Agency collate all the answers to questionnaires Project Agency distribute the answers from the questionnaires to stakeholders 2 nd stakeholder workshop (2 hours) where we identify priorities which will contribute to Version 1 of the written PMS Project Agency produce agreed Version 1 of the PMS including project management templates Stage 9 Project Agency design training for the PMS Internal activity; you identify those people who need to be trained focus here are those people engaged in key organisational projects Stage 10 Roll out project management training See flowchart on page 5 for what each stage means. NOTE: we can customise the above process to fit your needs. Call us to discuss these in more detail on

4 Benefits of Project Agency Template Approach it saves you reinventing the wheel; by building on Project Agency experience and that of other organisations. This will avoid you in making mistakes and building on what has worked. this approach overcomes a key problem; taking stakeholders along with you. Introducing your own PMS is a change project. This means you will need to engage with stakeholders in your organisation. Project Agency s methodology ensures you engage with stakeholders and using their skills to help in the introduction of the change. informing the training I; if you have a PMS you will need to spend some time training people in its use. A written PMS will help identify the content for a project management event or series of events. It will help you target key organisational issues e.g. your company may have an issue around say risk management. The course can emphasise this once it is clear it needs to do so informing the training II; as well as identifying what you should train people to do the written PMS will help you to target your training budget. How? It will help you to target the right people -ensuring the right people attend the right programmes. We have seen people on project management training events that are not involved in a project and will not be in the foreseeable future. Our PMS approach will help you overcome this problem the PMS is purpose built for you and your company. It will help you to have something that is fit for purpose for you and which will be owned by you alongside changed by you and your staff the overall process will be owned by you and run by you and your staff. Through some simple train the trainer sessions we can train your staff to run the courses, deal with the PMS and it s future, help you to set up a project office. Project Agency will step aside and let you own and run the overall process Call to find out more information 4

5 Agree project definition, budget, deliverables, plan etc with sponsor (1) 1 st stakeholder workshop [2 hours] (3) Individuals answer questions based on PMS. Send to Project Agency (4) Collation of check sheets by Project Agency (5) Distribute outcomes from check sheets (6) Identify stakeholders with sponsor send out PMS & check sheet (2) * The approach can be customised to meet any specific needs you have Project Agency designs training to support PMS Produce final version of PMS alongside blank and sample templates (8) 2 nd stakeholder work shop. Version 2 of PMS produced (7) Roll out project management training See page 3 for more analysis of the whole process 5