Project Management Assessment

Transcription

1 Project Management Assessment Consulting Services and Product Descriptions Document Ref: Approved By: Signature: Copy No. Prepared by: Kevin Lonergan PMIS Consulting Limited Magdalen Centre The Oxford Science Park Oxford OX4 4GA Tel: 0044 (0) Fax: 0044 (0) Jan 2014

2 Contents 1. Overview of Evidenced Based Assessment Products Project management self-assessment: Project management knowledge exam: Group based Problem Solving material / exercises: PM Behavioural Competencies Assessment Framework: Structured Interview (for one-to-one interviews) Organisational Capability and Maturity Model (CMM) 3 2. Overview of Assessment Services 4 3. Further Information Per Assessment Product Overview of Assessment Output and results Role Play / Problem Solving - Description PM Competence Assessment Framework :1 Structured Interviews Capability and Assessment Model: process and outputs 6 Appendices A. Example Assignment Overview: Global PM Assessment 7 B. Sample Clients (Including IS/IT Context) 8 ( Page 2 of 8 )

3 1. OVERVIEW OF EVIDENCED BASED ASSESSMENT PRODUCTS PMIS has a number of project management assessment assets, which could be used individually or together on a one-off basis, or for periodic measurement of improvement. The following are all tailorable to a specific project context or industry sector. (N.B. further details are provided in section 3) Project management self-assessment: We have a self-assessment questionnaire covering all core project management skills and processes Project management knowledge exam: We have a multi-choice (methodology independent) project management exam, aimed at assessing all aspects of project management knowledge Group based Problem Solving material / exercises: One of our most valuable assessment assets, and similar to role play but closer to problem solving, we have a number of typical challenging scenarios that a project manager or project teams can face. They are very carefully crafted to test all key competencies of project managers from the moment they are given to teams. Assessors normally observe teams while they are working, as well as asking the teams to present their proposed solutions back to the assessment team. The material also includes: Comprehensive (multiple) criteria for assessing (scoring) individuals through all stages of the exercise (up to 25 criteria) An Excel tool to capture, analyse and present the results, at multiple levels PM Behavioural Competencies Assessment Framework: Intended to be used as part of an external assessment, it covers 34 topics (competencies), and each topic has multiple specific evidence indicators, with topics grouped under the following categories: Delivery Management, Team working, Leadership, Personal qualities, and the largest category, Project management technical competencies Structured Interview (for one-to-one interviews) PMIS has a set of specific questions to conduct a full individual assessment one a one-to-one basis Organisational Capability and Maturity Model (CMM) And lastly, the most comprehensive assessment tool is a CMMI based model for assessing organisational PM maturity. This looks at projects, and the PM function, and can be used periodically, to measure and assess improvement in delivery capability. ( Page 3 of 8 )

4 2. OVERVIEW OF ASSESSMENT SERVICES PMIS provides the following assessment services: 1. Support to the development of the Assessment Strategy 2. Tailoring and development of assessment products 3. On site or off site assessments (using Webex type tools if required) 4. Data consolidation and analysis and Reporting Benefits of involving PMIS in your assessments: Not only do we provide highly experienced expert resources, we bring invaluable experience of: 1. Best project management practices 2. Knowledge of a broad selection of PM methods, including Agile 3. Experience of having done many assessments on behalf of blue-chip clients, which together with our assessment products will prove invaluable to other organisations. Our Approach: 1. Our approach is to listen carefully to prospective clients, to gain a full understanding of their objectives and their requirements relating to the assessment. 2. We are very flexible in the way we work, and always look to support all our clients in the way they need to and wish to work. ( Page 4 of 8 )

5 3. FURTHER INFORMATION PER ASSESSMENT PRODUCT 3.1. Overview of Assessment Output and results The standard outputs are scores and commentary at the detail and summary level, by individual and grouped by organisation, if required. Each product is broken down into detailed criteria, and each criteria is scored to provide a summary score for each candidate. This can also be used to help identify training needs. In extreme circumstances, it may indicate an individual may not be well suited for a particular role Role Play / Problem Solving - Description This is normally carried out in small groups of up to 4 people. We have a number of scenarios which are rotated. The problem statements are very clear in nature, but deliberately lacking and unclear at the detailed level. Groups are normally given minutes to analyse the problem, decide how they wish to work, and develop their proposed strategy and response. They are expected to present their results to the assessment team. Groups are allowed to ask for clarification, should they choose to. The problem statements contain clear instructions for all participants. Assessors will normally observe each group as they work. important part of this type of assessment. This is a very 3.3. PM Competence Assessment Framework This asset is broken down into the following topics: - Delivery - Team working - Leadership - Personal qualities - Project management technical competencies. Each topic is then decomposed into items (34 in total) and each item has multiple examples of evidence of the competence. These are a mixture of hard evidence and evidence of positive behaviours that are valuable to project managers :1 Structured Interviews Structured interviews can be 60 or 90 minutes long, and are conducted on a 1:1 basis. Each interview would follow exactly the same agenda for those in the same role, e.g. project managers. Candidate responses together with the evidence they provide to support each response, determine their score against each question. Once again scores can be summarised and aggregated as required. We have standard question sets for the following roles: - Project managers, Programme Managers & Project Sponsors ( Page 5 of 8 )

6 3.5. Capability and Assessment Model: process and outputs This following describes the process and output from the PMIS Project Management Capability/ Maturity Model (PM-CMM). Benefits of PM-CMM: It provides a quantitative assessment of any PM function which can be used to measure periodic improvements as well as performing benchmarking; It identifies the most beneficial areas for PM improvement and involves project managers in formulating practical ideas thus gaining early ownership of proposed improvements. Output from PM-CMM: Standard measures from the model which provide both an overall score and a detailed breakdown by PM Culture/ environment, Systems and PM Process; Written commentary and analysis of the results to identify the strengths and weaknesses of project management in the organisation/ department; Key recommendations for project management improvement. PM Maturity Model Company/ PM environment/ Culture Project Management Processes Information and PM systems PM Process Skills and Competencies PM Organisation Roles/Responsibilities Teamworking Initiating Planning Implementation Close-Out/ Handover Post Impl' Review Business Systems PM Systems This process is well-defined but can be adapted to suit particular organisations needs. The whole process works via: Review PM Function (e.g. PMO) Reviews the maturity of the overall PM organisation, PM culture, PM environment and the existence/ status of a formal PM process Review of Sample Projects Measures the real PM practices being used on live projects, via meetings with sample of project teams. Following structured interviews, initial findings are reviewed with participants and then the client co-ordinator. Draft recommendations of areas for improvement are reviewed with the co-ordinator, prior to finalisation. The final report contains the full PM-CMM results together with a summary of strengths/ weaknesses highlighting the most beneficial areas for PM improvement. ( Page 6 of 8 )

7 APPENDIX A: ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW:GLOBAL PM ASSESSMENT Sector: Global Services Business (Software & Systems) Service: Global Project Management Assessment Period: Aug 2012 July 2013 Background PMIS was selected to support the development and implementation of a global assessment of project managers across all geographical areas of the business (Europe, North America, Latam, MEAP, SWA and APAC). Objectives and Requirements: The client s objective was to make a full and comprehensive assessment of the capabilities of all project and programme managers within each region, as the basis of a major transformation programme, aimed at a step change in improvement in project delivery. Development Process: PMIS worked with the client to understand the specific business objectives of the assessment, and to tailor PMIS s assessment products to meet the client s needs. A pilot assessment was carried out, prior to then running the full assessment in each geographical region. Assessment Process & Output Assessment centres were conducted in each region and included: 1. Self-Assessment 2. 1:1 Structured interviews 3. Group Based Role play/ Problem solving 4. Structured project management knowledge examination The output included a comprehensive report, together with objective evidence wherever possible to support any item in the report. The output also included the full detail of all scores per candidate for each assessment type, together with summary aggregation and analysis of the data, by region. Subsequent to the Assessment Following a very successful assessment, PMIS was invited to support the establishment and development of a small community of best performing project managers from each region, to become mentors to all other project managers across the business. Reference An Executive level reference relating to this assignment can be made available. ( Page 7 of 8 )

8 APPENDIX B: SAMPLE CLIENTS (INCLUDING IS/IT CONTEXT) Sample of clients (n.b. bold indicate IS/Software Engineering projects): - ACISION plc; - Hyundai Engineering - Deloitte Consulting; - Cable & Wireless; - CRU International; - Falmouth University; - Oxford University Press - University of East London - LOGICA, - SIEMENS; - Butterfield Private Bank plc; - PFIZER Pharmaceuticals; - National Grid - Balfour Beatty - Thales - BBC - NOKIA; - Amersham Health - COSTAIN plc - British Aerospace - Vestas plc (Denmark) - Provident Assurance - Credit Suisse - Zurich Life Assurance - Owen Mumford plc - AREVA plc - Renishaw plc - and many more ( Page 8 of 8 )