Ingredients to Creating a High Performance Team
to Manage Enterprise Level Projects
ASAEJan Collins - CIO, National Education Association
Raj Leyl, MBA, PMP – COO, RelianceNet
Agenda/Overview
Background
Plan of Action (Strategic and Tactical)
Communication Applied to Projects
Wrap-Up Discussion
Background - Personal Joined NEA as CIO – Mar 2006 Assigned Goals and Objectives Assessed current environment ID Opportunities Acting on Opportunities
Establish HIGH PERFORMANCE PROJECT TEAMS to help deliver key enterprise projects
Background - NEA What does NEA do? Organizational Structure Business Goals coming in Technology Plan alignment
What is NEA? NEA believes every child in America, regardless of family income or place of
residence, deserves a quality education. In pursuing its mission, NEA has determined that it will focus the energy and resources of our 3.2 million members at the national, state, and local levels on improving the quality of teaching, increasing student
achievement and making schools safer, better places to learn, and making great public schools a basic right for every student a reality.
NEA lobbies Congress and federal agencies on behalf of its members and public schools, supports and coordinates innovative projects, works with other education organizations and friends of public education, provides training and assistance to its affiliates, and generally conducts activities consistent with the policies set by its elected governing bodies.
Our members consist of :
K- 12 Educators
Educational Support Professionals
Higher Education
Students
Retirees
NEA Organizational Structure Governance (Elected officials) Management (At will employees) Union Staff (NEA is a union within a union)
Business Technology Transformation
NEA is undergoing a business technology transformation to create business efficiencies, savings, provide a greater value, and generate non dues revenue opportunities to support the mission, vision, and goals of the Association to make a great public school a basic right for every student a reality.
Core Competencies: Effective knowledge leadership Increase membership
Align Business & Technology Plans
Effective Communications Strategy/Non Dues Revenue generation Upgrade of NEA.org (Corporate website - younger/tech-savvy constituencies) Creation of InsideNEA (New Intranet /Greater Collaboration and process
improvements) NEA Academy.org (Online Professional Development) Upgrade of NEA Today (Media Convergence) “New” NEA Book Store and Café (Brick and Mortar solution)
Improve Membership management processes and systems Web enablement (new interface) Web services (real-time updates and data manipulation) Business intelligence and reporting (better decision making)
Streamline and fine-tune IT systems and infrastructure to reduce maintenance costs and security
Basic Assessment of technology Improved Customer Service Tools IT Convergence
Plan of Action
Assessment
Planning
Execution
Plan of ActionAssess and Improve
Source: Project Management Institute, Inc 2007
Assessment Phase Strategic Alignment of Business and Technology Plans Technology Infrastructure – assess as-is health Business support processes to support project delivery Human Capital – skills and availability Culture – observed dynamics Governance/Organization – formed new teams Data – took inventory
OUTPUT Opportunities Identified
Opportunities Identified Optimize technology infrastructure Bridge process gaps for delivering projects Increase opportunities for professional development Introduce tools to help foster a culture of
collaboration and team work Get control over data to help eliminate redundancy
and inefficiencies
Planning Phase Updated Technology Plan Finalized portfolio of projects; IT goals – picking the
right projects Determined resource needs to deliver to schedule,
scope, and budget constraints Partnered with trusted vendors to bridge gaps Determined processes to optimize
PM Communications Governance
OUTPUT Business Case and Plans Finalized
Example of some Outputs from Planning Phase
Chief Information Officer
Marketing Information
Services (MIS)
New Products & Programs (NPP)
AcademyManager
Content Review Board (CRB)
ContentCoordinator
LMSAdministrator
Tier 1 NEAHelp Desk
Financial Mgmt.Services (FMS)
Tier 2Help Desk
MemberServices
Technology Compact
Committee(TCC)
Content SMEs
EcommerceBroker
(Verisign)
Center for Great Public Schools
Any members not validating during the signup process will be sent to member services for research and
resolution.
Any issues pertaining to system functionality or performance gets escalated to the LMS vendor Help Desk by the NEA Tier 1 Help Desk.
FMS will manage the ecommerce broker selected to manage the distribution of funds. NEA currently has relationship with Verisign.
The day-to-day NEA Academy management
team.
NPP will provide subject matter experts (SMEs) for custom content development.
ID Task Name
0 NEA LMS Implementation
1 NEA LMS Project Schedule (Soft Launch)
2 Task Order Received
3 Project Management Plan
9 Conduct Discovery Phase
12 Iterative Technical Services (AD/LDAP batch process, data migration)
39 GeoLearning Implementation Methodology
73 User Acceptance Testing
94 Level 2 Help Desk Support
96 GO-LIVE
97 Project Acceptance
108 NEA Marketing Campaign for Phase 1
109 NEA LMS Project Schedule (Phase 2) (PLACE HOLDER)
9/6 6/15NEA LMS Implementation
9/6 6/15NEA LMS Project Schedule (Soft Launch)
2/16
3/5 5/4Project Management Plan
4/16 5/1Conduct Discovery Phase
4/9 5/23Iterative Technical Services (AD/LDAP batch process, data migration)
2/26 5/22GeoLearning Implementation Methodology
5/9 6/4User Acceptance Testing
4/30 5/25Level 2 Help Desk Support
6/4
9/6 6/15Project Acceptance
2/16 6/1NEA Marketing Campaign for Phase 1
NEA
6/4
Jan Apr Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter
Execution Phase – Improvement Strategic
Contracted with trusted vendor partners to work with collaboratively with internal NEA team and bridge gaps
Got buy-in on plan from executive management Began implementing a PMO Implemented JIT PM training Implemented Proven Communications Plan Established strategic focus groups/committees
Kicked off and delivered following Enterprise Projects
Infrastructure Technical Assessment InsideNEA .org – Sharepoint intranet portal NEA Academy.org – E-learning system to facilitate PD Content Management System Requirements Phase Performed Data Inventory analysis NEA.org
OUTPUT Successful Delivery of Enterprise Projects, Gaps Bridged
Mapping of Enterprise Initiatives to Business GoalsGoal InitiativeImprove Communications and Collaboration
InsideNEA – Sharepoint Intranet Portal Began Analysis phase of Document Records Management initiative Media Convergence (NEA.org and NEA Today)
Improve Professional development and member benefits
Launched NEA Academy LMS (e-learning) Introduced enterprise online content development tool
Optimize project delivery supporting processes
Hired PMO Manager Initiated the implementation of an Enterprise Program Management Office
Optimize Technology Infrastructure / Reduce Costs
Performed Independent Technology Assessment (partners) Identified opportunities Performed remediation using internal staff Implemented enterprise Help Desk system (HEAT)
Improve membership management processes/systems and better decision making
Performed data inventory study Began web-enabling key data entry processes Business Intelligence
HOW DID WE GET IT DONE?
Team Performance Enablers – Acted on Opportunities
Provide adequate tools to get the job done Develop an effective Communications Plan Establish formal project organization framework Invest in Professional Development Enhance Governance and oversight Optimize supporting processes Set expectations - clear goals, acceptance criteria Build consensus across teams
NET RESULT => Help Build High Performance Teams
Successful integration of internal staff and external partner resources, complemented
with effective communication planning=
Successful Delivery of Enterprise Projects
Provide adequate tools to get the job done
Supporting project delivery processes
Project Management Office
Best Practice templates
Just-in-time training
Delivery tools
Planning for Success – Delivery of Enterprise Projects
Have an effective Communications Plan
Have an effective Project Planning Process
Introduce Adequate Governance
Simplification Tools It Can Be Done…
Standardize
•Consistent Way of Communicating
•Use Methods to Meet People Preferences
•Have Consistent Time for Communicating
Communication and Project Planning Tools It Can Be Done…
Communication
Rhythm
Communication Tools Communication Rhythm Snapshot
Applied to Enterprise Projects Communication Management Plan
What information needs to be collected and when? Who will receive the information? Who will prepare and distribute the information? What methods will be used to gather and store the
information? Project Roster for team and stakeholders Schedule for distribution of each type of
communication Communication Channels complexity (N*(N-1)/2)
Applied to Enterprise Projects Communication Management Plan
Issue Management Process Change Management Process Continuous Improvement Process Status Reporting process
Frequency, Format, Audience Distribution matrix Responsibility matrix
Information Management Where, Who, How ?
If the Project Doesn't Make Sense on Paper, the Project will not be Completed as
Expected.
Applied to Enterprise Projects Project Planning Process Define Scope – Project Objective Statement –
What, when, how much? Cost/benefit Analysis ID Deliverables, acceptance criteria, target dates Define/clarify deliverables where needed List assumptions and constraints ID external dependencies Determine project organization Define/Clarify roles and responsibilities ID, Assess, and Mitigation of risks Flexibility matrix – prioritize constraints Review Communications Plan with team
RESULT = GET EVERONE ON THE SAME PAGE
Applied to Enterprise Projects Sample Project Organization
Project Sponsor
ProgramManager
PMO
Project Manager
Sub Project 1
Project Manager
Sub Project 2
Project Manager
Sub Project 3
Project Manager
Sub Project 4
Project Manager
Sub Project5
Project Manager
Sub Project6
Analyst, Developers,
Architects, etc
Analyst, Developers,
Architects, etc
Analyst, Developers,
Architects, etc
Analyst, Developers,
Architects, etc
Analyst, Developers,
Architects, etc
Analyst, Developers,
Architects, etc
Steering Committee
Role of Executives?
Applied to Enterprise ProjectsFostering High Performance
Successful Projects Teams – Role of Executives
Help organize work into projects Pick the RIGHT projects and perform them at
the RIGHT time Develop and maintain close stakeholder and
customer relationships Adhere to a suitable project management process Ensure projects follow a documented baselined plan Ensure projects are based on documented requirements Ensure project resources (time, $) are commensurate with
needs Engage middle management help Select and develop project managers Establish and defined roles and performance standards Ask the right questions
Personal Insights – Conclusion Executive Project Leadership
Optimize project portfolio – choose the RIGHT projects Provide mentoring and coaching Choose the right partners (vendors) Stop talking, Start doing Do not be tempted to take path of least
resistance – be a change agent! Furnish team with needed tools and training Implement effective communication plans Get executive alignment and buy-in Do not under-estimate executive involvement Bob and weave - Be prepared for push back or possible
sabotage
Take Home Tools Tools available:
Project Management Plan Template Sample Communications Plan Checklists for Success Sample Roles/Responsibilities Soft copy of this slide deck
Downloadable at: http://www.reliancenet.com/ASAE
Jan Collins – [email protected] Leyl – [email protected]
Thank You!