PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN A NON-PROJECT

CULTURE

Oleg Tumasov, PMP, PRINCE2, MSPEditor-in-Chief

Project Management Magazine (Russia)

First, from the perspective of the organization implementing the project or projects.

I PROPOSE WE LOOK AT THIS ISSUE FROM TWO PERSPECTIVES

Second, from the perspective of the project manager.

APPROACHES TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A PROJECT

The project could be implemented by the company on its own.

Outsourcing - to entrust the project entirely to an outside company.

“Outstaffing” – hiring key specialists on a temporary contract to work inside the company for the project implementation.

AN APPROACH SELECTION CRITERIA

Organization has subject-matter competencies, as well as project management.

The deciding factor may also be the time and/or cost of the project.

May depend on the risk appetite of the company.

INDUSTRY PRACTICES

The introduction of the new version of technical/IT system or complex business process already in use can be carried out mostly by the company on its own.

Introduction of a new technology/IT system or the development of a fundamentally new type of activity is usually inefficient and impractical for the company to perform on their own.

Implementation of the project by the external company is suitable and effective if only the final result of the project important to you, but not the technology of its receipt.

In the context of non-project culture, we are often faced with the fact that the roles and responsibilities of project managers and project team members are not defined clearly. They may vary from project to project. They flexible.

The priority of the project will be lower than the priority of operational activities for project team members involved in the project on part-time.

In most cases, we can assume that if an employee is included in the project team spends less than 50% of their working time on your project, then it will be the priority of the main activities of the project work is always higher for him.

PROBLEMS ARE USUALLY FASED BY A PROJECT MANAGER

  The management of company or business unit usually:

Often afraid to bring in a specialist or a company, because they do not believe that they will delve into all the details of the company's business.

For an internal project manager first of all usually pays attention to the subject specialists or managers who are closest to the project scope.

Underestimate the complexity of projects and the need to use a large number of competencies is a characteristic feature.

Believe that they understand how to implement the project.

WHAT ABOUT REAL LIFE IN A NON-PROJECT COMPANY?

CASE-STUDY. INCEPTION

IT director has been chosen as project manager because:

He is versed in the subject area of the project.

He has a good relationship with the technicians who will form the project team.

He has the confidence of management, as he has worked in the company for a few year and showed an aptitude for his role.

The CEO thinks that the IT Director can easily deal with the management of the project (and if he needs help, he always will get it).

Project management tools and techniques were used:

Weekly reporting MS Project as a tool for planning and reporting.

What was indicated during the project:

The staff had great difficulty with the evaluation and reporting of the working time spent on the project.

PM good relationship with the technicians were based on the fact that they were not accountable to him before.

The members of the project didn’t understand the meaning of tasks.

As a result IT Director has decided to resign from the company because of his current responsibilities were for him incomprehensible and he stopped to see the benefits of their work in the company.

CASE-STUDY. RESULTS

It is desirable that PM should have knowledge in the subject area of the project.

Flexible in approaches, both in the use of methods and tools (hard skills), and in dealing with people (soft skills).

REQUIREMENTS TO PROJECT MANAGER

Leader and mentor.

Communication skills and ability to belief of the people.

This may sound strange, but your colleagues can do many tasks well in your project largely because of the good attitude personally to you!

Sergey Korolev – the outstanding project manager in modern history. Hi organized and carried out the first manned flight into space.

He brought all the skills that we require from today's project managers to the Absolute.

He was an outstanding organizer, and was able to find an approach to all people.

He had outstanding expertise in his subject area.

He knew how to make difficult decisions under enormous risks and enormous pressure from external factors.

OUTSTANDING PROJECT MANAGER EXAMPLE

Project Manager role seems very attractive to practitioners, even in the long-term period of 10 - 15 years.

Profession has long been recognized. All major universities have long been in the active training programs in

project management.

DIFFERENCES IN ATTENTION TO PM AND PgM IN EUROPE AND RUSSIA

Project Manager role seems as an intermediate stage in the career for a period not exceeding 5 years.

Project Manager profession has not yet been entered in the register of professions.

Universities started to include the discipline in training programs less than 5 years ago.

Russia:

Europe:

Try to choose people for whom participation in the project itself can be a motivator.

Try to keep the project team members allocated to the project to 100% of their working time.

One person who can play multiple roles in a project with a full load is preferable then rather than two different employees engaged with loading of 50% or less.

You should be the manager of the motivational fund all project team members to have real power to the management team.

Team member’s salary will depend by the results of work performed him on the project.

These recommendations do not cancel your leadership role in the project.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO PROJECT MANAGERS IN THE NON-PROJECT CULTURE

PROJECT MANAGEMENT STANDARDS AND METHODOLOGIES

Standards and methodologies combine the experience of many experts’ practitioners, from various sectors.

They offer a set of standardized business processes and roles.

PRINCE2 and PMI PMBoK standardize business processes of project management.

IPMA CB or GAPPS standardize the requirements to project.

Important note:

Recommender business processes, need adaptation to comply with companies maturity in project management.

Projects are very different in nature and scale (budget & time).

Requirements and guidelines should be dependent on size and complexity.

You should be flexible in approach. It is advisable to structure the various types of projects and use

profiles of requirements and approaches depending on project’s type.

Profiling may concern methods of project financing and may relate to the requirements for project managers.

THE NEED FOR PROFILING OF APPROACHES TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECTS

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Organizations:

Flexibility is needed trough the approaches, methods and tools of project management.

It is recommended to use profiling according to the type of a project.

Well-recognized and recommended methodologies and tools should be adopted.Project Manager:

Communication skills are of great importance.

Subject area understanding.

Highly qualified, but also has strong nerves.

Understand future carrier clearly.

THANK YOU.I wish you luck in your projects.

Questions?

Oleg Tumasov, PMP, PRINCE2, MSPEditor@pmmagazine.ru

Editor-in-ChiefProject Management Magazine (Russia)