the project status & the portfolio

Ned JohnsonDirector, Project Management - Team Detroit@nedjohn

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Project Status & the Portfolio

STATUS

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• Importance of status

• The complexity around audiences for project status and their priorities

• Sample Project & Portfolio Level Reports

• Open conversation

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Topics

Why status?

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Because, after all, don’t let anyone tell you a PM job is just about status reports.

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If you do status right then you can focus on the real work of project management.

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Thinking two steps aheadTeam buildingBarrier bustingRelationship managementStrategic thinkingPlanning

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Always knowing who is supposed to do what by when (and making sure they know it too…)

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You do all that stuff well, then you…

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earn your place at the center of a project…

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Status and the complexities of your audience

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Team size and communication channels

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PMclients

account qa tester

UXAart director

analytics copywriter

strategistdevelopers

business analystclients

account qa tester

UXAart director



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business analystclients

account qa tester

UXAart director



pm

Project 1

Project 2

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accountqa tester

UX art director

analyticscopywriter

finance developers

Senior mngthr

accountqa tester

UX art director

analyticscopywriter

finance developers

Senior mngthr

Seo ola

pm

Agency Sr. Mngt.

Internal Operations

Client Sr. Mngt

Muckety-mucks

N(N-1)/2=your

communication links

N is the number of people interested in your project.

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2(2-1)/2=1

3(3-1)/2=3 4(4-1)/2=6

Things get complicated quickly

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0 5 10 15 20 250

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40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

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Those interested in your project(s)

Com

munic

ati

on L

inks

Different people have really varying levels of interest in project status

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What your audiences are thinking

I am paying a lot of money for this. It

better be cool and done on

time.

My boss is paying a lot of

money for this. It better be cool and

done on time.

I promised a lot when I sold it.

It better be cool and done

on time.

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This is about to start costing the agency

money. What’s going on?

Can you keep them off my

back. Let me work and I

promise it will be cool. Not sure about the on

time or money thing.

Power & Interest

Keep Satisfied

Regular, high level communications.

Is it Red, Yellow or Green and when.

(Sr. Level Client, Agency Leads)

PO

WER

Interest

Manage Closely

Focus your efforts here. Daily communications.

(Your day to day team, including client.)

Monitor

A courtesy phone call or email occasionally.

Keep Informed

Generally weekly, but detailed information.

(Other department leads, agency operations.)

Audiences and Channels of Communications

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•High power, interested people: Manage closely. •Daily standups, actionable meeting minutes, tickets/tasks, issue and change logs, status meetings and reports

•High power, less interested people: Keep satisfied. •Steering committee, monthly report outs, workstream and portfolio level reports

•Low power, interested people: Keep informed. • In-Person quick updates, status reports, email of important activities

•Low power, less interested people: Monitor• Occasional email, quick in-person update

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0 5 10 15 20 250

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

Those interested in your project(s)

Com

munic

ati

on L

inks

Power & Interest

Keep Satisfied

Regular, high level communications.

Is it Red, Yellow or Green and when.

(Sr. Level Client, Agency Leads)

PO

WER

Interest

Manage Closely

Focus your efforts here. Daily communications.

(Your day to day team, including client.)

Monitor

A courtesy phone call or email occasionally.

Keep Informed

Generally weekly, but detailed information.

(Other department leads, agency operations.)

None - The team and I are

inseparable. Does a status report even matter to

them?

Total portfolio view

Project Health (PHS) Status

Report

Workstream Project List

Levels of Status

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Project Team – We communicate all

day, everyday.

Manage Closely, Keep Informed – The project story, with gory details.

Project stories at a glance.

What’s going on in my kingdom.

Ongoing

Spend quality time once/week.

If you do PHS well this should be

automatic.

If you do PHS well this should be

automatic.

Tool Who & Purpose Frequency

If you set up a few rules, keeping all those audiences happy doesn’t have to mean a unique, customized report for each audience.

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The Project Health Status Report

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Core Project Information

What just happened, and what’s happening next.

Key project milestones. A common language.

Risks and issues. OK, you want the truth?

Project Health Status Report Manage Closely

Keep Informed

Core Project Information:

• Common naming, numbering scheme

• Key project member names

• Project health color

• High level project summary

• Description of key project issue if yellow or red

RedThere is a problem and at this time we do not have a plan to correct it.

YellowThere is a problem, but we have a plan to correct it.

Green All is well.

Project Health Status ReportManage Closely

Keep Informed

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What just happened, and what’s happening next.

• Key accomplishments

• Planned activities

• The status of those planned activities.

Project Health Status ReportManage Closely

Keep Informed

Common Milestones

• Key milestones, using the same naming convention on each project

• There can be additional milestones in the plan

• Assume many items will run simultaneously

Manage Closely

Keep Informed

Project Health Status Report

Core Project Information

• Key milestones, using the same naming convention on each project

• Project Plan milestones populate portfolio level charts

Project Plan

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Core Project Information Key project milestones. A common language.

Milestone Project Name PM Client Name Project Manager Account Manager Percent

CompleteProject Health Project Summary Project Goals SOW Approval Wireframe

ApprovalAnalytics Plan Creative

ReviewCreative Approval

EHO QA Handoff Acceptance Testing

Go Live

5785-E-MYCO-Lincoln 2016 MKZ MYCO Jim Peters Sharma; Gunjan Miser; Paul 2/17/2015 2/27/2015 4/7/2015

4413-B-SITE-Lincoln 2014 Concierge 2_5 Discovery

Jim Peters Sharma; Gunjan Miser; Paul 10/15/2014 11/13/2014 1/23/2015 1/23/2015 2/20/2015 3/27/2015 5/12/2015 5/28/2015

4414-B-SITE-Lincoln Conierge 2_5 Desgin - Deploy 2015


4415-B-SITE-Lincoln 2015 Concierge Ongoing Maintenance


4416-B-SITE-Lincoln AEM Transition and Concierge 3_0 Discovery


4417-B-SITE-Lincoln 2015 AEM and Concierge 3_0 - Design to Development


Project Health

Workstream Project List (e.g. Ford Truck)Keep

Satisfied

Keep Informed

• Core project information from Project Plan meta data fields (pull down menus)

• Project Plan milestones populate portfolio level charts

• Project Plan health indicator populates portfolio level charts

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Portfolio ViewKeep

Satisfied

Keep Informed

• All data driven from project plans

• All active and planned projects available with filters

• Project Plan start and end dates

• Health, % Complete, Go Live Dates

Project Owner Name PM Project Health Project Name Percent Completed

Status Go Live

Nykiel; Debbie Red 5624-E-SITE-Ford 2014 CMS Content Migration - Phase 3

18 9/12/14 - This project covers UI development; change mgmt and content migration from NGBS to AEM. Specifications UAT to complete by 9/16 - migration to

Husted; Tracy Green 8521-G-PLTF-Ford 2015 Ka Directors Chair Global Digital Launch

87 QA in progress with FPO assets. Tech team still waiting on videos from the TVC to implement. Delay of receiving videos is putting this project at risk.

10/15/2014

Ormos; Natalie Yellow 9191-O-TSUV-Ford 2015 Expedition Launch - OLA

44 Paid Digital Advertising production in support of the 2015 Expedition Launch. Yahoo making updates from our feedback. No I/O issued yet and production can't begin

10/20/2014

Sheibar; Andy Yellow 4285-B-SITE-Ford 2013 Social Redesign 54 10/30/2014

Kalousdian; Katherine Red 9193-O-CCUV-Ford 2015 Mustang Launch Display - OLA - Mobile

74 Mustang Launch OLA plan. STATUS: New In market date is Oct 8th. Design assets are routing and being revised as

10/31/2014

Brzuszek; Elaine Yellow 4384-B-ONGO-2014 Content Studio - Coastal Beat

70 Content Studio always on for Super Segment Sustainment. Green bag creative ready for 7/26 onsite l ive date. Working on social posts as well as VOX proposal.

11/12/2014

House; Leslie Green 5761-E-MYCO-Lincoln 2015 MKC Black Label - PDM Reveal

0 BP @ MYCO. 11/21/2014

Brzuszek; Elaine Green 9188-O-ONGO-Super Segment Sustainment - OLA

75 Overarching plan for the ongoing support of the Super Segment Sustainment project Core team. Updates in status

12/11/2014

House; Leslie Green 5765-E-MYCO-Ford 2016 Medium Duty - PDM Reveal

0 PDM Project only. Possible scope change to include configurator. No BP configuration requested for CY 2014.

12/18/2015

Levine; Heather Red 4398-B-ONGO-2014 Content Studio - Coastal Beat Good Cities

76 Sustainment coastal beat project with good.IS. Team is working on influencers l ist, timing, and deliverables with the vendor. SOW to be completed next week with the final

12/19/2014

Sheibar; Andy Green 4325-B-SITE-Ford 2014 YouTube Channel Consolidation

56 12/9/2014

Paruszkiewicz; Steve Green 8504-G-ASTS-Ford 2015 Ka Rich Media Assets

69 4/16/2015

Ditto; Dean Yellow 5634-E-SITE-FL 2013 Mobile CPO Refresh 46 Yellow due to aggressive timeline 4/22/2015

Dupuie; Jody Yellow 9180-O-TSUV-Ford 2015 F-150 Pre-Launch - OLA

76 We Test, You Test Campaign. Missing some go live dates due to traffic, CMP changes and vendor issues.

4/7/2014

House; Leslie Green 5651-E-MYCO-Ford 2016 Explorer- PDM Reveal

0 Brand team working to provide H&As. BP reveal 11/18. 5/29/2015

Dutton; Emily Yellow 4397-B-SITE-2014 Ford Trucks YouTube Refresh

76 You/We Test YouTube Refresh 8/29/2014

Woloszyk; Diane Yellow 4395-B-SITE-2015 Lincoln MKC Launch Campaign

90 TEN content launched via maintenance task 8.4.14. Client approval of MM content week of 8.11.

9/5/2014

• Take time in your company to define your own unique set of core project information.

• Educate clients and all audiences on level of information they should expect and when.

• Make it part of job expectations for project managers to maintain your organizations preferred level of common project details.

• The rock stars figure out how to fill in the grey areas through other formal and informal communications on a project by project.

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Takeaways

If you do status right then you can focus on the real work of project management.

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the project status & the portfolio

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