triangle of want, time – cost – features/quality/defects

pick 2

“It all boils down to communication“

Nobody told me there was a communication problem !

As a programme manager I’d start off looking at all the work streams and getting the PMs in to give their view of things on each of their projects but assume most of this is either deliberate bullshit or they’re repeating (unknowingly) bullshit fed to them by the implementation team.

Look for the projects that are succeeding and find out why (PM? size? implementation team? lack of scope creep?) and see if you can spread those to the other projects.

Is the programme failing on budget or delivery times (or both)?

IME programme managers have very little influence on the individual projects, other than prioritising resources at a more strategic level – sadly though that prioritisation is all too often to satisfy short-term client demands rather than help the programme long-term.

I work on the implementation side of ICT projects and IME the problem ones are where the implementation teams aren’t engaged early enough (if you set budgets and timescales without talking to us then you’ll, at best, get a version of the project that fits in with those constraints – rather than what the client actually needs).

Oh and make sure the client requirements are clear for each project – one project I was on went back to re-design phase a couple of weeks back after they realised it was pointless implementing something without a clear set of requirements from the client (we pointed this out months back but it was ignored as the client wanted ‘something’ urgently)

My #1 tip would be to find out what the _real_ success criteria (and metrics for accessing them) for the project are (hint: it’s never hitting milestones, or coming in on budget) and focus on meeting them.

Forget the triangle talk; you can deliver a successful project that is late, over budget and low quality.

If there genuinely are not measurable success criteria, or they’re long forgotten or no longer relevant; then get the project shit-canned on this basis because otherwise it’s a death-march doomed to fail.

Give the following a good coat of close scrutiny:
1. The business case
2. The business requirements & compliancy matrix/criteria (functional and non-functional requirements)
3. Risk register
4. Who’s accepting it into steady state, against what test scenarios/criteria? What’s their view of project?

Look at ITIL Service Design & Service Transition stuff in parallel with your PRINCE2 notes.

Time/cost/quality, once you’ve base-lined, then time and cost will by definition be fixed (ie you’ll end up de-scoping)

I work on the implementation side of ICT projects and IME the problem ones are where the implementation teams aren’t engaged early enough (if you set budgets and timescales without talking to us then you’ll, at best, get a version of the project that fits in with those constraints – rather than what the client actually needs).

+1

I was once ‘given’ a project where the budget and timescale had already been committed to (acquisition, and we to get off the sellers’ systems). Although when I was asked to do it I didn’t know it had been agreed as I came back after a day or so and quoted 12 months and £500k, to then find out the Acquisitions Director had already told the Board it’d be 6 months and £250k…

We delivered under-budget and under-time – that’d be MY time and budget 🙂

At least they’d learnt by the time of the next acquisition, and got me involved at the ‘open books’ stage.

It’s been said above but talk to people. Face to face. So much of communication is non-verbal and you’ll get a much better feel for how things are going if you’re looking at the person. They might also say things they’d be reluctant to write down.

Hold on, you’re a Programme Manager with Project Managers under you? That’s a win! Weekly meetings with the PMs, individually and together, and put your feet up the rest of the time!

I’ve just read on another thread that you work within the Public Sector, so the key thing you need to do is find out from whichever Politician it is that is responsible for your ‘area’ what they’ve promised.

Because if they’ve promised delivery then money will be no object. 🙂

And if they’ve not promised anything, park it.