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Rod Sowden presents MSP 2011 at PMI Sydney Breakfast Meeting

2011-09-06T19:34:43Z

A high energy meeting at PMI Sydney today where Rod Sowden, Author of MSP 2011 described the changes to the framework and how the learnings from P3M3 Assessment have been used to assist in identifying the most common causes of Programme Management Failure.

Rod Sowden – PMI Sydney Breakfast 060911 sponsored by Wired Consulting

Lead Author Rod Sowden Presents Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) 2011

2011-08-30T19:36:16Z

Programme Management isn’t easy, and there are a number of key concepts that need to be understood and fit together. In this presentation, the OGC Lead Author, Rod Sowden introduces the latest version of Managing Successful Programmes, 2011

Rod will explain the key concepts of the MSP 2011 release and how inputs from P3M3TM assessments were used to improve the latest MSP 2011 methodology.

Rod Sowden left a career at the BBC in 2002 to found Aspire Europe Ltd, an organisation dedicated to improving organisations delivery of change programmes.

Tuesday 6th September

Amora Jamieson Hotel

Jamieson Street (near Wynyard station)

From: 7:00 am for 7:30 am start to: 9:00 am.

Free to Members. Guests are welcome at a cost of $30 pp.

This event is limited to 50 people. Registrations will close on 2nd Sept 2011 or when event capacity is reached. Any issues please contact our office 02-9484 8732. Click here to register.

Lead Author Rod Sowden Presents Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) 2011

2011-08-30T09:00:10Z

Rod will explain the key concepts of the MSP 2011 release and how inputs from P3M3TM assessments were used to improve the latest MSP 2011 methodology.

Rod Sowden left a career at the BBC in 2002 to found Aspire Europe Ltd, an organisation dedicated to improving organisations delivery of change programmes.

Tuesday 6th September

Amora Jamieson Hotel

Jamieson Street (near Wynyard station)

From: 7:00 am for 7:30 am start to: 9:00 am.

Free to Members. Guests are welcome at a cost of $30 pp.

This event is limited to 50 people. Registrations will close on 2nd Sept 2011 or when event capacity is reached. Any issues please contact our office 02-9484 8732. Click here to register.

Best Practice Showcase, Canberra Hyatt, 9th September

2011-08-25T23:19:27Z

The Best Practice Showcase is in Canberra on 9th September. If you are interested in the OGC Product set, PRINCE2, MSP, P3M3, P3O, M_o_R, M_o_V, M_o_P then it will be of interest to you.

You can find out more at Best Practice Showcase or download the brochure here: Download document (445Kb)
Best_Practice_Showcase

Wired Consulting will be at the Best Practice Showcase so drop by and say hello!

What is your P3M3 level? Poll started on Linkedin

2011-06-22T22:20:42Z

You may be interested to know, as I am, the comparative overall results of P3M3 assessments that have been undertaken globally and across industries. Hence, to facilitate data gathering, I have established a poll on Linkedin that asks simply: what P3M3 level has your organisation been assessed at?

If you are new to P3M3, the Portfolio, Programme, and Project Management Maturity Model (P3M3) provides a framework with which organisations can assess their current performance in Portfolio Programme and Projects Management through answering a series of structured questions.

Their answers will lead then to a level between 1 and 5. I provide an overview P3M3 here and the official P3M3 Website is here

The assessment can be independently assessed by an Accredited Consultancy Orgainsation, e.g. Wired Consulting, or you can take a P3M3 self-assessment free by downloading the latest version of the P3M3 Self-Assessment questionnaire questionnaire.

Click on the this link to take part in the poll or view the P3M3 Poll results

Implementing P3M3: A Progress Report By David Maybanks from Department of Finance and Deregulation

2011-06-19T21:33:52Z

David Maybanks from Department of Finance and Deregulation is providing an update on the Federal government initiative to implement P3M3 to improve is ability to commission, manage and realise benefits from ICT-enabled projects.

AGIMO is assisting over fifty agencies to implement P3M3 by 30 June 2011.

In this informative presentation will discuss the Agency Capability Initiative, progress of implementation and consider lessons learned along the way.

Topics include: • Agency Capability Initiative

• Update on Implementation

• Emerging themes from Capability improvement Plans

• Other ICT Investment Management

The event is being held by PMI Canberra on 21st June and you can book a place here

How to get started in a career in Project Management

2011-06-03T21:12:06Z

While the effects of the GFC are still being felt across the world, Australia on the whole has largely emerged unscathed. Commentators talk about the number of cranes on a skyline as a very visual display of the signs of an economic boom. If you look at Melbourne’s skyline there have been a number of cranes over the last few years but by contrast Sydney has had relatively few.

So it was the same during the GFC with project management. While it was business as usual in Melbourne, in Sydney it was a different story. I’m not an economist but perhaps the larger international influence in Sydney as compared to Melbourne meant that Sydney saw a dramatic decrease in the demand for project managers as international companies started to tighten their belts and review their project portfolios.

At the time, an online advert for a PM in Sydney may have easily attracted 200 candidates within the first week, and first pass filtering was very necessary. While many candidates without formal qualifications on their CV believed their skills and experience would guarantee interest in reality they would not make it to the second round.

I must state at this time that I am very biased towards education and support wholeheartedly undertaking and maintaining training in your chosen profession. If this can be recognized by an industry standard qualification then all the better.

So which qualifications made the grade? Holding qualifications such as a PMP® or PRINCE2® foundation/practitioner were generally the accepted currency of a qualified project manager.

As I have written about previously in my blog, PMBOK® describes what a Project Manager should know whereas PRINCE2® describes what a Project Manager should do.

So in this context are the qualifications equivalent? No, they aren’t. While I am a big fan of PRINCE2®, you can gain a PRINCE2® Foundation certification after three days of training and undertaking and passing the Foundation Exam. During the course you will have gained a solid understanding of the scope, content, terminology and processes of PRINCE2.

Two days further training and gaining the understanding of the application of PRINCE2® with a project environment and on passing another exam you will be awarded with a PRINCE2® Practitioner exam. So without knowing anything about Project Management at the start, spend five days with a good trainer and you can become a PRINCE2® Practitioner.

By contrast obtaining a PMP® requires:

• A four-year degree (bachelor’s or the global equivalent) and at least three years of project management experience, with 4,500 hours leading and directing projects and 35 hours of project management education.

• A secondary diploma (high school or the global equivalent) with at least five years of project management experience, with 7,500 hours leading and directing projects and 35 hours of project management education. Plus an Exam on the principles and use of PMBOK®.

So both the PMP® and PRINCE2® Practitioner have the same requirement to pass an exam and roughly have the same amount of training (approx. 35hrs) whether online on classroom. However, the big difference in the PMP® is the requirement to prove that you have had three years of project management experience, with 4,500 hours leading and directing projects.

So on balance which one is preferable? Well it depends; a PRINCE2® qualification is easier to obtain but currently is not such a widely adopted standard compared to PMBOK®. To be qualified in PMBOK® requires a PMP® or CAPM®(Associate) which takes much longer to obtain but potentially provides more opportunity as the PMBOK® framework is more widely adopted in Australia.

Although today most Australian companies adhere to a PMBOK® based methodology, there are early signs that PRINCE2® will become the methodology of choice in the medium to long term. For a start, the results of the Gershon review into the Australian Government’s use of project management for ICT projects recommended implementation of PRINCE2® based practices. And commercial industry is starting to follow suit, with a small number of companies introducing PRINCE2® into their PMO’s.

So before deciding which path to choose, it is worthwhile researching the companies and industry of interest to you and determining which methodology is preferred now, and what the trends are for the future.

Secondly, take a look at your own experience and skillset. If you have already been a practicing project manager for a number of years and meet the requirements for PMP®, then by all means head down that path. If you have limited experience, then PRINCE2® is a good methodology to obtain quickly although may limit the companies that you will appeal to.

Overall, if you can get qualified then you should. Whether you do it now or later it will help you stay at the top of the pack.

Philip Reid PMP®, PRINCE2® Practitioner and Registered Consultant Associate Director, Membership, PMI Sydney

What are your project management strengths?

2011-04-14T21:27:03Z

If, like me, your corporate life has involved annual or quarterly appraisals you may be cynical about a process that predominately focuses on your weaknesses and how you can improve them. Then maybe its time to think differently?

I’ve been a fan of Clifton StrengthsFinder for a number of years. What attracts me about the insight that Strengthsfinder brings is the realisation that its normal to be good at only a few things and be “average” at the majority of things.

How refreshing is to realise that you cant do everything and your strengths can be summarised to a only 5 out of 34 categories. So what happens with the other 29? Once you recognise what you are good at you can surround yourself with others who have different strengths from your own and can complement your strengths.

So what strengths are best for a Programme and Project Managers?

Well here is my opinion:

Programme Manager:

Core Strengths

Individualization Maximiser Command

Secondary Attributes

Communication Developer Focus Achiever Arranger Positivity Arranger

Project Manager

Core Strengths

Achiever Arranger Focus

Secondary Attributes

Communication Deliberative Discipline Individualization Maximiser Positivity Responsibility

Project Coordinator

Core Strengths Discipline Arranger Focus

Secondary Attributes

Communication Harmony Achiever Consistency Analytical Input Responsibility

Its worth exploring strengthsfinder more and adding it to your own personal portfolio. You can also consider using strengthsfinder as a way to understand and maximise your project team.

Leave a comment and I’ll send a copy to the best 5.

Using PRINCE2® with PMBOK® and Agile®

2011-04-05T22:30:23Z

Companies often ask whether they should base their Project Delivery Framework on PRINCE2® (OGC Projects in Controlled Environments) , PMBOK® (PMI Project Management Body of Knowledge) or Agile®.

Unfortunately it isn’t that simple!

PRINCE2® sets out what a project manager (and others in the project management team) should do whereas PMBOK® sets out what a project manager should know. In comparison Agile® sets out how to do it.

PRINCE2®, being less prescriptive on how the job should be done doesn’t insist that Earned Value Analysis is performed or even that a Gantt Chart is produced unlike PMBOK®. PRINCE2® also omits discussion of people or contract management which are both contained within PMBOK®. Generally PRINCE2® provides guidance on the essential elements of managing a project without imposing techniques or tools. What PRINCE2® does stipulate is the use of a Business Case throughout the project lifecycle to ensure the project outputs continue to align with the needs of the business. Also PRINCE2® recommends that complex projects are broken into defined stages to allow for review and re-validation of the project before continuing with the next stage.

PRINCE2® and PMBOK both agree on using a breakdown structure (PBS for PRINCE2 and WBS for PMBOK) for breaking the project into discrete work packages or deliverables. PRINCE2® comprehensively defines the requirements and acceptance criteria of the work packages but doesn’t describe how to deliver them. This is where an Agile® approach can be very useful for work package delivery.

Several comparisons have been made between PRINCE2® and the PMBoK and if you want to know more this one from AMPG is worth a read – Download document (251Kb)
PRINCE2_and_PMBOK

Phil Reid

Clicks and Mortar

2011-03-31T19:58:29Z

As I was clicking through this weeks portfolio report, I was reminded of a story I had heard some time ago. The story goes something like this:

Three bricklayers were on a building site on a hot summer’s day. A stranger approached them and asked them what they were doing. The first one replied gruffly “I’m laying bricks, what does it look like?” The second replied, “I’m laying bricks to build a wall.” The third replied with pride saying, “I’m laying bricks to build a Cathedral!”

Whether the story is true or not doesn’t matter; what matters is what we can glean from it – that the correct attitude and a clear vision not only determine the level of project success, but also the enjoyment that people gain from it.

In a project context, whenever I take on a project I remind myself about this story and ask myself who on the project team are simply laying bricks, who are building a wall and who are building a Cathedral?

If I have a team simply laying bricks; simply following the project lifecycle processes and filling in templates, then the purpose of the project and vision of the end result hasn’t been clearly communicated, and although the project may complete the end result isn’t going to maximize the true potential.

Conveying a clear vision of the end goal is one of the most important and challenging roles of a project manager. You must also put this in context of the strengths and experience of a team. It’s much easier to use bricks to build a Cathedral when you know what a Cathedral looks like. For the people who haven’t seen one before then you need to assist them with pictures or references to other forms.

For some projects that are delivering something completely new the end point may be very difficult for many to visualise at the start. Here your job as a project manager you must assist by breaking down the project into clear stages with a clear vision for the end of each stage.
Bring you team on the journey: if you can’t get them to be ‘“Cathedral” builders, at least get them building walls. Little successes will build bigger successes over time and stage-by-stage you will be taking your team on the journey to bring the vision to reality.

Deborah Speakman (PRINCE2 Practitioner)Deborah Speakman

Broken Windows

2011-03-09T21:40:07Z

The broken windows theory is a criminological theory of the normsetting and signalling effects of urban disorder and vandalism on additional crime and anti-social behavior.

The theory states that monitoring and maintaining urban environments in a well-ordered condition may prevent further vandalism as well as an escalation into more serious crime.

In a Project Portfolio context where are your broken windows? Which projects have consistently underperformed the average? Which projects have had:

Major change of sponsorship?
Unclear or frequently changing scope?
Multiple project managers?

Good project managers tend to stick with a project that will be successful and move from a project that’s challenged. Is the movement of a PM an early warning signal that the project destined for failure?

PRINCE2® has a strong focus on the business case of a project throughout the life-cycle of a project. Do the business cases of these under-performing projects still stack up? If not why are they still funded?

Don’t ignore the broken project windows, fix them and overall your project “neighborhood” should be much more desirable.

PRINCE2 - Process Diagram

2009-05-24T11:37:03Z

If you use PRINCE2 or are learning about it you will find this process diagram developed by Mike Spain invaluable.

You can download a copy here.

We have arranged to print a small number of the diagrams in colour A2. If you would like a copy (subject to demand) please contact us Contact us.

Is it harder to find good staff in a downturn?

2009-04-20T20:47:31Z

If you are currently trying to find good people this article is well worth a read.

http://blog.summation.net/2009/03/why-hiring-is-paradoxically-harder-in-a-downturn.html

Time to update your Project Management Approach?

2009-03-26T11:13:27Z

With recent revisions of PRINCE2® in final draft and PMBOK® (now V4) published its time to review your own company Project Management Methodology (PMM) to ensure that you are adopting best practices.

An outline of the Changes:

Every 4 years PMI (PMBOK®) and OGC (PRINCE2®) update their standards to reflect current best practice thinking for delivering projects successfully.

For PMBOK® Updating from V3 and V4 sees the following minor changes:

• The processes decreased from 44 to 42. Deleting two processes and adding two processes. In the procurement Knowledge Area reconfiguring six processes into four processes.

• Creation of a data flow diagram for each process.

• Clarification of the information in the Project Charter and the Project Scope Statement.

• Distinction, for clarity, between the project management plan and project documents used to manage the project.

• Deletion of the process flow diagrams at the beginning of chapters 4-12 replaced with data flow diagrams.

• Employment of a standard approach for discussing requested changes, preventive actions, corrective actions and defect repairs.

• Clear definition of Enterprise Environmental Factors to avoid confusion with Organizational Process Assets.

• Addition of a useful new appendix that addresses key interpersonal skills that a project manager utilizes when managing a project.

For PRINCE2® 2009 the following major changes from PRINCE2® 2005 are in draft:

• Most of the Processes will remain the same with some amendment of the sub-process names and the addition or removal of other sub- processes

• The Planning Process will now become a Theme instead of a Process.

Renaming the Components to be renamed Themes and reduced to seven namely:

• Business Case: The why

• Organisation: The who

• Plans: The what, how and when

• Risk: Managing uncertainty

• Progress: Controlling time and costs

• Quality: Assuring the delivery of fit-for-purpose products

• Issues & Changes: Controlling scope

Introduction of a new section called Principles defined as “A guiding obligation for good practice” containing:

• Business Justification: A PRINCE2® project must have continued business justification

• Roles & Responsibilities: A PRINCE2® project must have defined and agreed roles and responsibilities with an organisation structure that engages the business, user and supplier stakeholder interests.

• Product Focus: A PRINCE2®project must focus on products and their quality.

• Product Focus: A PRINCE2® project must focus on products and their quality.

• Managed by stages: A PRINCE2® project must be planned, baselined, monitored and controlled on a stage-by-stage basis.

• Management of risk: A PRINCE2® project must proactively manage its risk.

• Scaling and tailoring: A PRINCE2® project must decide how to apply the method such that it is scaled and tailored to suit the project’s environment, complexity, importance and risk.

• Learning lessons: A PRINCE2® project must learn from experience.

Updated Appendices to the following:

A. Product Descriptions

B. Governance

C. Roles and Responsibilities

D. Product Based Planning Example

E. Checklist Glossary Further information

There will also be an update to the management products in Appendix A to bring these in line with the new Themes and Principles.

Reduction in the number of Product Descriptions to 26.

In addition to the updated Manual “Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2®”, there will also be two new guides on how to use PRINCE2® in Practice. Written for their respective audiences “Directing a Project” and “Managing a Project” contain practical guidance on how to use PRINCE2®, how to troubleshoot projects and also cross references to other Bodies of Knowledge.