Boss is Discussing Project  With A ROOKIE PROEJCT MANAGER

Boss: HI TINA, HOW IS THE NEW PROJECT COMMING ALONG? HOPE YOU HAVE MADE WORK BREADOWN STRUCTURE FOR THIS PROJECT?

Tina: IT'S ON TRACK, BOSS. AND YES, WE HAVE CREATED THE W.B.S. FOR THIS PROJECT

Boss: HOPE IT IS BROKEN DOWN TO THE LEVEL.


Tina: YES BOSS, I KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAM BREAKS IN TODAY'S TIMES. I HAVE CONSIDERD IT APPROPRIATELY WHILE BREAKING DOWN THEPROJECT WORK.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
WBS is a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables.

Monthly project review is in progress

Boss: Dev, how is the progress on the new project?

Dev: All good! And we are tracking it weekly?

Boss: Good! So do we have the earned value for this project?

Dev: OfCourse yes! We've earned a lot of appreciation from the client for the project progress so far

Earned Value
It is the Monetary Value of the work that was actually completed by the control date. It provides data for pro-active management action and basis for effective decision-making.

Project review meeting with the new project manager

Boss: Sam, I hope the project is on track. Can I see the burn down chart?

Sam: Sure Boss, right away!

Sam: Here you go! The burn down chart of the project!

Burn down Chart
A burn down chart is a graphical representation of work left to do versus time.  Burn down charts are a run chart of outstanding work. It is useful for predicting when all of the work will be completed.

Boss: Joe, we have received an escalation from the customer on the quality. Have the regular quality reviews been conducted for the project?

Joe: Of course, Boss! We have a dedicated testing team regularly doing it.

Boss: What about code reviews? And other quality reviews?

Boss: Why is the quality compromised there?

Joe: Well, umm...I thought, Testing = Quality

Joe(Thinking): Looks like testing times are up ahead for me!

Boss: Just make sure, you don't allow it to be a "Average Joe" project.

Project Quality Management
Project quality management involves all the activities involved to determine quality policies, objectives, and procedures in an organization to support continuous process improvement activities.

Monthly project review meeting

Boss: Dev, your project is lagging, aren't we tracking it regularly?

Dev: Yes, we do daily standups

Dev: Yes, Sir. The challenge is that in these online standup meetings, sometimes I can't figure out where the team is standing.

Boss: So, any specific reason why the project is slipping?

Project Management Tools
Apart from daily standup meetings, tools such as dashboards for project monitoring with provision to have real-time visualization with appropriate alerts can make a huge difference in monitoring project status.

Dev: Boss, we just received the software application that we had ordered from this new vendor.

Boss: That’s great news! Now get started with your project without wasting a minute.

Dev: But Boss, the bad news is that the software is crashing frequently. In spite of the specifications provided, the software is not compatible with the hardware.

Boss: Oh is it? Why don’t you call them and check? Besides the lowest price, they claimed they had good after-sales services.

Dev: I have been trying several times since the last two days but no solution in sight. I am just being pushed from pillar to post.

Boss: Be patient, Dev. Good things take time.

Dev (thinking): Oh yeah, and so will this project.

Project Procurement Management
The single greatest decision on many projects is selecting a vendor to provide software or services. Sometimes, the method used for soliciting, evaluating and negotiating with vendors, are not done “according to the book” which is when the results of the decisions made are most likely to result in problems during project execution.

Boss: So Dev, what did you want to talk to me about so urgently?

Dev: I have been reading articles on disruptive technologies and understood how AI is set to take over routing project management functions. It's time we reskill the team on new technologies.

Dev: This way it will allow project managers to focus on social and creative skills, update domain knowledge, and skills where manual intervention may be needed.

Boss: Dev, you and your team are getting lazier by the day. We need to first fix your mindset, forget knowing more about disruptive technologies.

Dev (thinking): I am wondering how to disrupt his conventional mindset.

Project Management Technology Quotient
Understanding the potential uses of technology is as important as understanding process improvement strategies and best practices. PMTQ skillset is the ability to adapt, manage and integrate technology based on the needs of the organization or the project at hand.

Boss: Dev, I heard you have placed the order for new desktop machines with a new vendor.

Dev: Yes, Boss! That's correct.

Boss: Dev, but we already have reliable vendors on our preferred vendor's list. So why go for the new one?

Dev: Because this vendor is least expensive, plus he has committed to deliver our order in two business days. Moreover, he is not going to charge us maintenance fees in the first year.

Boss: How can we rely on him without verifying his credibility? What if he fails to meet our expectations?

Dev: Boss, the deal was too sweet not be explored. Also, I trust my gut feeling on this one.

Boss: Dev, with this sweet deal I hope we don't have to swallow a bitter pill. Forget your gut feeling, this sounds like a gutsy move.

Project Procurement Management
Project managers need to have a clear understanding of supplier capabilities. Placing high expectations on a new supplier to quickly complete a procurement deal beyond their capability can be disastrous eventually if the claims are not verified in advance.

Boss: Dev, we are starting that new IT infrastructure project next month for our client and we need to get new database systems, servers, and desktops.

Dev: Ok, will initiate work on the procurement process.

A few weeks later...

Boss: Dev, what we have received is not up to the mark.

Dev: huh

Dev: Really! We literally juiced blood out of stone from the lowest bidder and got the best price for the products the team asked for. So what went wrong?

Boss: Exactly my point! It looks like we set our sights too low and got what we paid for.

Project Procurement management
It's a common fact that costs play a vital role in the procurement process. We often find businesses focussing on low-cost bids even when the effects are detrimental to the product's quality. In innumerable scenarios, the quality aspect gets short-changed to save cost and management underestimates the impact of quality risk.

Dev: Are you sure you want all these features in your product? More than half of these don't align with your objectives. It's going to get complex.

Client: Remember, I am the client and I know the best! I want all these features as I want my product to be comprehensive so that it caters to all our customers. It will be a piece of cake, really!

Dev(thinking): I worry that this cake will not be worth the candle.

Project Requirements Management
Collecting requirements for a project is a very vital part. This process forms the basis for project scope definition. This process contributes to the success or failure of a project. It's all about managing stakeholder needs & requirements to meet project objectives.

Dev: Swami, on today's call for gathering the requirements I want you to take charge as I will not be able to join the call.

Dev: Make sure you gather all the possible requirements needed. Getting the client on a long call is rare. He is a busy person, you see.

Swami: Got it!

Next Day...

Dev: Swami, how did the call go?

Swami: Quite productive. I started with small talk on hobbies to warm up the conversation and we realized we both share a common interest... Golf!

Swami: This call was a perfect tee off! But by the time we came around to discuss the requirements, we had run out of time. Don't worry, we plan to meet for a round of golf soon. We will continue the discussion over there.

Dev(thinking): This performance does not even deserve a golf clap.

Swami: Slurrrrrp!!

Project Requirements Management
For requirements gathering, the project manager needs to identify a resource that has facilitation skills, technical skills, domain skills, and listening skills, etc. Collecting requirements for a project is a very vital part. Collect requirements process helps to define project scope during scope management.

Boss: Dev, meet your new team members for the upcoming project. They have the best Agile expertise in the industry.

Dev: But Boss, we haven't yet started discussing the high-level plans for the project. How do we know we are going agile?

Boss: Dev, the management is planning to do all projects using Agile methodologies as we want to make the organization fully agile in the future.

Boss: So stop putting the spoke in the wheel of our agile journey.

Dev: huh!

Dev(Thinking): Even monkeys are known to be agile!

Choosing the right project management methodology
All approaches to project delivery have a place within highly flexible and agile organizations. Organizations need to choose their method based on project characteristics and organizational needs, as well as the ability to minimize risks, control costs, and increase value.

Boss: Team, here is the entire plan for our upcoming project. What's your analysis?

Swami: Wow, this looks like an elaborate and rational plan.

Dev: Boss, when there is not much project information available is there is a need for a detailed plan for the entire project. Instead, I suggest we use Rolling Wave Planning.

Boss: Dev, you were told to analyze the plan and not over-analyze. I would rather see you rolling up your sleeves and get the project rolling.

Dev(Thinking): I somehow don't get a good feeling. Hope I am proved wrong.

Rolling Wave Planning
Rolling Wave Planning is "an iterative panning technique in which work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in details, while the work in future is planned at a higher level."

Boss: Team, thanks for being here on short notice. I called this kick-off meeting to start  work on our new project plan.

Dev: But Boss, Jay our lead developer for this project is on leave. His input and presence in today's meeting is much required. Could we schedule this meeting for later?

Boss: Oh! Did I miss telling you all that I will be on vacation in the wild jungles of Africa in the coming days? And contacting me would be difficult, So let's wrap up the meeting today without Jay and his inputs.

Dev: Without Jay in the meeting, he will surely be walking on the wild side even after he comes back from vacation.

Collect Requirements
Collect Requirements is an essential part of any project and project management. It is the process of determining, documenting, and managing stakeholder needs and requirements to meet objectives. The key benefit of this process is that it provides the basis for defining the product scope and project scope.

Client: So Dev, you want the design requirements for this website project, right? Here you go...

Client: The design has to be detailed yet minimalist. It should look modern yet be classic. White space should be effectively used...

Client: Call for action thingy and stuff like that should be prominent. Basically, we should reduce user's cognitive effort while navigating.

Dev (Thinking): How about reducing my cognitive effort to understand these vague requirements?!

Project Requirements Management
Requirement issues should be addressed very early in the project life cycle because design problems based on poor requirements lead to design issues that are more difficult and expensive to resolve after project development is well underway.

Boss: Dev, could you give me a quick update on the kick-off meeting that took place yesterday for the new project.

Dev: Boss, the project is under-resourced and has tight deadlines too.

Boss: Oh that's OK. That is always the case.

Dev: Oh yeah. And one more thing. We have decided to use agile methodologies to execute this project.

Boss: What!!! Now that does not sound good at all. We are not going agile at any cost.

Boss: Dev, if you remember, we used agile methodologies last time and the project failed miserably. It was a big mistake. Once bitten, twice shy!

Dev (thinking): Reminds me of the old adage, "A bad workman blames his tools".

Choosing the right project management methodology for success
Choosing the right project management methodology for your project is the first step to success. Some of the key considerations while choosing the right methodology are organizational strategic goals and core values, key business drivers, constraints, stakeholders, risks, complexity and project size and cost.

Dev: Boss, the Phase I of Project Nebulous is not complete and we cannot start Phase II which is dependent on it. Hence, I see the project getting delayed.

Boss (thinking): Project is critical but we don't have extra time or resources. I need to think of some way out. Think Think Think!

Boss: Why don't we implement the project using Agile approaches. Faster and Flexible with same resources.

Dev: But Boss, Agile is not about "Doing more with less". Moreover, Agile practices are not suitable For executing this particular project.

Boss: Isn't it how everyone in project management Field is doing their projects?!

Dev (thinking): I am sure he will change his mind when he realizes that creating agile environment starts with servant leadership.

Project Management Approaches
At project kickoff, dedicate considerable time to define exactly which approach will be used and the rationale behind the decision. It's about sizing up the project and the team, and then making it work.

Boss: Ravi, I have some bad news for you. The management has decided to downsize you and your team.
Ravi: huh! What?

Ravi: Boss, this is so unfair. The team has always performed beyond expectations and you know that well. Then why?

Boss: Ravi, this has nothing to do with performances. The organization has decided to adopt agile approaches and practices for managing projects henceforth.

Boss: So we won’t need project managers like you any more.
Ravi: eh!!

Boss: I hope you understand me.
Ravi (thinking): Of course I do understand you and your ignorance about the fact that there is no “one-size-fits all” approach to managing projects.

Project Management Approaches
To lead your project to success, there are many methods — agile, waterfall, hybrid, and many more — and often no single approach will do. It’s important to find the right method to match the needs and requirements of your project.