| Over the last few years there has been much | | | | threatening the complete project ( or even |
| emphasis on project management methodologies | | | | programme ). This isn't to say that software project |
| such as Prince2. The introduction and roll out of these | | | | managers need to know how to programme for |
| structured techniques helps set expectations | | | | example; but if for instance they don't understand |
| amongst the wider community about what the | | | | the difference between representative and |
| project manager will do, and the manner in which | | | | unrepresentative test harnesses for unit testing then |
| communication will take place. | | | | the system integration could be appallingpainful. |
| For instance the project stakeholders will not be | | | | The team obviously have a vital role to play but the |
| surprised to see a project manager having a set of | | | | team can feel inhibited from telling their boss that he |
| documents including | | | | or she is wrong. Even if the message is delivered it |
| ¨ Business Case, | | | | can be discounted, or confused with a lack of |
| ¨ Project Initiation Document, | | | | discipline. Independents can play a valuable role |
| ¨ Product flow chart | | | | uncovering these and other challenges that the |
| ¨ Product descriptions | | | | project may face. |
| ¨ Highlight reports | | | | Quite apart from the challenges that arise from the |
| ¨ Risk Log. | | | | need to define management deliverables there are |
| The development of the standard processes is | | | | often serious issues with the estimates and |
| obviously helpful as these, together with standard | | | | assumptions made as part of specialist deliverables |
| templates for the documents used, help many | | | | that are to be delivered through the project. These |
| project issues to be anticipated and worked around. | | | | assumptions are of critical significance to the whole |
| In order to be credible the methodologies need to | | | | project and often need a detailed technical and |
| cope with the most complex situations (e.g. Building | | | | business review to bring them to light. The technical |
| the Olympic venues for London 2012) | | | | staff within a project may not be aware their |
| The size and scope of some of the methods can | | | | interpretation of the business requirements has |
| give rise to serious issues as the project manager | | | | embedded unsafe assumptions. |
| seeks to decide which elements from the | | | | Examples of some unsafe assumptions that the |
| methodology can be treated as optional and tries to | | | | author has uncovered during past project reviews |
| downscale the approach to smaller projects. The level | | | | are: |
| of detail or the number of stages of plans is all a | | | | ¨ Expecting the client to synchronize identifiers |
| matter ofjudgement, as is the appropriate | | | | between systems on a regular basis. |
| membership of a supervisory board within a Prince2 | | | | ¨ Misunderstanding the speed of response |
| approach. Sometimes this reduction can be triggered | | | | required to support call centre staff when designing a |
| by external time commercial and time pressures with | | | | complex integration to back office systems. |
| people asking why you don't stop creating | | | | Project reviews |
| documents and get the team to concentrate on | | | | More recently much attention has been given to |
| actually producing something; but it can also be | | | | 'gateway reviews'. In the UK the OGC have published |
| decided by the personnel available to provide the | | | | a gateway review process that organisations may |
| supervisory roles and structures envisaged. | | | | have adopted. It is worth recognising, however, what |
| The project manager and the team | | | | these reviews do well, and what they omit. The |
| The role of the project manager and the team in | | | | reviews focus on 'buy' rather than 'build', and they |
| making sure that the documents and controls are of | | | | ask whether the project management controls are |
| appropriate quality can also sometimes be given | | | | working and the project will deliver the benefits to its |
| insufficient attention. | | | | stakeholder community. The reviews do NOT focus |
| ¨ It is difficult to know when a risk log is | | | | or consider which assumptions may make the project |
| complete. This log is sometimes compiled using | | | | outputs meaningless. This is assumed to be happening |
| brainstorming or other collaborative techniques, but | | | | as part of the project management process. A |
| the obvious need to have few un-mitigated risks can | | | | review that actually looks at the real deliverables can |
| lead to 'game playing'. | | | | be valuable to make sure that the project will still |
| ¨ Deciding on the work breakdown structure | | | | deliver something. |
| and the product interdependencies can be really | | | | Conclusion |
| challenging. | | | | So whilst project management methodology is rightly |
| As project methodologies have become more | | | | seen as a means to avoid some of the more obvious |
| prevalent, the author has noticed a tendency for the | | | | pitfalls that have been seen in projects, practioners |
| subject knowledge of project managers to be | | | | should be wary of assuming that the adoption of a |
| treated by some as less important. The project | | | | particular methodology will be a miracle cure for all |
| manager may be more of a generalist who | | | | projects. |
| understands the process of project management | | | | Once the views of the team and other stakeholders |
| rather than an individual who has experience of the | | | | have been gathered it is worth getting independent |
| particular challenges arising from the activities involved | | | | review to assess your plan and the assumptions. |
| ( e.g. software development, building an airport ). | | | | Periodic refresh as the project unfolds can be |
| There is little substitute for the experience that | | | | worthwhile, depending on the extent of change |
| allows a project manager to judge when a small issue | | | | experienced during the delivery period. |
| is one that will remain small or could grow into a issue | | | | |