| In an IT systems context, contingent project | | | | ensure that the appropriate processes are selected |
| management ("CPM") is the ability to select an | | | | for a project and that they are applied judiciously so |
| appropriate methodology to apply to and successfully | | | | that the project is not strangled by administration |
| deliver a project, tuning the method as the project | | | | and red-tape. |
| proceeds. 'Contingent Leadership Style' is analogous. | | | | This choking of projects by heavy methods was |
| Wikipedia (Fiedler) provides an explanation of | | | | observed by the author in an investment bank. The |
| contingent leadership. | | | | project managers running a large number of smaller |
| Yes, a project manager can have a contingent | | | | projects were unable to meet the centralised project |
| leadership style, but may not have a contingent | | | | reporting requirements imposed on them, leading to |
| project management approach. | | | | frustration in the managers, frustration in the |
| Let us look at a range of project management | | | | programme office, and frustration in and with the |
| framework processes: | | | | 'methodology police'. The recommended solution was |
| Waterfall (gather requirements, design, build, test, | | | | to |
| deliver, train) - the 'traditional' way of building | | | | - Prioritise the projects according to risk (measured |
| systems. This worked well for systems where the | | | | on several dimensions), report project status on an |
| rate of business and technology change was low, | | | | 'exceptions' basis, and tune reporting frequency to |
| having grown out of engineering and construction. It | | | | project risk. |
| still works well in a construction (civil engineering) | | | | This levelled the project managers' workload, and the |
| context, where generally, the rate of technology | | | | centralised need for control of risk and comfort. |
| change is low. Requirements of a building may change | | | | So, what of contingent project management? |
| during construction, but the rate of scope creep is | | | | It is clear that a significant degree of experience is |
| still low as compared with many IT projects. In the | | | | necessary to be able to select the appropriate |
| right circumstances, it can still work well with IT | | | | methodology for a project, and the programme |
| projects. | | | | board is not always best placed to decide for |
| Agile methods (gather and prioritise requirements, | | | | reasons mentioned earlier - investment and political |
| design a prototype, test, deliver, re-cycle - design, | | | | capital for example. |
| build, test, deliver, train and go live). On the scale of | | | | An effective project manager will have |
| low risk/low complexity to high risk/high complexity | | | | - the wisdom and experience to select the correct |
| some of the methodologies would be: XP, Scrum, | | | | tool for the job based on his or her perception of |
| DSDM ®, RUP ®. Note that risk and | | | | the risk profile; the ability to persuade the |
| complexity do not always equate - some low | | | | programme board or sponsor of the relevance of the |
| complexity systems can have profound organisational | | | | methodology and the basis of selection; worked with |
| risk associated with them. | | | | a number of methodologies experience enabling the |
| Prince ® could be used in either of these | | | | 'heavy' or 'light' touch application of a methodology; |
| contexts for governance of the project on a wider | | | | an innate sense of the risks and their relative |
| organisational scale, or locally on a smaller scale. | | | | salience, meaning that a focus is developed and |
| Indeed, the advent of Prince2 moved the | | | | maintained on the things that matter; finally, the |
| methodology into a wider non-IT specific context. | | | | ability to dynamically tune the methodology to |
| Agile methodologies are most appropriate for | | | | circumstances without loss of control (finance, |
| example where requirements are unclear at the | | | | timeline and quality), as the 'things that matter' |
| outset, and/or the technology is new or being | | | | change |
| stretched, and/or a new business model is being | | | | Dynamic tuning means applying the tool judiciously - |
| adopted (to name just a few reasons). The range of | | | | some projects may require very high levels of |
| Agile methods also relate to scale of project and | | | | stakeholder communication, others will have to be |
| team size. | | | | highly focused on technology/ performance and |
| Sophisticated organisations may have their own 'pet' | | | | proof of concept, others may have political |
| methodology, maybe having invested heavily | | | | governance issues, new or immature business |
| (financially, managerially and politically) in developing | | | | models, and so on. Some projects, of course, will |
| their way of doing things, even 'branding' the | | | | exhibit all of these risks and more beyond. This list |
| methodology. After all this investment, they will want | | | | and balance of risks will change significantly during the |
| to 'sweat this asset'. Projects will have to fit into the | | | | lifecycle of the project. In addition to ongoing Risk |
| corset they impose - this can cause strangulation at | | | | review, CPM requires ongoing process review and |
| the extreme, building a high probability of failure into | | | | change. |
| a project, even before it is initiated. | | | | How is it that more than 30% of projects fail? It is |
| After all, Prince ® was developed in the UK Public | | | | because failing projects continue in the same old vein, |
| Sector (and the UK Government still has massive | | | | without contingent project management being |
| problems delivering projects). At the top end of | | | | deployed and the management not responding |
| projects, Prince is often seen as excessivley | | | | appropriately to changes in risks. |
| bureaucratic, but it shouldn't be like that. CPM should | | | | |