Want to Improve your own performance ?
Maximize it by applying project and
project portfolio management principles
to your work!
Shannon Townsend
Nicole Michaud
2009 CES Annual Conference
June 1st, 2009
*The views expressed represent those of the presenters and
not necessarily those of any federal department or agency.
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The Purpose of this Presentation “Project” …
„ Context
„ Introduce the evaluation community to the practice of:
„
„
project management (PM) and
project portfolio management (PPM)
„ With the objective of:
„
„
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Generating an interest in PM principles and their
potential application to improving your performance
— Think more like a project manager
Generating an interest in PPM principles and their
relevance to improving your organization’s evaluation
practice
Defining a Context for PM and PPM
„ Ensuring value through a stronger profession and professional
development are important themes of 2009 CES Conference
−
Of 205 analyzed job postings, most frequently sought
competencies included “supervising and team
management” (53%)(Dewey, Montrosse, Schröter & Sullins,
2008)
„ Evaluation management as a professional practice and core
professional competency (Compton & Baizerman, 2009)
„ Body of knowledge on managing evaluation studies limited from
within the field of evaluation, in contrast to boundless and
accelerated work on management and managing in other fields
(Compton, 2009)
−
Recognition given to the practice of managing evaluation
studies
„ Empirical research is needed
11/1/2010
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Context (cont.)
„ Importance of managing evaluation noted : “a valid and useful
evaluation depends as much on effective management as (on)
an elegant evaluation design (Bell, 2004)
—
—
What is the best science for an evaluation study?
What is the best way to make this science happen?
„ Evaluation project management defined as “a process of
considerations, decisions and activities engaged in by the
leadership of an evaluation project to facilitate its conduct” (Bell,
2004)
11/1/2010
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Why Project Management?
„ PM provides a framework to simplify working in your
environment
„ It supports a common language when dealing with:
„
„
„
„
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People within your organization
Team members
Stakeholders
Contractors
Organizational Context
„
Projects always part of a larger organization
„ Use, adoption or move toward PM in the organization is
influenced by the type of organization
A) Project based (e.g. consulting, engineering firms)
B) Project based (management by projects)
C) Non-project based
„ Project based orgs have management and control
systems in place
„ Non-project based typically do not have these systems in
place
„ PM difficult
„ Sub-units may manage by projects
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What is Project Management?
“…the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to
project activities to meet project requirements.”
“…accomplished through the application and integration of
the project management processes of initiating, planning,
executing, monitoring and controlling and closing.”
ƒ Five process groups
ƒ Nine knowledge areas
Source: Project Management Body of Knowledge, 2004.
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What is a Project?
“A temporary endeavor undertaken to
create a unique product or service1”
Projects are characterized as:
having a defined start and end date
„ having a progressive elaboration, with
developed steps occurring in increments
„ existing with time, cost, resource, quality, risk
and output constraints
„
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Project Phases
CONTROL
CONCEIVE
– Identify the need
for an evaluation
– Conduct scoping
interviews
– Develop
preliminary terms
of reference or
high level project
outlines
– Define general
budget and
resource
requirements
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DEFINE
– Draft detailed
project plan or
statement of
work
– Secure
evaluation
project funding
– Secure team/
consultants
EXECUTE
– Undertake data
collection
– Adjust scope and
needs according to
evolving issues
– Monitor the quality
of the work and
deliverables
TERMINATE
−
Deliver results
− Seek feedback
and confirm
actions to be taken
in light of
recommendations
− Seek project
feedback and
close-out
What is a Successful Project?
„ Typically defined as:
„
„
„
„
On time
On budget
In scope
Agreed upon quality
„ But also:
„
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The presence of a project sponsor and project ‘user’
The project purpose continues to exist at the end point
A project is successful if all project
stakeholders are happy!2
2 Hartman, F.T., “Don’t Park Your Brain Outside”, 1999.
Knowledge Management Areas
Time
Scope
Risk
Cost
Integration
Quality
Procurement
Communications
HR
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Project Human Resource Management
Processes required to make the most effective use of the
people involved in the project.
„ Organizational planning
„ Hiring
„
Full time, part time, contractors, specialists
„ Team development
„ In evaluation
„
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Determine what type of human resources are
needed, who has the right skills, etc.
Tuckman Model of Organizational
Behaviour3
Knowledge Hidden
Trust
Unknown
Forming
Knowledge Hoarding
Storming
Distrust
Collaborates
Performing
Norming
Adjourn
Knowledge Creation
3
Knowledge Sharing
Tuckman,
B.W. Developmental Sequence in Small Groups. Psychological Bulletin, vol. 63, 1965.
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Synergizes
Quality Management
Processes required to ensure the project will meet the
needs for which it was undertaken.
„ Stakeholder analysis
Who, what, why
„ Needs, expectations, quality requirements
„ How various stakeholders measure quality
„ Analyze, compile and document
„ Benchmarking/Lessons Learned
„ Project post-mortem/stakeholder and sponsor feedback
„ compare to other evaluation projects (cost, time)
„ Incorporate information into formal document
„ Project Plan
„ Other documents used as proxy
„ Contracts, schedules, terms of reference
„
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Project Communications Management
„ Communications
„ Understanding
„ Common language
„ Engagement
Project
Team
Politics
11%
Lack of
Resources
8%
92% of project failures can
be related to communications
Scope Creep
38%
Insufficient
Exec.
Sponsorship
43%
Source: Project Management Institute, 2004
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Project Communications Management
„ We act as interpreters
„ PM can be used as a common language
What you
want
What they
want
If you’re not speaking their language and saying something
they want to hear….
Why would they listen??
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Project Risk Management
5
High
Likelihood
4
Medium
3
2
Low
1
1
2
3
Consequence
4
5
Project Cost Management
Processes required to ensure the project is
completed within the approved budget
„ Cost estimating
„
„
„
Resource planning
Activity
Infrastructure
„ Cost budgetting
„ Cost control
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Project Scope Management
Processes required to ensure the project includes all the
work and only the work required to successfully complete
the project.
„ Vision (C)
„
Scope definition
„
Plan for scope management
„
Monitoring and control of the scope
„
Change control
Verification of the scope
„ It is critical to properly define the scope at the outset of
the project
„ In the research enterprise scope change is guaranteed
„
Promise less deliver more!
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Project Scope Management – The Project
Charter
Introduction
Overview of project
Purpose of project
Project Objective and Scope
Objective
Scope
Major Deliverables
Business Need or Opportunity
Financial Benefits from the
Project
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
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„
Name of Project, Author(s), Date
Purpose
Benefits
„ Why Undertake the Project?
„ Key Strategic Theme
supported?
Person Days Needed
Costs
Scope/Out of Scope
Constraints/Assumptions
Alternatives
Resourcing
Milestones
High Level Work Breakdown
Structure (WBS)
Users
Risks
The Work Breakdown Structure
(WBS)
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Project Time Management
Processes required to ensure completion of the project in a timely
fashion
„ Definition of activities
„
Translation from “what” to “how”
„
Take lowest level of WBS and determining process
Resultant list of activities to produce deliverable(s)
„ Definition of the sequence of activities
„ Ordered list of activities
„
Inter-activity dependencies
„ Estimation of the duration of the activities
„ Development of a schedule
„ Schedule control
„
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Project Time Management The GANTT Chart
Processes required to ensure completion of the
project in a timely fashion
„ Calculates theoretical early and late start and finish
dates for all activities
„ Purpose is to identify the shortest total project length
and activities with some flexibility in scheduling
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Detailed Workplan
„ Integrates all areas and documents into single document
„ Overriding master plan
„ Management of tradeoffs (scope, cost, risk, quality etc.)
defined at outset and in document
„ Use individual plans and modify as required
„ Other inputs
„ Experience
„ Institutional practices, policies etc.
„ History
„ Constraints, assumptions etc.
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What is Project Portfolio
Management?
“..collection of projects that, in the
aggregate, make up an organizations
investment strategy.” 1
“..management of the project portfolio so
as to maximize the contribution of
projects to the overall welfare and
success of the enterprise.”2
1 Dye, L., Pennypacker, S., Eds. “Project Portfolio Management: Selecting and
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Prioritizing Projects for Competitive Advantage”, Centre for Business
Practices, 1999.
2 Levine, H.A., “Project Portfolio Management”, John Wiley and Sons, 2005.
Institutional Strategy
Alignment
Evaluation Plan
Assess
Requirements
Project
Prioritization
Initiate
Plan
Closure/
Post-mortem
Assessment
Project
Performance
Execute
Close
Evaluation Project Portfolio
Evalaution Needs
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Resources
(people, budget,
Infrastructure etc.)
Resources
The Project Management Institute (PMI) Project
Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) (2004)
„ A project management guide
„ An internationally recognized standard on the
fundamentals of project management
„ Process-based: work is accomplished by processes.
Consistent with other management standards such
as ISO 9000.
Université du Québec en Outaouais
Practical applications in evaluation and other settings
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Contact Information
Nicole Michaud
Master of Project Management, UQO (In progress)
Performance and Evaluation Officer
Corporate Performance and Evaluation
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of
Canada
[email protected]
Shannon Townsend
Master of Project Management, UQAH
Manager, Evaluation
Planning and Performance Management
National Research Council Canada
[email protected]
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