On Wednesday, 16 March, I had the pleasure of attending in Edinburgh the annual Association of Project Management (APM) Scottish Conference, titled “Good Project Management: What Is It & Is It Transferable?”
I first came to know of APM as a student member. I have found it a fantastic community for advancing and facilitating Project Management (PM) knowledge and networking. As an early career goal, I aim to become APM Professional certified. Upon starting with Logica, I was pleased to learn there is an active connection between us and APM.
I arrived at the conference with a goal of taking away 3 main points. This is what I came up with:
· Implementation is key = ‘Between the idea and the reality...Between the conception and the creation...Falls the shadow.’ – TS Elliot
b) Project Managers must be able to connect just as easily with the engineering director as the marketing director. Key in doing so? Using the relevant language that each person understands.
c) The responsibility of the Project Managers and PMO is to manage the dependencies of the different teams and departments.
d) Good PM requires effective governance and a focus on delivering value.
e) Good PM It is overwhelming transferable.
f) Frameworks are critical, but must be used properly. Put a framework on a project and then resize to fit your strategic and technical needs.
2. What is governance? Drawing the project to the organisations goals and objectives.
a) Project governance is a set of relationships that provides means to attain objectives and monitor performance.
b) Every project failure is a failure of governance and every failure of governance is a failure of the PM leadership team. – paraphrased from Siemens.
c) Governance means different things at different levels of the organisation – it all depends on what end of the telescope you’re looking through. Communication and transparency can overcome these differences.
d) Policy and processes must be aligned.
e) Insight to risk management in practice: current BAE aircraft carrier project near Edinburgh has identified 250 risks and opportunities; 60 of these are actively managed.
3. What is critical in managing value through delivery? Think functionality; delivery capability; seek early engagement with end users; and be effective, not just efficient!
a) Value is subjective. Think = f (stakeholder’s needs & priorities). Collectively, the sum of stakeholders’ needs represents the backbone.
b) Avoid the dash to “concrete”. Design and planning as first step is key. If less than 70% of design is not complete before “pouring concrete” – ie starting work, cost will exceed budget.
c) Key in contracts = manage performance against KPIs. One example = PM team was given incentives based on earned value performance within the calendar year. The result? They pursued production at the expense of the overall project delivery to meet the end of year goals. The better solution in this case? Change to a life-cycle earned value performance incentive.
As a closing comment, I realise that when I’m facing the challenge of meeting daily project deliverables, spending time and effort on groups like APM’s seems an unnecessary luxury. However, I have found that the inspiration and knowledge these professional communities distinctively generate allow me over the long-term to become more effective in my work. Plus, it is great to be at the forefront of shaping the future of my profession. For example, APM is pushing to introduce chartered status for PM professionals.
I respectfully suggest that whether it is APM, its PM alternative PMI, or other groups like British Computer Society, The Institution of Engineering and Technology, it is great to get involved!
Please contact me for further information on APM, including copies of presentations given at the conference, or to share your thoughts on any of the above!
I first came to know of APM as a student member. I have found it a fantastic community for advancing and facilitating Project Management (PM) knowledge and networking. As an early career goal, I aim to become APM Professional certified. Upon starting with Logica, I was pleased to learn there is an active connection between us and APM.
I arrived at the conference with a goal of taking away 3 main points. This is what I came up with:
- Good PM
· Implementation is key = ‘Between the idea and the reality...Between the conception and the creation...Falls the shadow.’ – TS Elliot
b) Project Managers must be able to connect just as easily with the engineering director as the marketing director. Key in doing so? Using the relevant language that each person understands.
c) The responsibility of the Project Managers and PMO is to manage the dependencies of the different teams and departments.
d) Good PM requires effective governance and a focus on delivering value.
e) Good PM It is overwhelming transferable.
f) Frameworks are critical, but must be used properly. Put a framework on a project and then resize to fit your strategic and technical needs.
2. What is governance? Drawing the project to the organisations goals and objectives.
a) Project governance is a set of relationships that provides means to attain objectives and monitor performance.
b) Every project failure is a failure of governance and every failure of governance is a failure of the PM leadership team. – paraphrased from Siemens.
c) Governance means different things at different levels of the organisation – it all depends on what end of the telescope you’re looking through. Communication and transparency can overcome these differences.
d) Policy and processes must be aligned.
e) Insight to risk management in practice: current BAE aircraft carrier project near Edinburgh has identified 250 risks and opportunities; 60 of these are actively managed.
3. What is critical in managing value through delivery? Think functionality; delivery capability; seek early engagement with end users; and be effective, not just efficient!
a) Value is subjective. Think = f (stakeholder’s needs & priorities). Collectively, the sum of stakeholders’ needs represents the backbone.
b) Avoid the dash to “concrete”. Design and planning as first step is key. If less than 70% of design is not complete before “pouring concrete” – ie starting work, cost will exceed budget.
c) Key in contracts = manage performance against KPIs. One example = PM team was given incentives based on earned value performance within the calendar year. The result? They pursued production at the expense of the overall project delivery to meet the end of year goals. The better solution in this case? Change to a life-cycle earned value performance incentive.
As a closing comment, I realise that when I’m facing the challenge of meeting daily project deliverables, spending time and effort on groups like APM’s seems an unnecessary luxury. However, I have found that the inspiration and knowledge these professional communities distinctively generate allow me over the long-term to become more effective in my work. Plus, it is great to be at the forefront of shaping the future of my profession. For example, APM is pushing to introduce chartered status for PM professionals.
I respectfully suggest that whether it is APM, its PM alternative PMI, or other groups like British Computer Society, The Institution of Engineering and Technology, it is great to get involved!
Please contact me for further information on APM, including copies of presentations given at the conference, or to share your thoughts on any of the above!
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