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Author: Brenda Hallman

How to be Comfortable with Escalating When Work is Not Being Completed

Written by Brenda Hallman on . Posted in Articles. 6 Comments on How to be Comfortable with Escalating When Work is Not Being Completed

FEATUREJune6Getting the Most from Your Project Staff
Part 2 of a 3 Part Series

 

As a Project Manager you are tasked with getting work done through others. It may seem simple, after all these individuals are assigned to the project team and just need to do their job. But this is not reality.

What is reality is that project resources are often assigned work beyond your project and may even be involved in other projects. It is typical in the popular matrix project organization that team members do not report directly to the project manager, but rather a functional manager. This makes it even more important that the project manager have the skills to get work accomplished through others. Even the most experienced project managers continually report this as one of their top challenges.

In this three part series you will learn techniques that will maximize your ability to get the most from those individuals assigned to your project. The strategies presented will provide a solid approach that can be used immediately with your team.

  • Part 1: Tips to gain commitment from your project team
  • Part 2: How to be comfortable with escalating when work is not being completed
  • Part 3: Strategies to improve communication and follow-up to team members

This article should really be titled ‘How to be comfortable with escalating when work is not being completed or not completed as expected’

Good news! You’ve already started! If you’ve followed the strategies in Part 1 of this series, “Tips to Gain Commitment from Your Project Team”, you already have agreement on expectations for your project resources. In a perfect world, everything will go according to plan, but it is not a perfect world and there is a chance you will run into ‘imperfect’ situations involving team members.

This may include such things as work not being completed on time (particularly critical path tasks, issue resolution, and those that are predecessors to other work), status not being reported, meetings not attended as expected, or lack of participation.

The steps outlined below will help to guide you through the escalation process.

STEP 1: Determine the impact

1. Judge the degree of impact

  • Is it behavior or actual work not being completed?
  • Is this an early warning sign of things to come?
  • What significance will this have to the project?
  • How will this impact other team members?

2. Obtain clear examples and impact to the project

  • Be specific to the project work and not to the person.

STEP 2: Discuss the situation and impact with team member

  1. Review the agreed upon expectations
  2. Determine, with the individual, if there a reason and how you can help initiate change to rectify the situation.
  3. If the reason is related to the person being overwhelmed with other work, offer to change expectations to accommodate, if the individual can agree to meet requirements and it is acceptable. Indicate that you will help by discussing the situation with their manager so that the manager can initiate change
  4. If you are not having success resolving with the team member, let them know you are concerned with their availability and that you will be discussing the situation with their manager.

STEP 3: Escalate

1. Formulate and document examples and the results of your discussion with the individual.

2. Contact the manager

  • State the examples and recommend actions (corrective and preventative).
  • Utilize the schedule to demonstrate tasks and dates and the staffing plan for the individual’s responsibilities.
  • If work needs to be completed, state dates and be clear that the manager is responsible for seeing that the work is done by that date.
  • If there is a resource availability issue, expect the manager to resolve this by replacing the individual, freeing up other work, offering a backup, etc.
  • If behavior needs to change, communicate your expectations.
  • Follow up any conversation immediately with an e-mail stating expectations and dates.

3. Follow-up

  • Follow up if change has occurred or work has been completed, be gracious!
  • If work not completed escalate to the project sponsor or senior leader of the project.

4. What? You want me to tell on someone?

  • No, it is not telling! Your job as a project leader is to assure the work is completed on time and as expected. It is your responsibility to judge when this will not occur and make every attempt to keep the project on track.
  • You have no choice but to escalate if work is not being completed on schedule.
  • Using leverage from your project leadership can help resolve staffing problems, or recognize the issue and adjust the project expectations or deliverables.
  • If the team member is burdened with other work, you will be helping them by trying to elevate the problem. Make that clear to them.
  • Setting this standard will help build future commitment and expectations.

5. Rules! Yes, there are rules… sorry.

  • Business policy is primary, then project policy.
  • Only discuss the problem, not the person.
  • No surprises: Notify those involved as to your next steps.
  • Notify your management before you escalate to a team members manager.
  • Document your examples, conversations, and resulting commitments.

Don’t forget to leave your comments below.

 

Getting the Most from Your Project Staff: Part 1 of 3 Tips to Gain Commitment from Your Project Team

Written by Brenda Hallman on . Posted in Articles. 2 Comments on Getting the Most from Your Project Staff: Part 1 of 3 Tips to Gain Commitment from Your Project Team

As a Project Manager you are tasked with getting work done through others. It may seem simple, after all these individuals are assigned to the project team and just need to do their job. But this is not reality. 

What is reality is that project resources are often assigned work beyond your project and may even be involved in other projects. It is typical in the popular matrix project organization that team members do not report directly to the project manager, but rather a functional manager. This makes it even more important that the project manager have the skills to get work accomplished through others. Even the most experienced project managers continually report this as one of their top challenges.

In this three part series you will learn techniques that will maximize your ability to get the most from those individuals assigned to your project. The strategies presented will provide a solid approach that can be used immediately with your team. 

Part 1: Tips to gain commitment from your project team
Part 2: How to be comfortable with escalating when work is not being completed
Part 3: Strategies to improve communication and follow-up to team members 

The more you can involve team members early on, inviting their input, the better chance you have to establishing a positive relationship and understanding of commitment. This article explores three key techniques to gain commitment from your project team.

Set Expectations:

“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” A. A. Milne

First, establish a realistic expectation for yourself. You are really looking to gain the most possible commitment from your team. By understanding their availability you can optimize the use of team members. Realize that it is not likely that everyone will be available 100% of the time, and you will likely have team members with other commitments. Your goal at this time is to understand the other constraints on their time so you can arrange for the most effective use of their time on your project. Now you can make it clear what you expect from them and what you will do to be considerate of their availability.

Expectations should be documented during the project planning phase. Develop plans interactively with the resources so they are involved early in the process. Utilize the following to document these expectations: 

  • State team member responsibilities into a Staffing Plan. Be specific and include expectations for meeting attendance, status, issue, and progress reporting as well as overall task responsibilities for each individual role.
  • Team members should be aware of how the project will be managed including how issues will be identified and escalated, how the schedule will be managed, change management, and what communication will be in place. Utilize a Project Management Plan to document these items.
  • You should be getting input from team members while developing the Project Schedule/Work Plan. This should not be developed in a vacuum. Team members should be proving details as to the tasks, the relationship of those tasks to other project work, and the timing.  

Obtain Agreement:

Heads Up! Share these plans and receive approval from team members and their manager. Individuals are more inclined to review materials when they are required to provide a sign-off. Additionally, they are very interested when their name is attached!

The benefits of receiving this agreement are three-fold. First, any concerns can be identified early; second, both parties (team members and their managers) will be more inclined to meet the commitment having been clearly informed. Finally, acquiring a sign-off could be useful for you later in the project; should resource issues arise (see Part 2 of this series: “How to be Comfortable with Escalating When Work is Not Being Completed”).

Achieve Interest and Involvement 

 

 

“Smile. Have you ever noticed how easily puppies make human friends?  Yet all they do is wag their tails and fall over.”   Walter Anderson, The Confidence Course, 1997

There is never any harm in making individuals feel welcomed and appreciated. Certainly you have met the project manager who believes everyone should just do their job, why compliment them or share a friendly diatribe? Well, it is true that creating a positive friendly work environment can turn even the crabbiest worker around, and it is best for you to have individuals involved in your project who want to do a good job for you. Plus it does not hurt to have a little edge should competing project work come across a team member’s desk! 

A few suggestions we have all heard, but are always worth revisiting:

  • Remember to always be welcoming of all team members.
  • Consider team building activities. In the case of a fully dedicated team, consider a break from the work to achieve this.
  • Periodically review expectations
  • Compliment when your expectations are met and include a short note to the team members’ manager.
  • Say thank you! A little goes a long way!

While nothing is guaranteed, these techniques are beneficial to establish a foundation for achieving a stronger commitment to your project.

Don’t forget to leave your comments below.

10 Key Success Factors for Application Implementation Projects

Written by Brenda Hallman on . Posted in Articles. 88 Comments on 10 Key Success Factors for Application Implementation Projects

There are many factors in an application implementation-related project that over time have proved to be key contributors to the success of such projects.  This includes items that may seem obvious, such as solid testing, communication, and involvement by key staff members, but these are often under utilized in favor of saving time.  When projects skimp on these key items, it is likely to result in:

  • delays in meeting project dates,
  • disagreements on what the project is expected to deliver,
  • difficulty solving issues,
  • confusion on direction, work requirements, and status of the project,
  • lack of buy-in from team members and the end users,
  • additional stress and demands on the time of team members and end users, particularly near the end of the project,
  • less satisfaction from the client on the final delivered product.

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Many types of documents, templates, tools, and strategies exist for managing a project.  This article will focus on 10 items that represent supported concepts in the project management industry and should, at minimum, be utilized for all significant application implementation projects. 

Related Article: A Project Manager’s Guide to User Experience

1. Solid contract with software provider

A verbal agreement won’t cut the paper it’s written on. Get it in writing! If a contract is already completed and these items have not been included, you should work with your vendor to reach agreement on these terms.  Additionally, you should work with your organization to see that these items are included in future contracts. 

The components that you will want to have well defined are:

1. a payment schedule,

2. outline system performance criteria,

3. penalties related to performance issues and delivery delays,

4. documentation requirements,

5. training, which is provided,

6. inclusion of a test system, and possibly a training system,

7. issue resolution/turnaround time/escalation policy,

8. and vendor support during and after the application live event.

Having these items defined contractually is an assist to the project manager.  It will provide you with agreed-upon criteria allowing you the leverage to hold your vendors accountable to their deliverables. 

2. Involvement by key staff and resources

The organizational structure of those involved in the project is a significant indication of the success of a project and is one of the first things you want to have in place to start the project.

Make sure to have a:

  • Project Sponsor. 

This person should be a senior manager head of the Steering Committee.  They will be the source who authorizes the project, ultimately ‘owns’ the project, and sources the funding for the project. They would not and should not be a member of the project team. 

  • Leadership Committee. 

This leadership committee is responsible for following the status of the project, representing the project to their peers and senior management, and assuring all of the appropriate parties are involved.  This group will make any decisions that the team cannot determine, they will assist rectifying business issues and with escalation of problems including to vendors or internal staffing. Use these people!  They are there for you.

  •  Project Team. 

These are the folks that are performing the work for the project. You may have several teams, or workgroups, with different focuses.   

  • Project Manager. 

Hey!  This is probably you! The Project Manager is responsible for overseeing that the work is getting completed as expected on schedule.  They manage any deviation from the scope or schedule to get the project back on track.  They are generally responsible for planning and often own and complete the project documents (such as the scope, staffing plan).

Additionally, consider the following while staffing the project team:

  • Be certain to include individuals who know the business.  If there are different aspects of the business involved in the project, include a representative from each of these areas.  These individuals will often serve the most benefit as project team members who are active in identifying processes, business needs, and performing testing and training. 
  • Consider a ‘superuser’ strategy.  This works well where individuals are identified early on in the project to serve as business/application experts.  They may be those who perform testing and training as well as first line support for end users.  These users can often serve as project team members.
  • A Project Staffing Plan should be completed to include the names of the individuals involved, the committee or teams that they are serving on, and the roles and responsibilities of those individuals and teams.  All team members, and their managers, should approve this plan so there is agreement on the expectations. 

3. Plan how the project will be managed

Create and share a Project Management Plan that will document how the project will be managed.  This should be agreed upon with the resources and management.

  • Document how changes will be handled, especially those that impact the scope, dates, budget, or resources.
  • Document how issues will be managed and escalated.
  • State how the schedule will be managed.
  • Include all methods of communications that will be used for the project.           
  • Once you review this with the team, you will likely be the sole audience for it.  Really, it’s not that entertaining and you shouldn’t expect others to be interested in it.  However, you will utilize the content to guide how various aspects of the project are to be managed and you may also refer to it if a deviation occurs where you need to reference the agreed-upon terms.

4. Define and agree upon the project scope

Write a project Scope, state what is and what is not included in the project. 

  • Document deliverables and assumptions.
  • Refer to any requirements that were gathered.  If no requirements were gathered, meet with stakeholders across the board to determine their requirements so that expectations can be documented and agreed upon.
  • Include Milestones, which are significant events, with their due dates.  Remember that “TBD” is not a date!
  • All project team members should understand the scope.
  • It is important to get formal approval from the Steering Committee on the scope before the project execution phases begin. 

5. Development and management of a schedule

A Schedule is the central tool to managing a project’s activities and keeping on track.

  • Develop a schedule that documents the tasks that need to be done to complete all of the deliverables outlined in the scope. 
  • Be sure to include dependencies, but not the work associated with those dependencies, on items that are outside the scope of the project.
  • Assign names and due dates to each task.  Does that seem obvious?  While it is probably obvious, it is not always done.  Oh, “TBD” is not a person either!
  • Items that risk a delay should be done as early as possible.  This may include such things as ordering hardware or scheduling training.
  • Highlight tasks that are milestones from the Scope. This will allow better tracking and reporting of those milestones.
  • Note items that are on the critical path (these are tasks that if delayed will delay the rest of the project).  Special attention should be paid to these tasks to keep the project on time.

6. Management of an Issues List

Having one central repository to log issues is invaluable. 

  • Each issue should include a clear description, name of who is assigned to own/resolve the issue, a due date, status, and priority.  If an issue is being resolved by someone who is not on the team, it should be assigned to a team member who is responsible for tracking the issue.  Another note, “ASAP” is not a date!  Your ‘soon’ and someone else’s ‘soon’ can be two entirely different times!
  • “High” priority should be reserved for those issues that, if not resolved, could impact the stability of the application, the integrity of the data, or completion dates of critical tasks and events. 
  • Track issues actively (daily or weekly).  Include new ones as soon as they arise.  Log updates to each issue as they become known. 
  • Document issues even if they are likely to be easily solved.  Those tend to be the ones that get away and should not be ignored.
  • Share the issues list with the entire project team; get updates regularly from the owners of the issues as well as team members who may have items to add.

7. Solid Testing

Testing is critical to understand how the application will work in the installed environment, if it performs according to expectations, and to identify any problems with the software or processes so they are addressed prior to the live event.

  • Document what type of testing must be done (i.e., database conversion, data flows, user front end, business flow).  Include who will be involved in testing and how it will be performed. 
  • Write Test Scripts that detail all scenarios that could occur.  Business end users should be involved in this as they are most likely to understand all aspects of their business. 
  • Test items that are standard operations as well as those items that occur infrequently.
  • Conduct user testing with staff members who are familiar with the business for which the application is designed.  They should be validating the application for their business.
  • Allow time in the schedule to retest anything that did not work initially.  If any changes are made to software or setup, run through most tests again to assure there is no negative impact in other areas.
  • Determine security access, setup, and test user accounts prior to live.

 8. Training Program

Proper training is essential to assure that end users are prepared to use the application.

  • Identify all users early on in the project; this will help to confirm all possible scenarios are covered and all users are part of the project communication.
  • Training will be optimized, and sessions better received, if individuals who will have similar use of the application are trained together. Also, if there are users who are not familiar with computer systems, consider holding a general knowledge training first.
  • If the possibility exists, allow the users to have access to the test or training system before the live so they can practice.  Consider providing practice scenarios for this occasion.
  • Create a Tip Sheet that is easy to read and highlights the top items a user would need to know.  This can be useful for the live as well.

9. Preparation for Live Event

A review of all deliverables and tasks should occur weeks before the system is ready for production use. 

  • Anyone involved in the project should verify that all tasks are completed, or will be completed as scheduled, for the live event. 
  • Issues should be scrutinized at this time so a decision can be made regarding their potential impact to the live.
  • Assign staff who have a good understanding of the application and business to assist users during the first days of production use.  Establish a central call number that is staffed with individuals who can track, solve, or escalate issues.

10. Communication

Communication is one of the key items recognized as leading to a successful project.  It should also be noted that in projects experiencing problems, communication is often reported as lacking.  So last, but certainly not least, are tips to improve this valuable activity.

  • Keep committees and teams informed.  The Steering Committee should be meeting at least once a month. The agenda should include a review of an up-to-date status report and focus on any issues or concerns with dates or deliverables. This committee should not be concerned with the work outlined in the schedule, but rather the higher-level milestones.  The same holds true with issues.  Only review high-priority issues that may have a negative impact on the project and not the entire issues list.
  • Team meetings should occur weekly or as needed.  Even a short conference call meeting can be effective to get everyone together. Those involved will have an opportunity to state something that may otherwise be overlooked. Status on the work being completed can be shared with all team members to assure everyone is in line with what is expected.
  • Monthly or weekly Status Reports should be completed and shared with all involved individuals.  The status report should include: status of milestones, recent work completed, what work is to occur next, high-priority issues, and changes to budget, scope, schedule, or resources.  This should not be a detailed account of activities but rather a summary.
  • Users should be informed of the progress of the project as it evolves.  Try to present them with demonstrations of the application in advance.  Distributing emails or newsletters are a good way to get information out and often receives a positive response.  End users do not need to know about problems, but the more they are involved with the status of the project, the more they will accept the change.
  • Remember that communication is vital to the success of a project.  It allows for establishing expectations and keeping everyone informed.  Only provide recipients with information they require and do not burden them with excessive details.  Different audiences may require different formats or content.        

Consider the above items when approaching your next project.  Although this article describes some instances specific to application-related projects, most strategies will be valuable to any project.

Don’t forget to leave your comments below.

Brenda Hallman has over 15 years of experience in project management, most recently in the Project Management Office at Main Line Health where she is responsible for standards, tools, mentoring, education, and program development for project management staff.  Ms. Hallman has a Bachelors of Science Degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from Edinboro University, a Masters Degree in Business from Penn State University, and a Masters Certification in Project Management from Villanova University.  She has worked in the information services arena initially in software development and later in project management.  She is PMP certified.

Don’t Let Your Project Take a Hit, Control Change!

Written by Brenda Hallman on . Posted in Articles. 3 Comments on Don’t Let Your Project Take a Hit, Control Change!

Fotolia_10510675_XSFor a project manager overseeing changes it’s like playing an old arcade game of asteroids.  You have the control; but rather than protecting the Earth from approaching extraterrestrial rocks you are protecting your project from changes that could result in delays, confusion, missed deliverables and inaccurate expectations.  While project changes will not be devastating to the planet, they can be to your project if not properly managed.

Changes to a project may be in the form of new or changed requirements, the result of an issue, new information which has unfolded, resource constraints, or shifting priorities of the organization or your project leaders.  As a project manager you must accept this and realize that controlling changes and protecting your project are a primary responsibly toward the monitoring and controlling of your project.

During the monitor and control process, the project manager is observing project execution to assure that potential problems are identified in a timely manner and corrective actions are taken to keep the project on track.  This includes the monitoring of ongoing activities to assure that changes are controlled and analyzed and appropriate measures are in place to implement changes.

CaptureSo you have your radar on and are monitoring your project. You can easily knock off the insignificant asteroids by balancing the small changes and handling the manageable issues – but now something big is approaching and it may impact the scope of work, dates, cost, etc. to the extent that the project will not be delivered as expected. 

What now?  Do you just incorporate this considerable change?  After all, you are in charge and you have access to the schedule. Your project staff is aware and accepting of this change.  Why waste any time analyzing and documenting it?  Perhaps it’s inevitable, so you are certain it has to be done.  After all, everyone knows about it and you have no choice. Maybe this change has come as a mandate directly from your sponsor. So just do it?  The answer is NO.  Regardless of the reasons behind the change, or who has initiated it and informally agreed to it, you must first complete an analysis so you can demonstrate formally the impact to the project.  This will lead to:

  • A full comprehension of all areas of impact
  • An assessment of the bearing this may have on other projects
  • An opportunity for team members and stakeholders to understand the change, the impact, and provide their input
  • An understanding if the change will affect other requirements
  • An awareness for your project staff, and their management, on new expectations
  • A re-planning period to incorporate the change and adjust dates appropriately
  • A formal agreement of the exact change, and resulting impact, by the project leadership

Your organization may have a method for tracking project change requests.  This may be via a form or in an automated collection tool.  If your organization does not have a project change request method that you are expected to utilize, consider creating a standard form or automated log for your projects.  The information you gather should comprise of the following:

  • General Information: Project Name, Date, Project Sponsor, Project Manager, Request Number (to allow you to sequentially track the requests), Requestor Name, Date Submitted.
  • Request Status: Change Request Status (Open, Approved, Rejected), Date Finalized
  • Approval Information: List of Required Approver Names, Signature or Tracking of Approval, Date of Approval.
  • Request Details: Description, Benefits and Impact to the Business
  • Impact Analysis:Assigned Resource (who is completing the analysis), Impact to:
    • Scope,
    • Cost,
    • Schedule,
    • Resources,
    • Documentation (that which is impacted by the change, or which will need to be modified because of the change)
  • Log: Stating discussions and activities related to the change

One important concept to understand from the formal change request is that it is documented and it is approved (even rejected in some cases).  Values of this include:

  • Changes can be requested and expected to be deployed without the requestor being aware of the consequences. It is not unheard that once a full analysis is complete, and the documented impact analysis is placed in front of decision makers, that the change is rejected in favor of keeping the project on its original track.
  • An approval of the documented impact assures that your project leadership is in agreement and on board with the request. 
  • This approval becomes the mechanism which authorizes you to set new baselines on project dates, work effort, and cost. 
  • Formalizing the change request is beneficial to you, the project manager.  If you go about allowing changes without a formal review you are doing a disservice to your organization and yourself.  Your job is to keep the project on track and if a deviation occurs, you will benefit by documenting the impact and receiving approval to incorporate the change. 
  • Providing documented evidence should questions arise as to why a deliverable or date was not met as originally expected. You will also find that fewer questions will arise due to the fact that a formal change request acts as a great communication tool and will result in changed expectations. Why wouldn’t you want that?

A final factor to consider is watching for any changes that are sneaking in under the radar.  Take a few minutes periodically to review the project scope and requirements to assure that what is occurring is in line with what is agreed upon. 

Let’s face it, if a project were to be perfectly planned, organized, and scheduled, with no issues or changes, the execution of the project would run smoothly without the need for any project management!  When have you ever been involved in such a project?

Don’t forget to leave your comments below.

Brenda Hallman has over 15 years of experience in project management, most recently in the Project Management Office at Main Line Health where she is responsible for standards, tools, mentoring, education, and program development for project management staff.  Ms. Hallman has a Bachelors of Science Degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from Edinboro University, a Masters Degree in Business from Penn State University, and a Masters Certification in Project Management from Villanova University.  She has worked in the information services arena initially in software development and later in project management.  She is PMP certified.

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