Tag: Requirements

Exploring Product Options to Arrive at Right Requirements

Written by Ellen Gottesdiener on March 12, 2014. Posted in Articles. 1 Comment on Exploring Product Options to Arrive at Right Requirements

When is a so-called requirement really required? And is it the “right” requirement? The answers depend on many facets: stakeholders, value, planning horizon, and so on. This article explores using options as a means to identify high-value requirements, at the last responsible moment.

Our previous article in this series, “Turning Competing Stakeholders into Collaborating Product Partners,” describes stakeholders as product partners –representatives from the customer, business and technology groups who collaboratively discover and deliver high-value product solutions.

My Requirement May Be Your Option

Product requirements are needs that must be satisfied to achieve a goal, solve a problem, or take advantage of an opportunity. The word “requirement” literally means something that is absolutely, positively, without question, necessary. Product requirements must be defined in sufficient detail for planning and development. But before going to that effort and expense, are you sure they are not only must-haves but also the right and relevant requirements?

To arrive at this level of certainty, the product partners ideally start by exploring the product’s options. What do we mean by an option? An option represents a potential characteristic, facet, or quality of the product. The partners use expansive thinking to surface a range of options that could fulfill the vision. Then they collaboratively analyze the options and collectively select options, based on value.

During discovery work, the partners may find that some members see a specific option as a “requirement” for the next delivery cycle, whereas others consider it a “wish list” item for a future release. Such was the case in a recent release planning workshop. The team wrestled with a particular option, questioning if it could deliver enough value to justify the cost to develop it. The product champion explained why the option was a requirement—without it the organization was at risk for regulatory noncompliance. Once the others understood this, they all agreed it would be included in the release.

In a different planning workshop, the systems architect raised the option of using biometric technology to reduce security threats. After carefully considering a variety of factors, including the cost and organizational readiness, the team chose to defer the option.

Count to Seven

Both agile and non-agile teams often unconsciously limit analyzing the options. Many teams zero in on stories, learning about the users and their actions. Other teams dig into processes or data, or sometimes both of them. But every product has multiple dimensions, seven in fact. Discovering options for each of the 7 Product Dimensions yields a comprehensive, realistic view of the product.

Product Dimension	Description
User	Users interact with the product
Interface	The product connects users, systems, and devices
Action	The product provides capabilities to users
Data	The product includes a repository of data and useful information
Control	The product enforces constraints
Environment	The product conforms to physical properties and technical platforms
Quality Attribute	The product has certain properties that qualify its operation and development

Table 1: The 7 Product Dimensions Yield a Comprehensive Understanding of the Product

The previous article in this series described the Structured Conversation, where the stakeholders, acting as product partners, explore product options across the 7 Product Dimensions, evaluate the possibilities, and make tough choices based on value. Remember, every product option cannot be delivered right now.

Exploring across these 7 Product Dimensions prevents difficult downstream problems. A recent client was struggling with just such a blockage. Running their product on multiple platforms was causing delays that put them behind in their market. As they explored the Environment dimension, they considered browsers and database management systems possibilities. Their analysis factored in the most valuable options from the other six dimensions, including the location of the users, the actions that would be supported and the necessary data. They then selected a cohesive set of options across the 7 Product Dimensions to craft a candidate solution. They were able to make what had once seemed a difficult decision in a matter of minutes. By exploring across the 7 Product Dimensions, their painful problem was resolved with a clear, holistic set of requirements.

gottesdiener Feb25 2

Figure 1. A product encapsulates a cohesive set of high value options
Image Source: Discover to Deliver: Agile Product Planning and Analysis, Gottesdiener and Gorman, 2012

Look Far and Near

The partners need to realistically determine when an option will deliver its greatest value.
Our previous article in this series outlined three planning views. The timeframes may vary from team to team, but general speaking they are as follows:

The Big-View is the long-term view or product roadmap (generally one to two or more years). The partners envision generalized, high-level options for the product. Options for the big-view could be considered “boulder” size, or in user story terms, as epics.
The Pre-View focuses on the next product release (say one or two months). To continue the analogy, these options are “rock” size, or user-story size.
The Now-View concentrates on the next product increment (from a day up to a month). The selected options are fine-grained, “pebble size” and defined in sufficient detail for development. They are no longer options but requirements, ready for immediate development.

An aside: We have used the “boulder, rock, pebble” analogy for many years to distinguish granularity in each view, for each of the 7 Product Dimensions.

An agile team keeps the product options “open.” In each view they wait until the last responsible moment to evaluate the options’ value and allocate high-value ones to the next planning horizon. They are prepared to adjust their choices for a variety of conditions, including changing market conditions, emerging technologies, and so on.

From Options to Requirements

Discovering product options enables the product partners to collaboratively and creatively explore a range of possibilities. This expansive thinking opens up product innovation, experimentation, and mutual learning.

By holistically exploring options for the 7 Product Dimensions the partners grasp the entirety of the potential range and can choose the options that deliver the highest value. Using the appropriate planning view (Big, Pre, Now), they narrow the scope. When an option is allocated for immediate delivery it is consider a requirement.

As a recap, we characterize a “right requirement” as one that is:

Just in time, just enough. It is essential for achieving the business objectives, in this time period.
Realistic. It is capable of being delivered with the available resources.
Clearly and unambiguously defined. Acceptance criteria exist that all partners understand and will use to verify and validate the product.
Valuable. It is indispensible for achieving the anticipated outcomes for the next delivery cycle.

In this series’ next article we focus on value—how the product partners define and use value to select options needed to deliver high-value products.

Don’t forget to leave your comments below.

About the Authors:

Mary Gorman, a leader in business analysis and requirements, is Vice President of Quality & Delivery at EBG Consulting. Mary coaches product teams and facilitates discovery workshops, and she trains stakeholders in collaborative practices. She speaks and writes on Agile, business analysis, and project management. A Certified Business Analysis Professional™ and Certified Scrum Master, Mary helped develop the IIBA® Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® and certification exam, and the PMI® business analysis role delineation. Mary is co-author of Discover to Deliver: Agile Product Planning and Analysis.

Ellen Gottesdiener, Founder and Principal of EBG Consulting, is a leader in the collaborative convergence of requirements + product management + project management. Ellen coaches individuals and teams and facilitates discovery and planning workshops. A Certified Professional Facilitator and a Certified Scrum Master, she writes widely and keynotes and presents worldwide. In addition to co-authoring Discover to Deliver: Agile Product Planning and Analysis, Ellen is author of Requirements by Collaboration and The Software Requirements Memory Jogger.

Are Your Sponsors and Clients Satisfied?

Written by George Pitagorsky on February 25, 2014. Posted in Articles. 7 Comments on Are Your Sponsors and Clients Satisfied?

Stakeholder satisfaction is a critical success factor and a key performance indicator. It is arguably the most important criteria for measuring project management success.

Project Management Success

The goal of project management (PM) is to improve the probability of project success by ensuring that the right projects are done in the right (i.e., most efficient and effective) way.

PM success is the degree to which project management as a process is achieving its goals and objectives. This goes well beyond the measures of project success, which focuses on whether a project meets its goals and objectives. Project management success is measured across multiple projects, over years.

Stakeholders

Stakeholders are the people who play the roles of sponsors, clients, managers, performers, regulators and anyone else who might impact or be impacted by projects. If project management is performed well, and the stakeholders play their roles well, the stakeholders will be satisfied.

In this article, we will address sponsor and client satisfaction. Of the stakeholders, sponsors and clients are usually deemed the most important, though, without satisfied performers, satisfying the sponsors and clients is increasingly difficult; without satisfied regulators, it is unlikely that sponsors and clients will be satisfied.

What Sponsors and Clients Want

I have observed that clients and sponsors want 1) consistently successful projects, 2) minimal uncertainty, 3) no unpleasant surprises, 4) being kept abreast of the things they think are most important and 5) being involved in project activities as little as possible.

1) Consistently Successful Projects

The desire for consistently successful projects is obvious. Everyone wants projects that are completed on time and within budget, and deliver expected value adding results, including repeat business and profit.

If your projects are consistently successful, it is likely, but not guaranteed, that sponsors and clients will be fully satisfied. Frequently, there can be success while project management as a contributing factor is not acknowledged. Success is expected. Satisfaction is neither measured nor publicized.

To ensure satisfaction it is necessary to apply a variation on the old “Tell’em” presentation approach – Tell them what you will tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them. In the PM context, it is, tell them what you are going to do for them, do it, and tell them what you did. In other words toot your own horn. But, don’t be obnoxious about it; do it subtly.

2) Minimal Uncertainty

Minimal uncertainty is relatively easy to deliver as long as the reality that there will always be some uncertainty is accepted. While there are tricks like padding estimates and schedules to give the illusion that there is no uncertainty, these lead to problems.

It is best to educate stakeholders regarding the nature of estimates, risk management and the inevitability of change. Then keep them abreast of changes as they occur, or even better, before they occur.

Of course, educating sponsors and clients is not so easy, since they are usually too busy for anything remotely resembling theory. This means that the education must be subtle and fully integrated into the normal process of reporting to and working with the stakeholders.

3) No surprises

Most people want to avoid surprises, particularly unpleasant ones. When people are abreast of what is going on in and around the projects they are interested in, there are no surprises.

Unpleasant surprises in projects are usually about unmet expectations. By keeping stakeholders informed and aware that there is no certainty in projects (or anywhere else, for that matter), expectations will be managed. That doesn’t mean they will always be met. It does mean that when they are not going to be met there is plenty of warning and alternative plans to set new, realistic expectations.

Surprises are a sign of poor communication. The communication process requires that the sender sends the right information and the receiver receives and makes good use of it. Surprises mean that information has not been provided properly and/or that the recipients have not paid attention.

4) Being Kept Abreast

That brings us to keeping stakeholders abreast of the things THEY think are most important; not necessarily the things YOU think are most important.

Effective communication about the status, progress and prognosis of projects is the key to managing uncertainty and surprises.

Project managers must make sure that the stakeholders want the information they need. This takes us back to the education issue. Senior stakeholders must value the information that lets them know what is going on, what’s being done about issues, what they need to do, and the prognosis for the rest of the project.

Some stakeholders want far less information than they need to play their roles and to avoid unpleasant surprises. Some stakeholders don’t want other stakeholders to get certain types of information. For example some middle managers don’t want to send bad news up to their superiors; some sales reps and account managers want to spare clients from the stress of knowing that trends are not as positive as they “should” be.

Given the nature of sponsors and clients and their position in the hierarchy, it is not possible to force them to listen, read and absorb the information they need. It is necessary to present information in a way that it is engaging and at the right level of detail. Dashboards and status reports must be designed to get attention, focus it on the information that makes a difference and elicit questions. Questions let you go down into a next level of detail when it is of interest and lets you avoid it when it is not.

Get stakeholders to want what they need and give it to them in a way that is most likely to get the information across in the shortest amount of time and minimal effort.

5) As Little Involvement as Possible

Sponsors and clients are busy people who have much more than a few projects on their plate. Their desire for as little involvement as possible is understandable. However, the right level of involvement is necessary.

For sponsors and clients that involvement must include the time and effort required to absorb the information that will enable them to play their roles. Those roles are centered on setting direction, defining requirements and making decisions, including the decision to accept the project outcome and close the project.

Unless stakeholders are sufficiently involved, they will not be satisfied. It is the manager’s responsibility to make sure that stakeholders understand the nature of their involvement. Sponsors and clients, like all stakeholders need to know what is expected of them and why, and they need to commit time and effort to the project. As in any contract, each party has responsibilities.

Conclusion

A principle measure of project management success is the satisfaction of clients and sponsors, as well as other stakeholders. This success factor should be measured and included in performance metrics.

Sponsors and clients want 1) consistently successful projects, 2) minimal uncertainty, 3) no unpleasant surprises, 4) being kept abreast of the things they think are most important and 5) being involved in project activities as little as possible.

Project managers and the managers of the project management process must make sure these stakeholders get what they want and want what they need. The project management process must include a highly effective communications capability that educates and informs.

Don’t forget to leave your comments below.

Bringing Vision to Your Projects: How to Excel as a Project Manager

Written by Anjali Shenoy on January 29, 2014. Posted in Articles. 3 Comments on Bringing Vision to Your Projects: How to Excel as a Project Manager

Project management is a tough job. It not only involves managing of the financial resources but also human resources, technical resources and at times marketing resources as well. A project manager always reflects four or five managers rolled into one.

Although the profile is challenging, inspiration for good project management is present all around us. Each time a group of people executes a complex project and achieves success in it, it’s an opportunity for you to learn something new. From managing a sports team to directing a big-budget movie or launching a new tablet hurdles are being conquered and multi-million dollar projects are being executed with remarkable success (though not at ease).

Investing in your project managers will pay off rich dividends as it would tremendously increase the all-round competency of your organization. If you are already a project manager, then taking your skills to a higher level would enhance your career and put you ahead of the competition.

Let’s look at seven such traits, which when developed can take a project manager towards excellence.

1. Clarity of Vision

Project management has never been easy. Uncertainty and tremendous potential are involved at each and every stage that can make things to go wrong.

Given that this is a multi-pronged challenge you are dealing with, clarity of vision and a detailed understanding of the goals and the process involved becomes very important.

A clear vision is the pivot on which your project stands.

You may not be the one who designed the project, but if you are in charge of it as the project manager, it is extremely important for you to understand your own role and create a vision for executing a proper plan for facing the challenge.

This makes you to think about the process in detail, thereby creating a roadmap for you and your team to proceed.

A strong vision will compel you to face and eliminate any confusion, doubts or gaps in your understanding regarding the shared objectives. Finally, this leaves you with clarity, which is the best guide you could ask for.

Apart from gaining a clear and deep knowledge on the project requirements, anticipation of hurdles and contingency planning, having a vision will also help you to:

delineate the roles and responsibilities to all those who are involved;
create time tables and track progress;
make everyone accountable for any lapses from their end;
marshal resources to the best of your ability;
infect your team members with the same enthusiasm as yours.

2. Articulation of Vision

If you cannot break down your vision into a short sentence, it means that you are not clear about it.. Remember, the better you understand your vision the better you will be able to relate it to your team.

For the long-term success of a project it is extremely important for everybody involved in it to have a shared understanding of the project’s goals, objectives and the path charted for them. This includes the team that directly works under you, but may also refer to those associated with the project in some other way (the marketing department, for instance, or any other stake holders).

Reiterate to all those concerned the goals, commitment and the vision of your project at regular intervals, especially when there have been lapses.

3. Attention to Detail

Excellence can be achieved by paying attention even to minutest of the details, by thinking about everything you can and not by letting the standards slip even an inch.

Start taking pride in your work. A project is not just a project; it is an opportunity for a team to excel.

4. Knowledge About Your Team and the Trust in it

Vision requires action to be executed and that usually comes from your people (and technology). If you are given the luxury to choose your own team, make the selections based purely on merit.

If you have no say in the team you are given, spend a day making sure everybody is up to date with the technology or technical know-how as it pertains to your project. Unfortunately, not everybody speaks up when asked in a group so communicate with your team members individually about their strengths and weaknesses.

In any case, you will have given them the confidence to speak up if they have any questions. Communication channels need to be open at all times and no question should be dismissed as naïve. Think of yourself as the captain of a sports team. You manage your players and it’s up to you to bring out the best in everybody for the collective attainment of a goal.

5. Devotion to Lifelong Learning

It’s not just the technology that a project manager has to keep up with these days, but also how it is affecting our projects and the style of management. For those serious about keeping up with the times and the latest in project management literature, further studying the discipline and gaining a PMP Certification would prove to be an excellent investment.

6. Boldness

Risk and innovation are perennial bedfellows.

When Apple introduced its new generation touchscreen smartphone in 2007, it would forever change how the world looked at phones. We were being taken in a direction from which there was no returning to the old ways of doing things. It was a definite break from the past.

The success of that concept is for all of us to see. What it also points to is the high degree of risk that Apple took with its designs and the decision to embrace its vision.

Of course, a number of things could have gone wrong along the way. But they didn’t. It just ended up being a huge success. However, what is of note here is that it did not just happen to be a big success; it became so as a result of meticulous planning, immaculate execution and a strong and shared vision.

As project managers or leaders in your company, you will have to take risks from time to time if you are looking for breakthroughs. That would require you to be bold and win others over to your thinking by the compelling force of your arguments.

7. Healthy Attitude Towards Criticism

Consider feedback as pointer towards betterment. Projects often fail and some of them fail spectacularly. As a manager, your focus should not be on proportioning blame or playing the defensive game, but focusing on what went wrong, what you can learn from it and how you can do it differently the next time.

Don’t forget to leave you comments below.

The Entrepreneur Project Manager

Written by Sunil Srivastava on January 22, 2014. Posted in Articles. 93 Comments on The Entrepreneur Project Manager

sunilJan22 Every project manager during their career, short or long, has worked with or heard of some PM who was the absolute best. The one who everyone wanted on their team and the one who always managed to deliver the desired results.

Now every Project Manager knows that being able to scope, budget and schedule projects and being able to guide them through their lifecycles are in the average day’s work, the bare minimum any PM should be capable of.

So, what are the qualities of a super PM? What does it take to move beyond the ordinary and into the extraordinary?

I believe it is a mindset — more specifically, the entrepreneurial mindset.

The best PMs have learned through their experiences that to exceed rather than just succeed one needs to think beyond the basics of project management. It is not enough just to know about scheduling, budgeting, subject matter, etc., and somehow push the project through its phases towards its final milestone. Extraordinary PMs have realized that to be really successful, one has to be able to look beyond the mundane and rise beyond the ordinary.

They have adopted the entrepreneurial mindset.

The entrepreneurial mindset

A couple of definitions to consider:

Entrepreneur is a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.
Mindset is a mental attitude or inclination.

According to Joseph Schumpeter “the capabilities of innovating, introducing new technologies, increasing efficiency and productivity, or generating new products or services, are characteristic qualities of entrepreneurs,” while Robert B. Reich considers “leadership, management ability, and team-building to be essential qualities of an entrepreneur.”

In a recent article on entrepreneurship Dan Schawbel stated, “A major shift is taking place, replacing the typical definition of an entrepreneur — ‘someone who starts a company’ — with a newer definition, one based on the innate mindset of a person who sees opportunities and pursues them.”

And, the Financial Times said, “The entrepreneurial mindset as refers to a specific state of mind which orientates human conduct towards entrepreneurial activities and outcomes. Individuals with entrepreneurial mindsets are often drawn to opportunities, innovation and new value creation. Characteristics include the ability to take calculated risks and accept the realities of change and uncertainty.”

So, an entrepreneur is a take-charge, self-directed person who rounds up important resources and services to deliver a product or service to consumers that is of value. Now while this can describe any manager, there is one very critical difference between an entrepreneur and a manager. While most managers are very capable and dedicated to their work, only an entrepreneur manager will, consciously and subconsciously, act as if they have personal equity in the initiative’s success or failure. It is not “just a job” for them. Entrepreneurs know that they cannot fail and that their failure will lead to the failure of the entire business or initiative.

Similarly, for each and every project an entrepreneur PM will take extra initiative and consideration to ensure its success. This mindset of “personal ownership” is what sets this type of a PM apart from others. This mindset also drives the PM’s efforts towards setting higher standards for performance and achievement. Entrepreneur PMs realize the importance and centrality of their team’s effort and work to deliver great results. They know that while they themselves cannot perform all the tasks and roles on a project, they are ultimately responsible for its success or failure and the impact on its stakeholders.

No project on its own is perfect or the best. There are always risks. It is not difficult to assign blame for failure, and one can find innumerable reasons for it, such as blaming the SMEs, sponsor, budget, the team, etc.

But for the entrepreneur PM, success is the only way to go forward. They are personally invested in its success. Hence, they are never reactive and don’t accept excuses. They proactively approach each and every project and will demolish every barrier erected in their path. They will do whatever effort is required to find the solutions that will guide the team and project towards success. Their sense of project ownership is always high; innovation is their way of life; their appetite for risk is high; they are always striving for the betterment of the project.

A project is always undertaken to create something new or unique, even if it is a small update. The new product or service cannot be initiated by machines. Not yet. Hence human resources are critical for a project’s success. Entrepreneur PMs know that.

Some common characteristics of entrepreneur PMs:

Getting the “big picture”
Leader and motivator
Team builder
Patient (not easily rattled)
Great listener and communicator
Strategic and organized
Proactive
Optimistic
Technically sound
Effective task delegator

Entrepreneur PMs are not necessarily the most technically qualified. In fact, my observation is that often the most technically qualified and experienced people don’t make the best PMs. Technical competence is important to some extent for project management but not critical. Skills such as being proactive, understanding people and their goals, taking ownership, being able to “get the big picture”, etc. are more crucial for a project’s success.

Entrepreneur PMs are driven professionals who strive to excel, and the thought of being able to interact with great minds daily, guiding them and extracting ideas, excites them. An entrepreneur PM’s mindset is analogous to that of a CEO in that they are always striving to deliver high value to all their stakeholders.

Don’t forget to leave your comments below.

Project Leader Selection Unparalleled in Importance

Written by Lisa Anderson on December 4, 2013. Posted in Articles. 6 Comments on Project Leader Selection Unparalleled in Importance

In my 20+ years of experience as both a former VP of Operations of a mid-market manufacturer and as a business consultant and entrepreneur, I’ve yet to see as significant a skills gap as is emerging in today’s new normal business environment. Companies must have top talent in order to meet the increasing complexities associated with growing the business profitably. Project managers and program managers are no exception. Top talent is scarce.

Those companies that find a way to select the best talent will thrive while their competition will be left in the dust. There are several tips and strategies to achieving this objective. Thus, the top 8 strategies are as follows:

Start with your objective: There is no need to waste time selecting the optimal project leader if you aren’t crystal clear on the objectives. One of the most successful executive recruiters I know will not think about reviewing candidates until the objectives are understood – what does the project leader need to accomplish? What are the key milestones likely required achieving it? Take the time to fully understand the objective.
Understand the environment: What leads to success in one environment will not necessarily lead to success in the next. What is unique about your environment? Is your company growing? Rapidly growing? Focused on cost savings? Dealing with complexities not typical to your industry? Think about these factors and incorporate them into the equation as you select project managers.
Understand your resources: What types of resources will the project leader have at his/her request? Are they technically savvy? Do they need to be? What types of skills will be met through the team’s resources? Understanding what’s available will help you determine which skills are most essential in your project leader in addition to leadership qualities!
Identify technical skill requirements: Think carefully about the types of technical skills required in your project manager. What types of process skills would be helpful? How about systems capabilities? Project management skills? Problem solving skills? According to a skills gap survey my company recently performed, problem solving skills is often at the top of the technical skills list. Is that critical in your company?
Identify the soft skill requirements: According to the skills gap survey, soft skills are even more important than technical skills in today’s business environment. Which skills do you require? Leadership must be a no-brainer. How about presentation skills? Persuasion skills? Influence skills? Which are most important in your company for achieving success?
Comprehensive review of candidates: Do not overlook internal as well as external options. Some of the most valuable resources are those already familiar with your people, processes, systems and products. Does anyone stand out who has the capabilities to lead your project even if he/she requires mentoring or skill development in areas already covered with available resources? Don’t miss potential gems.
Interviews: Whether the candidate is internal or external, don’t miss out on the opportunity to bring in experts to help with the process. Interviewing might appear simple yet is rarely so. If it were obvious, why would so many companies end up with sub-optimal candidates who appeared perfect during the interview? Since your people are your #1 asset, it’s vital to take the process seriously and invest as required to ensure long-term success. It’s amazing what we’ll put up with in order to save a few dollars! Why do we do this when we lose 30 times that amount down-the-line with poor decisions?
Reference checks: Again, it might seem irrelevant if the candidate is internal; however, I guarantee you it is even more important to talk with the people surrounding your candidates. Do a 360 degree view – manager, peers, subordinates, etc. It might be more challenging to gain this feedback internally; however, this is exactly the reason a solid and realistic performance management process is bedrock to success. Providing good marks so that employees do not feel bad is irresponsible yet happens frequently. Instead, encourage realistic marks (not everyone should be an “A” or even a “B” if you have a realistic process in place). Document strengths and areas of opportunity. What could be worse than taking a high performer in one role and promoting him to a role he fails in? Unfortunately, as I’ve seen multiple times, knowing it is a distinct possibility given the person’s areas of opportunity and promoting them anyway. Don’t do it!

Since the project leader role is essential to any project’s success, it is in your best interest to invest the time and resources to select the right candidate. Which of these strategies do you employ when selecting a project leader?

Don’t forget to leave your comments below.