Managing Multiple Small Projects

Sandra F. Rowe, PMP, MBA, MSCIS

Trinity Information Services

May 1, 2009
Purpose
„ The purpose of this
session is to provide
you with the necessary
k
knowledge,
l d skills,
kill ttools
l
and techniques to
effectively manage
multiple small projects
Session Objectives
„ Discuss the challenges
g associated with managing g g
multiple small projects.
„ Use a project management process and tools
specifically designed for managing multiple small
projects.
„ Review leadership p skills essential for managing
g g
multiple small projects.
„ Discuss Best Practices for managing multiple small
projects.
projects
Session Outline
„ Project Management Overview
„ Multiple Project Environment
„ Multiple-Project
p j Management
g Process for Small
Projects
„ Leadership Skills for Managing Multiple Small
Projects
„ Best Practices for Managing Multiple Small
Projects
 K Project
Key P j Management
M Terms
T
„ Project – a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a
unique product, service or result.
„ Program – a group of related projects managed in a
coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available
from managing them individually. Programs may include
elements of related work outside of the scope of the discrete
projects
j t or program.
„ Portfolio – a collection of projects or programs and other
work that are grouped together to facilitate effective
management of that work to meet strategic business
objectives. The projects or programs of the portfolio may not
necessarily be interdependent or directly ® Guide – Fourth Edition))
related.
((PMBOK

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Copyright 2008 Trinity Health – Novi, Michigan INTERNAL
 P j t Management
Project M t Life
Lif Cycle
C l Phases
Ph
Initiating
g Planning
g Executing
g C
Controlling
g C
Closing
g
Define the Define the Complete the Monitor ongoing Formally
project in detailed work defined project activities concludes all
terms of scope,
scope requirements in the against project project
high-level and workplans workplan plans to identify activities,
deliverables for the project potential including
and costs variances and transition to
ensure that
h operations
i
appropriate
project action
taken

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Copyright 2008 Trinity Health – Novi, Michigan INTERNAL
 Best Practices
Standards

Closing Tools
PM
Knowledge
Areas

Controlling
PM
Processes

Planning

Leadership
Initiating
Scalable and Adaptable
„ Scalable
‰ Level of complexity of the process
‰ Time in using the process
‰ F
Focus off the
th process
„ Adaptable
‰ Knowing
o g how
o muchuc p process
ocess is
s required
equ ed for
o
an individual project
‰ Knowing which tools and techniques to apply
to the project
 P j t Success
Project S
Project success can be defined delivering the
required product within scope, on time and within
budget, while meeting quality and customer
expectations

Time Cost
Quality
and
C t e
Customer
Service

S
Scope

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Copyright 2008 Trinity Health – Novi, Michigan INTERNAL
What is a Small Project?
Definition of a Small Project

„ Short in duration
„ 10 or fewer team members
„ Single
g objective
j
„ Narrowly defined scope
„ Single
g decision-maker
„ Straight forward deliverables
„ Few interdependencies among skill areas
Examples of Small Projects

„ Developing a training course

„ Developing a process
„ Implementing
p gap project
j office
„ Developing documents
„ Implementing
p gap purchased software application
pp
Treating Assignments as Projects

„ One person assignments can be managed as

projects
„ Treating assignments as projects allows more effort
to be carried out in an efficient manner with better
use of resources (Källman, & Williamson, 2002)
What are some challenges
with
i h managing
i smallll projects?
j ?
Challenges of Managing Multiple Small
Projects
„ Common resources are assigned
C i d tto
multiple projects
„ Many of your project team members
are part-time resources to the project
„ Team members are juggling priorities

A challenge is a call to action. Respond to the call.

 C
Common R
Reasons P
Projects
j t Fail
F il
„ Undefined customer expectations
p
„ Scope creep
„ Unfamiliarity with the project management process
„ Stakeholders and impacted areas not involved
„ Poor leadership
„ Poor estimating techniques
„ Optimistic scheduling
„ Lack of fundingg
„ Lack of dedicated resources
„ Competing priorities

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Copyright 2008 Trinity Health – Novi, Michigan INTERNAL
Problems from not Using Project
Management
„ Failure with a small project is viewed worse
than with a big one (Fuezery, 1998)
Key Project Management Documents
„ Project Request
„ Project Charter
„ Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
„ Deliverable List
„ Project Schedule
Project Description
Project #3
Procedure
Manual
Project #2
Project Mgt
Process Pres
Project #1
Software Dev
Project
 PROJECT CHARTER

Project Name: Project Management Process Presentation

Goal: All projects are planned, managed and evaluated using best-in-class project
management methodologies and tools.
Objectives: Develop a presentation to communicate a new project management process to
the project management office staff.
Stakeholders: Sponsor – Name, Corporate Project Management Office Director
Primary – Project Managers
Primary – Project Team Members
In Scope: Project management initiation and planning processes

Out of Scope: Project management execution, controlling and closing processes, project
development process, project management tool
Major 1. Project Management
Deliverables: 2 PM Processes
2.
3. Presentation Materials
Assumptions: 1. The project managers will use the process
2. The remaining processes will be developed and communicated to the PMs
Constraints: 1. The presentation can be no more than three hours
2 The
2. Th presentation
t ti mustt b be d
delivered
li dbby J
June 30
3. Priority conflicts of the Project Manager
Risk Factors:

Approval: ______________________________________________________________
 Work Breakdown Structure
• Work Breakdown Structure
(WBS) – A deliverable-
oriented hierarchical
decomposition of the work
to be executed by the
project
j t team
t to
t accomplish
li h
the project objectives and
create the required
deliverables. It organizes
and defines the total scope
of the project.
• Work Breakdown Structure
C
Component t – An
A entry
t in
i
the work breakdown
structure that can be at any
level.
(PMBOK® Guide – Fourth Edition)

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 Software Development Project (#1)
Software Development Project (#1)
Deliverable List

WBS Activity/Deliverable
1 Definition
11
1.1 Project Scope
Project Scope
2 Analysis
2.1 Business Requirements
q
2.2 System Requirements
3 Design
31
3.1 C
Conceptual Design
lD i
3.2 Detailed Design
Portfolio of Related Projects

„ Consists of projects of a similar type

„ Shares resources
„ Portfolio management is used to help achieve an
acceptable return on investment by selecting the
right mix and balancing the resources
„ Failure or success of one project may impact the
other projects
p j
Portfolio of Unrelated Projects

„ Multiple projects assigned to a project manager

„ Consists of some related projects in addition to
ad hoc projects and assignments
„ Failure or success of one project does not greatly
impact
p the other p
projects
j
„ Projects are combined in the project manager’s
portfolio
Portfolio Management for Unrelated
Projects
„ Project
j p
portfolio management
g is concerned with
selecting and prioritizing projects
„ The focus is on controlling the flow of the work
„ Th goall off portfolio
The tf li managementt isi to
t efficiently
ffi i tl
plan and control an individual portfolio of multiple
p j
projects
„ Used to help the project manager obtain efficiencies
with the use of resources, especially time
Project Categories
„ Used in a multi-project
environment to organize project •Training
information •Technologygy
„ Refers to the area, application or •Strategic
kind of work being done •Maintenance
„ Projects in the same category •Business
B i Process
P
have a similar lifecycle
„ Categories can also be further
divided into sub-categories
Project Priority
„ Project priorities are often assigned based
upon urgency, delivery date or dependencies
with other projects
p j
‰ How do you set priorities?
‰ What are yyour p
priority
y drivers?
Project priorities: high, medium, low
Multiple Project Summary (1 of 2)

A spreadsheet view of high

high-level
level project information
Project ID 2

Project Name Software Development Project

Priority High

Category Technology

Completion Date 11/30/08

Status On Schedule
Multiple Project Summary (2 of 2)

A spreadsheet view of high

high-level
level project information
„ Project ID „ Budget
„ Project Name „ Estimated Completion
„ Priority Date
„ C
Category „ High Level Deliverables
„ Objectives „ Status
Multiple Project Management Process
1
1. Develop a single project plan for each
individual project
2
2. Incorporate individual project plans into a
multi-project plan
3
3. Execute and control the multi-project plan
Multiple Project Reports
„ Multiple Project Schedule
„ Multiple Project Timeline (Integrated Gantt
Chart)
„ Multiple Project Risk Plan
„ M lti l P
Multiple Project
j t St
Status
t Report
R t
„ Multiple Project Calendar
 Multiple Project Schedule
ID WBS Task Name Start Finish
A il
April M
May JJune
3/30 4/6 4/13 4/20 4/27 5/4 5/11 5/18 5/25 6/1 6/8 6/15 6/22 6
1 1 Software Development Project 4/1/08 5/30/08
2 1.1 Definition 4/1/08 4/14/08
3 1.1.1 Project Scope 4/1/08 4/14/08
4 1.2 Analysis 4/15/08 5/30/08
5 1.2.1 Business Requirements 4/15/08 4/30/08
6 1.2.1 System Requirements 5/1/08 5/30/08
7 2 Project Management Process Presentation 4/1/08 5/30/08
8 21
2.1 PM Processes
P &T
Tools
l 4/1/08 5/30/08
9 2.1.1 Initiation 4/1/08 4/30/08
10 2.1.2 Planning 5/1/08 5/30/08
11 3 Operational Readiness 4/14/08 6/30/08
12 31
3.1 Training 4/14/08 6/30/08
13 3.1.1 Training Plan 4/14/08 4/25/08
14 3.1.2 Training Development 4/28/08 6/13/08
15 3.1.3 Training Delivery 6/16/08 6/30/08
Risk Planning
1. Identifyy risks
2. Determine probability of
occurrence – low, medium, high
Risk is an uncertain
3. D t
Determinei iimpactt – low,
l medium,
di event or condition that
high if it occurs has a
negative effect on a
4
4. Prioritize risks – low, medium, high project
j t objective.
bj ti
5. Develop risk response plan
Risk management is the
systematic
y pprocess of
identifying, analyzing
and responding to
project risk.
Multiple Project Risk Management
„ Identify the risk level for each project
„ Define risk responses
„ Identify where risks overlap among projects
„ Identify responses that serve multiple projects
„ D
Develop
l aM Multiple
lti l P
Project
j t Ri
Risk
kRResponse
Register
Multiple Project Risk Register
Project No. &  P I Priority
Name R i
Rating R i
Rating (P x I)
ID
No. Description
1 2 PM Process Risk Description: An SME is assigned full time on another High High High
Presentation project and may not be available to attend team meetings,
which could delay the completion of the project.
Risk Response: The project manager will schedule separate
meetings with the SME and assign the development
activities to another resource.

St t
Status:

2 1 Software Risk Description: The technical design may not be Medium High Medium
Development completed on time.
Project Risk Response: Add more resources during development

Status:
Management vs. Leadership

Managers Leaders
• Administer „ Innovate
• Rely on control „ Trust
• Have short-term views „ Have long-term views
• Eye
y the bottom line „ Eye the horizon
• Focus on structure „ Focus on people
„ Communicate
• Command
„ Originate
• Imitate
„ Do the right thing
• Do things right
Leadership
“Leadership
Leadership can be defined as a style of behavior
designed to integrate both the organizational
requirements and one’s personal interests into the
pursuitit off some objective”
bj ti ”
- Harold Kerzner, PhD
“Leadership
“L d hi iis th
the capacity
it and
d will
ill tto rally
ll men and
d
women to a common purpose and the character which
inspires confidence
confidence”

- Bernard Montgomery,
g y Field Marshal
A Leader...

1. Can create, nurture and communicate a vision

2
2. Has the capacity and the willingness to balance
courage with consideration
3. Can coach and empower
p a team
4. Can collaborate with others
5
5. has the ability to maintain a winning attitude
6. is comfortable with ambiguity
 A Leader...

7. Is decisive and persistent

8. Is both giving and forgiving
9. Can add value
10. Is a knowledge seeker
11. Can take the initiative
12. Can laugh and has a sense of humor
13. Demonstrates good character
Character

„ “Your character determines who you are, who

you are determines what you see, what you
see determines what you do
do.”

„ “Character
“Ch t iis th
the iinward ti - tiJohn CC.ttoMaxwell
d motivation d
do
what is right in every situation.”
„ An effective leader has good character

- Tom Hill
L d hi Ch
Leadership Characteristics
i i
Creativity Compassion
Diligence Decisiveness
Flexibility Discernment
Initiative Forgiveness
Patience Orderliness
Persuasiveness Tolerance
Self-Control
Self Control Responsibility
Sensitivity Thoroughness
Integrity
Project Managers as Leaders
„ The traditional view of project
p j
management emphasizes that Project Leadership
both technical and management Responsibilities
expertise
p is required
q of p
project
j
managers • Know and develop
yourself
„ The primary role of project • Know your project
managers is to provide a • Know
K and
d develop
d l
leadership focus on their your team
projects • Communicate,
Communicate,,
Communicate
Leading by Influence
„ Earn the trust and respect of your team by having
good character
„ Create and communicate the p project
j vision
„ Become proficient at performing your
responsibilities
„ R
Respondd rapidly
idl tto project
j t stakeholders
t k h ld
„ Coach and develop project team members and
delegate
de ega e p
project
ojec responsibilities
espo s b es
Essential Leadership Skills
„ Problem solving
„ Decision making
„ Priority
y setting
g
„ Take the initiative
„ Acceptp responsibility
p y
„ Ability to focus
The Power of Focus
„ Focus affects perception and
performance
„ Focus provides clarity
‰ Defining project outcome/vision

‰ Staying on track
„ Focus on the activities that will help
you to achieve project objectives
Multi Tasking
Multi-Tasking
„ What is multi-tasking?
multi tasking?
‰ Working on multiple concurrent projects

‰ Performing both operational activities as well as project

work
„ Outcomes of multi-tasking
‰ Good – can be used to take advantage of project
downtime
‰ Bad – if it forces constant movement among projects
Time Management
1. Create monthly weekly and daily priority lists (To
Do Lists)
2. Plan every day in advance
3. Organize your work space
4. Use a document management system
5. Set priorities
6. Do the most difficult task first
Time Management
7. Conquer procrastination
8. Focus on results
9. Developp systems
y that work for yyou
10. Work according to your temperament
11. Allow a little time for the unexpected
p
12. Eliminate wasteful activities
13. Choose to be positive
Leadership Connection
„ Take the initiative to develop an individual
portfolio for unrelated projects
„ Stress the benefits achieved for applying
pp y g the
multiple project tools
„ Use multi-tasking g to yyour advantage
g
„ Find a system that works for you
What are some b
Wh best practices
i
for managing
g g multiple
p small
projects?
Best Practices for Managing Multiple
Projects
„ Consistently use a project management process
and tools for a individual projects
„ Ensure that risk pplanning
g occurs twice—first
while planning the individual project and then
again during multiple project planning
„ Incorporating more discipline increases your
chances for success
PROJECT
SUCCESS
Questions?
Contact Information
Sandra F
F. Rowe
Rowe, PMP
PMP, MBA
MBA, MSCIS

sandrarowe@comcast.net
sandrarowe@comcast net
248 376-0991