Chapter 5: Implementing Project Methodologies

Overview

Successful implementation of any project methodology is a project itself. The hard part is to roll it out and make it part of the companys everyday culture. You cannot get everyone to start using the new methodology by simply attaching a few wall charts of the project methodology to cubicle walls and expect results. It could in fact take many months to implement a full-blown project methodology. Many project life cycles require the following:

Automation and workflow.

Ease of use.

Proper methodology documentation.

Acceptance by the entire organization.

There are a dozen consulting and boutique firms that offer to implement project methodologies ranging from a few thousand dollars to a few hundred thousand dollars into an organization. Unfortunately, few ever take the greater organization and its processes into account. This book should provide you with enough information so that you can successfully deploy any methodology yourself.

One of the first steps in implementing a project methodology is good planning. Questions that need to be considered before implementing the required project or development methodologies include:

Will we get the best value for the money from this methodology?

How do we build project competencies?

Are the appropriate project management processes and practices in place? Have we chosen the correct project methodology?

Is it flexible enough to do any size of project?

How does our organization learn and continuously improve from this methodology? Are we able to measure the project benefits? How do we know this?

Are we getting optimum productivity throughout the life cycle?

Some modesty is necessary before attempting any methodology implementation. Who can speak authoritatively on all the issues that are of concern in the implementation of project methodologies?

The only thing that really distinguishes projects from non-projects is the project life cycle. To develop a broad understanding of the generic discipline of the management of projects, both project managers and executives should address the broad range of issues affecting all stages of the life cycle in all kinds of projects. This is certainly a tough challenge: It requires a substantial breadth of analysis and understanding. Maintaining a coherent conceptual view of the discipline at this broader level is genuinely difficult (see Figure 5.1).

Figure 5.1: Project structure and composition.

Considerations for Methodology Rollout

Some project methodologies focus purely on the technology itself (e.g., Siebel software, SAP, Oracle), while others focus more on a generic project management approach. You must carefully consider the methodology to use based on the organizational requirements. For example, if you were in the business to build space vehicle systems, you would not be using a Siebel project methodology, but rather a NASA project methodology. A project manager must consider many important aspects before implementing the new methodology. Some preplanning activities that need to be performed before you commence with any methodology implementation include:

Conduct an assessment to understand the organizations current processes, including its strengths and weaknesses.

Determine and prepare a preliminary blueprint to determine the extent to which the organization is willing to employ project management and best practices for other processes (a questionnaire is sufficient).

Develop and tailor the processes with the involvement of the client.

Prepare tools and attach templates to support those processes.

Prepare and implement a rollout and support plan for the new processes.

Train program managers, project managers, and team members.

Mentor program managers, project managers, and team members.

Keep in mind that new processes change the way you work. The key to success in adopting these processes is the manner in which you introduce and deploy them.

Be sure to set a realistic implementation timetable. Project or development methodologies can often spiral when it comes to implementation, if the go-live schedule itself is unrealistic and false expectations are set. Prevailing assumptions about how long methodology deployment should take is sometimes way off base.