Basic Project Management Success Factors and Why They are ...pminashville.org/.../Stephanie-Dedmon-Project-Mgmt-Success-Factor… · "Critical success factors (CSF) are those few

April 10, 2014 1

Nashville PMI Symposium April 10, 2013

Stephanie Dedmon, PMP

Director, Business Solutions Delivery Department of Finance & Administration

State of Tennessee

Basic Project Management Success Factors and Why They

are Often Overlooked

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• Welcome! • Introduction Stephanie Dedmon, PMP Director, Business Solutions Delivery – State of Tennessee

Today’s Speaker

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• Today’s Learning Objectives • What Is a Project Management Success Factor? • Seven Key Project Management Success Factors • Analysis of the Success Factors • Socializing Your Project Management Success Factors • Summary and Wrap Up

Session Agenda

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• Explore seven project management success factors and understand their importance

• Understand why these success factors are often overlooked

• Identify ways to help ensure success factors are given appropriate attention and management

Today’s Learning Objectives

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• An element that is necessary for project to achieve its mission

"Critical success factors (CSF) are those few things that must go well to ensure success for a manager or an organization, and, therefore, they represent those managerial or enterprise area, that must be given special and continual attention to bring about high performance. CSFs include issues vital to an organization's current operating activities and to its future success.”*

What Is a Project Management Success Factor?

*Boynlon, A.C., and Zmud, R.W. 1984. "An Assessment of Critical Success Factors," Sloan Management Review (25:4), pp. 17-27.

Seven Key Project Management Success Factors

1. Project objectives are established 2. Business sponsors are fully engaged 3. Project resources are fully committed 4. A project methodology is being followed 5. A communications approach is established 6. Organizational change management is being addressed 7. Scope and change control are being closely managed

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Success Factor Analysis 1. Project objectives are established

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Why establishing project objectives gets overlooked

Ways to ensure project objectives are established

• In a hurry to implement a solution • Leadership assumes everyone

understands the project objectives • Lack of discipline • Someone wants to implement

technology for the sake of technology

• Schedule and conduct a session to identify the objectives

• Ensure the project charter includes the project’s objectives

• Require formal sign-off of the charter • Publish the project objectives

frequently; ensure they are baked into the communications plan

Success Factor Analysis 2. Business sponsors are fully engaged

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Why business sponsor engagement gets overlooked

Ways to ensure business sponsorship happens

• Project is driven by IT • Business sponsors don’t understand

their role in sponsoring a project • Business sponsors rely on IT because

they believe the solution is a “technical solution”

• Business sponsors aren’t fully supportive of the project

• Require a project charter be reviewed and approved by business sponsors

• Document the sponsor’s role and responsibilities for the project; review and explain to ensure they understand

• Help sponsors understand what could happen if project is not driven and owned by the business

• Establish frequent meetings with key sponsors

Success Factor Analysis 3. Project resources are fully

committed

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Why committing project resources gets overlooked

Ways to ensure project resources are committed

• Lack of budget • Lack of resources • Too many competing

priorities • Lack of understanding of the

importance of subject matter expert and end user participation

• Outline key project roles and develop an HR Plan

• Explain the need for full-time project resources and their impact on success

• Develop an approach to back fill key project team members so that may be full-time on the project

• Sell the investment in the solution

Success Factor Analysis 4. A project methodology is being followed

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Why a project methodology gets overlooked

Ways to ensure a project methodology is followed

• Lack of understanding of the importance of a methodology

• Perceived as adding too much time to the project schedule

• Inexperienced project resources • Fear that a methodology will be too

prescriptive or cumbersome

• Explain the benefits of using a methodology

• Describe the industry standards for project management

• Build the discipline into your organization for all projects (PMO, Governance)

Success Factor Analysis 5. A communications approach is

established

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Why communication gets overlooked

Ways to ensure communications happens

• Lack of formal planning for communications

• Lack of project management discipline and experience

• Perceived lack of budget for communications

• Sponsors assume communications will automatically happen

• Ensure the project charter outlines high level communications approach

• Encourage appropriate communications experience on the project team

• Give examples of when communications didn’t go well or had room for improvement

Success Factor Analysis 6. Organizational change management is being

addressed

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Why organizational change management gets overlooked

Ways to ensure organizational change management happens

• Lack of understanding of the impact of change

• Lack of experience in planning for and managing change

• Viewed as not important for technology projects

• Explain the importance and benefits of planning for change

• Enlist consulting experience to plan and manage organizational change

• Identify key change agents and involve them in the entire process

Success Factor Analysis 7. Scope and change control are being closely managed

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Why effective scope management and change control get overlooked

Ways to ensure scope and change control are closely managed

• Lack of project management experience and discipline

• Unrealistic demands are made by sponsors or other executives

• Everyone wants to please the boss (and therefore, never says “no”)

• Develop and document formal change control process before the project gets started

• Ensure everyone understands their role in change control

• Ensure everyone understands the project budget and over/under thresholds

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• Build Trust • Sell Your Experience – Tell Stories • Develop Ideas to Address Each Factor • Be Creative • Introduce with the Sponsors • Build Support and Momentum • Review with the Stakeholders and Project Team • Don’t Take No for An Answer

Socializing Project Management Success Factors

In Summary • These seven project management

success factors are critical for any project…there are more/others as well

• Should be documented and discussed early in the vision stage

• Should be understood by all • Sponsors should be committed to

helping achieve the success factors

• Should be communicated and measured throughout the project

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Questions or Feedback?

Contact Info: Stephanie Dedmon

(615) 253-2725 [email protected]

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