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Volume X - Issue VIII - August 2008
PM Publishing News
New Project Management book addresses Reported by David Shannon in London, UK Working in any field these days often means working on projects. Elizabeth Harrin’s new book Project Management in the Real World points out gaps in project management theory and offers readers practical suggestions for how to manage their projects better.
Project Management in the Real World contains over 50 case studies – some of projects that went well, some of projects that went badly – plus a discussion of what readers can take from that experience."I wanted the book to be a shortcut to learning what makes projects successful,” says Harrin."Theory is useful, but my research shows experience is what really counts at the end of the day." "Getting things done takes more than knowing the theory,” Harrin says."I interviewed dozens of project managers and everyone told me that you have to be flexible. Rigidly sticking to a methodology won't necessarily help you deliver your project on time and on budget." Harrin's book is intended to influence the way project managers do their jobs - for the better. "Projects are always in the news, especially public spending projects," she adds."The more we can do to improve standards across the profession, the better it will be for everyone. Theory and qualifications are a good starting point but sharing our experiences and learning what works in the real world is even better.
Elizabeth Harrin, BA (Hons), MA, MBCS (pictured) is an author and project manager living and working in London. She has nearly a decade of experience in financial services projects. Elizabeth has led a variety of IT and process improvement projects including e-commerce and communications developments. She is also experienced in managing business change, having spent eight years working in financial services (including two based in Paris, France). She writes the irreverent blog A Girl’s Guide to Managing Projects (www.pm4girls.co.uk) which has been nominated this month for a Computer Weekly IT Blog Award. OGC's Focus Series - New Project & Programme Management books by Franklin and Tuttle unveiled in London Reported by Miles Shepherd in London, UK The Focus Series by Melanie Franklin and Susan Tuttle of Maven Training has been written specifically for people working in programme and project environments. Comprising three books, the series focuses on the skills required for successful project delivery: communication, leadership and team management.
"70% of businesses fail to achieve their desired goals and the causes for failure are usually lack of strong leadership, lack of team skills, and lack of stakeholder engagement." author Melanie Franklin (pictured at right) said. "Project managers face unique challenges because they don’t have structural controls like line managers. They need to motivate staff in a more creative way."
Communication skills for project and programme managers - At its core, communication during a project is a process of managing stakeholders, including team members as well those outside the project who are affected by the project or its outcome. By managing these groups or individuals through effective communication an environment of trust and collaboration can ensue. Without stakeholder buy-in, the project may have to contend with unnecessary misunderstandings and strained relationships, which can contribute to the ultimate failure of the project.
Leadership skills for project and programme managers - This book describes situations where the need for leadership manifests itself within a project or programme, and uses examples to illustrate how effective leadership within this environment can be demonstrated.
The book explores how team management is reliant on the power of the relationships established between the leader of the team and the team members, and the relationships operating between the team members independently of the relationship with the team leader. The factors that affect these relationships are explored, including the values, behaviours and motivations of the team leader and the team members. Happy Projects'08 Award Winning International Student Paper
Due to the caliber of international student papers selected by the judging panel and presented at the annual HAPPY PROJECTS conference held in Vienna this past May, PMForum was granted permission to republish the work of the 1st place winner Barry Rodgers (pictured left) entitled "Selling a PMO to management as a centralised repository of project expertise".Barry attends the ESC Lille Graduate School of Management, France in the July issue of it’s online ejournal PM World Today.See his paper at http://www.pmworldtoday.net/
This year’s conference featured speakers from well-known national and international organizations and universities and included presentations, case studies, workshops, panel discussions and round tables revolving around this year’s topic "PROJECTS & SALES".
The Happy Projects´08 conference - organised by ROLAND GAREIS CONSULTING in cooperation with the PROJECTMANAGEMENT GROUP, Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration - is one of Austria’s major project management conferences each year. Editor's Note: In an effort to promote collaboration, and the contribution of the PM profession to our global community PMFourm seeks to expand the visibility of promising student works and research efforts by exposing it to the broadest possible audience through various means, including publication in the PM World Today eJournal and in it’s library archives on www.pmforum.org.If you have papers, research or other items for consideration please submit them to editor@pmforum.org. Stories from NASA: ASK Magazine Features Real The July edition of ASK Magazine, published by NASA's Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership (APPEL), contains some fascinating stories about NASA projects and project leadership.They are tremendously interesting and educational descriptions of real projects, project management issues and experiences,by NASA project managers. The July edition of ASK magazine contains the following stories:
Applying the Secrets of Hubble’s Success to Constellation - By Frank J. Cepollina - from the introduction: From its ignominious beginnings to its triumphant redemption, the story of the Hubble Space Telescope is known around the world. What is less well known is the story behind the story-the elements that made Hubble’s ultimate success possible. In 1990, I waited impatiently with the rest of NASA for the first images from the marvelous new Hubble Space Telescope to be released. Then came the bad news: spherical aberration. Simply put, the much-touted space telescope had blurry vision. The embarrassment was excruciating as the world came to know Hubble as the $1.6 billion "techno-turkey." (read the full story in July’s ASK magazine)
Frank J. Cepollina (pictured ) serves as deputy associate director for the Hubble Space Telescope Development Project at Goddard Space Flight Center. He is known as the "Father of On-Orbit Servicing" for his decades of leadership in repairing and upgrading satellites in orbit. Juno: Making the Most of More Time - By Rick Grammier - from the introduction: Juno was selected in 2005 with an initially scheduled launch in 2009. Almost immediately, though, NASA Headquarters warned us that budgetary issues would delay the launch a year or two and asked the project team to prepare a cost assessment for a 2010 launch. We completed that task in November 2005. Six months later, NASA informed us that budget issues would cause a further delay, and the launch date would be in 2011. This required the project team to re-plan yet again. The schedule change posed challenges for the Juno team. One was dealing with the budgetary implications of delay. Inflation would add cost, as would the personnel and management expenses of a longer project, even with the team size frozen at a low level during the early years. (read the full story in July’s ASK)
Rick Grammier (pictured right) is currently the project manager for the Juno mission in the New Frontiers Program. His experience includes previous roles as project manager for Deep Impact, deputy director for Planetary Flight Projects at JPL, manager of JPL's Office of Mission Assurance, and project engineer and deputy project manager for Stardust.
The Applied Meteorology Unit: True Technology Transfer - By Carol Anne Dunn and Francis J. Merceret – from the introduction: Mark Twain once said, "Everyone talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it." These days we "do" weather forecasting, and it is right far more often than it is wrong, which is fortunate for those of us in Florida and at NASA, since central Florida leads the nation in lightning strikes, and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center lie within "Lightning Alley." This does not bode well for launching space vehicles. However, thanks to many new or improved technologies, NASA can now launch knowing it has the latest in technological information to keep its personnel, hardware, and facilities safe. Over the course of its history, NASA has transferred technology using a variety of methods: licensing, partnering with industry, and infusing technology into its missions through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. What we consider the purest form of technology transfer—technology usually published or put on a Web site free of charge-is done by a little known office within the Applied Technology Directorate at Kennedy: the Kennedy Space Center Weather Office. (read the full story in July’s ASK)
Carol Anne Dunn currently works as a project specialist in the Technology Transfer Office at Kennedy Space Center. She is also the awards liaison officer for the Inventions and Contributions Board. Francis J. Merceret is chief of the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) at Kennedy Space Center, a position he has held since 1991. He is also director of research at the Kennedy Weather Office, where he provides technical expertise in atmospheric physics and meteorological instrumentation,directs research conducted by or for the office, and undertakes scientific investigations.
Managing-and Learning from-a Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Risk - By Charles Tucker - from the introduction: Spinning the upper stage of a rocket in flight is one way to stabilize the vehicle, just as a bullet spins to stay on course. But liquid propellant sloshing around in a spacecraft’s fuel tanks produces a wobble, or nutation, that can cause instability and alter flight trajectory. The rate of wobble increase is measured by something called nutation time constant (NTC). In the case of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) with its large propulsion tank, NTC presented a considerable problem. (read the full story in July’s ASK)
Charles Tucker works with Dr. Edward W. Rogers, chief knowledge officer at Goddard Space Flight Center, on organizational learning and knowledge management initiatives using case studies of Goddard and other NASA missions.
The Road to Grace - By Edgar S. (AB) Davis - from the introduction: On March 17, 2002, twin satellites comprising the flight segment of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) were launched by a Russian Rockot launch vehicle from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome into orbit 300 miles above the earth. The successful launch of that science mission represented not just a technological achievement but years of planning, re-planning, negotiation, and persuasion. The early history of the program suggests some of difficulties and rewards of international cooperation. (read the full story in July’s ASK)
Edgar S. (Ab) Davis, an engineer with experience in developing precision optical and RF systems, led the GRACE project through the formulation and proposal phases. He managed the project for the alifornia Institute of Technology's Jet Propulsion Laboratory through the implementation, launch, an early orbit phases.
To Stay or Go? A UAV Science Project Story - By Tony Kim - from the introduction: What would you do if you were a scientist and had just been told by the safety authority that you can only search above the ocean for the science data that you can only get over land? What would you do as a project manager who has already spent twice the analysis budget when the analyst asks for another chunk of change so he might be able to give you a partial answer to meet requirements that seem to be a moving target? This was our dilemma in the spring of 2002. I was the project manager of the three-year Altus Cumulous Electrification Study (ACES) from beginning to end. (read the full story in July’s ASK).
Tony Kim has worked at the Marshall Space Flight Center for eighteen years. He is currently responsible for the advance capability and technology development for the Deep Throttling Engine, a liquid oxygen and hydrogen expander closed cycle rocket engine with throttling capability for safe and soft landing on the moon.
Created in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is America’s focal point for research, development and exploration of outer space. In 2005, the US President and Congress committed the United States to exploring the solar system and beyond: completing assembly of the International Space Station, flying the new Crew Exploration Vehicle by 2014, returning astronauts to the moon by the end of the next decade, and sending human missions to Mars and beyond. For over 50 years, NASA has been leading the world in the development and usage of advanced program and project management. Additional information about NASA programs and projects can be found at www.nasa.gov. Governance of Project Management - Reported by David Shannon in London, UK Directing Change: A Guide to Governance of Project Management and Co-Directing Change: A Guide to the Governance of Multi-Owned Projects are available from the Association for Project Management (APM) in the UK. These two guides have been published by the APM as part of the industry-wide reaction to the various scandals that rocked both UK and America over the last few years in respect of corporate governance. They cover the application of governance requirements to non-recurring activities of organisations. They reference both the UK Combined Code and the USA Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Over 80,000 copies have been distributed worldwide.
The purpose of the first Guide is "to influence directors and others to adopt excellent practices regarding the governance of programme and project management activities". The Guide has been drafted by a panel of APM members and the Forward is by Sir Bob Reid and Sir John Bourn KCB in which that they state that the discipline of project management has come of age. The Forward goes on to note that whilst good practice in directing and managing project work is increasingly evident, in many organisations there remains a gap in the governing surveillance of project activities. The Guide states that adherence to its principles will help Boards of Directors to:
Whilst this seems an ambitious aim for any Guide, and particularly for one which runs to amere 18 pages, the questions in respect of portfolio direction, projects sponsorship, effectiveness and efficiency of project management and disclosure and reporting are questions that all projects and all project managers should be asking of themselves before and during their projects.
The thinking behind the principles and the thinking that has gone into the drafting of this brief Guide is clear and practical, and whilst not all companies will find themselves able to comply with all things all of the time, undoubtedly most companies should try to do so. It is recommended that project managers read this Guide as part of their own professional development and in order to assist in the better running and governance of their organisations.
The second Guide addresses similar issues but in respect of multi-owned projects and programmes. Its intended audience includes those with influence over the development of corporate governance arrangements or their implementation, and it addresses the key question "how can boards be assured that appropriate governance arrangements are in place for projects in which they share ultimate control with other parties?" starting from the premise that each such organisation probably has different arrangements which need to be meshed for the purposes of the project. NASA's Project Management Competency Model NASA's Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership (APPEL) has published its July ask the academy eNewsletter, and it is full of interesting and educational information for project managers. Of particular note is the article about NASA's Project Management Competency Model.  The July edition of ask the academy also contains the following articles, features and information:
Under NASA's Office of the Chief Engineer, the Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership (APPEL) provides leadership, advice, direction, and support for the development and learning of the NASA program/project management and engineering community.APPEL trains the technical workforce through a competency-based and experiential development process; promotes continuous learning through a blended learning model, which leverages the expertise of university and private industry partners; offers performance support to project teams through assessment, workshops, expert consulting, rapid deployment training, coaching, and mentoring; and facilitates the dissemination of lessons learned through online resources and communities of practice. The Director of APPEL is Dr. Edward Hoffman. For more information, visit http://appel.nasa.gov/.  Created in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is America’s focal point for research, development and exploration of outer space. In 2005, the US President and Congress committed the United States to exploring the solar system and beyond: completing assembly of the International Space Station, flying the new Crew Exploration Vehicle by 2014, returning astronauts to the moon by the end of the next decade, and sending human missions to Mars and beyond. For over 50 years, NASA has been leading the world in the development and usage of advanced program and project management. Additional information about NASA programs and projects can be found at www.nasa.gov. In Search of the 'Holy Grail' for Projects - What if there was one step you could take that would single-handedly increase the value of each and every one of your projects? A step that increases business satisfaction with the results, and simplifies some of the elements of project delivery. Utopia?
Not so, according to a new book, "In search of the 'Holy Grail' for projects" (available free from www.project-sponsor.com), authored by Jed Simms. Project Management Book for Executives A new book on Strategic Business and Project Management by Antonello Bove has been published by Hoepli (www.hoepli.it),one of the main editors in Italy. With the title "Project Management: la metodologia dei 12 step" (www.lametodologiadei12
Planning Phase
The third part of the book is dedicated to the monitoring process and the closing phase and software with the involvement of Microsoft, @task, Primavera and Mindjet and a chapter dedicated to the mean of "success in project management" with three sample stories from project leaders.
The author, Antonello Bove, is Italian, based in Washington DC. Antonello Bove’s expertise is in the areas of project management and corporate strategy, managing projects and activities for more than 15 years in the private and government sectors. He served as CEO for a manufacturing company located in the USA and now as a program leader with an international development bank in Washington DC. Previouslyhe taught international business at the University of Evansville in Indiana and now at the University of Florence, Italy in project management. Wideman PM Website updates announced for August 2008 Max Wideman has announced the latest updates to his popular project management website. According to the email from Max this month, here are the items that Max discusses or has added to his website this month.
Max's Guest this month is author/consultant Stacy Goff who returns to answer the question: Why bother with a methodology, especially a project management one? His detailed discussion of What is a PM Methodology? A Search for Efficiency, Consistency, and Performance will enlighten you. In Papers, David Pells, Managing Editor of PM World Today, asks Max to reminisce on his activities with, and contributions to, the Project Management Institute. In this Part 2: Activities with PMI David probes Max's involvement with PMI, the local PMI Chapter, the PMI Board, who he knew, and what he thinks of recent changes. Is your project Going "Green": Is it a part of the Great Con Game? In this month’s Musings, Max takes a humorous look at the latest project management fashion and makes some serious but unlikely recommendations.. If you are looking for answers, guidelines or templates, check out Max’s Isaacons -"Issues and Considerations" that are presented in bullet form for quick and easy reference by project managers. Have you seen Max’s book Do you have a project management question? Max Wideman is one of the world’s best-known project management authorities. An engineer and professional project manager, his experience includes systems, social and environmental projects, as well as design and engineering projects. He is a Fellow of the Project Management Institute, of which he is past president and chairman and for which he led the development of the 1987 version of the Project Management Body of Knowledge. He is also a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (UK), the Engineering Institute of Canada, and the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering. His personal web site at www.maxwideman.com is a source of superior project management knowledge and information. It is free to the public. Max Wideman is also a global advisor to PMForum; additional information about Max can be found at http://www.pmforum.org/pm%20forum%20team/advisors.htm
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