How to Run Successful High-Tech Project-Bases Organizations

by O'Connell, Fergus

• ISBN13: 9781580530101
• ISBN10: 1580530109
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-10-01
• Publisher: Artech House

Summary

This book offers you practical, real-world steps to creating a Structured Project Management (SPM) system throughout your organization. Based on the ten steps in best-selling author Fergus O'Connell's previous book, How to Run Successful Projects, this book expands on that concept to offer a thorough solution to keeping today's high-tech companies competitive, on budget, and on schedule.

Author Biography

Fergus O'Connell graduated with a first in mathematical physics from University College Cork. He began his career in the Computer Centre of University College Cork and worked with companies such as CPT, ICL, and Retix before founding ETP in 1992. He has lectured on project management at University College Cork and Boston University and on television for the National Technological University. He lives with his wife, son, daughter, three dogs, two horses, three ponies, and a donkey beside the River Barrow in Ireland. He is currently chairman and CEO of ETP.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
Acknowledgments	xiv
Introduction	xvii
Part One ``Fixing'' Projects	1	(156)
The 10 Steps	3	(36)
The 10 steps	5	(7)
PSI	12	(3)
Assigning PSIs	13	(1)
Interpreting PSIs	14	(1)
Magicians vs. Dukes of Wellington [step 5(b)]	15	(7)
Magicians	16	(1)
Dukes of Wellington	17	(1)
Objections	17	(5)
People (steps 4 and 6)	22	(2)
Why projects fail	24	(1)
User assistance	25	(14)
Scoping Projects and Making Plans (Steps 1--5)	39	(16)
Introduction	41	(1)
Scoping the project (step 1)	42	(1)
Making the plan (steps 2--5)	43	(9)
List of Jobs	43	(2)
The power of assumptions	45	(3)
One leader	48	(1)
Assign people to jobs	48	(1)
Put contingency into the plan	49	(2)
Iterate steps 2--5(a)	51	(1)
Document the plan	52	(1)
Present the plan	52	(1)
Agree on next actions	52	(1)
User assistance	52	(3)
Running Projects (Steps 6--10)	55	(16)
Introduction	57	(1)
Monday meetings	58	(1)
Daily routine	59	(2)
Code green	60	(1)
Code yellow	60	(1)
Code orange	60	(1)
Code red	60	(1)
Status reporting	61	(6)
User assistance	67	(4)
Assessing Project Plans (Steps 1--5)	71	(16)
Introduction	73	(1)
User assistance	73	(14)
Assessing Projects (Steps 1--10)	87	(14)
Introduction	89	(1)
User assistance	90	(11)
Rescuing Projects: Rescuing = Assessing + Scoping and Planning (Steps 1--10)	101	(4)
Introduction	103	(2)
Auditing Completed Projects (Steps 1--10)	105	(10)
Introduction	107	(1)
User assistance	108	(7)
Running Multiple Projects	115	(12)
Introduction	117	(1)
Organization-wide supply and demand	118	(1)
Organization-wide project assignment	119	(1)
Personal dance cards	119	(1)
User assistance	120	(7)
Building a Historical Database (Knowledge Management)	127	(8)
Introduction	129	(1)
Data	130	(1)
Information	130	(1)
High-level estimates and actuals	130	(1)
Templates for projects	131	(1)
Project performance information	131	(1)
Knowledge	131	(1)
User assistance	132	(3)
Analyzing Project Management Processes (Steps 1--10)	135	(14)
Introduction	138	(1)
Comparing your methodology/procedures with the 10 steps	139	(1)
Adapting existing project management infrastructure/tools	140	(1)
User assistance	140	(9)
Managing Subcontractors	149	(8)
Introduction	151	(1)
Planning	151	(4)
Choosing the subcontractor	152	(1)
Writing the contract	153	(2)
Execution of the plan	155	(2)
Part Two Implementing Structured Project Management in Organizations (iSPMiO)	157	(58)
The Organization-Wide Status Report (OSR)	159	(6)
Introduction	160	(1)
What is an OSR?	161	(1)
What use is an OSR?	162	(3)
Project Management Performance Model	165	(10)
Introduction	167	(1)
Project management performance scale	168	(6)
Pointer---the organizational performance indicator (OPI)	174	(1)
Figuring Out Where You Are	175	(10)
Introduction	177	(1)
Organization as the sum of its projects	177	(1)
Soft audit	178	(1)
Calculate the OPI	179	(1)
User assistance	179	(6)
Start Making It Better	185	(10)
Introduction	187	(1)
Fix the reds	187	(1)
Clear the blues	188	(1)
Search and destroy oranges	189	(2)
Resolve issues	191	(2)
Within-project issues	191	(1)
External-to-project issues	192	(1)
User assistance	193	(2)
Case Studies	195	(6)
Introduction	197	(1)
Case study #1	197	(2)
Case study #2	199	(2)
The Lazy Manager's Weekly Routine	201	(6)
Introduction	203	(1)
The weekly routine	204	(3)
Monday	204	(2)
Tuesday--Friday	206	(1)
Program for a Project-Based Organization	207	(8)
Introduction	209	(1)
The seven things	209	(3)
Find an approach	210	(1)
Train practitioners	210	(1)
Find some tools	210	(1)
Build a database of previous projects with which the tools interact	211	(1)
Enforce the approach	211	(1)
Standard operating procedures	211	(1)
Educate the rest	211	(1)
Little implementation plan	212	(3)
Part Three Treating Your Organization as a Project	215	(28)
Building the Plan	217	(22)
Introduction	219	(1)
Visualize the goal	219	(2)
List of jobs	221	(1)
One leader	222	(1)
Assign people to jobs	223	(1)
Contingency	223	(1)
Manage expectations	223	(1)
So how much work is involved in producing one of these plans?	224	(1)
User assistance	225	(14)
Executing the Plan	239	(4)
Introduction	241	(1)
Executing the plan	241	(1)
PSI for the entire organization	241	(1)
Step 4 assessments	241	(1)
User assistance	242	(1)
Part Four So Why Do Things Go Wrong?	243	(22)
Why Do Projects Go Wrong?	245	(12)
Introduction	246	(1)
So why do projects go wrong?	247	(1)
The first-time project manager's tale	248	(1)
A cautionary tale #1	249	(1)
The small software project manager's tale	250	(1)
A cautionary tale #2	251	(2)
The larger software project manager's tale	253	(1)
A final cautionary tale	254	(1)
Epilogue	255	(2)
Why Do Organizations Go Wrong?	257	(8)
Introduction	259	(1)
Terrific plans	259	(1)
Outstanding products	260	(1)
Play to win	260	(1)
Turbo-charged employees	261	(1)
Workplace sizzle	262	(1)
Learning organization	262	(1)
Forward intelligence system	263	(1)
Conclusion	263	(2)
Bibliography	265	(2)
Other references	266	(1)
About the Author	267	(2)
Index	269