Virtual Project Management: Software Solutions for Today and the Future

by McMahon; Paul E.

• ISBN13: 9781574442984
• ISBN10: 1574442988
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-10-25
• Publisher: CRC Press

Summary

Virtual Project Management: Software Solutions for Today and the Future explores the technical management issues involved in the revolutionary new way of building complex software intensive systems faster and cheaper by employing the power of distributed operations. The book examines the implementation issues that cut deep inside present day collocated engineering organizations and recommends practical and affordable actions to aid organizations seeking increased productivity through distributed operations. The demand for integrated solutions constructed from a combination of existing and newly developed software increases daily. Many organizations find themselves with shortages of the critical skills necessary to compete in many of these newly created markets. Employing virtual collaborative development provides a dramatic increase in a company's opportunities to successfully compete. Virtual collaboration provides a broader skill and product knowledge base coupled with a deeper pool of personnel to potentially employ. It removes two of the major barriers - company affiliation and physical location. Virtual Project Management: Software Solutions for Today and the Future focuses on critical characteristics underlying how work actually gets done in traditional collocated engineering environments. It examines the changes taking place on virtual projects through a series of anecdotes based on real project experiences. The book provides an 8 step practical and affordable plan that can be used as a framework in either setting up and executing a new virtual project, or in instituting improvements to a project that has drifted off course. Others have lived through the pain of learning lessons the hard way. You don't need to follow their path. The insights and solutions offered by Paul McMahon answer the questions virtual project leaders will be asking well into the 21st century.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(8)
Why Do Many Collaborative Ventures Fail?
Background
What Do We Mean by Virtual Collaboration?
Today's Virtual Collaborative Project Characteristics
Why Should You Care about Virtual Operations?
Why Was This Book Written?
Specifically, What Problems Will This Book Help Solve?
A Note about the Recommendations in This Book
What Does The Future Hold?
References
An Overview and Roadmap for Busy Project Leaders	9	(220)
The High Level Virtual Project Organization
About Virtual Project Leadership Struggles
Conflict and Informal Activities
The Virtual Culture - A Practical and Affordable
Approach
Architecture, Work Split, and Tasking
Planning
Competing Virtual Project Infrastructure Visions
Global Component Criteria
How to Leverage Your Teammates' Strengths while
Managing the Integration Risk
Project Rules
Lower Level Virtual Project Organization
Virtual Project Organizations and Integrated Product Teams (IPTs)
Detailed Planning
Test the Operation Concept of the Virtual Organization
Is It Possible for Conflict and Common Vision to Coexist?
The Common Vision Tale
The Right Common Vision
Execute
Why Do We Need a Virtual Culture?
What Do We Mean by a Virtual Culture?
Informal Activities and the Virtual World
The Written Word in the Virtual World
References
Traditional Collocated Engineering from the Inside	29	(22)
How Does an Engineer Become Effective at His Job?
The Role of Informal Communication
Organizational Subcultures
Engineering Effectiveness and Subcultures
Organizational Variation
Large and Small Engineering Organizations
Systems and Software
Support Functions
Architecture, User Interface, and Databases
Organizational Evolution
The Push-Pull Organizational Tale
Common Key Characteristic of Successful Organizations
Organizational Expectations
Task Assignment Records (TARs)
Task Expectations
Formality and Informality
Process Maturity
Is it Easy to Physically Distribute a Mature Process?
What Makes a Mature Process Mature?
Key Points
References
The Tale of Two Cultures (The Schizophrenic Project)	51	(24)
The Tale
Observations on the Effect of Personal Experience
Culture, Adversity, and Communication
Hindrances to Effective Virtual Team Communication
The Distance Factor
The Competition Factor
Distance + Competition + Differing Experiences = Rumors + Communication Breakdown
Why Conflict Resolution Often Fails on Virtual Projects
Back to the Tale
A Fundamental Dilemma Facing Virtual Collaboration
The Schizophrenic Project Memory
The Integrated Project Memory
The Adjacent Cubicle Head Popping (ACHP) Tale
About the Creative Design Process
Light Bulbs in Our Heads
Relationship to Past Experience
Incubation and Assimilation
Virtual Collaboration and the Creative Process
Collocation at the Right Time
An Implementation of a Virtual Culture
Conclusion
Key Points
References
Remote Task Management: Am I Doing What You Think I'm Doing?	75	(18)
The Architecture Tale
Causes of Task Miscommunication
Why Architecture is Critical to Effective Remote Tasking
A View of Architecture
An Organizational View of Architecture
A Different Organizational View of Architecture
Relationship between Organizational Structure and Task Assignments
Evolution of ``Local Meaning'' of Terms and Its Relationship to Organizational Responsibilities
Relationship among Critical Issues, Risk, and Past Experience
Use Architecture to Aid Task Communication
Is Architecture the Total Solution?
The Database Process Tale
Analysis
Charlie's Typical Day
Charlie's Reliance on the Informal Side
Relationship between Charlie's System and the Organizational System
Fundamentals, Strongly Held Beliefs, and Risk
Back to Our Tale
Use Task Assignment Records (TARs)
Conclusion
Key Points
References
An Implementation of a Virtual Culture: The Rapid Filtered Project Memory (RFPM)	93	(20)
RFPM Construction and Maintenance Guidance
Size
Critical Issues and Agreed To Strategies
Architecture/System Design Guidance
Configuration Management
Incrementally Built
Why Do We Need Increased Formality on Task Assignment Definitions?
What Is A CPDM and How Can It Help?
CPDM Attributes
Component-Product Relationship to Task Assignments
Component-Products and Deliverable-Products
The CPDM and Project/Corporate Procedures
The CPDM as a Bridge from Corporate Procedures to Project-Specific Information
Examples of Virtual Project Pitfall Avoidance through the Use of a CPDM
How to Avoid Pitfall 1 --- Miscommunication Due to Ambiguous Terminology
Use of Standards and Published Methodologies
Using the CPDM to Aid Task Communication
How the CPDM Helps Resolve Miscommunication
How to Avoid Pitfall 2 --- Miscommunication Due to Unclear Process
Enhanced Task Assignment Description
Integration of Systems and Software
Flexibility of End-Product Deliverables
Conclusion
Key Points
References
Team Communication: The Rules of the Game Have Changed	113	(30)
The Team Loyalty Tale
Tale Observations
Categorizing Team Information
Be True to Your Team
Virtual Projects and Multiple Team Allegiances
Wearing Multiple Team Hats and Setting The Right Priorities
Are We Motivating Our Remote Team Members to Be Real Team Players
Are We Asking Too Much of Our Remote Temmates?
Sensitivity to Information Sharing and Team Loyalty
Back to Our Tale --- The Predicament
Self-Directed Teams, Tiger Teams, and Control-Oriented Managers
The Tiger Team
Real Productivity
The Quiet Sign --- A Warning Sign
An Alternate Approach
``Having a Say Differs from Having a Vote''
More on Team Loyalty
How to Effectively Use Virtual Communication Technologies
Electronic Mail
The Tale of the Missing Teammate
A Fundamental Difference between E-Mail and Direct Personal Contact
E-Mail Flooding
Why So Much E-Mail
Ramifications of E-Mail Flooding
Recommended E-Mail Rules
Recommendation --- Treat Lack of Trust as a Virtual Project Risk
Teleconferencing
The ``Old Habits Die Hard'' Tale
Keeping Aware of the Needs of Your Full Team
Small Things and Big Things
Rules for Effective Virtual Operations
Recommended Rules and Maintenance of an RFPM
Team Rules
E-Mail Rules
Teleconferencing Rules
Leadership/Manager Rules
Summary and Conclusion
Key Points
References
The Integration Side: It Isn't a Seamless World Just Yet	143	(22)
The Document Production Disaster Tale
Stepping Back --- The Good News
The Not-So-Good News
Quality Expectations
Task Communication and Acceptance
Product Integration
The Tale of ``Down Here, and Up There''
The Tale
The ``Let's Use the Most Mature Process Available'' Pitfall
Examples of Difficulties Transporting Mature Processes
The Multiple Site Process Dilemma
Observations on Process
How to Make Effective Work Split Decisions
Development Phases
Architecture Considerations (Subsystems)
The Integration Dilemma
Global Component Recommendations
What is a Global Component?
Advantages of Using Global Components
Does the Global Component Approach Contradict the Virtual Concept?
Terminology Clarification
Three Key Characteristics of the Global Component
Complete Life Cycle Product
Sell-Off Potential
Process Freedom Line Support
Analysis and Recommendations
Tasking
Clear Task Definition
Clear and Singular Assignment of Responsibility and Accountability
Quality
Integration
Conclusion
Key Points
References
Eight Practical and Affordable Steps to Set Up and Maintain a Successful Virtual Project	165	(50)
Eleven Virtual Project Pitfalls
Introduction to the Eight (8)-Step Plan
How to Use the Material in this Chapter
Project Creation
Project Dynamic Testing
Execution-Phase Warning Signs
Project Creation
Establish the High Level Project Organization
Assign Team Leaders
Select the Best and Train the Rest
Hierarchical and Roving Leaders
Develop Charters with Clearly Defined Responsibilities
Initiate RFPM
Establish Work Split
Establish Approach (Subsystem, Phase, Other)
Establish Initial System Architecture
Political Pressure on the Architecture Contractor
Skill and Experience Required during Front-End Stage
Capturing and Crisply Communicating the Archicture
Establish CPDM --- A Bridge from Architecture to Subsystems
Establish Global Component Criteria
What Skills Do Personnel Assigned to Develop the CPDM and Global Component Criteria Need?
Relationships among CPDM, Work Split, and Tasking Risk
Define Work Split
Delaying the Definition of Work Split for the Wrong Reasons
System Planning
System Build Planning
Requirements Allocation
Integration Planning
Special Tasks: Infrastructure and Project Rules
What is Infrastructure and How Do I Determine My Project Needs?
Four Key Products for Analysis
Sample Problem Scenario
Sample Problem Solution
What Should You Do When Your Infrastructure Won't Support Your Plan?
Project Rules --- Communicating the Lessons
Establishing the Third Level of the Organization
Detailed Planning
Cultural Differences in Approaches to Detailed Planning
Architecture's Relationship to Leadership's Common Vision and Trust
A Closer Look at Three Prerequisite Tasks
First Things First
Project Dynamic Testing
Testing the Operation Concept of the Project Organization
Task Direction --- When Roving Leaders and Hierarchical Leaders Collide
Task Management --- A Strict vs. Integrated Approach
Cross-Site or Cross-Organizational Interactions --- Using a Checklist
Integrated Engineering Responsibilities --- Using Checklist
Customer Communication --- Establishing a Well-Defined Policy
Execution Phase Warning Signs
Execution with a Focus on Conflict Management
The Non-Technical Side of Project Execution
Two Forms of Conflict
A Sign of Healthy Conflict
Key Warning Signs of Destructive Conflict
Repeating Issue
Non-Compliance with Team Information Sharing Policy
``They're Out to Steal Our Business'' Message
The Quiet Sign
Preventative Maintenance
Warnings Signs of Non-Compliance with Preventative Maintenance Techniques
Conclusion
Key Points
References
Conclusion	215	(14)
The Virtual Company
Summarizing Our Approach to the Collaborative Challenge
A Final Note on the Informal Side
Virtual Project Strategies of the Future
Making the Strategy Work
Summarizing the Virtual Culture Concept
Sample Products from a Virtual Culture
The Philosophy of a Virtual Culture
Virtual Cultures of the Future
What Should You Do Now?
New Projects
Existing Projects
The Virtual Project Management Framework
The Organization
The Virtual Culture Foundation Layer
The Virtual Culture Intermediate Layer
The Virtual Culture Dynamic Layer
How to Use the Framework
References
Appendix A Component-Product Development Matrix (CPDM) Implementation Guidance	229	(6)
Appendix B Definitions	235	(4)
Appendix C Templates	239	(4)
Appendix D Forms	243	(6)
Appendix E Sample Forms	249	(4)
Appendix F Criteria	253	(4)
Appendix G Warning Signs	257	(2)
Appendix H Checklists	259	(8)
Appendix I Rules	267	(2)
Appendix J Frequently Asked Questions	269	(22)
Appendix K The ``Big Picture'' Views	291	(12)
Appendix L Synopsis of 34 Insights and 50 Solutions	303	(6)
Index	309