The Opsimath

The England Football team and business justification

When England lost their recent game against Ukraine, it was not entirely a surprise, as, by winning their previous game, they had already secured a place in the World Cup finals.

So when the 'first-choice' team was picked, their lack of motivation was understandable. These players expect to be chosen for the trip to South Africa next summer. They have little to prove. For them, the game had no purpose.

It is purpose that gives direction and meaning. In project management terms we would call this 'business justification' or the 'project business case'. It explains why we are doing what we are doing. For the first-choice England players, there was no reason, no justification. They had no good answer to the question 'Why?'

So last night, in another meaningless game (for both teams this time), England beat Belarus. How come?

Two main reasons I believe.

• Belarus had no 'business case', where as Ukraine last weekend needed a win to stand a chance of a play-off position. Belarus were making up the numbers.
• England had a changed team, containing enough players who were not sure of their places on the plane to South Africa to ensure that those players brought their own 'business case' to the game. They needed to impress. They had 'business justification'.

It just remains to be seen whether the ultimate decision maker was impressed enough...

PRINCE2 Praise

Here is what one of our valued clients has recently said about the new version of PRINCE2:

Hello, John—I finally got the chance to read through the new PRINCE2 manuals thanks to back-to-back trips last month. I just wanted to pass along my appreciation to one of the authoring team. This is a vast improvement over the last version. It’s clear, practical, and full of common sense. The links to MSP are clear and consistent throughout the book. It can truly stand on its own as a basic text on project management. I am encouraging all our PMs to read it, which is not something I ever said of the last manual.

Have you seen the new version yet?

A Busy Time Coming Up

We have a busy time coming up in pearcemayfield with a number of new courses coming through very soon.

We've recently launched the new edition PRINCE2 courses, which are proving very popular. We've also now developed a 1-day introduction to project management called Understanding Project Management, and already one of our clients has shown a lot of interest in delivering this in quite a creative way (more on that at a later time).

A now we have three major initiatives coming along:

1. Management of Risk (MOR) - we are shortly to be launching an all- new, 'all-pearcemayfield' version of this accredited course
2. Principles of Change Management - a course that we have successfully been running for a while now is soon to see the introduction of a new higher-level accredited qualification. Watch for our new courses
3. P3O (Portfolio, Programme and Project Offices) is also going to see a new, higher-level qualification. Again, we will be responding to this with our own style of courses.

So, can't stop, things to do...

Beyond PRINCE2 - the perfect project manager

This week I have been working with public sector client delivering a course called 'Beyond PRINCE2'. Our course description says this:

PRINCE2 is the project management method that is now recognised and used across the world. But passing your PRINCE2 exams does not automatically mean that you are fully equipped to succeed in a real world project. It’s a start, but what else do you need?

Our Beyond PRINCE2 workshop is designed to help you to exploit all the things that you learned on your PRINCE2 course, as well as to explore other skills, ideas and techniques that you might need.

So, a course for people already qualified in the method, experienced in using it and yet aware that there is more...

Amongst other things, we looked at the bigger picture (linking with programmes, benefit realisation); we explored stakeholder engagement and communication; and we addressed the concept of the 'Perfect Project Manager' (applicants please apply).

It was this last point that generated some interesting discussion about what was essential - and almost without exception it was the 'softer' aspects of project management that were coming out top of the list - political awareness, flexibility, creativity, leadership, team working were mentioned.

Furthermore, it was intriguing to relate the groups' ideas to previous work that we have done in pearcemayfield and see the similarities.

Looking beyond the methods like this is, we believe, going to be a key area of focus in the months to come. So Perfect Project Managers, watch this space...

Have you got the right skills?

In a recent job survey, 20% of employers reported that they have faced difficulty in hiring the right candidate for a job. When asked why, the general consensus was said to be that there is a lack of high quality IT candidates in the market; and professionals just don't seem to posses all the relevant skills required to fulfil the role.

Which skills are suffering the most?

• IT Managers (19%)
• Project Manager (28%)
• Database Administrator (21%)
• Software Developer (26%)
• IT Support (21%)

were the skills cited by hiring managers as amongst the most difficult positions to recruit for.

In an era where skills shortages are becoming increasingly apparent, it is paramount for the organisation to take the responsibility to train and develop their staff from the outset. To face these supply and demand issues head on, employers need to refine their expectations of potential candidates.

Likewise, candidates looking for jobs in today's markets need to ensure their skill set is the sharpest that it has ever been.

I think he likes it...

This is the reaction of a practicing Programme Manager to the new edition of PRINCE2. This person is very experienced in both PRINCE2 and MSP, and has previously worked as an approved Trainer in both methods.

"So pleased to see the simplified Product-Based Planning,Change Control sorted out and the improved treatment of Quality. The influence of MSP on the content and structure is good. I was pleased by my reaction to looking at the method again with fresh eyes and the benefit of global management experience - it really does make so much sense and I wish there were more people who knew how to apply the method well!"

I think he likes it!

It's a numbers game

If you like numbers, you may be interested to know a few of the ones that went into the writing and launch of the latest edition of PRINCE2.

170 organisations took part in the public consultation exercise
There was a reference group of 15 organisations
4 different organisations were represented on the Project Board
The new edition was piloted in 13 different organisations
There were 86 Reviewers
Those Reviewers generated over 7,000 comments, leading to
7 unique iterations before publication
There was an Authoring Team of 6 people and a Change Control panel of 5 people

The improvements made include:
The reduction of Management Products from 36 to 26
Referencing of 33 techniques
More than 20 pages of tailoring advice
The introduction of 8 Duties and Behaviours of the Project Board

And there are now an equal number of processes, themes and principles -                    7

Breakfast Briefings so far

The pearcemayfield PRINCE2 Breakfast Briefings have made an excellent start, with good attendances at the first two events.

These briefings are to introduce the new (2009) edition of PRINCE2 - what has changed, what has stayed, what has gone.

The level of debate and discussion around the changes is very encouraging, and is also very supportive of the changes that have taken place. As one of the authors, I can say that this is very relieving news!

We are receiving some very positive feedback about the briefings, so if you would like to book your place at one of the remaining events, call our office on 01235 227252.

"Thanks for the excellent session"

Duties of the Project Board - accountability

In a previous post (Directing a Project) we looked at the new publication that has been launched called Directing Successful Projects with PRINCE2.

One of the valuable areas of advice concerns the duties of the Project Board, and the first one listed is:

Be Accountable for the Project

The first (and for some a surprising) duty of the Project Board is to be accountable for the success or failure of the project.

Success, or more often failure, is not something that Board members can simply brush aside as an accountability of the Project Manager. It is, and must be, an accountability of the Project Board.

Yet this is an area in which many organisations display significant weaknesses despite the clear Best Practice guidance within PRINCE2.

Being accountable means accepting and demonstrating ownership of the project. Ownership means that the ultimate decision-making in the project rests with the Project Board.

But Board members are, by definition, busy senior managers, and cannot be expected to have day-to-day contact with all that happens within a project. How can they be accountable without falling into the trap of micro-managing the Project Manager, duplicating effort and slowing everything down?

PRINCE2 has that covered by:

• thoughtful choices in Project Board members - the right mix of Business, User and Supplier representatives
• equally thoughtful project team members - including the Project Manager
• the use of Project Assurance roles to support the Board members
• sensible use of management by exception - a key Principle in PRINCE2

Project Management is an essential discipline in the business world today, yet can fail to deliver the expected results all too easily. Addressing this issue of accountability will be one step towards more successful projects in the future.

Directing a Project

You may be aware that the 2009 edition of PRINCE2 has two publications - Managing Successful Project with PRINCE2, and Directing  Successful Projects with PRINCE2.

The 'Directing' book is a new venture for PRINCE2 - it is a book aimed specifically at Project Board members and for senior managers who are considering adopting the PRINCE2 methods for their projects.

The book gives a brief overview of PRINCE2, including some key terms and concepts. It then contains a series of chapters that take the senior manager through the lifecycle of a PRINCE2 project from the perspective of the Project Board.

One important chapter in the book considers the Duties and Behaviours of the Project Board members, answering the question, "What is expected of me?"

There is also help on how to tailor PRINCE2 according to the scale and nature of a project.

Overall, a key publication for anyone involved in projects at this level.