The Castle: A jolly tale on the use of project documentation

The Castle A jolly tale on the use of project documentation

JĂźrgen Van Gorp

Linchpin Books

The Castle A jolly tale on the use of project documentation

Jürgen Van Gorp Linchpin Books Ltd.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted by law, without either the prior written permission of the author and the publisher.

All characters in this book are fictitious and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Š Linchpin Books Ltd. 2016 Published by Linchpin Books Ltd. Chatham Kent UK ISBN: 978-0-9955728-3-6 www.linchpinbooks.com

Contents How it all began Once upon a time My poor castle The renovations commence The first complaints Good advice is golden

The start of Project Management

9 13 18 21 24 34

37 39 42 45 50

Requirements and Design

53

Theodric’s start How things went wrong again

55 57

Contents

The wizard arrives Sound advice The wizard’s first lesson Theodric’s appointment to office

5

The wizard’s analysis Putting the design in practice

Planning errors The famine Wizard to the rescue More magical revelations

The Castle

67 69 72 74

Risk Management

81

Poor, poor Isembard The wizard’s solution

83 88

No time for testing

93

The royal tub Looking for the one to blame The wizard’s view on the matter More documents

6

60 66

95 100 102 105

Agile project planning

111

The marauders attack What Agile does Agile Planning

113 116 121

Forgotten knowledge

127

Rebuilding the tower An old friends’ counsel

129 132

Knowledge transfer and training The blocked gate The locked dessert The call for rescue Clear agreements

A very frosty winter The missing chimney Couriers are being sent out Unplanned changes The dreaded scope creep

The big fire What happened Wizard to the rescue What had been learned

The end

137 139 144 145 147

155 157 160 162 165

171 173 175 179

183

Epilogue 189

Thank you

191 193 202 206

211

Contents

Templates in the book The Distrans concept Waterfall projects Agile projects

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•

How it all began

•

• Once upon a time

O

nce upon a time, a long time ago in a land far, far away, lived a king in a beautiful castle with many towers. The king’s name was ­Hardwin.

Looking out of his chamber window, the king beheld the snowy peaks of the mountain range in the distance. The meadows between the castle and the peaks were green and grassy. Cows and other livestock spent their days grazing on the rich pasture. A deep moat surrounded the castle and a massive drawbridge was raised every night to prevent undesirables from entering the castle.

How it all began

All day long, the chief guard, Grabric, would stand watch in the guardhouse. Everyone requesting entry to the castle was thoroughly checked. No scoundrel could get close without Grabric spotting and apprehending them.

At the least suspicion of trouble, Grabric would shout loudly for his sergeant Godfrey. Godfrey would then shout even louder for his knights to join him at the bridge. Whatever threat to the castle was detected, the knights would suppress it forcefully.

These knights were not the most easy-going men. All were clad in fullplate armour and each carried a longsword of at least four feet in length.

13

Broadswords and two-handers were also favourites of the knights. Patrolling the halls of the castle every day, the knights checked anyone and everything they encountered. With only the slightest suspicion that a stranger might be a threat to the castle, the knights would rough them up first and only then ask questions.

The knights also performed mounted patrols on large, highly-spirited horses in the woods that surrounded the castle. Every highwayman and pickpocket in the land knew better than to cross the path of these knights.

In this way, King Hardwin could be sure he was able to reside safely in his castle, together with his queen and their many princes and princesses.

A castle does not run itself, however. All day long craftsmen busied themselves performing whatever maintenance needed to be done in the castle.

Tanners and leather workers sewed bags and belts, saddles and outfits. The butcher provided fresh meat. The blacksmith spent his days hammering horseshoes in the scorching hot smithy. Metalworkers sharpened the spikes of the castle’s gate and oiled the hinges. All of them were carefully watched over by Godfrey, who raised and lowered the portcullis a couple of times each day, just to check it was still working fast enough.

However, no one was ever allowed to come close to the range. Any attempt to sneak off with a tasty morsel of roast chicken was guaranteed to end with a firm blow on the head from the chef ’s wooden ladle, and a painful

How it all began

Every day Conrad, the cook, prepared the tastiest dishes. Baskets full of fresh bread were delivered at the castle gate. Walking the halls of the castle, the smell of fresh bread rolls, sizzling sausages, roasted chickens and puddings covered with stewed cherries filled the air.

15

lump to boot. The food was reserved for the princes and princesses, for the lords and ladies, and for all the craftsmen cheerfully maintaining the castle every day.

To maintain a castle and all its inhabitants costs a fortune in gold. King Hardwin was quite well off, fortunately. He had more than enough to pay everyone and to keep his castle in tiptop condition. Keeping tally of his finances was tricky at the best of times, but King Hardwin could rely on his knowledgeable treasurer, whose name was Countecoin.

Countecoin kept detailed records of all the king’s gold, how much he was owed and how much he still had to pay out. Countecoin owned weighing scales of all shapes and sizes, upon which he meticulously measured every single gram of the king’s gold. With his feathered quill, he would write down every addition and deduction in his daily ledger. It allowed Countecoin to always provide a detailed gold status overview to the king. Nothing gave him more satisfaction than seeing a beautifully balanced set of numbers and knowing that everything was just fine.

The Castle

Indeed, all the people were happy and content in King Hardwin’s castle. Conrad spent his days cooking merrily, Countecoin joyfully counted the gold, and the knights did whatever it is knights do all day.

16

•

• My poor castle

N

evertheless, King Hardwin had his worries.

The Castle

The castle dated back five hundred years. Here and there, some stone staircases urgently needed repairs. The embrasure slots that the archers fired their arrows out were not very stable. An archer leaning out to fire his arrow, had to take great care not to fall to the ground. The sharp spikes of the portcullis had been filed down so often they no longer reached the ground. One could now easily climb under it. The royal throne, too, was on the verge of collapse. The seat cushion sagged so much that everyone had to look down to behold their king, instead of up. People standing at the back of the throne room had to crane their necks just to get a glimpse of the top of the royal crown bobbing back and forth.

18

King Hardwin knew he couldn’t put repairs off any longer. Something needed to be done. On a snowy day late in December, he decided to pay Countecoin, his treasurer, a visit.

“Good morning, Countecoin,” said King Hardwin. “Tell me, do we have enough in our coffers to perform some urgently needed maintenance on the castle?”

Countecoin was just leaning over a parchment in deep concentration when the king came into his office. He was making complex calculations on the parchment with a large quill. Countecoin looked up and put away the quill behind his ear. He strolled to a pile of books filled with parchments, with King Hardwin walking just behind him. Countecoin browsed through the books until he found a parchment that read BALANCE TOTAL in large black letters. For a while, he gazed at the number behind the letters.

“I would think so, Sire.”

Countecoin took a small key hanging from a sturdy chain around his neck. The key opened the modern-looking padlock of a sturdy cupboard with heavy oaken doors. A large silver key was hidden inside the oak cupboard.

Countecoin invited King Hardwin to step nearer for a closer inspection.

“Have a look, Sire, the treasury is filled to the brim.”

How it all began

With some effort, Countecoin carried the large silver key to a heavy coffer reinforced with steel bands. He put the key in the lock of the coffer and turned it with both hands. Countecoin turned red when he put all his strength into turning the silver key. At last, the lock opened with a loud screech and Countecoin lifted the heavy lid with a lot of effort.

“I should really let someone fit this lid with some kind of spring mechanism,” Countecoin explained to the king, “but the blacksmith assures me that no such springs have been invented yet.”

19

And indeed, it was. Many gold coins shone in the large coffer. Precious gems glittered between the coins. A shaft of light streamed down from a tiny upper window, catching the enormous pile of gold coins and precious gems and filling the room with a most wondrous light. For a moment, King Hardwin and the treasurer held their breath looking at the magnificent view.

The king shook his head and then addressed Countecoin gravely. “Countecoin, I plan on ordering work to be done to the castle. I demand that you meticulously guard against any overspending. Not so much as one piece of gold should be wasted!”

The treasurer made a deep bow, “Naturally, Sire! I’ll weigh the pouches of gold twice from now on!”

And so the renovations of the castle began… but chaos was about to happen.

The Castle

• 20

• The renovations commence

O

nce the New Year festivities were over, King Hardwin ordered the princes and princesses to join him. Everyone hurried to the large council chamber, curious about the news to come.

King Hardwin briefly explained that renovations to the castle were due urgently. He ordered the princes and princesses to organise and supervise the work to be done in the castle. Each would receive a purse of gold to pay for the work.

While the king was speaking, Countecoin passed out the purses of gold coins with clear reluctance. He stopped at each prince and princess, and with a painful frown, Countecoin hesitantly put a purse into their hands.

How it all began

King Hardwin gave the princes and princesses instructions on what he expected to be done to the castle. He addressed them with a forceful voice. “I leave it up to you what to do with your allotted gold. However, I will require a report at the end of this year, detailing what you’ve done to improve the

21

castle. Every prince or princess who cannot account for the use of his or her gold can forget about a filled stocking come Christmas!”

The princes and princesses wasted no time dividing the work to be done.

Labourers received orders to replace the crenellations and to rebuild the towers. Old slates were to be stripped off the roof and replaced. Even the rafters and roof beams of the keep were to be replaced. The horses’ troughs in the stables had been nibbled down over the years and were added to the list. The blacksmith grumbled about only being able to make bent horseshoes on his worn-out anvil. So, he was to get a new one. The cook, too, asked for a new mantelpiece. The old one was filled up with hams already and he wanted to hang up even more. The bard happily ordered a new church organ for some quiet background music while he was playing on his zither.

No one felt a need to review what was being ordered and, as well, no one felt the need to coordinate all the initiatives. A good plan today beats a perfect plan tomorrow and all the princes and princesses started spending their gold immediately.

• How it all began

23

• The first complaints

K

ing Hardwin made it a habit of walking the halls of his castle every day. He always took the time to chat with his knights or to assist a damsel in distress. This morning, the physician had just finished brewing an elixir, and the king had volunteered as a taste-tester. “Hmm, very good but perhaps a little too many juniper berries,” the king said. The cook also wanted to know if the king preferred cake or custard today. In King Hardwin’s castle, everyone had the opportunity to share his or her worries with the king personally.

The Castle

The people were careful not to criticize the princes and princesses directly, needless to say. Nevertheless, soon the first complaints regarding the renovation work began to find their way to the king’s ears.

24

The court master complained bitterly about his people spending all their time running around trying to sort out short term emergencies. He was used to working in a structured way, preparing a clear list of tasks for the day each morning.

• The wizard arrives

W

eeks went by and King Hardwin had long forgotten the homing pigeon that was sent out.

One evening Conrad had cooked another of his delicious meals and the king was relaxing in his favourite chair by the fire. The queen sat next to him doing some needlework. She was trying to thread the eye of a needle that the smith had just made for her, her tongue sticking out slightly.

“Goodness, they should really invent something better for this!” the queen said.

The start of Project Management

Suddenly, there was a deep rumble in the fireplace. Alarmed, the king and queen moved their chairs back a few feet. The rumbling continued, until suddenly...

WHOOSH! A huge cloud of smoke billowed from the fireplace and filled the entire room. An old man with a long grey beard stepped out of the smoke. In his hands he held a large staff with a sparkling purple stone on top. Calmly, the old man brushed the smoke and soot from his long grey robe.

39

The king looked at the apparition with open mouth, baffled. He then regained his breath. “Who the hell are you?”

The old man cleared a last piece of dust from his tall hat and stepped towards King Hardwin. He bowed ceremoniously. “Good evening, Sire. My name is Engerrand The Wizard. You called?”

• The start of Project Management

41

• Sound advice

S

uddenly King Hardwin remembered the pigeon that Countecoin had sent over the mountains. The king was elated by the arrival of the wise wizard. The impressive way the wizard had entered the castle in particular met his approval.

“I’d like you to teach me that trick. My distant cousin has a castle in Windsor he brags about ceaselessly. Next baby shower, I want to make an entrance like that!”

The Castle

The king took the wizard to see Countecoin, the treasurer. They discussed the difficulties with the coffers and the princes’ and princesses’ initiatives.

Countecoin described in great detail how the initiatives seemed to pop up like mushrooms. With a tremble in his voice he explained how he had lost control over the gold coins allotted to the many initiatives.

42

The wise wizard heard out the treasurer with a lot of patience. He then leaned back in his chair and reflected for a long time. King Hardwin and Countecoin gazed at the wizard; they didn’t dare to interrupt his thoughts.

The wizard seemed to have come to a conclusion. “Yes, yes. You urgently need someone who can properly select the right initiatives in dialogue with the king. That person also needs to track progress of these initiatives. The person who gets this job needs to be under direct supervision of the treasurer, and will need to report to the king regularly. We wizards have a name for this.”

The king and the treasurer held their breath.

The wizard continued, “We call it Portfolio Management.”

The wise wizard addressed the king. “We need to establish a new department in the castle. This department will be named the Project ­Management Organisation.”

He glanced at Countecoin and quickly explained. “Of course, you can write PMO in your scrolls if that is easier. You will save some gold which would have been spent on new quills.”

The treasurer nodded in approval. He had a faint suspicion this PMO was going to cost many golden coins and happily accepted the economisation.

The wise wizard waited a while, meditating. His hand slowly ran his fingers through his beard.

He suddenly looked at the king again. “If I get this right the court master already has the habit of verifying all changes to the castle upfront? I’m pleased to hear he even demands that every change can be undone again. My proposal is that the court master receives the title of Change Manager and

The start of Project Management

The wizard wasn’t done yet. “We will name the head of PMO the ­Program Manager. The initiatives will be called Projects as of now. The projects will be run by Project Managers.”

43

will be assigned the responsibility of verifying all tasks henceforth. No task is allowed to happen without the advance consent of the Change Manager.”

With a hazy look in his eyes, the king looked at the wizard and sighed.

“Do we really need all those difficult new magical words?”

The wise wizard quickly explained himself. “I should think so, Sire. You see, we will need to attract some specialists from the big town and from other castles. Some of them will be foreign. But many of them have experience working in similar PMO departments. It will help if all of us use the same terms and language. It will avoid confusion and will allow us to work more efficiently.”

The king pondered. “So, I guess we will need to teach everyone how to fit into this new way of working and how to use this new language then?”

“Yes, of course, Sire,” the wizard nodded.

King Hardwin could smell a rat.

“More pouches with gold coins, right ...?”

The Castle

• 44

• The wizard’s first lesson

T

he wise wizard noticed the king was raising objections and quickly explained. “You see, Sire, training the people in Project Management will eventually result in a more structured project approach. We’ll only select projects that aim to improve the castle. The success rate will increase and at the end of the day less gold is lost on bad initiatives and the balance is positive.”

Seemingly without moving, the wise wizard made the following words appear on the board.

Project Management will help you to: • Control chaos. Project labour is organised in line with daily operations.

The start of Project Management

Ceremoniously the wizard turned to Countecoin’s slate. He waved his wand and the blackboard was cleaned in an instant. With a flick of the wrist, the wizard suddenly held a piece of chalk. “Let me explain the many advantages of working with a Project Management Organisation in more detail.”

45

• Have an up-front risk analysis of the work to be done in the projects.

Risks are analysed before tasks are executed, instead of after the damage is done.

• The quality of the results will improve -- By checking execution.

-- By using better planning, budgets and working hours in projects are better managed.

-- By detecting bad projects and cancelling sooner.

• Changes done to the castle will be managed better.

-- Projects will need to take each other into account and align tasks.

-- Projects will need to take the availability of the labourers into consideration.

-- Change requests created in projects will need to be approved by the Change Manager first.

• Improve knowledge on how projects can best be run in the Organisation.

-- Either by learning from previous successes.

-- Or by analysing what went wrong on failed projects.

The Castle

“The first step,” the wizard said, “is creating a Project Charter for every new project. As the princes and princesses are responsible for paying the project budgets they will henceforth be known as Project Sponsors. The Project Sponsors will be accountable for creating the Project Charters.”

46

The wizard hadn’t finished yet. “Such a Project Charter contains a detailed description of what the project is expected to improve in the castle and by when. I will also describe the initial budget in gold. Smaller projects only need to provide a Project Brief which is similar to a Project Charter but only takes one page.”

The king didn’t understand. “What will these Charters and Briefs be used for?”

“The Program Manager will use these to discuss the projects with you, Sire,” explained the wizard. “It will help you in selecting and prioritising the most important projects. You will also gain better control over projects.

Only a Project Charter that carries your royal seal is allowed to be executed.”

Project Charter or Project Brief • Initial project description by the Project Sponsor • Approves the project and assigns initial budget Why do you want it?

• Project initial requirements and scope • SMART project goals • High level Business Case and feasibility study • Defines ROM budget numbers

Risks if not used • No formal approval to start the work • Scope creep • No budget

Challenges • Not considered a necessary formal document • Lost work when project is cancelled • Vague scope, costs and timings

Usage: lifetime of the project

Owner: Project Sponsor

The start of Project Management

Who wants this Artefact?

• Project Sponsor • Project Management Organization • Project Manager

47

The wizard pointed at the treasurer. “Make sure no pouch leaves your hands without a royal seal of approval on the Project Charter! Only Project Charters and Project Briefs signed and sealed by the king have a budget approved.”

• The start of Project Management

49

W

hat could possibly go wrong when a King orders repairs to his castle? What happens if a helpful wizard decides to arrive by bicycle? Why do marauders prefer Agile project management to waterfall? How wise is it to skip testing when the Queen is taking a bath? What can you measure with Distrans?

Jürgen Van Gorp’s book explains in a lighthearted way the vital importance of documentation in project management. The setting of his book is a medieval castle where a King’s orders to bring his castle up to date, rapidly get out of hand. Enter a wise wizard to come to his rescue, introducing to the court the art of correct project management and project documentation.

This book is written for both operational and project managers alike. It describes the need for a wide range of project documents and their usefulness in ensuring that things get done as they should.

www.linchpinbooks.co.uk

Because circumstances and organisations differ, Jürgen’s book also introduces a new concept called ‘Distrans’. Distrans is a helpful measure that ensures the right level of documentation is used in any organisation.

About the Author Jürgen Van Gorp, PhD (in nonlinear system identification) is an associate shareholder of The Bayard Partnership. With over 20 years of experience in project management, his special focus is in the areas of enterprise architecture and technical writing.

Coming from an academic background, Jürgen has developed the ability to blend the scientific with down to earth pragmatism.

“The Castle” is the prequel to his masterwork on Agile, Waterfall and Change Control methodologies. Called “Chagwa”, Jürgen’s project management system brings out the best in each methodology while providing guidance as to which to use and when.