Synergy
PMI North India Chapter
Collaborating Project Management for High Performance Business Insight
Oct-Dec 2011~ Newsletter
Issue 3
this issue
Editor‘s Desk & Election Results ...P1 Communication is the key… P2 Trivia Quiz …P3 Amalgamation of Business Analysis… P4 PMI Membership: A Big Advantage…P10 Effective Project Risk Management...P11 Effective Communication for RCA…P13 Project Risks and Risk Awareness…P15 Thought leadership A Key…P18 Upcoming Events… P21 Chapter Offerings…P22
No to all unethical practices…
From the Editor‘s Desk It is an immense pleasure and great honor for Editorial Team to release third edition of ―SYNERGY‖ on 30th December ‘2011. Chapter Members contribution to the same is testimony of its acceptance among the fellow project management professionals. Wish you all very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2012 ahead! Editorial team apologizes for the delayed release this quarter, due to earlier existing Election Guidelines & Process. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------
MESSAGE FROM CHAPTER PRESIDENT ON RECENTLY CONCLUDED CHAPTER BOARD ELECTIONS December has always been a significant month as it is a month for introspection and a month to plan for new ideas and opportunities for a New Year ahead. This issue starts with sharing good news about election results for the three open Chapter Board positions. This year we saw greater number of candidates standing per position, pointing to more involved member community in Chapter events and its functioning. On behalf of PMI NI Chapter Board, I would like to congratulate all the winners and also thank Ramam & Tejas (PMI‘s Election Nominating Committee Members) along with Reseena from PMI Asia Pacific Office, who spent their valuable time in managing and guiding these elections smoothly for us. This now raises expectations for greater devotion and zeal for volunteering by selected board members to meet the faith bestowed upon them by PMI NI Chapter Member community. Position
Name
VP- Programs VP - Memberships
Amit Aggarwal Sarita Talwar
VP - Communications
Piyush Govil (Elected Un-Opposed)
Regards Manoj Kumar Gupta | President & CEO – PMI NI Chapter --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Piyush Govil PMP® | Vice –President – Communications - PMI NI Chapter Editor – Synergy Reduce your Water footprint P1
Communication is the key By – Vidhi Jain PMP® ―Change alone is eternal, perpetual, and immortal‖. -- Arthur Schopenhauer
Although change occurs continuously in the world and in our daily lives it is something we all get impatient of. During the past eight years and after completing my Masters in Computer Application, I have been associated with Software development. Recently I had an opportunity to switch into a Project manager role for a complex business savvy financial project. With any change comes fear of the unknown. Will I fit in with the new role / team? What are the expectations from this role? . I was sure that with good technical background skills, transfer to Project management will not be that tough. All of those concerns paled when I read ‗Project Management Body Of Knowledge‘ book suggested by my friend. Thus, began my journey to learn what skills are easily portable from past experience and which ones needed refining or acquiring. I must commit that I had a wrong start and my initial course of action to handle this situation was not helpful. Being a technical team member, focus was mostly to work as individual contributor doing the majority of their work, such as coding or testing individually, heads down. Primary reason for this impression being that software projects in today‘s environment have team with global presence and hardly collocated, thus focusing on completing tasks individually. With the same idea after switching to the new role, I had an impression of handling the activities all on my own but sooner realize the negative consequences of the same.
Piyush Govil PMP®
It was not too late when I realized the importance of Communications as the key to bridge the gap. I believe, and my experience has borne out, that the core of good project management revolves around the interactions of the stakeholders and their communications. Formal / Informal, Written / Verbal, Vertical / Horizontal, Para lingual / Nonverbal; be it of any kind but the fundamental principle remains the same: ASC4 (Active Listening, Structured, Clear, Concise, Complete and Correct.
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Selecting the right communication method is another focus area which came as learning and key takeaways. Direct face-to-face meetings are something‘s which is not possible every time because of virtual teams and matrix based organizations. Dependency of people and resources which is an unavoidable situation Relying totally on Email communication is definitely not a good idea. It can at times be a source of broader interpretation and may result in reduced feelings of connection between the sender and the receiver. Adherence to Organizational process asset keeps the things under control Right set of Audience, clear agenda sets the platform for successful communication Frequency and format of communication is important Quick Stand up meetings and Conference calls for status checks is the added advantage and beauty of Agile based development Mature program management processes and tools are readily available but they alone cannot be relied upon to keep success rates high for IT transformation programs of any sizes. Achieving success today is as much about process maturity as it is about ensuring that the mature processes are expanded to include the capture, communication, analysis, and tracking of expected value. This extra effort spent tracking program value from inception through execution should relieve the organization from the additional rework and costs from otherwise successful programs that are still failing to meet organizational expectations and client satisfaction. Also, the stronger connection between program execution work and organizational strategy ensures a wellmanaged and controlled stakeholder management. The rewards at the end can be very meaningful and also enhance future opportunities for you and your team. To conclude, Communication is the key for the skill and experience I acquired, helped me to set the new goals for this journey.
About Author
Vidhi Jain, PMP® Sr. Associate Program Management, Sapient
Vidhi, is a senior Associate Program Management with Sapient Corporation in Gurgaon, where her responsibilities include managing projects in the Commodity Trading industry. Her past experience includes nine years of software developer profile in Microsoft Technologies and Web application development, with responsibility as a team member and team leader on multiple complex, multiyear development projects. She is a Gold Medalist holder in MCA from Jamia Hamdard. She likes visiting new places and old songs.
Trivia Quiz!! 1. Which of the following is a means used to ensure compliance using expert judgment? a) Peer Review c) Delphi Technique
b) Expected value technique d) WBS
2. What should be done by the PM to ensure that all work in the project is included?
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a) Create a contingency plan c) Create a WBS
b) Create a risk management plan d) Create a scope statement
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Amalgamation of Business Analysis & Project Management to deliver Complex regulated MNP Project - MTS Case Study By – Chetan Mathur PMP®
Quite often we witness that projects fail to complete in the desired manner due to conflicting ideologies of Project Manager and Business Analyst. Thus it is crucial to understand how both these sciences can be brought to produce best results by leveraging the working environment and the capabilities of both analysts and managers. "Mobile Number Portability (MNP)‖ means the facility which allows subscriber of mobile telephone service to retain the mobile telephone number when the subscriber moves from one mobile telephone service provider to another irrespective of the mobile technology or from one mobile technology to another of the same mobile telephone service provider, within limits as permitted by the licensor. First step of MNP implementation in a telecom IT environment includes Requirements Management for MNP regulations authorized by the telecom authority and recommending requirements to business, sales & marketing, customer services and finance departments that would need to be implemented. The next step is to perform impact analysis for the complete range of IT & Telecom network elements. Delivering such a complex solution across telecom circles at a national level (Given the regulated constraints of PAN India implementation timelines) required the Project delivery organization to manage, lead and drive the project with very stringent monitoring and control processes with the right blend of business analysis and project management. Critical Success Factors for MNP Implementation at MTS Why is MNP a Complex Project? To be implemented across all operational circles (14 geographical segregations), MNP implementation project stretched along the stakeholder groups of:
Regulatory Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and Cellular Operator Association of India (COAI). Mobile Clearing House (MCH) – MNP Interconnection Telecom Solutions (MITS) & Syniverse, segregating the entire PAN India MNP operations into 2 Zones: Zone 1 for Syniverse and Zone 2 for MITS. Third Party MNP Gateway interfacing MTS to MCH. Project Management – lighter side
“If everything is going exactly to plan, something somewhere is going massively wrong!” Reduce your Water footprint
Overhead by -Kumar Saurabh, PMP® P4
Business
Marketing & Sales Customer Services Delivery Finance, Network, Vigilance & Security IT OSS/BSS teams along with associated vendors – Customer Relationship Management & Billing Systems (Circles are segregated between 2 different Billing & CRM systems) MNP is applicable for both Prepaid and Postpaid operations. CRM & Billing Systems and MCH Zones are not aligned with respect to individual circles. Intelligent Networks and Value Added Services along with associated vendors.
All other operators circle wise with whom the operability testing for MNP was to be performed for each circle. The tightly coupled telecom operating environment across telecom circles at a national level (Given the regulated constraints of PAN India implementation timelines) required very stringent, comprehensive and process driven business analysis along with highly regulated monitoring and control processes.
Project Management & Execution Methodology Having prepared the ―Flexibility Matrix‖ from the Triple constraints of Cost, Scope and Schedule for MNP project, Schedule came out to be entirely non-negotiable, followed by Scope (because the business non-functional requirement could have been compromised for schedule). Cost however was the most flexible component. In order to have a seamless integration and clear cut & transparent role definition for Business analysis, an external consultant (KPMG) was hired to:
Bring in the telecom MNP experience. Independently perform stakeholder analysis for MTS as regards MNP implementation. Make sure no requirement slips through cracks. Do a seamless integration between numerous stakeholder departments within and outside IT at MTS. Track the requirements end to end.
The responsibility for being the ―Performing organization‖ was given to the existing ―Program Management Office‖ within the IT function. This ensured that inter department issues, dependencies and risks were managed timely and appropriately. Also it was the need of the hour to have an experienced and already in function organization to manage the business customers and regulatory authorities. The project was monitored and tracked using Enterprise Project Management 2007 tool implemented at MTS IT. The tool allowed various project metrics to be pulled out at any instance as regards schedule. The project issues, risk and dependencies were monitored through EPM, with timely, accurate communication flowing in to the relevant stakeholders for prompt action. Trivia Quiz!!
3. What should a project manager do to ensure clear expected boundaries for project completion? a) Scope verification c) Risk management plan
b) Completing a scope statement d) Scope definition
4. Which of the following provides the basis for team development?
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a) Motivation c) Conflict management
b) Organizational development d) Individual development
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Stakeholder Analysis Stakeholder is an individual or organization whose interests are positively or negatively impacted by project‘s execution or who can positively or negatively impact the project‘s outcome. In identifying stakeholders, it is important to determine who: Provides the input Gets the output Has oversight Has other related responsibilities For MNP project at MTS IT, the project execution team performed stakeholder analysis and segregated stakeholders in the matrix. The KPMG BA, along with the PM & PMO teams sectioned the internal MTS stakeholder groups into groups as below: High Power, High Interest High Power, Low Interest Low Power, High Interest Low Power, low Interest This analysis was required as it facilitated: Planning and executing specific, most appropriate requirement elicitation strategy for each group. Looking at AS-IS process models and determine how each of the group is responsible for and impacted by the processes. Build a foundation for requirement ownership by the respective groups. Obtain buy in, support and common understanding with individual groups.
MNP Requirements Work-Plan Requirements Work Plan (RWP) defines the work to be accomplished during requirements elicitation, documentation and validation. It is a mini project plan that includes Activities the BA team shall perform, Scope, Resources, and Schedule & Budget estimates, Communication Plan, Risks and Deliverables. The RWP prepared by the KPMG consultant for MTS IT team for MNP implementation project consisted of: MTS Stakeholders Analysis Scope of Work for KPMG Schedule of Requirement Elicitation and Budget Requirement Risk Matrix Requirement Tracker – Gap Analysis Report capturing all requirements: As mandated by Regulation As required by Business teams for each of the MTS operating circle This Requirements Work plan: Ensured that no requirement was missed or forgotten. Requirement elicitation was tightly coupled and integrated with other project activities. Brought all stakeholders on the same page as regards expectations from the BA and the project delivery team. It served as a communication and negotiation tool for the BA, Project manager and project sponsor. Was approved and regularly reviewed by the IT Project Sponsor. Was incorporated in the overall project and program schedule. Project Management – lighter side
“If there were no problem people there'd be no need for people who solve problems!” Reduce your Water footprint
Overhead by -Kumar Saurabh, PMP® P6
Requirement Elicitation & Traceability Requirement Elicitation formed the basis of the Business Requirements Document for MNP implementation project.
TRAI –Regulator
Management
Marketing, Sales, CSD, Network, Finance
Vendor Developers
IT Operation
TRAI –Regulator
End Users
TRAI –Regulator
Requirement Elicitation involved Elicitation from Regulation (TRAI) to Business (Marketing, Sales, Network, Corporate CSD) to User Groups (Circle CSD). Structure the Requirements Document and Validate the Requirements
The BA ensured Requirements were captured in multiple passes – Analysis and Validation led to additional elicitation needs. All stakeholder groups were involved throughout the process – They helped validate the requirements in addition to serving as source of requirements. Ensured that all requirements could either be measured or decomposed into smaller measurable requirements. Ensured that all requirements could track back to an owner who could perform UAT and confirm that requirements were met.
The BA and project team followed the steps for elicitation and validation: Review As Is
Observations Verbal Protocols
Facilitation Technique
Focus Groups Brain Storming Joint Application Design
Survey Techniques
Interviews Questionnaires
As a part of facilitation, the BA team followed the ―Revenue Impact / Dollar Value‖ approach to get the requirements prioritized from business teams. Unwritten Phases of a Project-the lighter perspective
“Unbridled enthusiasm Punishment of Innocent
Reality Strikes-Disillusionment! Promotion of Non Actors!!
Confusion
Panic
Search for the Guilty Overhead by -Kumar Saurabh, PMP®
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The BA and project team encountered following barriers to elicitation: Multiple times, relevant stakeholders from stakeholder groups were not available. Individual stakeholder did not know what they wanted. Stakeholders were focused on solution and not requirements. The living document ―Requirement Tracker – Gap Analysis Report‖ tracked the requirements from the originator stakeholder all the way to the User Acceptance Testing to MCH to the inter operator testing scenarios.
MTS Stakeholder Group
MTS IT MNP CRM / Billing / IN Use Case
MTS IT MNP CRM / Billing / IN Test Case / Log
MTS IT MNP Gap Analysis Report
MTS IT MNP CRM / Billing / IN SRS
Third Party MNPGW Test Log
MTS IT MNP RWP
MTS IT MNP BRD
Other Operator Testing Scenarios
Current Status of MNP Implementation MNP was implemented PAN India across operators on January 20th, 2011. Initial launch, as a trial happened in Haryana circle on November 25th, 2010. During the first 5 months of its PAN launch, MNP implementation has shown positive trends for MTS. Some of the key industry statistics
Port In to Port Out: Industry Trend after Haryana launch Operator BSNL(GSM) Reliance Com(GSM) Reliance Com(CDMA) TATA Tele (CDMA) TATA Tele (GSM) Vodafone(GSM) Airtel(GSM) Idea Cellular Aircel
Mobile Number Portability Churn No. of users joined Exited 5,302 25,805 988 8,888 192 6,003 725 7,915 16,107 6,811 30,015 9,297 18,271 10,837 13,741 15,604 10,608 1,279
Net Gain/loss -20,503 -7,900 -5,811 -7,190 9,296 20,748 7,434 -1,863 9,329
[Source: The Hindu]
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todayspaper/article2327110.ece?ref=archive Reduce your Water footprint
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Industry Trend – Preferred Operator Airtel has been the most preferred operator with 26% of a sample survey respondents voting in its favor, followed closely by Vodafone (21%) and Idea (13%). Idea came at a distant 3rd position despite having launched a big advertising campaign – ―No Idea? Get Idea‖.
Industry Trend – Reasons to port Network coverage (34%) and tariff rates (30%) emerged as the top 2 reasons as to why subscribers wanted to avail of MNP while retaining their number.
[Source: http://trak.in/tags/business/2011/01/27/mobile-number-portability-mnp-numbers-vodafone-bsnl/]
With the right amalgamation of Project Management and Business Analysis functions, the MNP project was implemented across India on schedule and has shown positive trends for subscriber port in since then. The project went on to receive the Best IT Project award at the MTS IT Conclave held on Feb 04th, 2011
About Author Chetan has rich 15.5 years of experience in End to End Program Delivery. He has managed and delivered various end to end projects and programs from RFP, Discovery, Duediligence, Transition (KT, Shadowing, and Reverse Shadowing), Transformation (Analysis, Design, Development, Testing & Implementation) to Application Support & Maintenance phases. Chetan Mathur, PMP® Asst. Director - IT Sistema Shyam Teleservices Limited (MTS India)
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Managing large teams and multiple projects, ensuring deliveries are completed on time & within budget and in strict compliance with quality systems/procedures in an onsite offshore model.
Abbreviations [1] MNP - Mobile Number Portability,
[2] RFP / RFI – Request for Proposal / Request for Information [3] TRAI - Telecom Regulatory Authority Of India [4] COAI - Cellular Operator Association Of India [5] MCH - Mobile Clearing House [6] MITS - MNP Interconnection Telecom Solutions [7] CRM – Customer Relationship Management [8] OSS – Operations Support System [9] BSS – Business Support System [10] PMO – Program Management Office [11] BA – Business Analysis / Business Analyst [12] RWP – Requirements Work Plan [13] CSD – Customer Services Department
References [1] [2] [3] [4]
PMI, PMBOK Version 4 IIBA, BABOK Version 2 Dholakia, Viral, MNP Churn Numbers, Jan 27, 2011. The Hindu, January 2011.
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Project Management Institute Membership: A Big Advantage By - Suhail Qadir In today‘s competitive global economy, project managers need to be on their toes to deliver results effectively and efficiently. PMI membership gives PM the tools and support required to excel in their profession. Being a PMI member sends a clear signal to associated stakeholders that project management is by choice and not a thrust upon responsibility. It highlights the dedication to employers, colleagues and stakeholders and provides the required impetus. I would like to share my experiences since I became a member of PMI. PMI members have the privilege to get connected to enormous treasure of knowledge about Project management, which is highly systematic, updated and rich in content. I became aware of numerous methodologies for efficient execution of any project. PMI‘s knowledge bank is contributed by highly qualified writers and real time successful practitioners and reviewed painstakingly by Subject Matter Experts. The ―Communities of Practice‖ (COP) is a well organized conglomerate of Knowledge area /domain/concept and technique based information. You need to connect to ones of your choice and grow from within. They will keep you abreast of latest through a series of PDU earning webinars. The exposure to Management trends and concepts, being of International standard, based on scientific principles, continuous research and real time project data are unique to PMI. These have helped me complete my projects effectively, winning accolades from all. We are free to choose the ideas for the benefit of our projects. Over whelming activities in terms of Conferences, Seminars, Webinars, book and magazine publications, paper presentation, blogs etc. helped my growth for leadership and professional excellence. One can also participate in Volunteer Opportunities to gain valuable leadership experience and earn PDU‘s for the time you invest in the activity. Members receive discounts on PMI credential examination. These examinations are internationally recognized and it gives an unparalleled edge to oneself and one‘s organization. Possibilities of career progression and wider job opportunities are also ubiquitous advantages of PMI membership. By visiting PMI‘s Career Central, one can avail the networking opportunities and specific guidance.
Membership opens the door to Knowledge Center at PMI. Please visit http://pmi.org
PM Network PMI Today Journals Community Post E-Books and much more…
PMI has an unmatched library of books, journals and periodicals pertaining to Project Management and is a huge By - Piyush Govil PMP® reference point for successful project execution. These publications are available at discounted rates for members.
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PMI membership gives you an opportunity to download the digital version of PMBOK guide (The Global Standard Guide for Project Management) and other PMI‘s standards. Regular publications like PM Network, PMI Today, Community Post, Project Management Journal, and Manage India are delivered to the members email inbox or one can log in any time to access them on PMI.org. These are just few of the tangible benefits of PMI membership. However, being a member of PMI also gives an opportunity to experience the vast and perennial intangible and latent benefits that is essential for one‘s growth, effective project execution and growth of the community. About Author
Suhail Qadir is from Engineering Services cadres of J&K Govt.,
Suhail Qadir Project Manager, J&K PCC LTD
currently on deputation to J&K PCC LTD as PM. In his 20 years of professional journey he has consistently promoted good practices; Quality control, discipline and team work in the government sector. He is recipient of prestigious Chief Minister’s award ―for Excellent performance and dedication, at work place‖, July 2005, for time bound construction of cable stayed bridge at Lal Mandi Srinagar. He is alumnus of REC – NIT Srinagar. He is a family man and religious by nature. He loves to travel and learn about different cultures.
Effective Project Risk Management By – Hemant Seigell PMP® Risk management is a structured approach to managing uncertainty through risk assessment, developing strategies to manage it, and mitigation of risk using managerial resources. The strategies include transferring the risk to another party, avoiding the risk, reducing the negative effect of the risk, and accepting some or all of the consequences of a particular risk. Every project across industries carries a degree of risk associated and its imperative for a successful project manager to have the ability to understand and manage risk. ―As one of the fundamental drivers behind global economy, without it, we can‘t make the investments, and we can‘t take the initiatives required to succeed.‖
Ranking 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Risk Description Damage to Reputation Business Interruption Third Party Liability Distribution or Supply Chain Failure Market Environment Regulatory / Legislative Changes Failure to attract or retain workforce Market Risk (Financial) Physical Damage Merger/Acquisition/Re-structuring/DRP Failure
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Risk Management Project Life Cycle -Approach
Plan & analyze
•Date Collation revamping •Risk based Mis report
•Kick off meeting
•Decision model toolkit
•Team org Chart
•Process wise risk prioritization
•Detailed Project plan
Risk Identification
•Process Flow Design
•Mark to Market Assessment •Risk Value and stress testing
•Requirement Definition
•Risk Policy Report
•Portfolio analysis
•Presentation Deck Showcase
Risk Analysis
•Implementation strategy
•Risk Appetite •Focus Areas •Risk Drivers
•Training material
•Risk Severity metrics
•Go-live assessment
Recommendation & Implementation
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Key Takeaway :- Risk management for every project manager is a critical and can be sometimes daunting task to manage risk-reward balancing act keeping in mind the best interests of project objectives and stakeholders expectations perfectly mapped & aligned with overall business strategic goals. This article for project manager is a indicative best practice approach to manage risk management components effectively for every PM with guided road map to assess and deployment mitigation techniques till implementation stage. Since risk is inherent at every stage and phase so it becomes more relevant to have a proper risk management plan with fall back options carefully thought and ways to deal in complex project engagements, also with a view to avoid monetary or reputational risk.
About Author Hemant has 16+ years of professional experience into diverse Consumer finance/ Lending /Operations/Risk Mgmt across Retail Forex, BPMS, Consumer Banking, NBFC, Management Consulting, Housing Finance companies in BFSI domain having successfully managed multi-product environment /Strategic business critical launch projects across varied functional areas & worked in Asia, Australia & US geographies.
Hemant Seigell, PMP® Sr. Risk Consultant- BFSI Riskpro, India
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-Credit / Fraud Risk Management - Bankcards - Operations Management - Retail Assets, Insurance - Management Consulting -Financial Services - Operations Lead- Home Finance/Mortgages
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Effective Communication for RCA and Understanding Communication Style By - Pauline Aloysius PMP® Understanding Communication Style Effective communication skills require a high level of self-awareness about the personal style of communication which influences one-to-one communication as well as the team communication. Self-awareness gives us insight into the way we present ourselves and interact with others, allowing us to adapt our thinking and to choose our behavior when we communicate with others. It can also make an individual more effective in group situations, improve interpersonal skills and build better relationships. …Continued from 2nd Edition of “SYNERGY” Please read Part-I at page 4
http://www.pminorthindia.org/ Synergy/Issue02/
To understand the communication behavior, the Johari Window exercise was conducted partially within the team. So that as an individual in a team we are aware of each other‘s communication style and continuously work to improve where co-operation can occur.
The Johari Window is a model of communication which gives a framework for understanding and improving selfawareness, improving communications, interpersonal relationships, team development and intergroup relationships from four different perspectives of people interaction. The model employs a four-part figure to reflect the interaction of two sources of information - self and others. Known to Self
Not Known to Self
Open
Blind Spot
Known to Others Not Known to Others
Closed
Dark
Open: ―I know you know‖. This public window is known to self and also known to others. It is the field of open communication. This is where trust may flourish. Blind spot: ―I don‘t know you know‖. This window represents our blind spots. It is the field where I might feel vulnerable. This is where self-discovery is a possibility for growth.
Closed: ―I know you don‘t know‖. This private window is our mask. It is the hidden field. This is where we keep our secrets. Dark: ―I don‘t know and you don‘t know‖. This window represents the black box. It is the unknown field. This is where there is room for potential. For example
if an individual faces difficulties in the area of communication which may arise due to: A lack of clarity in the interaction, Poor grammar or choice of words, Unorganized thoughts, Faulty logic etc.
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This induces the receiver to give feedback to the sender, by revealing something that was in the blind quadrant. Then, if the feedback is taken sincerely, corrective actions would be taken or perhaps on a more long term approach a course in reading and writing can be pursued. Key Points The main aim in groups should be to develop the Open Area for every person. Working in this area with others usually allows for enhanced individual and team effectiveness and productivity. The Open Area is the ‗space‘ where good communications and cooperation occur, free from confusion, conflict and misunderstanding. Selfdisclosure is the process by which people expand the Open Area vertically. Feedback is the process by which people expand this area horizontally. By encouraging healthy self-disclosure and sensitive feedback, a stronger and more effective team can be built. The key ideas are: Individuals can build trust between themselves by disclosing information about them. They can learn about themselves and come to terms with business/personal issues with the help of feedback from others
Insights By consciously practicing good communication skills as a team, we would be able to unveil our expertise, strength, skills, constraints, and challenges. At the same time listen and collect feedback on the concerns of others, understand business impact, urgency, and criticality of the issues. Most importantly maintain a relationship of mutual trust and understanding so that we would be able to understand their views and be able to communicate with them easily. Thus we could apply Questioning and Active Listening skills for interaction with other teams during support by enquiring as follows: By consciously asking clarifying questions Collecting feedback from others Listening and responding to feedback Acknowledge and make action plans. For technical support Centre, with more awareness of the team and other groups, it would be able to prioritize and manage the support requests. So that it could yield better results in customer satisfaction survey.
For Reading There are other tools available to understand the personality and communication styles which may help us on day to day people interaction: MBTI : Myers Briggs® personality types theory (MBTI® model) FIRO-B : Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation TKI : Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument
About Author
Pauline Aloysius PMP®
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About 12 years of experience in Info-Telecom industry, covering a wide range of roles in R&D, Project Management, Quality Assurance and Technical Product Support. Proven track record to resolve customer issues technically and strategically with depth and breadth with good satisfaction rating. Contribute on continuous improvement of Support Management process to be in line with Telecom BU strategy and facilitate different support services based on the customer segmentation.
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Project Risks and Risk Awareness By – Anshul Chetal PMP® Project Management Risks can be classified as Known-Knowns, Known-Unknowns, Unknown-Knowns and Unknown-Unknowns. There is a Risk Rating Identified for all the projects based on the above classification, this helps adding the contingency buffer for Cost and Time to deliver the Project without in its own constraints.
“[T]here are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know. ”
Project Failure as defined by IPA (2009) Report, is due to the —Former United States Secretary of Defense following main reasons: Donald Rumsfeld budget overspending for more than 25%, and/ or schedule slipping for more than 25% , and/ or Severe and continuing operational problems holding for at least one year. One of the top reasons for the failures is inadequate or inconsistent application of proven project risk management methods. In other words, project scope, cost or schedule development cannot be considered completed or reliable until consistent project risk analysis is carried out. This requires development of adequate project contingencies. More the Unknown Risk where Mitigation cannot be planned higher is the requirement for a Project Contingency. Risk Rating
Project Risk Classification 10
Contengency
Known Known UnKnown Known Known UnKnown UnKnown UnKnown
Taking the above classification Risk and Risk Awareness can be viewed in four Quadrant system with Risk on Xaxis and Risk awareness on Yaxis as under
Risk Awareness
Known
Unknown
8 6 4 2 0 1
2
Known
Unknown Known
Known Known
There are Unknown risks in project and Project Team is aware of them
Project Team is aware of project risks
Unknown Unknown
Known Unknown
There are Unknown risks in project and Project Team is not aware of them
There are Known Risks but there is no awareness for the risks
Unknown
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Risks
Known
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Unknown
Any Project Manager would want to be in Ist Quadrant where he knows the Risks in the Project, where he can plan for the Risk using various techniques. But to be in first Quadrant is not the case all the time. There are various factors which add risks and impact the Risk awareness; some of these Factors are as under Technology Environment Experience Geography
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Let‘s first look at the Unknown Unknowns and ways to manage it. Imagine a First of a Kind Project (FOAK Project), as we these projects are executed with no experience there are lot of uncertainties which have to be considered, and hence there is a need for a higher contingency reserve for such projects, similarly if technology used is a rare one of the one which is just out of research lab, it for sure adds to the Unknown Unknowns, and there will be addition Risk Contingency required. The Other environmental factors too add Unknown Unknowns such as Geographic constraints New Union Laws etc, Taking an example of similar situation can be a driver, who drives a small car in Plains, and task given to him is delivering a plank of wood ( 2000Kg) on a Snow covered Hill top on a Heavy Truck. Now when accepting the Job there are constraints Like Driver is not used to Heavy Vehicle (Technology Constraint) He has no experience driving in Hills or Snow ( Experience Constraint ) He is not aware of the Terrain, weather pattern Local help etc ( Geography Constraint ). He is not aware of the Local Laws/Toll Tax etc or Political structure of Truck Drivers‘ union (Environment Factors) so to cover all these there has to be a contingency reserve to cover the Unknown Risks because of the factors above. Now let‘s take the same Driver on his 100th Trip to the same uphill with same load, now as he has already done 99 trips he should be better aware of the situation (Lessons Learned) but that do not eliminate the Risks. There still can be Risks such as Heavy Snow fall, Land Slides, Truck Breakdown Flat Tyre etc, but now these are Known Risks and can be mitigated by Proper Planning. Same is the case of our FOAK project when being Delivered multiple times, we have lessons learned and have documented all the Risks and have recorded Impacts and can plan an action in advance. This helps to reduce the Risk Rating of the Project. Risk Rating and Financials. Risk Rating is one of the Key factor while we bid for a Project, any Project which has a high Risk will need higher cost to cover the high contingency reserve, and Lower risk Projects have a lower Contingency reserve and better productivity can be employed to give a competitive bid at a lower price. Again just the fact that one Knows the Project and has experience in the project does not eliminates all the Risks, its rather that if you have experience or if there are more Known-Knowns or Known-Unknowns you can better manage/plan for Risks, which reduces the Risk Ratings. It can be a strategic of the organization to assign parameters to determine the Risk Ratings. It can also cover larger part of High Risk contingency reserves under management reserve, for some strategic Projects, or may even not take projects if the business justification/profit margin is not met for the High Risk project Recommended Actions Known Knowns: Use of Project Risk management tools to understand the impact and plan the Risk response based on Qualitative and Quantitative methods.
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5. Which of the following is NOT an input to project plan execution? a) Work authorization system c) Corrective action
b) Project plan d) Preventive action
6. A project manager would find team development the most complex in which form of organization? a) c)
Weak Matrix organization Projectized organization
b) d)
Balanced Matrix organization Tight Matrix organization
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Unknown Knowns: There are Risks but Project team is not aware of these Risks, in this case it‘s Important to analyze the Project deliverables and the Constraints especially for Cost, Scope and Time and document as many risks as one can. Here it is very important to revisit the Risk Register in each phase and Document the Risks. Known Unknowns: There are Unknown Risks in the Project but no Awareness about the Risk, in this case Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of the Risks can add awareness about the Risk, with Proper Risk Management Plan these risks have to be documented and Risk Response has to be identified and documented using Expert advice or past Experience. Unknown Unknowns: Unknown Unknowns are the most difficult of all where Risk and Risk Awareness both are unknown, here First thing would be to add a Risk in Risk Register for the Unknown Risks with a high Probability and Impact, Also add a contingency reserve for this risk both in Project reserve and Management Reserve. Tools like Monte Carlo Analysis can help in Risk management plan to cover these Risks.
About Author Anshul is certified ITIL® , Prince2TM , PMP® professional working as a Project Manager with IBM India PVT LTD. since 2005. He has successfully delivered projects to the global clients from Offshore and Onsite, and has worked extensively on all phases of Project Management. In his current assignment he is performing role of Program Manager for Energy Utility Solutions & Asset Sales, working with IBM Sales to promote IBM E&U Solutions globally. Prior to IBM he has worked with Satyam in GE-GDC. Anshul Chetal PMP® Program Manager E&U Solution & Assets IBM Global Business Services
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He is a B.Tech ECE from GNDU Amritsar, and Holds a PG Diploma in Management (Finance).
7. Once the project is complete, the complete set of project records should be placed in which mediums of organization? a) Project archives c) Storage room
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b) Database d) Project report
8. Which of the following is a common expression for performance reporting? a) Pareto diagrams c) Responsibility assignment matrices
b) Bar charts d) Control charts
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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP A Key Dimension in managing “SMART” City Initiatives. By – Vikas Dua PMP® Smart City initiative seeks to highlight how forward-thinking leaders in business, government, ICT (Information & Communication Technology) industry and civil society around the world are capturing the potential of smarter systems to achieve economic growth, near-term efficiency, sustainable development and societal progress. “The 19th century was a century of empires; the 20th century was a century of nation states. The 21st century will be a century of cities.” Wellington E. Webb, Former Mayor of Denver, Colorado
The Initiative is about driving innovation and creating value for customers across horizontals & verticals (covered later in the article) encapsulating multiple stakeholders. Technology processes, people are enablers, but the real driver in any such initiative would be managers responsible for establishing a relationship with and delivering something of value to your stakeholders and customers that align with the forward vision of overall initiative.
In the process one goes well beyond merely selling a product or service towards establishing you as the expert, influencer and further, collaborating with other participating agencies / companies / governments to achieve overall vision and innovation that truly matters. The current economic climate means that smart initiatives will continue to thrive, but management inertia is the biggest obstacle to the success of any initiative. As with any other discipline the ―Project Management Principles‖ also needs to evolve to take of the needs of the time. This article is an attempt to look at the principle of PM principles from the futuristic perspective. The perspective is being build up through the example of a SMART CITY I think it is important to step back and look at the analysis of various Smart City initiatives underway (details covered in later section). Any such initiative, in reality, is a system of systems and thus requires multiple programs / projects running with diverse & varied stakeholders across countries / continents boundaries, huge financing requirements but with still some open questions. We would, further, observe that most of such initiatives are either delayed or on hold due to one or other reason. The key is leadership & collaboration with tightly coupled stakeholder management. If we are really going to drive meaningful change, we need to get smarter about how we work together. Trivia Quiz!!
9. If the cost variance is positive and the schedule variance is also positive, then it implies? a) Project is under budget and behind schedule c) Project is under budget and ahead of schedule
b) Project is over budget and behind schedule d) Project is over budget and ahead of schedule
10. Which one of the following is the last step of project closing?
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a) Client appreciates your product c) Lessons learned documentation
b) Client has accepted the product d) Archives are complete
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Let us consider ―SMART‖ City initiative as a large program with multiple projects. Before we delve further into the management / leadership aspect required, it is important for us to understand various constituents, dimensions, challenges & stakeholders involved. Key Dimensions of a “SMART” City model Any model that attempt to define ―SMART‖ cities dynamic nature must be able to represent the diversity of various elements and is essentially multi-dimensional, encompassing different aspects of integration and interaction across multiple domains. These systems are interconnected in a synergistic fashion that, ideally, promotes optimum performance and efficiency. These core systems, in effect, become a ―unified system.‖ However, while providing the potential for significant positive transformation, each element of this ―unified system‖ faces significant sustainability challenges and threats:Smart Policies The first – and most important level – is the setting of ―smart‖ goals for the future development of a city, which can be broadly classified under Environment, well-being of inhabitants, and Economy. Leaders‘ initiatives must either cut across process levels or policy domains, or embed provisions that facilitate such an evolution, from both an architectural and financial standpoint. Smart ICT Smart Solutions: Cities can improve their current service delivery capabilities (as well as lay the foundation for new and expanded services) by making their core systems efficient. This can be achieved through the application of advanced information technology, analytics and systems thinking to improve how a city works and how it stimulates a thriving, knowledge-driven economy. Technology companies offer solutions & services for the subsystems of the smart city like the one suggested in the figure below: With the greater digitization and interconnection of a city‘s core systems, the newly gained information need to be used for intelligent and informed decision making through Analytics layer. The solutions need to have the ability to analyze the information around analytics and 5 key components thereof. The ability to sense, monitors, and captures information. Ability to store and access that data via a data store or warehouse. The ability to analyze the data and identify potential areas of savings around energy as well as operational savings. Based on historical trending and business rules, work orders can be dispatched to ensure optimal asset and energy use. Dashboards can be created at the enterprise and operational level for visibility into what‘s been done. Improvements need to be derived by applying advanced technology capabilities – collecting and managing the right kinds of data, analyzing patterns in it and then optimizing system behaviors based on that analysis.
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Smart Channels The availability and quality of knowledge and communications enables timely analysis of information from sensors, equipment and machines. The communication framework and the intelligent network spanning various kinds of Sensors, devices & other communication channels form the spinal cord of the system of Smart City. Smart Government Government will need to do more than simply regulate the outputs of our economic and societal systems. There needs to be a smooth functioning system interconnecting dynamically with citizens, communities and businesses to spark growth, innovation and progress. All the smart city solutions need to be backed by the Policy makers and Government bodies in order to see the light of the day. The challenges of smart city government can be broadly divided in to two overlapping categories: operational (financial) challenges and execution (governance) challenges. Operational issues are mainly related to developing, managing, and evolving the smart city infrastructure and services needed to meet a city‘s smart goals. The main focus is amount of expenditure that is required and the sources of fund availability. Execution issues are linked to the nature of the smart city in relationship to new services, new forms of information and citizen engagement, and changes in the way the city is seen by its ―users.‖ Further, the nature of the challenges that governments have to face during the next few years comes from the recognition that resources are finite; there are limits to the environment that markets do not take into account; social and environmental capital are inextricably linked; need for massively more energy-, carbon-, material- and transportation-efficient services; need for the development of greater/different social and economic capital in the context of increased urbanization; and that we are a resource-constrained world under increasing pressure to protect environmental capital. The challenge is, therefore, optimizing multiple competing outcomes: delivering higher quality, at lower cost, with better agility and speed — all at the same time.
Government organizations To be followed in the Next have, to in varying degrees, gradually embraced ICT mediums as a means to enable better and more efficient services. Issue… About Author
Key Stakeholders Key Challenges THOUGHT LEADERSHIP – Key “Management” Principle
Vikas Dua, PMP® Delivery Head Service Assurance & Asset Management IBM, INDIA
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Vikas, Senior Management Executive with more than 18 years of experience in establishing organizational units, strategic consulting, account management and execution of multiple transformation programs at domestic & global level across Telecom, Financial Services, Manufacturing & Trading, and Government Sectors. Currently he is heading the delivery of Service Assurance & Asset Management across Industry verticals, which deals in "Smarter Solutions" delivery as one of its focus area in IBM India. Vikas holds B.E. (Hons) Degree in Computer Science & Engg with interest areas as reading and adventure trips.
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Speakers presented a representation of the best practices in Cloud Computing Project Management and PM Methodologies for Cloud projects. Many IBM program and project managers shared their experiences and best practices they follow in their projects. The speakers also shared Cloud Computing Deployment models, roadmap, and case studies with the audience. Speakers at the workshop were Mr. Anuj Garg, Project Manager, IBM India Pvt. Ltd, Mr. Satyajit Das, Program Manager, CSC India Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Jayant Malhotra, PMI India Champion Volunteer, Mr. Shine Sahadevan, Head – IT Vertical, PMI India, Ms Monica Gupta, Program Manager, IBM India Pvt. Ltd. The event started with a welcome speech by Mr. Pradeep Saini, Geography Delivery Executive, IBM India Pvt. Ltd. Mr Pradeep Saini stressed the importance of Project Management in Cloud Computing.
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