Tom Gorham Class Content
- 1. Road AccidentThree Nested Talks on the Theme of Project Management
- 2. A Single FocusThe Independent Leader in Portfolio Management
- 3. 20 Years of Innovation
- 4. Recognized Market Leader by Industry Analysts
- 5. Over 500 Customers Worldwide across Every Industry“Planview is an Undeniable Leader in the PPM Market”
- 6. Premier Customers WorldwidePublic SectorFinancial ServicesTechnologyRetailEnergy and UtilitiesManufacturingInsuranceHealthcarePharmaceuticalOther
- 8. Topic One: An Overview of the Project Management EcosystemAn exploration of where project management practices touch related practices in a corporate environmentstrategic planningannual planningdemand management product managementresource managementvendor managementasset managementinfrastructure managementquality managementsoftware change managementaudit and how that shapes success as a PM
- 9. Topic Two: Expressive Work Breakdown Structures Moving beyond the WBS as an engineering decomposition of deliverables to using the WBS as a tool for Communicating delivery processesDefining commitmentsManaging to those commitments
- 10. Topic Three:What Would I Tell my ChildrenAfter 25 some yearsPlanning and managing projectsBuilding organization’s project and service delivery capabilitiesDefining and deploying program / project management and systems delivery methodologiesHiring, firing, coaching, mentoring and working for and with project managersI’ve hopefully learned something of lasting value that will help someone have a happier, more successful career.
- 11. Project Management is all about commitments…Making themMeeting themOBTAINING themGet comfortable with it or choose another careerTake a class in negotiatingRead a book
- 12. Not everyone thinks like you…Understand how you are most comfortable relating to the world and understand how others gather information and make decisionsYour job is to Understand your stakeholder’s needsObtain commitmentsDrive to decisions unless you can communicate, your ability to be effective will be limited Find a way to take the Meyers-Briggs Type IndexUnderstand what the results say about youUnderstand what the results say about how you
- 13. All things are not created equal… Act like a four year old and ask lots of questions!Your job is to understand what deliverable and what requirements are more equal than the others.How does your project contribute to realizing a strategy?What business outcome is your project to achieve?What requirements make the greatest contribution to achieving that outcome?Which stakeholders have the greatest impact on achieving that outcome?Why is that date important?If your are feeling really geeky read up on Quality Function Deployment.
- 14. The criteria for success is fluid… Understand it and control itEveryone wants a project to be successful and its okay to help them by shaping the criteria for successDon’t be an order taker.
- 15. Manage in the round…Don’t fixate on one group at the expense of another. Manage upProject ownersProject sponsorsBusiness leadershipManage downProject contributorsEnd customersManage sidewaysStakeholdersResource ownersGate keepersUnderstand your organizations ecosystem!
- 16. Understand your organizations ecosystem!Projects almost never live in isolation but live in the context of “the enterprise” and must contribute to corporate objectivescomply with corporate standardsintegrate with corporate processesdepend on corporate servicesSometimes this knowledge is embedded into product development, project management and system delivery methodologies…and sometimes its not.In order to be successful you need to be able to navigate the complexities the ecosystem.
- 17. Organizational EcosystemsStrategic planningAnnual planningDemand managementProgram management Product managementResource managementVendor managementAsset managementInfrastructure managementQuality managementSoftware change managementAudit
- 18. It is alright to put words in someone’s mouth… Your job isn’t just to communicate, it is to provide communication toolsTake a business writing courseTake a public speaking course and model the behaviorSteal from the best (read white papers, attend sales presentations)Create “expressive” work breakdown structures
- 19. Practice Informed Consent…Don’t assume risks on behalf of your customers.You aren’t a hero if a risk is never realized but you are a goat if it is.Make risks visible and make them shared, even if it is uncomfortable.