Project Management for the MX generation Shlomy Gantz

Project Management for the MX generation Shlomy Gantz CFUN-02 © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 1

Project Buzzwords • • Process Requirements Teamwork Consensus “On-time, On Budget” Methodology Empower, Synergy, etc… © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 2

“Process” © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 3

Buzzwords - “Process” © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 4

Buzzwords - “Process” • • 4 Step, 5 Step, 12 Step… Who designed your process? Do you follow that process? Do you? Really? Do you update your process? How complex is your process? How abstract is your process? © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 5

“Requirements” © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 6

Buzzwords – “Requirements” “I’ll need you to review these 300 use cases by Monday” © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 7

“Horror Story” #1 • • Large airline industry project Thousands of documents 200 Consultants No consistensy No clear vision Project already late Too many project managers © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 8

“Horror Story” #1 • • Re-State Goal New Document Templates and Management Buzzword free architecture Simple, Achievable Milestones © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 9

Buzzwords – “Requirements” • Do you have enough requirements before you start coding? • Do you, really? • Can you have too much of it? • Are they consistent? • Can your requirements change? • Are they simple to understand? © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 10

“Project Mangers” © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 11

Buzzwords – Project Managers • Project Managers are overrated • Project Leadership is needed instead of project management © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 12

“on time and on budget” © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 13

Buzzwords – “on time and on budget…” • Nearly a third of IT projects were CANCELED before they could be completed. • Over half of the projects cost almost TWICE as much as their original approved budget © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 14

“Teamwork” © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 15

Buzzwords – “Teamwork” • Hierarchies can inhibit communication • One Good programmer is worth 10 mediocre © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 16

“Consensus” © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 17

Buzzwords – “Consensus” • Too much time and energy spent on consensus • Great tool for Avoiding Accountability • Promotes management by committee, slows development © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 18

“Famous first words” © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 19

Famous first words © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 20

Famous first words © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 21

Famous first words © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 22

Famous first words © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 23

Famous first words © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 24

Famous first words © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 25

Reasons for Failure • In software, past performance is your best indicator of future performance • “Project success is determined in the first month” © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 26

Reasons for Failure • Lack of clear vision • Lack of communication • Lack of flexibility • Lack of creativity © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 27

Project Success Factors 1. User Involvement…………. 20 2. Executive Management Support………. . . …. 15 3. Clear Statement of Requirements………. . …. 15 4. Proper Planning ……………. …… 10 5. Realistic Expectations ……………. …. ……. 10 6. Smaller Project Milestones …………. . 10 7. Competent Staff ………………. 5 8. Ownership…………………. . 5 9. Clear Vision & Objectives …………………. 5 10. Hard-Working, Focused Staff……………. . 5 © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 28

“Horror” Story #2 • “Instant” company 0 -60 employees in one month • Extremely Short timeframe • Not enough developers • No planning or Vision • Constant Scope creep © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 29

“Horror” Story #2 • Stop • Force everyone think the product does do, and write it down. • Owner and President given a multiple choice questionnaire based on response. • Mini-plans, small milestones/tasks – complete a feature • Momentum – team happier, more productive • Project gets done © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 30

Project Management – The problem • Phase Isolation – “Plan, then do” • Requirements done once and set in stone • Requirements are not simple to understand • Implementation is done in Isolation © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 31

Project Management – The Solution ? • • • RUP? RAD? XP ? Fli. P ? © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 32

Project Management – The Solution • • • An clear vision An evolving project plan An evolving functional specification An evolving risk list An evolving test plan © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 33

A Clear Vision • Storyboarding / Wireframes – The Topic – The Classifications – The Specific Ideas • Non-Functional Models • Evolving Simplified Documentation © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 34

Storyboarding • Team of 5 -7 people • 45 minutes to 1 Hour at most • Visually represent your ideas © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 35

An evolving project plan • Reality Check (Resources, Time, Quality) • Don’t be afraid to change the plan !!! • Pick any 2: – Fast. – Good. – Cheap. © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 36

The Plan • What You Gonna Get? • By When? • How You Gonna Get there? • How Much It Gonna Cost? © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 37

The Initial Plan • The specification of what the final product or service will be capable of doing; • The top-level plan for how everything is going to be done and how it will all fit together. • The timetable of when the client can expect to be able to see and evaluate specific parts of the finished product. • The budgets associated with those timetables © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 38

The Plan • Differentiate the major tasks from the little stuff; group minor related tasks under the major tasks. • Sequence the major tasks into some logical progression. • Figure out who’s going to do which task(s) and what they’ll need to get it/them done well and right and about how long your team members think they will take to get done. Add 50% (build in the time cushion). • Advise those people what you want done, but not necessarily exactly how you want it done. People’s creativity will amaze you sometimes. © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 39

The Plan • Too Much Detail • Not enough Detail • Project and Product summary – Plain English – Who’s who © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 40

Risk Management “since unplanned network outages are a big inconvenience, in the future I should be notified in advance of all unplanned outages. . . ” © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 41

Plan your Risks • Believe in Murphy What can go wrong, will • Think about it • Plan for it • Accept it • Find your constraints © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 42

Plan your Risks • • You don’t get enough money. You don’t get enough time. You don’t get enough people. You get the wrong people Your client is inaccessible. There are too many cooks. “Circumstances beyond your control”. © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 43

Roles - Introspective Roles • • • Product focus. Project focus. Task execution focus. QA and testing focus Structural focus. Documentation and training focus. © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 44

Roles - Extrospective • • Client/Customer liaison. Sponsor liaison. Business point-of-contact. “Infrastructure”/maintenance liaison. © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 45

Estimating time • There are three major ways projects get scheduled: • Top-down; • Bottom-up; and • Dictated release date. © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 46

Keeping Track of it all • Show and Tell instead of Reports • MBWA • Email, Email !!! (or IM/ICQ) © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 47

Communication • Good Reports – Short – Contain Summary – Have pictures ! – One page long • Too much information is – (a) useless, or – (b) distracting, or – (c) all of the above © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 48

Using Time • You CANNOT manage time, you can only use it © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 49

Using Time - Meetings • No specific objective (“We always meet on Tuesdays at 11. ”); • No agenda (“Well, we’re all here, what shall we talk about today? ”); • Too many participants or wrong participants • Too long • Failure to control the meeting , lack of focus • No closure © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 50

Using Time - Meetings • Meetings should be between 30 and 50 minutes • Always have someone take notes, if you can’t find some one, buy a tape recorder. • If possible have daily startup meetings • Only invite those who have something to gain or contribute. • END and Start on time © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 51

Overtime © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 52

Testing • Feature Reliability • Usage and Functionality • Integration Testing. © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 53

Horror Story #3 • • • Call Accounting system Project late, pressure to get things done earlier Management thinks money can drive productivity Spaghetti code Planning inconsistent CEO wanted to manage the project, no PM experience • Multiple teams in several physically separated locations © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 54

Horror Story #3 • • • What is essential What is the goal Modularize the existing code, even if it is working Small tasks – get a feature working perfectly Reuse of modules once the first feature was working • When re-architecting project mid stream do in simple form, not as complete as done at the beginning of the project © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 55

Project Recovery • Stop. If you Know something is wrong, stop doing it. • Consolidate all of the information in one central location … computer and non-computer. Make it all available to all of the team members. • Find out what the goal is. The business goal. The technical goal. If it doesn’t get you closer to a business or technical goal, forget it. © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 56

Project Recovery • People … remove problematic people. Don’t task them or give them non-critical tasks if can’t get rid of them • Team morale. Most important. To improve … listen to the team, back them up. Avoid burn-out – make them leave the office. © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 57

Project Recovery • Reschedule if possible. Phased launch. Build-every-night – small attainable goals. Regression testing – automated testing tools. Release in the morning instead of at night. • Communications – ask the team what is wrong, respect their opinion. © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 58

Project Recovery • Get a decision maker at the executive level with a scheduled time to make decisions. If not available, project gets delayed. • Create a project log, why project not getting done. Any documentation better than no documentation. • Do not commit to a new schedule, especially within 2 weeks of the recovery period. After 2 weeks you can usually get them a new schedule. © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 59

Why CF programmers Rock !!! • • • We focus on Results We produce Results We can change code easily We usually avoid complexity We help each other, we learn quickly • We just “Rock” © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 60

Tools • • • Web Based tools Site. Spring (discontinued) Knowledge management Microsoft Project Online project management © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 61

Tools – Simple Project Site © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 62

Tools – Simple Project Site © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 63

Tools –Simple Project Site © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 64

Tools –Simple Project Site © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 65

Tools –Site. Spring © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 66

Tools –On. Project © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 67

Tools –Microsoft Project © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 68

Sites • http: //www. construx. com/ Steve Mc. Connel • http: //www. shoottheprojectmanager. com/ Robert Brents • http: //www. extremeprogramming. org/ © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 69

Books • “The Inmates are running the asylum” • Alan Cooper • “Rapid Development” • Steve Mc. Connel • “Necessary, but not sufficient” • E. Goldart • “The Mythical Man Month” • Frederick P. Brooks, Jr. • “Extreme Programming Installed” • Ron Jeffries, Ann Anderson, Chet Hendrickson © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 70

Q&A Shlomy Gantz http: //www. shlomygantz. com © Shlomy Gantz 2002 Project Management for the MX generation http: //www. shlomygantz. com 71