1. The Magnificent 7 Key Concepts in Project Management
PMI Chapter Dinner
May 17, 2010

2. Mike’s Assumptions about Project Management:
It’s intuitive
It’s simple
It’s practical
Purpose of Today’s meeting:
Identify short list of key concepts in Project Management
Provide simple tips/reminders for building them into your process

3. The Key to Success Which one is most important?
Remember Epcot Center and Kentucky Fried Chicken
Success
Process
Purpose
People

4. Purpose

5. Purpose Exercise: Playing with Legos
The customers desires a prototype
Strong
Tall
Beautiful
If anyone on the team does not agree that the structure meets the reqs, they must completely disassemble it and start over.
You Have 10 Minutes!

6. And the winner is…

7. “Where there is no Vision, the Project will Perish”
Key Concept #1
“Where there is no Vision, the Project will Perish”
Mike
Key Points:

8. #1 – Where there is no Vision, the Project will Perish
Make Requirements a Requirement
Create a Headline:
“The purpose of this project is to <primary objective> by creating <primary deliverable>.
Elevator Speech – 60 Second Project Statement

9. Process

10. “Planning Doesn’t Take Time –
Key Concept #2
“Planning Doesn’t Take Time –
It Makes Time.”
Mike
Key Points:
How does planning make time?

11. #2 - Planning Makes Time. Remember the Lego Exercise
Methodology Implementation
Increased planning accuracy from 50% to 90%
Reduced planning time from 25% to 15%
Investing in planning improvements will give you the greatest return on PM
Mike
Key Points:

12. Measurements

13. “What You Measure Improves”
Key Concept #3
“What You Measure Improves”

14. #3 – What You Measure, Improves
Choose a short list of measures
Measure where you’re experiencing pain
Choose counter measures

15. “Run your project like a freight train, not an ice cream truck.”
Key Concept #4
“Run your project like a freight train, not an ice cream truck.”
Mike
Key Points:
Not everything you learn here will apply to all projects – large complex projects may required the whole toolbox, and you may have to go to other disciplines (quality & SPS) to complete the project. Some you may just need a few of the tools
See page 3 of your PMBOK guide: Generally accepted…
Bottom line: At no point does any methodology, process, procedure or tool relieve you of the responsibility to use your head.

16. #4 - Run your project like a freight train, not an ice cream truck
Don’t make it too easy to get changes or they’ll nickel and dime you to death.
The work of defining the change should be at least as much work as analyzing the impact.
Formal request processes should inhibit trivial change requests.
Mike
Gold Plating is for jewelry, not projects!

17. People

18. People What Influences Behavior?
Climate
Politics
Culture
Commitment
Peer Pressure
Beliefs
Objectives
Leadership
Norms
Family
Environment
Fear
“Buy-In”
Values
Prejudices
Organizational Support
Personalities
Personal Initiative
Anxiety
Strategy
Rules (written and unwritten)
Behaviors
Mike
Truism #1: Project Management must deal with human behavior.
Truism #2: Human behavior is seemingly complex, inconsistent and unpredictable.

19. Human Behavior Belbin Model Stephen Covey Meyers Briggs Blaine Lee
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The 8th Habit: Find Your Voice and Inspire Others to Find Theirs
Meyers Briggs
Intuitive
Sensing
Judging
Intro/Extro
Belbin Model
8 Project Roles
Action Oriented, People Oriented, Cerebral
Blaine Lee
The Power Principle
Tony Robbins
7 Step Change Process
Human Needs Psychology, Global Belief Systems, Metaprograms
Tony Robbins
Ultimate Relationships
7 Master Skills, 10 Disciplines of Love
Dale Carnegie
How to Win Friends & Influence People
29 Principles of Human Relations

20. Key Concept #6
“Be a Good Finder.”
Mike
Key Points:

21. #6 – Be a Good Finder “Positive Reinforcement”
It works with dolphins, dogs, and people.
Don’t motivate the team, motivate the individual.

22. Have you ever been pressured to…
Reduce cost?
Shorten your time frame?
Add scope?

23. “Don’t negotiate the estimates, negotiate the trade-offs.”
Key Concept #6
“Don’t negotiate the estimates, negotiate the trade-offs.”
Mike
What does this mean? Why is it so important?

25. Can you be… Late Over budget Deliver next to nothing
…and still lay claim to successful project?

26. meets all stakeholder expectations to their full satisfaction.
Key Concept #7
A successful project…
meets all stakeholder expectations to their full satisfaction.
Tim
You can be over budget, late and deliver next to nothing and lay claim to a successful project.
How?

27. #7 - Meet all stakeholder expectations to their full satisfaction.
Meeting Stakeholder expectations does not mean giving them everything they want.
The Project Manager is fully responsible for Stakeholder Expectations

28. The Magnificent 7 Purpose
Where there is no Vision, the Project will Perish.
Process
Planning Makes Time
What you Measure Improves
Run your project like a Freight Train, not an Ice Cream truck
People
Be a Good Finder
Don’t negotiate the estimates, negotiate the tradeoffs
A successful project meets all stakeholder expectations to their full satisfaction