It’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it… Jane Deal Head of Information & Knowledge Systems RNIB 6 th March 2012

Content About RNIB The anatomy of projects What is project failure? Causes of failure How can we maximise success? Conclusion Questions

About RNIB Leading UK charity offering information, support & advice to >2m people with sight loss 3 strategic priorities, 11 goals, 8 programmes ~2,000 staff & ~4,000 volunteers Associations Many things to many people: Membership, campaigning, advocacy, education & social care, helpline, library, talking books, innovation, transcription, products & publications, consultancy…

The anatomy of projects Projects have multiple elements that need to be effectively managed Relevant to all projects, vital for IT change According to Gartner, 75% of all IT projects ‘fail’

What is project failure? Failure to deliver on time within budget to quality Comparatively few achieve all three Some will fail on at least one criterion Many will fail on all three …and at a cost

Causes of failure Multiple interlinked factors Some of the most common areas: Senior Management ownership Stakeholder engagement User involvement Communication Project management skills & approach Timescales/expectations

Causes of failure Requirements definition/prioritisation Change control Testing Risk management Supplier Management Accountability for benefits realisation

How can we maximise success? The way that projects are established and managed is critical to improving the chances of success. 2 main themes: people process

People Successful change is heavily dependent on people who need: Engagement Involvement Ownership Communication

People - Emotional Response to Change Response curve:

People – issues Lack of buy in – ‘What’s in it for me?’ Lack of understanding and ownership of benefits and their delivery What do I actually need? Local issues vs big picture Conflicting priorities / limited capacity Politics

People – Roles & Responsibilities Who is sponsoring the project and accountable for its success? Who is needed to deliver the project and will they be made available when needed? Who is accountable for delivering the benefits? Who will track the benefits and how? Who will manage the project?…

People – Project Manager Specific skill set Right person for the job: Dedicated to the project Knowledge of business is not enough Permanent vs contract. Support for project managers: Experienced or new to the role? Match the project to their experience Provide PM and other training (risk, planning, etc.)

Process Proven approach Common, consistent methodology Scalable Interchangeable Recruitment Lessons learned/best practice

Process Prioritisation Agreed roadmap for the organisation Optimum deployment of finite resources Dependencies Impact on change recipients Expect the unexpected!

Process Requirements Clear Clean Consistent Complete Credible Prioritised (MoSCoW) Can you test them? Scope creep!

Process Planning What will we deliver? How will we implement it? -‘Big bang’ vs phased -Pilot? Who needs to be involved – are they available? By when do we need to deliver it? -Realistic & short -Who will be affected and when -Take time to plan: implement in haste, repent at leisure

Process Manage risk What might drive the plan off course? -Representative selection! -Likelihood and impact Counter measures What will you do with the risk? -Eliminate/reduce -Share/transfer -Accept Suppliers!

Process Testing Developer testing User acceptance testing Most effective if: -Requirements can be tested -Tests are well-designed and planned -Users are adequately trained -Sufficient time allowed for testing

Process Realise the benefits! What are they? Can you measure them? How will you measure them? Who will measure them? Ownership and accountability! This is what the project is for… isn’t it?

Conclusion Know what you want Be realistic Prioritise Plan & test Commit (the right) resources Manage the risks Track the benefits RAG

Above all… Engage Involve Communicate

Questions?