Book Review: Tools for Complex Projects

This book is  based on the latest research in the areas of project management, complexity theory and systems thinking. The authors aim  to provide a set of tools for understanding and managing the complex projects and programs.
The first chapter describes what is meant by a complex project. While all projects have interconnectedness, hierarchy, communication, control and emergence as their attributes, the complex projects have additional characteristics like phase transition, adaptiveness and sensitivity to initial conditions. All these attributes and characteristics are explained in this chapter with reference to the complexity theory.

In the next chapter the authors state that the complexity is a matter of perception and ambiguity. To enable effective communication they suggest categorizing the complex projects as follows:
1.    Structurally Complex  – ‘How does it all fit together so that we can manage it?’ or
‘How can we keep track of all the interdependencies?’
2.    Technically Complex – ‘How do we do or make it?’ or ‘How do we solve the technical or design problems?’
3.    Directionally Complex - ‘How do we share understanding?’ or ‘How do we agree about what we have to do?’
4.    Temporally Complex‘How can we be in a position to anticipate, survive or take advantage of the changes?’ or ‘How do we keep some control over the changes when they can occur at any time?’

The next four chapters (Chapters 3-6) explain each of the above mentioned complexity type. The explanation is as per the following  format:
•    Explanation in terms of Complexity Theory  -  Structure, Communication,  Control, Sensitivity to Initial Conditions, Degree of Order/Chaos
•    Project Management Challenges – Critical Project Phases, Executive Support, Project Manager Capabilities, Team Support, Financial Issues, Scheduling Issues, Risk Issues, Procurement Implications
•    Traps and Consequences – Traps to watch out for and the consequences of falling into these traps.

Chapter 7 provides a short overview of each of the 14 tools recommended by the authors, type of complex situations (Structural/ Technical/ Directional/ Temporal) where it can be used and when it can be used (whether throughout the project lifecycle or on ad hoc basis).  These tools are based on complexity theory, design theory, soft systems thinking, behavioral psychology and adult education theory.

Chapters 8-21 discuss the following tools in detail:
1.    Mapping the Complexity – a simple way to illustrate where the sources of complexity are likely to occur and how they change throughout the project life.
2.     System Anatomy – an approach developed for the telecommunications industry which involves simple graphic means of coordination between international centers.
3.    TOC (Target Outturn Cost) – an approach developed for construction projects based on collaborative working agreements.
4.     Program Tool – a concept which uses the program to help define differential strategies for managing projects within the program according to their type and level of complexity.
5.     Role Definition – a checklist for use when defining role capabilities for managing different types of complex projects.
6.    Jazz (Time-linked Semi-structures) – a way of thinking about the organizational structure for a complex project in order to balance creativity and output.
7.     Multimethodology in Series – an approach which grafts soft systems thinking to the front end of a project or project phase.
8.     Multimethodology in Parallel – an approach which embeds soft systems thinking into the project throughout the entire project life cycle.
9.     Virtual Gates – an approach which utilizes the idea of variable control gates to help manage project risk.
10.    Risk Interdependencies – a quick tool to help identify emergent risk patterns in small- to medium-sized projects.
11.     TCTC (Temporal Cost-Time Comparison) – an approach to preparing realistic ranges of estimates during uncertainty.
12.     Kokotovich Triad – a group of tools to assist in stimulating creative solution finding.
13.     Stanislavski’s ‘Method’ – a tool to help expand personal perspectives in a given situation.
14.     Discursive Universe – a tool to help with communication and managing difficult stakeholder relationships.

The discussion on the tool includes – a short description of the problem the tool addresses, how it relates to complexity theory, step-by-step guide to its application, cautionary notes, and examples of the use of the tool in practice.

It is  an useful book for the Project Management community. The complexity theory and its relation to projects are explained very well. I could easily see the connections that the Agile software development and project management methods have with the tools described in this book, though the book is not specific to software projects and Agile methods. However the extensive theoretical discussions may test the patience of a busy project manager. Also the discussions on the tools  serve only as pointers and most of them are not complete DIY (Do it Yourselves) recipes. However authors have provided plenty of references for further reading in each chapter. More examples /case studies on application of these tools would have enhanced the quality of the book (and probably enhanced the already high price as well!).

Nevertheless it is a book which should be in every corporate library and which every project manager should make time to read. It will widen their perspective and understanding of complex projects.

Book Details: Authors – Kaye Remington and Julien Pollack ; Hardcover  – 230 pages; Published – 2007; Publisher – Gower Publishing Ltd.
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Viewpoint: The 4 Ps of a Quality Assessment Framework

An effective Quality Assessment Framework must be holistic.It should address the four dimensions of Quality (the 4 Ps)  – the  Product, the Process used to develop the product, the People involved in developing the product and the Propellers i.e. enablers for high quality products, processes and people.

The slide below shows the  areas which can be typically assessed under the 4 P dimensions of Quality :

 

While the well known frameworks like CMMI, ISO 9001, PCMM, ITSM, Agile, Excellence Models etc. do address the 4Ps,  they are not equally focused on all the dimensions.

Therefore it will be worthwhile exercise for an organization to develop an integrated QMS (Quality Management System) based on 4P Framework. Such an holistic framework needs to leverage  proven models like CMMI, PCMM, ISO9001, ITSM, Agile etc. yet should be customizable according to business needs.  A simple yet rigorous assessment  methodology can also be developed in-house for the organization to benchmark itself against its QMS and set goals for continuous improvement.

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Book Review: Steering Project Success – What More is Possible ?

Author: Madhavan S. Rao

Managing IT projects in an environment of rapidly changing customer requirements, uncertain business scenario and umpteen numbers of risks and vulnerabilities is a real challenge.
More than 60 % projects are either highly challenged or are failures (Chaos Report 2011). Clearly there needs to be a better way of managing the projects in today’s environment. A formal training in project management tools and techniques is necessary but not a sufficient condition to ensure a project success. Something extra is required.
The author of this book, Madhavan S Rao, a Project Management Professional (PMP) with more than 20 years of experience in successfully managing IT projects, provides this much needed extra edge in form of Seven Mantras to steer the projects to successful outcomes.

The Seven Mantras are:
1.    Forseeing  the Bigger Picture
2.    Investing in Customer and Team Education
3.    Information Seeding
4.    Perception Management
5.    Learning to say a Positive NO/ Conditional YES
6.    Steering Comfort Levels
7.    Thinking   $£€` for  Stakeholders

It is evident from the above list that all these Mantras deal with softer aspects of a project viz; people management, interpersonal relationship, and entrepreneurial thinking.

Armed with 100 real-life case studies  the author demonstrates in this book  how these  Mantras can effectively combat the common project vulnerabilities associated with  – ambiguous requirements, scope creep, shared development, new domain/technology,  hardware or software infrastructure, human resource issues (skill availability, motivation/morale, attrition, idle time),  incorrect estimates, undocumented/ unshared assumptions, unshared commitments, differences in perception, and delayed feedback.

Case studies associated with each Mantra are described as per the following format:

  • Context:  A concise description of situation
  • Description: Gives a brief background of the project and the issues for the team
  • Approach: Explains the approach adopted by the team to resolve the issues.
  • Outcome: Shares the results achieved by the team using the Mantra
  • Takeaway: Summarizes the learning from the case study
  • Related Mantra: Lists the other Mantras that can be used in the situation

These case studies are also appropriately mapped to Project Management Knowledge Areas and Process as defined by PMI (Project Management Institute) and also to the relevant SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle) phase.

The Seven Mantras are a part of a framework conceived and named by the author as “Project Assurance Management”.  He conceived this framework after a result of a long term (and ongoing) study and introspection on, what Project Management Professionals could do to overcome the unresolved project related challenges and what more can possibly be done.
The book has a chapter on Project Assurance Management which follows the preceding seven chapters dealing with the Seven Mantras and the case studies related to them. Here the author positions Project Assurance Management as a framework that complements the traditional practice of Project Risk Management.  While Risk Management deals with uncertainties in a project, Assurance Management focuses on “enhancing  the leadership mindset by visualizing and utilizing all opportunity spaces (i.e. the situations that can be used to improve project outcomes”) to the fullest potential in a real-time manner to steer projects to success.”

The author also proposes a disciplined approach to implement Project Assurance Management in form of four principles:

  1. Seeding:  Any activity performed to create opportunities that positively affect the project outcome and also the customer relationship.
  2. Ecosystem Engineering: Focused modification of project conditions and situations to make them conducive to smooth execution of the project. This can be achieved through perception management, real-time ecosystem scanning and implementing dynamic methodologies to achieve stakeholder buy-in.
  3. Pre-emption: Deliberate creation of the right circumstances that will pre-empt or negate any troubled situation arising in the project. This proactively takes into account the human frailties that lead to many project challenges.
  4. Innovative Paradigms: Having a framework in place that enables stakeholders to break out of the existing paradigm of doing things.

The last section of the book has contributions from 20 thought leaders and practice leaders from the Indian IT scene. They come from a wide cross-section of roles ranging from Founders, CEO to Project Managers. These leaders have played leading roles in industry bodies like NASSCOM, in professional bodies like Project Management Institute Chapters and also in various well-known IT companies in India. They share their perspectives on how to empower Project Management professionals to deliver much more than what seems possible and take the project to the next level of success.
This book is a valuable addition to the project management literature.  The main beneficiaries of this book will be project managers from Indian IT service industry. There are not many practical and informative books for this audience. This book fills the long-felt gap.  Not many books have more than 100 case studies described in such a concise (maximum 3 pages per case study) and elegant manner. It is written in a style which project managers can easily relate to.  The sharing of perspectives by the industry leaders is yet another highlight of this book.
In the forthcoming editions, it would nice to see the following enhancements/changes in this book:

  • Case studies can be categorized in terms of problems and issues faced by the project and mapped to Mantras.  To give an analogy, presently the book first describes the medicine (Mantras) and then tells the patient (project manager) which diseases (issues) it can cure.  From the patient’s (project manager’s) perspective it will be more helpful if she is told which medicine to take (i.e. which Mantra to practice) to cure a particular disease (i.e. to address the issues confronting her)
  • A consolidated table which maps the SDLC, Project Management Knowledge Areas and Project Management Process to all the case studies discussed in this book can be provided as an Appendix.  This will enable the reader to easily locate the case studies related to a particular Knowledge Area, Project Management Process or a SDLC phase.

This is a book which every Project Manager (especially those in Indian IT service industry) should read and often refer to!

Book Details: Paperback – 292 pages; Published – 2011; Publisher – Assurance Consulting, Bengaluru, India

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Book Review: Agile Management for Software Engineering – Applying the Theory of Constraints for Business Results

Author: David J. Anderson

A software product business like any other business exists for  making  profits.
To make profits in a highly competitive and dynamically changing environment it must ensure a transparent and continuous flow of high quality customer -valued features at lesser development cost.
How to achieve such a flow?
As per this book the answer is a) Develop software using Agile methods and b) Transparently manage this development through metrics based on revolutionary manufacturing concepts like Lean, Theory of Constraints (TOC), and Throughput Accounting etc.

The book consists of 33 chapters grouped into three sections.
Section 1 explains the theory and practices of Agile management.
Four basic management roles are defined – development manager, program manager, project manager, and product manager. A set of practices for each of these roles are also described.
This section also discusses Agile Management metrics.
It categorizes these metrics  into two categories – Production Metrics and Financial Metrics.
Production Metrics are – Inventory, Quantity, Lead Time and Production Rate.
Financial Metrics are – Investment, Operating Expense, Throughput, Net Profit, Return on Investment and Average Cost per Function.
Author has described at length how to calculate these metrics in software engineering context and also provides guidelines to track, interpret and report them to the senior management.

In Section 2 the author shows how to relate the Agile methods – FDD, Scrum and XP to the production and financial metrics presented in Section 1.
He demonstrates how to measure these metrics to show assess the business results.
This helps in justifying the Agile methods in terms of value-addition and ROI.

Section 3 explores the applicability of traditional and Agile methods in terms of their appropriateness for different types, sizes, and scales of software projects.

This book is a moderately difficult read for those accustomed to easy conversational style and case study based writings of several Agile authors. It is slightly repetitive and monotonous.
However this is one of the first few books on Agile which goes beyond presenting the anecdotal benefits of Agile and discusses the business metrics which can be used to quantify the ROI.
Hence it will be of great interest to those in senior management positions.
It will also encourage them to avoid local process sub optimization and lead their organizations towards optimizing the system as a whole. Such holistic optimization will yield good business results.
A valuable book for Agile enthusiasts too, since it will equip them with material to present a business case for Agile methods to the senior management.

Book Details: Paperback – 336 pages; Published – 2003; Publisher – Prentice Hall

Useful Links:

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Viewpoint : FDD (Feature Driven Development) – A Low-hanging Agile Fruit

The term “Agile” has almost become synonymous with Scrum or XP. However there are several other methodologies under the Agile umbrella. These methods have varying levels of agility. Barry Boehm and Richard Turner in their book- Balancing Agility and Discipline: A Guide for the Perplexed – have ranked Scrum the highest in terms of agility and conferred the dubious distinction of lowest agility among all the recognized agile methods to FDD (Feature Driven Development).
However in my view FDD is an excellent  stepping stone towards agility for the organizations deeply-rooted in traditional (aka waterfall) way of software development and “command and control” style of management. Such organizations face many challenges while transitioning to agile methods.
One of the biggest challenge is changing the traditional mindset to an agile one. It is rather very difficult to let go the way of working which you have become very familiar with.
Agile methods like Scrum or XP introduce a completely different paradigm – minimal upfront requirements specification and design, new terminologies, roles, a Boolean measure of “Done” (i.e. either “Done” or “Not Done” ).  However FDD has certain characteristics which the traditionalists can better relate to and hence be more willing to transition to. This would hopefully make the Agile journey less painful.
FDD invests comparatively more time in upfront requirements specifications and design as compared to other agile methods. It has a well defined sequential modeling and planning steps for this purpose.
The FDD roles like Project Manager, Development Manager, Chief Architect are perceived more favorably by traditionalists since they sound more familiar than Scrum roles like ScrumMaster, Product Owner.
Unlike other agile methods like XP and Scrum which do not give credit to partially done work, FDD defines completeness of work in terms of discrete percentages. For e.g. a feature which has completed design inspection is considered 44 % complete. This will get more buy-in from the project managers and team members used to conventional way of tracking the project.
Like traditional methods, FDD stresses on individual code ownership, design inspections and code inspections. This will avoid the apprehensions regarding the agile practices like collective code ownership, pair programming, test driven development.
FDD maintains the core agile principles while recommending practices which are closer to traditional software engineering. It is a low hanging Agile fruit which traditional organizations can initially pluck and enable themselves to continuously move upwards in the agility scale.

Visit the FDD community website to know more about FDD.

Also download an FDD Overview presentation by Nebulon Pty. Ltd. the consulting practice of Jeff De Luca, the primary architect of FDD.

[Last month I had initiated a discussion "Can FDD be the first step towards agility?" in the Yahoo Group - Scrumdevelopment. It received 14 responses from Scrum practitioners and experts. Most of them were in agreement with my stated view.Here is the link to the discussions
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/scrumdevelopment/message/53476]

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Book Review: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Original Edition)

Author: Patrick Lencioni
Published: 2008
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Paperback: 240 pages
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This book is a must read for those executives who wants to bring about team leadership culture  in their organization and also highly recommended for Agile Coaches, ScrumMasters and Scrum Team members .

It has been published as a manga  (comic book) edition too. In fact I read the manga edition first and summarized it in one of my previous blog post.

I then got hold of this original book hoping to gather more insights and details about the five dysfunctions of a team.  However it proved to be an unnecessary exercise since the manga edition seems to have done a great job of bringing out all the key points of this book.

Read my blog post on the manga edition of this book.

 

 

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Book Review: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Manga Edition)

Author:       Patrick Lencioni
Illustrator: Kensuke Okabayashi
Published:  2008
Publisher:   John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd.
Paperback: 174 pages
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An organization may have a  more talented executive team, more cash, better core technology, more powerful board of directors as compared to its competitors. But all this will not translate into high revenue and growth if  it has a dysfunctional executive team working for it. A dysfunctional team will create a depressing workplace and bring down the morale of the organization. This will lead to the organization losing its competitive edge resulting in disastrous business results.
What makes a team dysfunctional ? According to Patrick Lencioni, the author there are 5 dysfunctions of a team:

  1. Absence of Trust
  2. Fear of Conflict
  3. Lack of Commitment
  4. Avoidance of Accountability
  5. Inattention to Results

This illustrated manga version (comic book edition) of the author’s best seller  is a fictional account of  how Kathryn Petersen a newly appointed  CEO of DecisionTech transforms the executive team suffering from above mentioned dysfunctions into a great high performing team.

After the narration of the main story  each of the five dysfunctions are analyzed in terms of what it exactly means, followed by suggestions and tools for overcoming the dysfunctions . Being a manga edition, the discussions are rather brief. Nevertheless they serve as a ready reckoner and also as an appetizer to read the original book.

A must read for those executives who wants to bring about team leadership culture  in their organization. Also highly recommended for Agile Coaches, ScrumMasters and Scrum Team members since Agile highly values  teamwork.

Download a 8-page summary of the original book.

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News Update: Partnering with Bathudun

I will be offering following services in partnership with BathuDun :
Bringing in Agility in the Bidding Process; Establishing Metric Systems for Bids & Proposals; Preparing CXO level Bids & Proposals dashboard.

BathuDun is a Management Consulting company focused on Consulting, Training and Coaching in Bids & Proposals Management to help Sales and Presales teams in winning deals and sustaining existing business. Team BathuDun have relevant expertise having handled several global multi-tower bids in the areas of Application Outsourcing, Business Process Outsourcing and Infrastructure Outsourcing.

 

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Guideline : How to Audit an Agile Project ?

Organizations certified as ISO 9001 compliant need to conduct Internal Audits of their processes at planned intervals. The objective is to determine whether the  processes followed in their projects are effective and are in compliance to the requirements defined in the organization’s QMS (Quality Management System).

Auditing a project implementing agile processes has some unique challenges. Such projects do not perceive any direct value addition from these audits to the product they deliver to the customer (unless the customer has mandated such an audit). However from the organization’s perspective an effective  internal audit is a means  for continuous improvement.

Here are some guidelines for auditing a project which follows Scrum an agile methodology:

  • Audit should be non-intrusive as far as possible
  • Audit should not trigger creation of for-Auditor-only documents
  • A  generic  Scrum checklist tailored to suit project requirements should be used as the basis for audit
  • An Auditor is assigned to an entire Sprint as per the Internal Audit Plan
  • Auditor is a silent observer of the Sprint.
  • The Auditor is added to the team mailing list to receive all communications; provided access to all the artifacts;  attends at the minimum Sprint Planning, a few Daily Scrum meetings, Sprint Review and Sprint Retrospective meetings.
  • Auditor does not schedule formal audit meetings with the team members but may seek clarifications from ScrumMaster and/or Product Owner as needed during the Sprint.
  • Auditors prepare the audit report recording their observations and findings against the items in the checklist. However they are encouraged to go beyond the checklist and provide their suggestions for improvement.
  • The Audit Report is presented to the Team preferably immediately after the Sprint Retrospective meeting.
  • Non-conformances are addressed in the forthcoming Sprints and verified by the Auditor.

The Internal Audit following the above guidelines will minimize the project overheads, allow the team to be focused on delivery and yet can yield value added recommendations from the Auditor.

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Book Review: The PMP Exam – How to Pass on Your First Try

Author:      Andy Crowe
Published: 2009
Publisher: Shroff Publishers and Distributors
Paperback: 556 pages

PMP (Project Management Professional) certification is perhaps one of the most sought after certification in the industry today. There are umpteen number of training programs and books available in the market to help you prepare for the PMP exam. This book is one such book. It claims to enable you to pass the PMP exam in your first try itself.  How far this claim is justified, I am in no position to comment since I have not taken the this exam yet. I read this book mainly to self-assess my knowledge of PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) areas and also get a feel of PMP exam. In that sense this book served the purpose pretty well.

The book has 14 chapters , one sample 200 questions test on the lines of PMP exam and a glossary which  explains the common an encountered in PMP exams.

The first chapter explains what PMP Certification Exam is all about – what it tests and what it does not test; how it is structured; the material it covers etc.
The second chapter deals with the foundation and context on which PMBOK knowledge areas are built viz; definition of essential terms; project roles; project context; organizational structure; project manager’s power; management skills; project lifecycles; common inputs, tools, techniques, and outputs of project management processes etc.
The third chapter provides and overview of the project management framework and describes what processes, knowledge areas, and process groups are and explains how they are structured.
The next nine chapters are dedicated to  the nine knowledge areas of PMBOK viz; – Integration Management, Scope Management, Time Management, Cost Management, Quality Management, Human Resource Management, Communications Management, Risk Management, Procurement Management. Each chapter explains the philosophy behind these knowledge areas, their importance in context of the PMP exam and tips on preparation specific to the knowledge areas. At the end of each of these chapters there is a 20-question test.
Then there is a chapter on Professional Responsibility. This chapter is particularly important because as per the author nine percent of the questions on the exam relate directly to professional responsibility (and many more indirectly) but none of this information is included in the PMBOK Guide. There is 20-question test in this chapter as well.
The final chapter in this book covers strategies and techniques that can be put to use to pass the PMP exam. It offers tips on spotting  and dealing the tricks and traps in the exam questions.

Overall seems to be a pretty useful aid for PMP exam preparation. With just one reading of this book and not even one glance at the PMBOK Guide I was able to score more than 75 % in all the tests and the Sample PMP exam questions in this book.  So I guess PMP exam will be rather smooth sailing for me in case I chose to take it !

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