this presentation describes the idea of organizational support for projects to improve IT projects success rate.

1. SPA – Systemic Projects Alignment On “soft” Aspects of IT Project Management Daniel Ofek

2. What? On IT Project distress Human factor in IT projects Effective behavior in projects Systemic thinking in projects context

3. What is a Project? A project is a one time planned effort, composed of activities performed by professionals in order to reach pre-defined results by using pre-allocated resources Project results is a product or a service Every project has a customer Every project meant to promote a bigger goal of the organization A project is a process of change and learning – by its completion the organizations is different. The people who took part in it are different too

4. The Challenges July 09

5. What’s Going-on with IT Projects Large Scale IT Projects Source: Standish Group “Chaos Reports” 2006

6. Why Projects Fail -Testimonals (1) Project has no published vision Too much focus on technological issues No clear division of responsibility Managing tasks instead of outputs Poor risk management Episodic approach to project Matrix structure increase conflicts, disputes, lack of commitment People don’t believe in: managers, product, plan, each-other Vicious circles drive the projects

7. Why Projects Fail -Testimonals (2) Many activities are performed with no project framework The project solves the wrong problem (sold by hungry salesperson) The solution is of “soup of the day” type Trying to do the best – instead of the right

8. Why Projects Fail –Testimonals (3) Bad project management (in-experience, poorly trained, poorly selected….) Plan (and scope) are irrational Wrong WBS and personnel assignment Bad manning – inadequate team members Bad quality product Too many changes, poor productization Wrong mix of technology and interfaces

9. Why Projects Fail -Testimonals (4) Lack of company commitment Lack of requested knowledgein company and among project members Missing sponsors from company and customer Too complex processes Passive not involved customer Weak agreement between stakeholders regarding the solution

10. An Industry Leader Definition of the Cause of the Problems Question: Are most project failures caused by technical problems, people problems or business problems? Answer: People problems. Business and technical problems boil down to people problems. People solve problems. People create problems. It's the extent to which we take responsibility for solving problems that gets them solved. The myth of IT is that it's about computers and technology. It's not -- IT is about people. From: Sue Young CEO of ANDA Consulting in Colchester, VT

11. Project Management Body of Knowledge-PMBOK The five process groups are: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Controlling and Monitoring, and Closing. The nine knowledge areas are: Project Integration Management Project Scope Management Project Time Management Project Cost Management Project Quality Management Project Human Resource Management Project Communications Management Project Risk Management Project Procurement Management

12. PMBOK - Human Resource Management Chapters Focus on human as resources: 9.1 Human Resource Planning • 9.2 Acquire Project Team • 9.3 Develop Project Team • 9.4 Manage Project Team

13. Background July 09

15. alignment

16. Teams

17. Knowledge

18. CommunicationInfrastructures

19. Classifying your Project (what’s missing?) Unique expertise Global Developments technology Quality Standards Determining the Critical Success Factor Cost objective Multi-disciplinary Timecrucial Human outsourcing complexity Evolution Revolution Company importance Life dependant System Rich feature set Legacy knowledge Available test equipment 15 Time to Market Goals Risks Multi Project Org . SW intensive Version release policy Infrastructure ReUse Budget In-house knowledge stakeholders Novelty Off-shoring Taken from PM course ETC …. State of the Art HW or SW Project ?

20. Iceberg model of PM and Problems Solutions Solutions Elements Management Elements Integration, Content Time Cost, Budget, Pro-curement HR Management Formal Comm Risk Management Change Scope Technical Change Increase Budget Reduce Cost Replace People "Investigation Committee” Change Co-efficients Project Products Formal Management Procedures Informal Management Procedures and Relationships Culture Mood Commitment Politics Leadership Informal Comm Cooperation Knowledge&Und-erstanding Systems Thinking Info sharing Align with supra-system Support Leadership HR-Human Relationships

21. Project Management Theories

22. The Space of Org Support in Projects Project specific org. parameters Leadership External Comm & PR The more dynamic and less stable is the project environment, the greater need of fostering the organizational aspects Knowledge & understanding Systemic vision Commitment Mood Human relationships Org structure Culture Project Life-cycle Internal comm People Placement & HRM Emergency Implemen- tation Planning Initiation Execute Closure Maint enance

23. Supporting the Project Management consultant Technical Consultant SPA Org. Consultant

24. Project Vs. Company Learning most often begins with a small group and only gradually spreads across the organization and then up Edgar H. Schein 2002

25. In-Project Behavior – What is it? Every project member performs specific functions within the project The In-Project Behavior (IPB) is the way in which these functions are performed Functions performance is a product of the following dimensions: Behavior - leadership, sharing, trustfulness, biases… Mental conditions – commitment, motivation, mood, pride… Professional infrastructure – specific and background knowledge, experience, competencies … Personality – traits, character …

26. In-Project Behavior - Principles IPB is derived mainly from 1. personal, 2. project characteristics 3. peers IPB Every project has IPB “State of Aggregation” – the total effectiveness of IPB Improving IPB is a learning process (not just managerial) Teaching IPB is by courses or personal coaching

27. IPB Improvement IBP improvement is composes of the following items: Defining best IPB for the project (in context of the organization, market, technology) Identifying the gap between actual individual and team IPB and the required effective IIPB Design and implement activities to reduce this gap

28. Systemic Thinking It is possible to improve IPB by adopting systemic thinking approach throughout project life-cycle Un-solved chronicle problems are largely the result of a systemic failure and not human errors

29. Systemic Approach to Projects The Project is a system is a system is a system... July 09

30. Systemic Approach to Projects Every project constitutes an open, dynamic, complex and learning system The systemic approach uses two lenses simultaneously to investigate the situation Concave – enables to see the full picture Convex – enables to get down to details

31. Customer Company Project’s Ecosystem Company’s vision Project Context Commitments, Business Plan, Internal & External Goals, Culture Team A Function A Manager Team B Function B 3rd Party Vendors Documentation, External Interfaces Technology, Innovation, Culture Project Ecosystem

32. SWDevelopment Teams NW

33. Providing a Vision for the Proejct Project leaders must provide a vision for the members of the project so that each individual understands his or her contribution to that vision. The vision must be defined according to the strategic obligations of the organization. The vision describes the project’s ecosystem These strategic obligations are determined by what the organization has committed to provide for its customers in terms of value, what systems must be established and managed to provide that value, and how the functions and tasks interrelate in order to meet those strategic obligations. 29

34. What is the New Paradigm? The new paradigm is founded on the recognition that managers must focus on the following two tasks: i) Continuously knowing what is valued and what would be of more value to the customers of their organization’s products and/or services, and ii) managing the creation, providing, and continuous improvement of strategic organizational suprasystems which when used by members of the organization will produce that which is of value to customers and users.” G. Harlan Carothers, Jr., 1988 30

35. Suprasystem Owner’s Accountabilities Articulate the purpose of the suprasystem Understand the link of the suprasystem to the customer Understand and explain the relationship to other suprasystems of the organization, to functions, to processes, and to the activities and tasks of individuals Map out the suprasystem, and understand its inputs, outputs, decision processes and linkages Document the suprasystem, and make sure that all who must work within it have the knowledge, ability, and authority to do what is needed for the customer Develop (in cooperation with appropriate people) outcome and operations suprasystem Owner’s Accountabilities measures which enable diagnosis of the suprasystem for improvement opportunities, as well as monitoring Align efforts and resources toward suprasystem improvement The responsibility will continue over time. It is not a project assignment. It is a managerial accountability. William C. Parr

36. When System Thinking will help The problems are been around for long time (there is a “history”) Existing multitude of “theories” to explain the cause of the problems Problems are dynamic and complex – complicated, stubborn, overtime, oscillating (based on mental and cultural) Require new approach על פי: Goodman, Karash, Lannon, O’Reilly, Seville: Designing a System Thinking Intervention

37. Systemic analysis and intervention Identify a problem to be solved by systemic thinking Describe the problem using listing of behaviors, time axis events and potential causes Graphical depiction of the problems integrated with the theoretical factors – the big picture Spotting the right point for intervention

38. Level of Intervention in a Project The mindset, paradigms, attitudes infrastructure – their influence on project health, cultural issues, inter-relations with intrasystem. Example: highly praising heroic activities, “the customer is stupid” The goals of the project – clear definition, alignment, agreement. Example: quality, customer satisfaction, TTM as additional goals Self-organization – define pressure for change, self adjustments על פי: D.H. Meadows: Places to Intervene in a System

39. Level of Intervention in a Project (2) Rules, procedure – rules of the games, constraints, rewards, right-wrong, technical or behavioral. Example: change management, Hierarchical rules, reporting Information floes – presenting results, feedback. Example: Public advancement reporting as motivational factor Control positive feedback loops – more brings more until self-destroy, identify and control growth. Example: Resources growth by customer demand על פי: D.H. Meadows: Places to Intervene in a System

40. Level of Intervention in a Project (3) Control balancing feedback loops – goalactionmeasurementaction Material stocks and flow – quantity against flow magnitude, stock as stabilizing buffer. Example: Stock of system requirements against the flow of developing them Data, measurements, results – change data, change interpretation. Example: Change number of reported bugs, change bugs scaling על פי: D.H. Meadows: Places to Intervene in a System

41. Thank you July 09