Applying the PM Competency Development Framework - Part 1: Planning the Project -

1
Applying the PM Competency Development Framework
- Part 1 Planning the Project -

• PMI-MN Breakfast Meeting
• January 14, 2003
• Mike Wold, PMP
• Fissure Corporation

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Topics for Today

• Introduce the Five Part Series
• Review the PMI Project Manager Competency
  Development Framework
• Apply the Framework in the Project Planning Area
• Explore Some Practical Issues in Project Planning

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What is the Five Part Series?

• Five monthly breakfast meeting presentations on
  the PMI PM Competency Development Framework
• Viewed from five perspectives
• Planning the Project
• Managing the Project
• Leading the Team
• Communicating with the Customer
• Interfacing with the Organization

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What is the PMI PM Competency Development
Framework?

• Output of standards committee formed in 1998
• Defines key dimensions of project manager
  competence and competencies that are most likely
  to impact project manager performance
• Source Project Manager Competency Development
  Framework - PMI - 2002

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Why is it important?

• Provides specific information useful to project
  managers and their organizations in creating
  professional development plans
• Unlike the PMBOK, it recognizes the importance of
  the human side competencies of project managers

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PM Technical vs. Human Sides
Relative Contribution to Project Success
Technical Skills
Human Skills
PMBOK
PMCD Framework
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What is a competency?

• Per Scott Parry (Training, June 1998), it is a
  cluster of related knowledge, attitudes, skills
  and other personal characteristics that
• Affects a major part of ones job
• Correlates with performance on the job
• Can be measured against well accepted standards
• Can be improved via training and development
• Can be broken down into dimensions of competence

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What are the PM competency dimensions?

• Project Management Knowledge
• What I know and understand
• Assessment Knowledge tests (e.g., PMP Test)
• Project Management Performance
• What I can demonstrate
• Assessment Review of work products
• Personal Competency
• My core personality characteristics
• Assessment 360 surveys, peer and self reviews

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Is the competency of the PM sufficient for
project success?

• PMI In addition to project manager
  competence, project success requires
  organizational project management maturity and
  capability

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The Nine PM Knowledge Areas (Units of Competence)

• Project Integration Management
• Project Scope Management
• Project Time Management
• Project Cost Management
• Project Quality Management
• Project Human Resources Management
• Project Communications Management
• Project Risk Management
• Project Procurement Management

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The Five PM Process Groups (Competency Clusters)

• Initiating Processes
• Planning Processes
• Executing Processes
• Controlling Processes
• Closing Processes

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PMCD Framework
Project Manager Competency
Knowledge Competency
Personal Competency
Performance Competency
Units of Competence (9 Knowledge Areas)
Units of Competence (6 Separate Units)
Competency Clusters (5 PM Processes)
Competency Clusters (2-4 per Unit)
Elements of Competence with Performance Criteria
(62 Elements)
Elements of Competence with Performance Criteria
(19 Elements)
Technical Competencies
Human Competencies
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The Six Units of Personal Competency with Clusters

• Achievement and Action
• Achievement Orientation, Concern for Order,
  Quality and Accuracy
• Helping and Human Service
• Customer Service Orientation, Interpersonal
  Understanding
• Impact and Influence
• Impact and Influence, Organizational Awareness,
  Relationship Building

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Units of Personal Competency (continued)

• Managerial
• Teamwork and Cooperation, Developing Others, Team
  Leadership, Directiveness Assertiveness and Use
  of Positional Power
• Cognitive
• Analytical Thinking, Conceptual Thinking
• Personal Effectiveness
• Self-control, Self Confidence, Flexibility,
  Organizational Commitment

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Applying the Framework
Determine Applicable Elements and Performance
Criteria
Interview Competent PMs for Baseline
Competencies Needed
Determine Desired Levels of Proficiency
Testing, 360 Surveys, Peer Reviews
Assess for Strengths and Weakness
Address Gaps in Competence
Track Progress Towards Competence
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Key Project Management Process Groups Documents
Project Charter
Project Plan
Initiating Processes
Planning Processes
Support Plans
Executing Processes
Controlling Processes
Closing Processes
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Planning Sub-Processes
Gantt Chart
Network Diagram
Sequence Activities
Define Activities
Develop Schedule
Estimate Duration
Break Down Work
Develop Budget
Plan Resources
Estimate Costs
WBS
Develop Project Plan
Support Planning

• SourcePMBOK

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An Example Project Scope Management - Initiating

• Competence Unit Project Scope Management
• Element Prepare Project Charter
• Performance Criteria
• 1. Develop project charter to formally document
  and link the project to ongoing work of
  organization
• 2. Define responsibilities of project manager and
  other organizational managers
• 3. Identify how project budget concerns and
  resource availability affect the project, and how
  to interface with the project sponsor or other
  organizational managers with resource
  responsibility

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An Example Project Scope Management - Initiating

• Performance Criteria (continued)
• 4. Define project phases of project life cycle
• 5. Develop primary components of project charter
• 6. Identify project stakeholders
• 7. Establish project purpose, description,
  assumptions, and constraints
• 8. Define project business benefits and benefit
  measurements
• 9. Define critical success factors

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An Example Project Scope Management - Initiating

• Assessment Approach
• Knowledge Competencies - Demonstrate a knowledge
  and understanding of
• Inputs to project initiation and development of
  project scope
• Tools and techniques utilized for formulating
  project scope
• Outputs of project initiation and scope
  development - e.g., project charter, constraints,
  and assumptions
• Performance Competencies - Demonstrate ability
  to
• Develop project charter
• Develop business case

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Practical Issues in Project Planning

• Why is there so much resistance to planning?
• How much planning is enough?
• What about these fast cycle projects, e.g., those
  using agile methodologies?

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Poor Excuses for Not Planning

• The Time Arguments
• Weve got plenty of time to plan later
• Were already late in getting started so there
  is no time to plan
• The Response
• Projects fail by the hour and day
• Pay me now or pay me later

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Poor Excuses for Not Planning

• Chaos Theory
• The outside environment is changing so fast it
  does not make sense to plan.
• The Response
• Without a plan, how do you know how the
  environment is impacting your project?

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Poor Excuses for Not Planning

• Living on the Edge
• I can handle any crisis - bring it on.
• Deep down I really crave some excitement.
• The Response
• Maybe you can, but why should I pay you to waste
  company resources
• Try skydiving. This is a business!

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Poor Excuses for Not Planning

• The Ostrich Syndrome
• I dont really want to know.
• Its too early to tell, isnt it?
• Response
• Its your job to know!
• Sorry but the writing is on the wall.

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Poor Excuses for Not Planning

• You Cant Manage What You Cant Measure
• Accountability is great, but
• I prefer to be empowered ..
• The Response
• Unfortunately, accountability comes with the
  paycheck
• You are empowered. I just want to see some
  results - trust but verify

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Poor Excuses for Not Planning

• Cornucopia Syndrome
• We have a lot of time for this project
• The skys the limit on this one
• Response
• Is this project the only thing people are ever
  going to work on in this organization?
• You do not have a license to waste resources

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Good Reasons Not Planning

• Been There, Done That
• We have done this so many times it is now a
  routine
• Response
• Are you sure you have this down?
• What is the risk if you are wrong?
• Scale the planning effort to bring it in line
  with the benefits

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Good Reasons Not Planning

• Business Value Argument
• The investment In planning outweighs its
  benefits.
• Response
• Scale the planning effort to bring it in line
  with the benefits

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A Vote for Properly Scaled Plans
A good plan today is better than a perfect plan
tomorrow. -- George S. Patton
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A Strong Argument for Planning
In preparing for battle I have always found that
plans are useless, but planning is
indispensable. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
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Factors Affecting the Scope of Planning

• Level of resources involved
• Criticality of the schedule
• Importance of quality
• Level of risk
• Impact of failure
• Sponsor/organization forgiveness level

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Some Guidelines for Determining the Scope of
Planning

• NOTE The Appendix contains some specific
  guidelines for scoping your planning to the
  project needs based on an article from PM
  Network, February 1999 by Martin and Tate

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Planning Fast Cycle ProjectsThe Agile Manifesto
Values

• Individuals and interactions over processes and
  tools
• .
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

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Some Agile Methodologies

• Extreme Programming
• Scrum
• Feature Driven Development
• Crystal
• Lean Development
• Adaptive Software Development

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Some Agile Characteristics

• Belief that change is the only constant - be
  ready to respond to it in your processes
• Emphasis on frequent customer feedback -
  customers often dont know requirements up front
• Up front planning not as important as ability to
  respond during the process
• Little documentation
• Small iterations - frequent releases
• Tight co-located collaborative teams
• Belief that cost of change does not rise with
  time
• Source Agile Software Development - Capstone
  project by Kimberly Gerst , June 2002

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Planning in an Agile Environment

• Traditional Planning Advocate - Watts Humphrey
• With rare exceptions, initial estimates and
  schedules are unacceptable it is best to reach
  early agreement on the essential functions and to
  defer the rest until later.
• Agile Planning Advocates - Kent Beck Martin
  Fowler
• Planning is so valuable and important, so vital,
  that it deserves to go on a little every day, as
  long as development lasts.

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Agile vs. Traditional ProjectsThe Five Levers
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Planning in the Agile World

• Focus planning on ensuring team members are
  working on most important work remaining
• Planning must serve to coordinate effort among
  team members business decision makers and
  technical team members
• Work will never go according to plan - when it
  does not, revisit the two points above
• Use plans to focus efforts, not to attempt to
  control events
• Planning must be honest

Source Kent Beck Martin Fowler, Planning
Extreme Programming, 2001
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Summary

• The PMI Project Manager Capability Development
  (PMCD) Framework is a useful tool for individuals
  and organizations to create development plans
• The PMCD Framework should be scaled to the needs
  of the individual and organization
• There are poor excuses and legitimate reasons for
  not planning
• The amount of planning needed is driven by
  variables such as risk levels, impact of failure,
  etc.
• The biggest barrier to acceptance of planning is
  blind adherence to one size fits all philosophy
• Planning is alive and well in fast cycle projects

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Appendix

• Some guidelines for scoping your planning to the
  project needs

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Some Guidelines for Determining the Scope of
Planning

• Do you need clear direction for your project? Is
  it important to know what the sponsor expects
  from the project? Complete a charter.
• Does the customer or sponsor need to know what
  will be produced? Does the team need to know
  what it will produce as the final deliverable?
  Write a scope description.
• Do you need to ensure the quality of the final
  deliverable? Do you need to break the final
  deliverable down into more manageable chunks?
  Define interim deliverables.

From PM Network, February 1999, Martin and Tate
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Some Guidelines for Determining the Scope of
Planning

• Do you want to be sure everyone is clear on what
  is the responsibility of the project and what is
  not the responsibility of the project? Do you
  want to avoid any misunderstanding about where
  the project begins and where it ends? Define
  scope boundaries.
• Do you need to structure the project? Do you
  need to make sure every part of the project work
  has been assigned to someone? Do a subproject
  work breakdown.
• Do you need want to prevent potential problems?
  Do a risk assessment.

From PM Network, February 1999, Martin and Tate
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Some Guidelines for Determining the Scope of
Planning

• Will anyone outside or inside the project team
  need to review or approve any of the interim
  deliverables before they are issued/delivered?
  Make a list of reviews and approvals required.
• Do you need to issue status reports on the
  project to keep the sponsor, customer and other
  stakeholder informed on how the project is
  progressing? Make a list of status reports
  required.
• Do you need to assure that you have the right
  people on the team? Do you need to ensure that
  all stakeholder interests are represented on the
  project? Review team composition.

From PM Network, February 1999, Martin and Tate
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Some Guidelines for Determining the Scope of
Planning

• Do you need to communicate the schedule (big
  picture)? Do a milestone schedule.
• Will you need to track the progress of the final
  deliverable? Do you need to know when the
  hands-off from one person to another will occur?
  Do you want to assure that the customers
  requirements be met? Create a deliverables
  schedule.
• Do you have relatively inexperienced people doing
  the work? Is this a project that you havent
  done before? Create an activity schedule.

From PM Network, February 1999, Martin and Tate
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Some Guidelines for Determining the Scope of
Planning

• Is there a need to estimate how much staff effort
  will be required to complete the project? Do a
  staff effort estimate
• .
• Do you need to track staff effort during the
  execution phase? Do a staff effort forecast.
• Is there a need to estimate how much money will
  be spent? Do a spending estimate.
• Do you need to track expenses during the
  execution phase? Do a spending forecast.

From PM Network, February 1999, Martin and Tate