EMERGING PRACTICES IN FEDERAL PUBLIC SECTOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT

PMI Government SIG Webinar

August 12, 2009

PROJECT MANAGEMENT ISN’T ROCKET SCIENCE…

OR IS IT…?  Launch Atlantis with crew of 7  Perform critical maintenance to

Hubble Telescope with extensive contingency plans

 Rendezvous with Hubble 200+ miles above the earth and perform multiple spacewalks

 Return Hubble to proper orbit and crew safely to earth

  11 Day mission turned to 13 with weather and shifted landing to California

NASA DELIVERS PROJECT LEADERSHIP

 Mission Driven Project Management   Balance Leadership and Management   Promote PM and Team skill development

 Focus on Knowledge Management   Structured formal and informal lessons

learned and experience sharing   Leverage past failures and successes

 Evolved QA Processes   Adherence to standards   Detection of risks and failures

JUST ONE OF MANY PROJECT MANAGEMENT STORIES…

DRIVERS OF CHANGE IN PM  Projects make up increasing share of

government budgets requiring integration with strategic planning

 Technology, More Than Ever, is Enabling Portfolio Level Information Capture and Dissemination

 High Visibility of Public Sector Failures  Importance of Certification on the Rise  Maturity of Stakeholders and Their Interest in

and Understanding of Project Management

CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES  Managing Stakeholders  Making Governance Work  Effective Communications  Inconsistent Methodologies  Developing Project Managers  Managing Knowledge  Technology for Project Management  Compliance with Regulations &

Legislation

CHALLENGE: TRANSFORMING “PROJECT STAKEHOLDERS” INTO “PROJECT BELIEVERS”

•  Active input. Project Stakeholders are Informed, Dispersed, and Connected

•  Complex Projects Have Impact On Wider Array of Projects and Stakeholders

•  Transparency and Stakeholder Access to Decision Makers Can Work Against Projects In Progress

RESPONSE: IMPROVE PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS

•  Government Project Managers Must Shift from Controlling to Sharing Information

•  Messaging is Key – Right Place and Time for the Right Message

•  Use of “Adoption” Models Like ADKAR on the Rise – Geared Toward Stakeholder Ownership

Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement

CHALLENGE: COMPLEX AND MISALIGNED METHODOLOGIES ACROSS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

 Increasing Complexity of Projects and Programs

 Variety of Methodologies Causes Misalignment   Misaligned process steps and outputs within a project   Inconsistent approach to the integration of

methodologies and lifecycles across different, inter-related projects

 Volume of Methodologies Causes Confusion   New and emerging methodologies – Agile, Six Sigma   Custom or homegrown methodologies   Vendor/Consultant Methodologies   Other core processes – Strategic Planning, Budgeting,

Acquisition

RESPONSE: ALIGN STANDARDS AND METHODOLOGIES

 Federal Environment – Acquisition Lifecycle Dominates

 Standards and Methodologies Tailored to Organizational Uniqueness

 Evolutionary Adoption of New Standards and Methodologies

METHODOLOGY IN PRACTICE

Successes include:  Externalizing methodology

through a “Discovery” phase  Effectively initiating projects  Validating project scope and

plans through objective reviews

PROGRESS IN ALIGNMENT

CHALLENGE: MAKING GOVERNANCE WORK

 Multiple Planning/Reporting Cycles Cause Confusion   Strategic Planning, Budgeting, Acquisition,

E-300, Financial Audits

 Governance Processes Delay Decision Making

 Unclear Roles and Authority Complicate Results Management

RESPONSE: EMPHASIS ON INTEGRATION OF GOVERNANCE PROCESSES

 Governance Finally Getting the Data it Needs to Operate

 Governance Processes Finding Success in Integrating Federal Planning Cycles

 Emphasis on Total Cost of Ownership and Integration of Risk

ONE AGENCY’S GOVERNANCE

CHALLENGE: NEED TO IMPROVE PROJECT MANAGER PERFORMANCE

 Increased Specialization of Project Manager Roles

 Demand not Being Met by Supply Through Training or Certification of PMs

 New Skills Required to Address Complexity and Evolution of Project Management

 Tension Between Project Management Specialist and Subject Matter Specialist

RESPONSE: DEVELOP PROJECT MANAGEMENT SKILLS & TRAINING

 Balance Soft Skills with Project and Technical Skills

 Some Agencies See External Training Programs as First Line of Response; Others Build Custom Programs

 Implementation of FAC-P/PM   Three certification levels   Locally administered

CHALLENGE: MANAGING KNOWLEDGE ACROSS ORGANIZATIONS AND PROJECTS

•  Complexity of Knowledge is Greater Than Ever Before

•  Volume of Input is Large, With No Clear Lifecycle Strategy

•  Information Assurance is Not Yet a Mature Capability

•  Lack of Discipline and Commitment to Full Lifecycle Approach

RESPONSE: ENHANCE KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND TOOLS

•  Proliferation of Knowledge Management Communities of Practice in Federal government

•  High-Tech and Low-Tech Transfer Methods Being Employed

•  Lifecycle Approach to Knowledge Management Being Implemented Within Government Structures

CHALLENGE: INTEGRATING PROJECT MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES INTO GOVERNMENT PROCESSES

•  Wide Range of US Public Sector Use of PM Technology

•  Few Unifying Standards for Project Output

•  Security of Data and Access

•  Effective Resource Management

RESPONSE: PROGRESSION TOWARD USE OF ENTERPRISE PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLS

•  Project Management Information Systems (PMIS) Provide End-To-End Delivery

•  Resource Management Tools that Support Decision-Making

•  New Generation of Tools Emerging that Leverage E-Gov and Web 2.0 Technologies

RESPONSE: E-GOV IN ACTION

CHALLENGE: ALIGNING REGULATIONS AND POLICIES TO PROMOTE BEST PRACTICES

 Lack of Authority to Oversee Project Management Discipline

 Policies Not Mature Within Governmental Agencies or Across Government Enterprise

 Lack of Knowledge of Core Project Processes at Executive Levels of Government

RESPONSE: “MODERNIZE” LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

 Policies, Regulations, and Laws Promote Appropriate Practices

 Reporting Requirements Reflect Stakeholder Information Needs

 Project-Level Data More Accessible to Decision-Makers

 Accountability for Large Projects is Clearly Defined

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS IN US PUBLIC SECTOR

•  Earned Value Management is the Gold Standard for Project Performance Measurement

•  Emphasis is on Early Detection and Correction of Problems

•  Integrating Risk into Budget and Schedule

A MEASURE OF SUCCESS…

 Fewer than 50% of projects on budget and schedule

 PM Directive in October 2000 set the stage for revamped

 Several projects on track for failure

  90% of OEM projects are on target

  Definition of PM methodology with 5 Critical Decision points

  Competency development

  Risk management plans for each project

  New contract types   EVMS implemented

THEN (1999) NOW (2009)

According to Assistant Secretary Rispoli, DOE OEM is “not a success story as much as an example of an organization that has succeeded.”

ADVICE FROM PROJECT MANAGEMENT LEADERS AND FELLOW PRACTITIONERS…

Acquisition and Program personnel need to work together at the conception of a project…to make sure there is only one outcome that both agree to.

OMB Executive

A measure of the solidness of the plan is… “if this were a private sector project, could we take it to a bank and would they approve a loan to execute the project?”

Senior Program Manager Interior Department

Projects succeed when risk assessments are performed, “What has the PM done to adjust your plan, schedule, WBS, and budget, due to the risk assessment you performed?

Senior Program Manager Department of Commerce

Executives are asking PM-related questions more and more; like “What is the project risk?” Or “What is the expected end date?” These are good indicators that the executive culture is changing toward project management.

Project Manager Bureau of Public Debt ARC

Beware of going overboard with project oversight without the necessary, relevant, and commensurate project management education and mentoring.

PMO Director Bureau of Indian Affairs

Leadership support is key to project success. Set a vision and objectives/goals to create alignment from the vision all the way to projects. The result is developing loyalty – PMs are loyal to the project and the organization, leaders are loyal to their projects and programs.

Director NASA APPEL

Four recurring issues uncovered in our engagements include: poor strategic planning, poor performance measurement, a lack of critical controls, and limited availability of good information.

GAO Executive

Congressman Elijah Cummings Maryland 7th District Senior member of the

Committee on Oversight

and Government Reform

THE FINAL WORD

“Mediocrity is expensive!”

THANK YOU!

Tim Jaques, PMP (tjaques@line-of-sight.com)

Jonathan Weinstein, PMP (jweinstein@line-of-sight.com)

410.696.2610

www.line-of-sight.com