FMI Professional Development Day Project Lessons Learns ......Advancing the Profession of Project Management. 10. Purpose of Lessons Learned – What Do We Hope to Achieve? 1. Better

May 30, 20192019 FMI Professional Development Day, Ottawa

Copyright © 2018 PMI Ottawa Valley Outaouais Chapter. All Rights Reserved.

FMI Professional Development Day Project Lessons Learns and Professional Ethics

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS

Welcome and Introduction

Instructors Today

Jennifer Read, PMP, CMC, PEng, PRINCE2• 16 years of Military experience.

• 16 years experience as private consultant– Held many Project Management and

Management Consulting roles within Federal Government depts including setting up PMOs, and PM Governance.

• Currently President of PMI OVOC

Welcome and Introduction

Instructors Today

Pete Grieve, PMP• Worked in most aspects of Software System

Development Life Cycle: Dev, BA, Manager of BAs & QAs, Project Mgr, Product Mgr, Engagement Mgr, People Management, and Procurement.

• Has worked both in private and public sectors within banking, insurance, retail, e-commerce, and e-tourism industries.

• Currently on the Board of Directors for PMI OVOC as VP Symposium responsible for on-going professional development education/seminars at the annual Symposium.

Advancing the Profession of Project Management 5

Lessons Learned

Some Preliminary questions:1) Who’s heard of Lessons Learned?2) Who’s been involved in Lessons Learned?3) Why or Why Not do you Think?


Lessons Learned

• From my perspective – every Project Manager goes into a new project with the best intentions. “THIS time we will do proper Lessons Learned”….it rarely happens.

• Why the passion for the need for Lessons Learned?


Lessons Learned

• Rules to Conducting a Proper Lessons Learned exercise:– “Spirit” of the Lessons Learned should

be welcomed by the organization.– Feedback should be asked of all

Project participants, stakeholders, Project Sponsors, etc.

– Feedback should be on-going through-out the project to possibly correct/head off problems in current engagement.

– Feedback should be time-sensitive and not at the end of the Project for resources off the project months ago –fainted memories or faulty recall.

– How Conducted? Face-to-face v.s. survey (depends on desired outcome).


Lessons Learned

• Rules to Conducting a Proper Lessons Learned exercise (continued):– Should be in writing but not finger-pointing to any specific person

(named or unnamed but implied);– Good for Project Team to review. But could cause defensiveness.– Definitely completed before resources are released onto other projects.– Focus on constant improvement.– Good to present to PMO, other Project Managers, other executives.

Probably lots of areas of improvement through-out the whole organization.


Purpose of Lessons Learned – What Do

We Hope to Achieve?Discussion


Purpose of Lessons

Learned –What Do We

Hope to Achieve?

1. Better Quality Projects

2. Less issues/problems during the Project Execution phase

3. Better Project Team morale before, during, and after Project.

4. Lessen issues for the next time or another similar project.

5. Do things More Efficiently or Effectively next time.


What Do We Look At During Lessons Learned?


What Do We Look At During

Lessons Learned?

• Project Processes (….or lack thereof)

• Overall Co-ordination of the Project

• Communication during project period – with team members? With stakeholders? How often (enough, too much)? What forms (meetings, emails, watercooler gossip, etc.)?

• Were Resources engaged when needed? (right people, right time)

• Project Pace? (long hours, a lot of hurry up and wait, burn-out)

• Did you feel appreciated? Were your thoughts or inputs welcomed? Was your Specialty or Expertise respected?


What Do We Look At During

Lessons Learned?

(Continued)

• Project Expenses well-spent? (including Celebration lunches or appreciation gifts??)

• Outsider view of the Project team?

• Were timelines realistic and achievable? (and if long hours were required did Project Management/Sponsor help??)

• Were Project Resources (non-people: workspaces, co-location v.s. War Room) adequate?

• other


Lessons Learned

Categories

• Resources (People, Equipment, Room) –Good | Bad

– People – right people, right time, right amount of work?

– Project Space – adequate?• Project Pace/timelines – Good | Bad

– Right people engaged for proper periods?– Did the work you relied on being done to

enable you to do your work, was it done?– Manageable pace?– If any overtime was expected – were your

out-of-work commitments respected??• NOTE: Not everyone is going to feel the

same way. How to reflect that in the final report so all feel heard.


How About Your Project

Experiences?Discussion


Lessons Learned - Applied

• (Real life case – the names have not been changed to protect the innocent).• In 2004 – Economical Insurance Group, at the time Canada’s 3rd largest

general insurance company entered into a project with CGI. CGI was to create a new Underwriting Rating engine for personal lines (personal auto and personal property).

• The project was estimated to take 18 months and cost $7 million dollars.• By 2008 (when I left) the project had been underway for almost 4 years,

was at a project cost of $35 million and not 1 single province had been delivered into Production yet.


Lessons Learned -

Applied

• What Went Wrong??– Project On-set: TEIG President entered into

the contract with CGI Execs based on an impulsive conversation.

– There was no “is this possible” discussion or formal business case.

– Very limited contractual agreement between the organizations – definitely no milestones that had to be met nor penalties for lateness or poor quality.

– No due diligence if the Vendor CGI has done similar work with an existing product? No investigation of the marketplace or competitors (like IBM who was in-house).

– CGI had no industry knowledge in general insurance – did not realize that each Province controls and approves auto insurance.


Lessons Learned –

Applied (continued)

• What Went Wrong??– From a Branch User perspective – many

Underwriting Assistants were planning their retirements on the implementation of the new system.

– TEIG Leads had to prioritize both streams’ demands (old legacy v.s. new system) for 4+ years. And maintaining double-duty as SME for the new system.

– Project Team members working relationship started to erode. Growing resentments especially between the CGI Project team (always switching resources) and established TEIG team resulting in repeated knowledge transfer. Many people left.


Lessons Learned – Applied

(continued)What Went Wrong??


Case Study 2: Lessons Learned –Pay Mod (Phoenix) Project

• Sandy Moir, Partner at Goss Gilroy Inc. worked with 6 colleagues to do a post-mortem on the Pay Transformation Project (Phoenix).

• Full Report:– https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-

secretariat/corporate/reports/lessons-learned-transformation-pay-administration-initiative.html#10

https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/corporate/reports/lessons-learned-transformation-pay-administration-initiative.html#10


Phoenix Audit


Phoenix Audit


Phoenix Audit


Phoenix Audit


Phoenix Audit


Lessons Learned Questions ??


10 Minute Break


Professional Ethics

• PMP like other major professional certifications have a documented Code of Conduct and professional Ethics that are to be adhered to.


Professional Ethics


Common Work Place Ethical Challenging Situations

• Workplace Bullying/Toxic Work Environments

• Pressure to change Status Reports, Risk Logs to reflect a more positive position.

• Pressure to give preferred treatment to a specific vendor or person.

• Pressure by Recruiters to take a Position that you are not qualified for.

• Bury Information as it may Affect funding, ‘go/no go’ decision.


Textbook v.s. Real-life – What to Do In an Ethical Situation

Textbook Approach: PMP Exam Question

Real-life Approach: How to Handle discussionWorkplace BullyingOrder to Falsify Status Reports/Risk LogsFavouritism to a Particular Vendor or Person • Who Can You Report to? • Impacts On Your Own Career/Contract?


10 Ethical Challenges Affecting IT Managers/Project Managers

• https://www.techrepublic.com/article/10-ethical-issues-confronting-it-managers/1. PRIVACY: Does Information’s availability justify its Use.2. PRIVACY: How Much Effort and Expense Should

Managers incur in considering questions around data access and privacy.

3. OWNERSHIP: What Can Employers expect from Employees with Regard to non-disclosure when Going to work for another Firm.

4. OWNERSHIP: What part of an information asset belong to an Organization and what is Simply part of an employee’s general knowledge?

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/10-ethical-issues-confronting-it-managers/


10 Ethical Challenges Affecting IT Managers/Project Managers (continued)

5. CONTROL: Do Employees know to What Degree to which behaviour is Monitored?

6. CONTROL: Does Data Gathering violate Employee Privacy Rights?

7. ACCURACY: Is Accuracy an Explicit part of Someone’s responsibility?

8. ACCURACY: Have the Implications of a potential error been anticipated?

9. SECURITY: Have Systems Been Reviewed For the Most Likely Sources of Data Breaches.


10 Ethical Challenges Affecting IT Managers/Project Managers (continued)

10. SECURITY: What’s the Liability Exposure of Managers and the Organization?


Ethics

Farm Accounting Story


Ethics

You Are Responsible for Your Own “Professional Brand”.


Questions or Discussion


If Interested in Becoming a PMP or other PMI-Certified Professions?

• PMI Global: pmi.org

• Ottawa Chapter: pmiovoc.org


Wrap Up

Always happy to answer any future questions, we can be reached at:

Jennifer Read

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jreadconsulting/

email: [email protected]

Pete Grieve

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petegrieve/

email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

FMI Professional Development Day Project Lessons Learns ......Advancing the Profession of Project Management. 10. Purpose of Lessons Learned – What Do We Hope to Achieve? 1. Better