VI-239 Using Vision to Strengthen the Project Management Process

Presented by:

Char Kaiser, Baxter & Woodman, Inc.

Introduction

• Char Kaiser

– Manager, Project Management Resources

– Deltek Change Committee

• Baxter & Woodman, Inc.

– Engineering Consulting

– $29M in 2009

• Customers

– 98% Municipal

• Vision Community

– Greater Midwest User Group

– Online

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Agenda

• Develop Project Management Process

• Define Data Needs

• Collect Data – in Vision and Other Locations

• Create Meaningful Tools and Output

• Communicate Requirements and Teach Skills 

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Key Session Takeaways

• Share Staffing Needs and Promote Standardization through Project Planning

• Collect and Standardize Data Using Required and Custom Fields

• Support Relationships and Internal Workflow with Vision Workflows and Activities

• Communicate Needs from within Vision – Pop-ups, Hyperlinks, Memo Fields, Alerts and Reminders

• Make Data Actionable with Global Reports  

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Session Content Overview

• Benefits of Unifying Vision with Your PM Process

• Break down the Process, Create the Structure

• Explore Solutions Already Offered in Vision

• Expand Vision to Support Your Process

• Walk through Baxter & Woodman’s PM Model

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Develop Project Management Process

Describe the Flow of Work

Break down the Process, Create the Structure

• Examine Your Process

– Key elements, Deliverables, Waypoints, or Milestones

• Identify

– Responsible parties

– Decisions

– Actions

– Outcomes

• Document Results

– Business Responsibilities Matrix

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Our Matrix

• Describe Employees’ Work by Role across Different Areas and Functions of the Company

• For Example, CEO’s Work Is Primarily Company Administration; Project Manager Work Is Primarily Project Delivery

• Defines the Flow of Business across Company

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Define the Process

• Group into Standard Steps

– Borrow from others: PMI and PSMJ

– Baxter & Woodman’s Project Management Cycle, in Six Steps

• Project Selection

• Planning

• Implementation

• Review

• Evaluation

• Closeout

• Outline Each Step

– Project Lifecycle Overview

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Define Data Needs

Feed the Process

Our Needs

Type or Use Data Source/ Generator

End User

Project Basics, Initiation

Project Who, What, When & How

PM PM, Manager, Accounting, Marketing

Accounting Billing Limits & Terms PM or Contract

Accounting, PM, Manager

Control Timesheet Permissions

PM PM, Manager, Project Team

Management Project Status & Finances

PM and Accounting

PM, Manager

Marketing Project Type, Descriptions, Closeout Details

PM and Manager

Marketing, Marketers

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Collect Data

In Vision and Other Locations

Collection Method and Storage Options

• Easy Entry: Garbage In, Garbage Out

– Successful outcome requires good data

– Need to be simple, consistent, defined, organic – defined in the process

• Putting Data in Its Place:

– Vision

• Relational database: can data from another location/Info Center be re-used?

• Persistent need:

– Is data need persistent?

– Will data be historically important?

– Will data be used in other Vision ICs or tables?

– Other database or storage point

• Persistent need responses are negative

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Inputting

• Location of Entry

– Vision Fields: Standard or User Defined?

• Explore solutions already offered in Vision, or

• Expand Vision to support your process

• Identify Person/Role

– Fit regular workflow

– But remember the PM has to do the work, too!

• Communicate Needs from within Vision

– Explain purpose and desired format using Pop-ups, Hyperlinks, Memo Fields, Alerts and Reminders

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Create Meaningful Tools and Output

Input:

Output:

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Meaningful Tools

The Baxter & Woodman Way

B&WBusiness Process

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• Describe Employees’ Work by Role across Different Areas and Functions of the Company

• For Example, CEO’s Work Is Primarily Company Administration; Project Manager Work Is Primarily Project Delivery

• Defines the Flow of Business across Company

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B&W Project Management Process

• Project Management Lifecycle

• Click-thru Circle of Life

• Links to Business Matrix, Help items, and templates

• Contains Process Definitions

B&W Process Requires Projects Are Created from Planning

The Blue Button Of Love:1. Link to Help Documents2. Webservice to Auto-numbering

Function3. Instructions for Use

Templates Make Achieving the Desired

Level of Complexity as Easy as Cut & Paste

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B&WClient Status and Invoicing

• Data Collection: Part of the Workflow

• Invoice Holds at a Check

• Invoicing Description Uploads to Billing Terms, Secure but Accessible

• Client-based Status Report, a Compilation of Individual PMs

• Internal Status Separate

Communicate Requirements and Teach Skills 

Data Is Only Useful if You Have It

• Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

– Successful outcome requires good data, sometimes the best motivator for compliance

– Campaign of it’s own

– Sell benefits

– Make it easy!!!

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Process Is Only Useful if People Know It

• Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

– Successful outcome requires consistent communication

– Establish expectations for PMs and Upline Managers

– Make it simple and standard

• Required Fields

• Blue Button of Love

• Regular Training

• Coaching

– By-product is QC/QA

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Key Session Takeaways

• Use Project Planning to Share Staffing Needs

• Collect and Standardize Data Using Required and Custom Fields

• Support Relationships and Internal Workflow with Vision Workflows and Activities

• Communicate Needs from within Vision – Pop-ups, Hyperlinks, Memo Fields, Alerts and Reminders

• Make Data Actionable with Global Reports  

24Copyright © 2010 Deltek, Inc.

Questions

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Call to Action

• Try These Related Sessions:

– VI-109 Business Process Design to Begin Using Resource Management

– VI-112 Organization Culture for User Adoption

– VI-127 Using Vision Activities to Manage Your Business

– VI-143 Reducing Project Manager Paperwork & Streamlining Processes

– VI-145 Project Planning Return on Investment

– VI-233 Project Manager’s Use of Project Planning & Resource Management

• Contact Information:

– Char Kaiser

– 815/444-3254

– ckaiser@baxterwoodman.com

26Copyright © 2010 Deltek, Inc.