10/3/2016
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Project Management: How to Ride the Waves Like
a Pro!
Virginia Statewide Payroll Conference
“Surfing Payroll”October, 2017
SPEAKER
Lori Brown, CPPCACI – Director, Payroll
#surfingpayroll
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AGENDA
Definitions Building a House Expectations Objectives Master Schedule Communication The Speaker and Listener
Your Team Execution Lessons Learned
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DEFINITIONS
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DEFINITIONS
Project management – A controlled process of initiating,
planning, executing, and closing down a project
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DEFINITIONS
Project management (con’t)– The application of modern
management techniques and systems to the execution of a project from start to finish, to achieve predetermined objectives of scope, quality, time and cost, to the equal satisfaction of those involved
DEFINITIONS
Project“A group of tasks performed in a definable
time period in order to meet a specific set of objectives.”
(Levin, 1986)
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DEFINITIONS
Milestone:– A significant point in time for a task– A mid-project progress point that can be
used as a motivator or a focus of efforts
– A checkpoint for progress
– A major accomplishment
– A notable mid-project deliverable
– A critical event or approval/decision point
Project life cycle
Define Plan Implement MonitorComplete/Evaluate
Res
ourc
es
Time
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BUILDING A HOUSE
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BUILDING A HOUSE
Obtain a site Prepare the site Design the house Secure the building permits Form and pour the footing Build the foundation walls Backfill around the foundation Attach the sills Build midspan support for joists Install the joists Install the floor sheathing Lay out the walls Plate the walls Count and cut the headers, rough sills, cripples and trimmers Mark the plates Build the walls
BUILDING A HOUSE
Raise the walls Plumb and line the walls Install and plumb door and window trimmers Sheathe the walls Prepare the trusses Install the gable truss Install the remaining trusses Secure the trusses to the interior wall Add drywall backing Install the barge rafters Sheathe the roof Seal the roof Shingle the roof Install remaining sheathing and the rough exterior trim Install the house wrap and the flash openings Set the windows and doors
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BUILDING A HOUSE
Complete ventilation and electrical work Install trim for vinyl siding Install the siding panels Finish the soffits Cover exterior trim with aluminum cladding Complete the roof framing Install the ledger Install the foundation and floor framing Frame the stairs Install the decking and stair treads Install the railings Insulate the walls ceilings and floors Install vapor barriers Install drywall
BUILDING A HOUSE
Install the ceiling panels Install wall panels Install corner bead Mud, tape and finish the drywall Paint the ceiling and wall Prepare and paint the interior trim Paint the exterior siding and trim Install underlay for vinyl floors Install interior doors Install window and door casings Install cabinets Install counter tops Install the baseboard Trim closets Install hardware fixtures Finish flooring
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BUILDING A HOUSE
System implementations
Upgrades
Patches
Special projects
New processes
EXPECTATIONS
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EXPECTATIONS
You will provide a usable product or service
You will keep your promises
You will serve them professionally
You will understand the client’s business and specificneeds, and address them effectively
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EXPECTATIONS
Describe the culture of the organization in which your system functions
Who are the relevant players
What is the political climate In your opinion, is there a hidden agenda
If so, how could it affect the project Do you know the technical issues involved
(If no, ask them to speculate or brainstorm)
EXPECTATIONS
What kind of deliverables can be developed to address these issues
What are your expectations of thesedeliverables - Limitations
How involved do you want to be What are the problems you are facing
as you see them
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EXPECTATIONS
How do you carry out your work Given all of the information you have
shared, do you think your timeline (or budget) is realistic
OBJECTIVES
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OBJECTIVES
• A project must not only deliver the product the project was formed to create, according to the buyer's/sponsor's specifications and description, but also must meet the predefined project objectives. Project objectives, usually in terms of time, cost and quality, must be quantifiable and measurable.
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OBJECTIVES
S — specific
M — measurable
A — agreed upon
R — realistic
T — time-framed
OBJECTIVES
Design and build 100 new-style toaster-ovens that will meet current written customer quality standards. Complete project by Feb. 27, within budget of $135,200.
Create and execute new process to calculate regular rate of pay to be compliant with FLSA for new union contract pay elements. Complete project by January 1, within budget of $50,000.
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MASTER SCHEDULE
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MASTER SCHEDULE
What happens to time? – Snap judgments are made on very
important subjects
– Telephone conversations go on and on– There are periods of incessant interruptions
during which virtually nothing gets done– There is a tendency to dwell on unimportant
subjects that could be delegated or ignored– There are periods of “paper slavery” in
which much unnecessary paper is handled
MASTER SCHEDULE
Causes of poor time management:
– Bad technical guesses
– Company politics– Changes in the project’s
scope– Acts of God– Creeping loss of
enthusiasm
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MASTER SCHEDULE
Affects of late starts:
– All activities turn critical– You have unwisely wasted all your
scheduling flexibility– Your schedule will soon suffer havoc
and disruption– You may have to add significant extra
resources (including pulling them off othertasks or projects)
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MASTER SCHEDULE
COST
PERFORMANCE TIME
CONSTRAINTS
MASTER SCHEDULE
Create realistic budgets
Direct (variable) costs
Indirect (fixed) costs
Contingencies
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MASTER SCHEDULE
HIGH
LOW
IMPACT
PROBABILITY HIGH
Contingency planning
Strategic focus
Monitoronly
Operationalplanning
II IV
I III
COMMUNICATION
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COMMUNICATIONS
Keep your plans dusted
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COMMUNICATION
Poor reports: – Too much (or too little) information
– Poorly organized
– Not objective (whining/blaming)
– No solutions to problems
COMMUNICATION
Good reports:
– Are concise
– Use clear graphics
– Summarize key information
– Are solution-oriented
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COMMUNICATION
Negotiations
THE SPEAKER and LISTENER
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THE SPEAKER and LISTENER
SPEAKER:
– Be as brief and concise as possible in conveying thoughts
– Formulate with the listener what is to be said before the meeting
– Consider the listener’s feelings at all times
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THE SPEAKER and LISTENER
LISTENER: – Refrain from interrupting– Put preconceived opinions about the
topic and people involved aside– Ask questions at the end of speaker’s
statement in order to completely understand– Reserve judgment and give the speaker the
benefit of the doubt
– Consider the speaker’s feelings at all times
THE SPEAKER and LISTENER
Manage through influence
Change your outlook and behavior
Listen closely
Develop trust
Collaborate
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Increasing information retentionHearing + seeing: 50% retention
Hearing + seeing + doing: close to 100% retention!
++
YOUR TEAM
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YOUR TEAM
TraditionalProject Team
Multi-layer Project Team
Dispersed (virtual)Project Team
SpecialtyProject Team
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KNOW YOUR TEAM
Create relationships
Check in often
Understand weaknesses
Acknowledge strengths
Expect the unexpected
Resolve conflicts
KNOW YOUR TEAM
Resource leveling:
– Change the task of the over-allocated resource
– Change the work schedule of a resource
– Decrease the amount of work assigned to a resource
– Delay a task with an over-allocated resource
– Assign additional resources to the task
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EXECUTION
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EXECUTION
Decision to go live
Consequences
Listen to the team
Update schedule as needed
Communicate often
Celebrate success
LESSONS LEARNED
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LESSONS LEARNED
Conduct post mortem review
Document what went well
Document what didn’t go well
Document suggestions
Create list of next steps
Review before engaging with next project