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REMINDER

Check in on the COLLABORATE mobile app

Are you managing a Zombie Project?

Prepared by:Janet DahmenDelivery Services Partner,Avout Corporation

Session: #841Time: Wed, Apr 15, 2015 (12:00 PM - 12:30 PM) North Convention, South Pacific J *

@JanetDahmen

Taking the vitals of your project to determine if its alive & thriving or part of the undead

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Presenter BackgroundJanet DahmenPartnerAvout Corporation

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20+ Years Implementing Oracle Solutions PMP Certified Project Manager, trained on Agile and

ITIL Foundations National deployments of Financial, CRM, iStore and

Budgeting systems Established PMO offices and Oracle governance

support models 25 years managing ERP implementations and custom

business solutions

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What is a Zombie Project?

Defining Zombie Projects

What does it mean to be Alive?

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Zombie Projects – The

definition of an Undead Project■ A project that seems to suck the vitality out of all the

resources it comes in contact with

■ A project that you’ve heard about but no-one has really seen

■ A project that you are sure someone is trying to cover up

■ A project that has been started, stopped, revived, killed, revived multiple times and just won’t die

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Is it Alive?

■ The Definition of “ALIVE”▪ Having Life: Not Dead or Inanimate

▪ Still in existence, operational: ACTIVE

▪ Competing, with a chance of Victory

▪ Knowing or realizing the existence of others

▪ Marked by alertness, energy or briskness

▪ Exhibiting life, animation or activity

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Vital Signs: Measuring the vitality of a Project

Assessing Brain Functionality

Measuring the Heartbeat

Life Source

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Taking the Project Vital Signs

■ Assessing Brain Functionality

■ Taking the Pulse & Measuring the Heart Beat

■ Determining How Much Life Force was Lost

■ Establishing that the Project should be Saved

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The Project Brain

■ Roll of the Project Brain: ▪ Analyzes, Thinks, Remembers

— Makes major project decisions

▪ Controls Coordination — Coordinates with other Executive Teams & Departments and resolves

organizational conflicts

▪ Directs SubSystems & Project Teams— Holds team accountable for tasks and progress

▪ Controls Growth— Defines & Controls project scope (shrink or expand)

▪ Controls Temperature— Sets the pace at which the project must perform

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Finding the Project Sponsor

■ The Project Brain = Project Sponsor▪ Has the most to lose / gain with the project outcome

▪ Authorizes Project Management Team w/ Responsibility

▪ Controls Project Budget

▪ Defines and Regulates the Scope

▪ Influences Organizational Priorities

▪ Holds the Project Team Accountable

▪ Project will not survive w/out Sponsor

■ How Active is your Project Brain?■ Is the Brain functioning at full capacity?

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Is There a Heart Beat?

■ Measuring the Pulse of the Project▪ Can you find the Heart?

— Is the project funded properly

— Does the Business have a vested interest

▪ How Many Beats Per Second is it beating— Is the project progressing

— How many tasks & milestones have been completed

— Does the project have the resources needed to progress

— Are the Subject Matter Experts engaged at a level needed

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How much blood has it lost?

■ Funding: The Life Source of Any Project▪ The Project Budget

— What are the sunk costs on the project to date

— What is the Estimate at Completion

— What is the Earned Value for work completed

▪ Organizational Costs— What are the lost opportunity costs

– Of not progressing

– If the project doesn’t complete

– Of the use of the current project team

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What’s The Prognosis?

Why did it become a Zombie Project

Should the project be revived

Steps to Revival

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Why Won’t it Just DIE?

ZOMBIE PROJECTS

■ How many times has the project been killed?

▪ What was the original cause of death

▪ Why is it back

■ Determine the Lifesource of a Zombie Project▪ What keeps these projects alive

▪ Who benefits from their resurrection

■ Fallout from Killing a Zombie Project▪ Political Impact

▪ Organizational Impact

▪ Social Impact

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■ Should a Zombie Project Be Revived or Killed▪ Can the Project Reputation be Saved

— Renamed/Rebrand

▪ Determine if the project will provide Business Value — Is the project Political or Purposeful?

— What is the benefit to the organization?

▪ Assess if the project can be delivered successfully— Organization & Team Aligned on Purpose

— Budget

— Resources Allocation

— Sponsor

Crash Cart or Baseball Bat

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Reviving the Zombie Project

■ Steps to Reviving a Zombie Project▪ Identify the Project Sponsor

▪ Appoint Steering Committee w/ Organizational Representatives

▪ Obtain Funding & Set Project Budget

▪ Define Project Charter:— Purpose & Organizational Benefit

— Project Org Chart / Teams / Resources

— Governance Process

— Scope

— Timeline

▪ Find and Assign Resources

▪ Track and Report Project Vital Signs Weekly

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About Avout

Avout is structured to quickly source exactly what an organization needs—no more, no less—via its vast network built over 25 years in the technology space. Avout’s principals and recruiters have run Oracle business units for companies like Oracle, Accenture, and Capgemini, and have sold and delivered hundreds of millions of dollars of Oracle services.

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Recently, we joined forces with Pacific Crest Technology® to meet the broader needs of our clients. Our Oracle expertise is now supplemented with a global project management office skilled in solution delivery, and CIO-level strategic advisement in high-growth industry verticals.

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Don’t Let Zombie ProjectsOverrun your Organization