The main problems of the project manager and how to deal with them
I tried to put the problems that we encounter according to the degree of their influence on the outcome of the project. Some project management illnesses have been able to find medicines, but some still give great risks that eat up budgets and resources.
I want to ask you not to refer to the well-known methodologies PMI, PRINCE2, etc. Since they indicate the ranges of budgets in which their applicability will have an effect greater than the cost of the methodology itself - this is from $ 50,000 USA. Interested in solutions for projects budgets from 5 000 to 30 000 $ USA.
1. Incorrect assessment of the project. Almost all customers want fix-cost. And this is right from their point of view, only having an understanding of this, they decide to launch or not to launch the project.
How it is treated : the allocation of consulting in a separate project. According to the results we have a concept of the project, TZ, ISR, budget, calendar.
2. Opposition or lack of action by the customer’s staff during the implementation phase. Money is still allocated for the project, and no one increases the payroll fund for work during the transition process, for example, when the company has two accounting systems, or training.
How it is treated : customer training, creation of a competence center.
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3. Errors in the elaboration of customer requirements. All requirements seem to be fixed and systematized, but requirements come from different departments and people. People change and by the time there is a result, other people with different views turn out to be at the place of introduction. No one keeps track of who is changing and how, and there is no procedure for triggering initiative changes in requirements on the part of the Customer.
How it is treated : requirements management, approved procedure for changing requirements.
4. Accounting for changes in the project and documentation features. The implementation comes with agreed deviations from the statement, and this is normal, but when the project is already running and flying, no one is engaged in documenting these deviations and “features.” As a result, if a new person arrives at the project or needs to be accompanied in the future, then in order to bring him up to date, there is nothing except the initial outdated TK and specifications. The project has changed, it is already different. There is no money for correction. Such a project becomes a nightmare for support.
How it is treated : to record all changes in the concept of the project, although it is resource intensive.
5. Insufficient provision of the project with resources. Here you can include all the variety:
a. People are not isolated in the right quantity and the right qualifications.
b. People are taken away in the middle of a fire extinguishing project.
c. People are picked up in the middle of a project to support their past projects.
d. Inadequate replacement of performers
e. Routine on the project - those who are "in the subject" are leaving, and those who are found will be recruited
There is no medicine yet . Apparently such is the specificity of the industry - “overtime” and failing deadlines.
6. Closing of many processes on the most competent and overloading them with work. No delegation. Always on the project, those who know and do and those who do only if they say. Responsible and competent people do not always use delegation or the situation in the team does not contribute to this.
There is no medicine yet . Apparently this is the specificity of the IT industry. Good engineers and programmers are by their nature introverts. Everyone is talking about the Agile team building as a medicine, but it hasn’t happened yet. Since this process will squeeze out so limited resources and money, you need a competent and expensive HR. If anyone has any ideas, advise.
7. A lot of money is required for supporting and managing the infrastructure. How many do not write the rules where we develop, how deploim where we test, how we pour out releases - in PMI this is called the “Concept of the project” - all the same it is constantly necessary to check, explain, punish, and as a result PM takes over more and more areas of work.
How is treated. The allocation of resources for the process of control and a direct reflection of this article in the cost.
8. The complexity of the formulation of the development process for a specific project. Here, how not to unify, but each project is unique in terms of which servers, where there are some access to them. As an example - there are customers who allocate to themselves only a narrow VPN through which everyone should walk.
How is treated. The allocation of resources for the process of planning and direct reflection of this article in the cost.
9. Lack of iteration in the project. The customer needs to show and give intermediate results to understand that we have not gone astray. And the customer does not always have time to evaluate. And we need to fly further, because the customer needs time, and not excuses, and God forbid his to poke his nose in unanswered requests.
How is treated. Introduction to the project of the role of "account manager" who is constantly in touch with the customer and pulls out of it all that is necessary.
10. Poor use of past development experience and the lack of conditions for its accumulation and use in the future. When the project is “burning” no one thinks about the formations of libraries or modules for future use. As a result, the constant invention of a bicycle instead of production.
There is no medicine yet. If you have experience, advise how to motivate the PM and developers to perform this process?
I want to ask you not to refer to the well-known methodologies PMI, PRINCE2, etc. Since they indicate the ranges of budgets in which their applicability will have an effect greater than the cost of the methodology itself - this is from $ 50,000 USA. Interested in solutions for projects budgets from 5 000 to 30 000 $ USA.
1. Incorrect assessment of the project. Almost all customers want fix-cost. And this is right from their point of view, only having an understanding of this, they decide to launch or not to launch the project.
How it is treated : the allocation of consulting in a separate project. According to the results we have a concept of the project, TZ, ISR, budget, calendar.
2. Opposition or lack of action by the customer’s staff during the implementation phase. Money is still allocated for the project, and no one increases the payroll fund for work during the transition process, for example, when the company has two accounting systems, or training.
How it is treated : customer training, creation of a competence center.
')
3. Errors in the elaboration of customer requirements. All requirements seem to be fixed and systematized, but requirements come from different departments and people. People change and by the time there is a result, other people with different views turn out to be at the place of introduction. No one keeps track of who is changing and how, and there is no procedure for triggering initiative changes in requirements on the part of the Customer.
How it is treated : requirements management, approved procedure for changing requirements.
4. Accounting for changes in the project and documentation features. The implementation comes with agreed deviations from the statement, and this is normal, but when the project is already running and flying, no one is engaged in documenting these deviations and “features.” As a result, if a new person arrives at the project or needs to be accompanied in the future, then in order to bring him up to date, there is nothing except the initial outdated TK and specifications. The project has changed, it is already different. There is no money for correction. Such a project becomes a nightmare for support.
How it is treated : to record all changes in the concept of the project, although it is resource intensive.
5. Insufficient provision of the project with resources. Here you can include all the variety:
a. People are not isolated in the right quantity and the right qualifications.
b. People are taken away in the middle of a fire extinguishing project.
c. People are picked up in the middle of a project to support their past projects.
d. Inadequate replacement of performers
e. Routine on the project - those who are "in the subject" are leaving, and those who are found will be recruited
There is no medicine yet . Apparently such is the specificity of the industry - “overtime” and failing deadlines.
6. Closing of many processes on the most competent and overloading them with work. No delegation. Always on the project, those who know and do and those who do only if they say. Responsible and competent people do not always use delegation or the situation in the team does not contribute to this.
There is no medicine yet . Apparently this is the specificity of the IT industry. Good engineers and programmers are by their nature introverts. Everyone is talking about the Agile team building as a medicine, but it hasn’t happened yet. Since this process will squeeze out so limited resources and money, you need a competent and expensive HR. If anyone has any ideas, advise.
7. A lot of money is required for supporting and managing the infrastructure. How many do not write the rules where we develop, how deploim where we test, how we pour out releases - in PMI this is called the “Concept of the project” - all the same it is constantly necessary to check, explain, punish, and as a result PM takes over more and more areas of work.
How is treated. The allocation of resources for the process of control and a direct reflection of this article in the cost.
8. The complexity of the formulation of the development process for a specific project. Here, how not to unify, but each project is unique in terms of which servers, where there are some access to them. As an example - there are customers who allocate to themselves only a narrow VPN through which everyone should walk.
How is treated. The allocation of resources for the process of planning and direct reflection of this article in the cost.
9. Lack of iteration in the project. The customer needs to show and give intermediate results to understand that we have not gone astray. And the customer does not always have time to evaluate. And we need to fly further, because the customer needs time, and not excuses, and God forbid his to poke his nose in unanswered requests.
How is treated. Introduction to the project of the role of "account manager" who is constantly in touch with the customer and pulls out of it all that is necessary.
10. Poor use of past development experience and the lack of conditions for its accumulation and use in the future. When the project is “burning” no one thinks about the formations of libraries or modules for future use. As a result, the constant invention of a bicycle instead of production.
There is no medicine yet. If you have experience, advise how to motivate the PM and developers to perform this process?
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/138844/
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