The "Secret" Code: a Toolkit of Skills

Proman was at a crossroads. The large program had just concluded. What was next? He noticed how engaged he’d felt during the process. Each day he threw himself into the proceedings with renewed vigor. He seemed to know instinctively what to do. People looked to him for direction, even people smarter than he was and higher up in the organization. Sure, there were many moments when he felt like he wanted to strangle someone who would not cooperate. But even these moments challenged him to reach inside himself for an appropriate response that would elicit a positive reaction. He had... Read More»

Do you want to be a Project Ninja?

I have been reviewing many Job Descriptions that are out there for Project Managers, and I realized the other day that if I was really graded solely on what was written in mine, I would really be failing in the eyes of the company. We are so much more than tasks, dates and Project Plans aren’t we? In many ways I am very lucky, the VP that I report to and I, see many things the same way and are more flexible in terms of allowing team members to bend the rules and do what makes sense, than to follow... Read More»

Reasons For Project Failure

This is a continuation of the article on reasons for project failure. Here I will look at some of the project management issues that can lead to project failure. Insufficient stakeholder consultation One of the success factors for a project is integrated teams, i.e. you have all the stakeholders on board at the beginning of the project. You need all the stakeholders to get agreement and consensus around the project objectives. If you are the Owner, then you should be looking for the stakeholders on your side. Sometimes it’s easy and other times it is hard to find the stakeholders.... Read More»

Why Do Projects Fail This article is a continuation of why projects fail. Inadequate attention to quality. I have seen quality problems arise from a corporations desire to embrace Auotcad by getting rid of experienced designers and hiring inexperienced CAD operators, to companies suffering because they didn’t get involved in a total quality package. Over my work history I have seen Vendors change from a lack of interest in equipment foundations to being very interested. One project I worked on were four pulp refiners. These were large revolving discs, of several tons, attached to a 10000 hp motor. In the... Read More»

Black Friday the Project Management Way

Just like approximately 200+ million people each year, I am a Black Friday shopper. It has become a tradition. After the yearly Thanksgiving dinner with friends, a cross section of the women sit down with the flyers from the Thanksgiving edition of the paper, and map out the "plan of attack". This year we had a "Black Friday Virgin" decide to join the experience, and was stunned by the "Project Planning" process that I go through (once it was mentioned, it got everyone torturing me, as I apparently take Project Management to the extreme - is that even possible??). We’re... Read More»

Just What Are My Roles & Responsibilities?

Part III This article completes the roles and responsibilities of a Lead Project Engineer / Project Manager that I have talked about in the last couple of articles. q) Provide constructability expertise during the scope development and design phases. Someone has to understand how the project will be constructed and provide the direction to the project team. If you have access to a construction person then you would work with him to develop the construction plan, otherwise it is up to you to provide the direction. At every opportunity, you should be on the job site observing how things are... Read More»

Project Management, Methodologies, and Organizational Maturity

In my last few positions, I have spent time setting up the Project Management discipline in the organization, and ultimately creating a "PMO" in each . Now, whether you would agree with me or not, I believe that PMO's are created and customized to meet the organization needs at the time that the department and processes are set up, in other words, there are no "cookie cutter" implementations. Looking at each Project Management Office, or function (or even the Methodology that was implemented) was directly linked to what that organization's culture could handle, and what could be implemented successfully. In... Read More»

Are Your Metrics Meaningless?

Data is an essential corporate asset, critical for the continued success of any business. Data empowers organizations to make critical decisions and drives strategy. Thus, organizations often enthusiastically collect and report a variety and abundance of data, with the mindset that more is better. However, if not managed effectively, this mass of data may not provide enough meaningful or measurable value and may actually produce misleading conclusions. When implementing a system of metric collection and reporting, there are potential roadblocks that can derail the entire process, leading to meaningless metrics. A common cause of error is an inadequate data collection... Read More»

Operators As Part Of The Project Team: A Project Managers Perspective

What Were Those Designers Thinking? The picture above show a couple of steam generators that we had to demolish as part of a larger project. Each turbine had small bore cooling water supply, cooling water return and a condensate return line going to and from headers located up in the building rafters. The refinery need the space for another project, so the generators and associated piping had to be cleared out. It looked simple enough until we got into it. What we found was there were no isolation valves at the headers, so none of the lines could be shut... Read More»

Creating the Project Office - a Personal Story

Every so often a student posts a course review that thrills and delights me, even more than usual, mainly because it validates and vividly describes, in a most personal manner, my deepest intent. This review covers, in a way that should be of interest to many, a journey of creating and developing a project office, a journey that enlightens and informs others about pitfalls and best practices. The review also depicts the benefits of online educational forums—how the lessons learned describe and may be applied on the job. Here is L's story: "I was interested in taking this class [UCI... Read More»