Professor Alistair Brandon-JonesChaired Professor in Operations and Supply Management

Driving success through good project management

Projects and project management

characteristics and differentiation

process

learning

people

Projects and project management

Projects, projects, everywhere!

• Project types– research and development (R&D)– commercial product / service development– capital goods and infrastructure projects – organisational change projects– events

• Sectors– public (e.g. military, universities, health services, etc) – private, – third sector

Time (on time)

Cost (on budget

Quality (on schedule)

Project management as delivering performance and managing trade-offs

Triple Constraint

Model

Have you ever managed a project?

Think of a project that you have coordinated, participated in, or been affected by

Was it a success or a failure? How and why?

But failure can lead to success!

Managing projects – characteristics and differentiation

Project characteristics

Emergence and

uncertainty

Social construction

Integrating

Temporary

Change

Mission focused

‘Unique’

Hig

h

VolumeLow High

Varie

tyLo

w

Jobbing

Batch

Mass

Contin-uous

Project

VolumeLow High

Varie

tyLo

wH

igh

First timers

As… but…

“Paint by numbers”

Ops Management differentiation

Complex project(e.g. Apollo Moon landing; Challenger Space Shuttle)

• Assessing the project’s risks and benefits• Selecting the right PM approach

Simple project(e.g. implement existing phone base station; e-mail system)

Technology

Novelty

Pace

ComplexityArray System Assembly

Derivative

Platform

Breakthrough

Super-high-tech

Medium-tech

High-tech

Low-tech

Regular

Blitz

Fast/competitive

Time-critical

Diamond model differentiation

Technology

Novelty

Pace

Complexity Array System Assembly

Derivative

Platform

Breakthrough

Super-high-tech

Medium-tech

High-tech

Low-tech

Regular

Blitz

Fast/competitive

Time-critical

Airbus 380

Managing projects - process and people

Conceptual Phase

Planning Phase

Definition and Design Phase

Conversion Phase

Implementation Phase

Typical resource allocation

Project management as managing process (life cycle)

Project definition and design

Scoping the project

project objectives

deliverables

milestones

technical requirements

limits and exclusions

client review

Breaking down the

work

Assigning responsibility

Project management as managing people

Clinical (C) + LEAN = CLEAN

Make a list of all the stakeholders in the project

What do you think these different stakeholders want?

The CLEAN Supply Chain

Fauvet’s theory of socio-dynamics can be used to anticipatea player’s role in change (in this case, a project)

Synergy - positive energy that a player has for your projectAntagonism - negative energy a player has for your project

Synergy

Antagonism

A socio-dynamic perspective to stakeholders

Antagonism

Synergy

Zealots

Passives Moaners

Opponents

Mutineers

SchismaticsGoldenTriangles

Antagonism

Synergy

Zealots

Passives MoanersOpponents

Mutineers

SchismaticsGoldenTriangles

Zealots

• Opponents call them “yesmen”

• Always in agreementwith the project leader

• They won’t compromise

• They often fail tounderstand a lack of commitment

Antagonism

Synergy

Zealots

Passives MoanersOpponents

Mutineers

SchismaticsGoldenTriangles

Golden Triangles

• Their slight antagonismdoes not damage theproject

• Managers often only see the antagonism not thesynergy

• Look for the hiddenpositive behaviour

• A helpful critical perspective at times

Antagonism

Synergy

Zealots

Passives Moaners

Opponents

Mutineers

SchismaticsGoldenTriangles

Waverers

• Seen as time-wasters, ditherers, two-faced, etc.

• Their doubts reflect the doubts of the passivemajority

• They hold considerableinfluence over passives

Antagonism

Synergy

Zealots

Passives Moaners

Opponents

Mutineers

SchismaticsGoldenTriangles

Passives

• Disliked by zealots

• Very discouraging

• Easy to underestimate

• Dislike of uncertainty

• They must ratify change

• They like order

• They respect rules

Antagonism

Synergy

Zealots

Passives Moaners

Opponents

Mutineers

SchismaticsGoldenTriangles

Moaners

•Attend all meetings

• There is no pleasing them

• Use them as an earlywarning of what true opponents will say

• Used for communicating with opponents

• Otherwise ignore them

Antagonism

Synergy

Zealots

Passives Moaners

Opponents

Mutineers

SchismaticsGoldenTriangles

Opponents

• Mistaken for ringleaders:-there are more than you think!

• They cannot be convinced, they must be defeated

• Sensitive to strength

• Agreements will be repudiated as soon as strengths are reversed

Antagonism

Synergy

Zealots

Passives Moaners

Opponents

Mutineers

SchismaticsGoldenTriangles

Mutineers

• A tiny minority

• Psychopathic

Antagonism

Synergy

Zealots

Passives Moaners

Opponents

Mutineers

SchismaticsGoldenTriangles

Schismatics

• Rare

• Unpredictable – you don’t know their position onanything

What interest do they have in the outcome of your work?

What motivates them?

What information do they want from you?

What is the best way of communicating your message to them?

What is their current opinion of your work?

Who influences their opinions? These influencers also stakeholders

What will win them around to support your project?

If you don't think you will be able to win them around, how will you manage their opposition?

Key questions to help understand project stakeholders

Antagonism

Synergy

Zealots

Passives Moaners

Opponents

Mutineers

Schismatics

GoldenTriangles

Ideal Influence and movement

Influence

Movement

Managing projects – learning

Knowledge Project setting

Explicit knowledge

• Explicit, codified knowledge • Transmitted to others by formal teaching or the written word• e.g. Project manuals and guide books

Tacit knowledge

• Learning gained from personal experience• e.g. Firm-specific methods, ‘best ways of doing things’, project skills and teamwork

Individual learning

•Occurs when a person gains experience and knowledge by working on a project

•Changes individual behaviour

Group learning

•Happens when groups of individuals use their collective knowledge and experience to perform project activities

•Creates team-based behaviour, organisational culture and mind-set

Type of knowledge transfer

Vanguard project

Project 2

Project 3Project 5

Project 6

Project 4

Improved performance

Improving project performance over time

Key learning points

• Everyone is a project manager!

• Projects typically fail to deliver against objectives

• Driving project success involves..

– Understanding project characteristics and differentiation

– Improving the management of project processes and people

– Improving project learning