Process Simplicity Pays BigDeploying Project Server for Business Transformation

Paul C. Szews (“Shevs”)Consultant, Coach, Trainer, AuthorCertified Lean Facilitator

Background• Program Manager, Project Manager, Process

Architect, MS Project Server 2010 System AdministratorGlobal Finance Transformation Johnson Controls

• Johnson Controls selected SharkPro Projects and Project Server 2010 for worldwide deployment for the Global Finance group instead of tying into their existing Clarity system.

• This is the story of challenges we faced, the decisions to adopt Microsoft Project Server and engage SharkPro, and some of the lessons we learned about simplicity during the deployment and global rollout.

Paul Szews (“Shevs”)

Background• Program Manager, Project Manager, Process

Architect, MS Project Server 2010 System AdministratorGlobal Finance Transformation Johnson Controls

• Johnson Controls selected SharkPro and Microsoft Project Server 2010 for worldwide deployment for the Global Finance group instead of tying into the existing Clarity system.

• This is the story of challenges we faced, the decisions to adopt Microsoft Project Server and engage SharkPro, and some of the lessons we learned about simplicity during the deployment and global rollout.

Paul Szews (“Shevs”)

Background• Program Manager, Project Manager, Process

Architect, MS Project Server 2010 System AdministratorGlobal Finance Transformation Johnson Controls

• Johnson Controls selected SharkPro Projects and Project Server 2010 for worldwide deployment for the Global Finance group instead of tying into the existing Clarity system.

• This is the story of challenges we faced, the decisions to adopt Microsoft Project Server and engage SharkPro, and some of the lessons we learned about simplicity during the deployment and global rollout.

Paul Szews (“Shevs”)

Progress?

The ChallengeThe Decision

Simplicity

The Challenge

The Challenge• 300+ major projects in 3 years• Global scope• Reluctant project owners• Not IT• 6 trained project managers – not

enough to “go around”• Complex, evolving reporting

requirements • 10 global and regional programs• Global rollup

The Challenge• Global Visibility • Scalable to 100+ concurrent projects• 10+ untrained “Project Owners” to

each PMO Manager / PM• Custom Earned-Value performance

metric• Aligned with, but not dependent on

IT• Multi-dimension dashboard

reporting requirements • 4+ Super Project rollup levels

The Decision

• Use our CA Clarity? No.• Get MS Project Server 2010? Yes.• How? Not sure.• Host internally? Yes.• Who can help? SharkPro.• Why SharkPro? SharkPro Develops

Software - preconfigured PMO to start with, recommended by Microsoft.

The Decision

• 3 months to engage SharkPro and Microsoft and to set up MS Project Server 2010 internally.

• Blank canvas on which to paint our specific, unique global PMO process.

• SharkPro did not get stuck• SharkPro taught us “how to fish”

The Decision

Dilbert: Our Project Plan…

Simplicity

• Project Plan-Building• Performance Score-Keeping• Weekly Updates

Simplicity

Simplified Plan-Building

Simplified Plan-BuildingHow do we streamline plan-building while • Improving scope clarity and• Ensuring team accountability?

Improved Scope Clarity• The Problem with some project plans…– They are activity-based– So you have to dig to find deliverables – It is hard for someone else to answer

“What do we get?”

Deliverable-based plans• One “top deliverable” • Handful of “supporting deliverables”• Sort of a “Deliverables Breakdown Structure”

Email me if you want a copy of this “How-to”

deck

PSzews@wi.rr.com

Deliverables are hard to agree on“What do we Get?” – Answer this up-front– Avoid devastating rework later

Ensuring Accountability

• Sometimes an issue• Not because people are

irresponsible, but because they are busy

• Owner has to be one person

• Bake it into the plan…

Ensuring Accountability• Baked accountability in by naming an Owner

to the Top Deliverable, each Supporting Deliverable, and every Task

Ensuring Accountability• We added a special column in MS Project

Server just for Owner – completely separate from the Resources column

Results?

Freaky-Fast Plan-Building…

Freaky-Fast Plan-Building

Weeks

Before

Freaky-Fast Plan-Building

Weeks

Days!Days!

Before After

Simplified Score-Keeping

Dilbert: Wally, what’s the status…

Simplified Score-Keeping• “SPI” -- One number to rally around.

• “SPI” is “Schedule Performance Index”• We used Total Actual Hours / Planned Hours to Date

Simplified Score-Keeping

Simplified Score-Keeping

Simplified Score-Keeping• “What’s our SPI?” • Team engagement magic!

Dilbert: Did you make the changes…

Simplified Weekly Updates

Before Project Server and Simplified PMO

• “Jim”, project owner, 2 hours per week to update his project plan

• In Excel, MPP printouts• Tracked actual hours for team members

After Project Server and Simplified PMO

• Task-level progress tracking only• Got out of Excel and MPP files• Got into PDF…

“The Orange Update PDF”

Benefits of the Orange Update PDF• Organized by week to eliminate hunting• Colors make it “scan-able” to see what needs escalation• Project owners annotate directly on the PDF• Project Coordinator then updates project plans

Freaky-Fast Weekly Updates

2 Hours

Before

Freaky-Fast Weekly Updates

2 Hours

5 Minutes!5 Minutes!

Before After

I could go on…

Recap• SharkPro Projects and MS Project Server quickly

implemented to support our evolving PMO Process• Plan-Building, Score-Keeping and Weekly Updates can

be happy times• Simplicity can PAY BIG for your PMO Process too!– Time saved– Less frustration– SPI is a good self-motivator

Q&A…

Paul C. Szews (“Shevs”)Consultant, Coach, Trainer, Author