Archive for March, 2010
March 30, 2010
To prepare all Project Management Templates, checklists, schedules, and other forms for the Improve Project Management Processes Service, refer to both the instructions in Providing Services, and also to the information and examples on this page. Prepare a copy of the Service Plan Template, the Service Evaluation Schedule, and the Service Improvement Schedule for the Improve Project Management Processes Service.
In addition, the following additional service-specific forms are included in MPOM Template section for the Improve Project Management Processes Service:
- Processes Publication Schedule
- Processes Training Plan
- Processes Maintenance Schedule
- List of Project Management Processes
Instructions for completing these items are on this page.
The Improve Processes Service should be rolled out in coordination with Implement Methodology, Promote Standards, and Standardized Tools, as discussed on the Implement Methodology Life Cycle Page.
March 25, 2010
The Improve Project Management Methodology Processes Service
Perform the five activities shown in this diagram to provide the Improve Project Management Methodology Processes Service:
1. Define the Improve Project Management Methodology Processes Service
2. Identify Stakeholders for the Improve Processes Service
3. Provide the Improve Project Management Methodology Processes Service
4. Evaluate the Improve Processes Service
5. Improve the Improve Processes Service
- Define the Improve Processes Service. This service delivers project management software processes to project managers, team leads, teams, and project stakeholders.
- Identify stakeholders for the Improve Processes Service. Customers are those who will use the processes; stakeholders are those who will interface with those using the processes.
- Provide the Improve Processes Service. The processes are published, training is provided, and the processes are maintained.
- Evaluate the Improve Processes Service. Processes are often improved as they are used. These improvements should be returned to the PMO so the processes can be updated for other users.
- Improve the Improve Processes Service. The processes, and the delivery of, and training for, processes can all be continuously improved.
March 22, 2010
Evaluate the Promote Standards Service
There are three components of this service to evaluate:
- The promotion project management process
- The standards Project Management Templates documents
- The standards in use
Promotion should be evaluated using web-based surveys. Customers should be asked these questions:
- Are you aware of what standards your work must comply with?
- Are you sufficiently trained in these standards?
- Is the PMO keeping you up to date?
- Is the PMO supporting you in certification in standards appropriate to your career path?
Training in standards can be evaluated through the training mechanisms built into the Train Staff Service.
Periodically, the PMO should perform assessments to determine if external standards are relevant and being applied well, and if internal standards are in need of improvement. These assessments are best performed by a combination of web-based Online Project Management surveys and focus groups.
The standards in use are evaluated by project reviews and project audits. Assessments can be added if they are deemed valuable.
March 18, 2010
Relationship Between the Promote Standards Service and Other Services
The Promote Standards service should be closely coordinated with, or even integrated into a single service with, three other services: Implement Methodology; Improve Processes; and Standardize Tools. See the Implement Project Management Methodology life cycle page for reasons and methods for doing this.
The Promote Standards Service is related to Supportive Services as follows:
- Training. Standards are project management template contents of some of the training the PMO provides.
- Mentoring and Supporting Staff. Certification in standards or reviews that show that a project adhered to standards are a basis for promotion and moving up the career path for both online project management managers and technical personnel.
- Support Projects. Standards may be used to determine which projects receive support from this service, and the methods used to support projects must comply with appropriate standards.
- Administer Staff and Manage Accounts. Standards may govern how this work is done.
The Promote Standards Service is related to Controlling Services in these ways:
- Governance. A well developed governance system will specify who determines which versions of which standards will be followed, which is an aspect of governance. It also determines who is responsible for ensuring that projects comply with each set of standards. Definition of responsibility is the core of governance.
- Project Review. A project review is a comparison of actual project management activity and actual project work to the applicable standards. It determines if standards were complied with, and, if not, whether the deviation from standards was significant.
- Project Audit. A project audit, like a project review, compares management and work on a project to standards. An audit is both more likely to find significant non-compliance with standards and more challenging, because, during an audit, a project is likely to be in crisis.
- Assessments. If reviews or audits indicate significant non-compliance with a particular standard, the PMO can use an assessment to find out how widespread the non-compliance is, how damaging it is, and what its causes might be.
In the directive PMO, all of the services should be performed in compliance with relevant standards. The specific standards that must be complied with should be written into the definition of each directive service.
March 15, 2010
Outputs for the Promote Project Management Methodology Standards Service
There are three outputs of the Promote Standards Service:
1. The List of Standards, which shows what Project Management Methodology standards are to be complied with, and provides access to the current versions of the standards
2. The standards themselves, whether internal or external
3. Compliance to the standards, demonstrated through controlling processes such as reviews, audits, assessments and <a href=http://www.method123.com>Project Management Templates</a>
The PMO Standards Expert takes the following eight steps to prepare the List of Standards.
1. Create a new document by copying the List of Standards Template.
2. Complete the information in the upper left.
3. Enter one version of one standard on each row. Put the name of the standard in the first column.
4. In the second column, enter (E) for an external standard that is maintained, updated, and authorized by an organization outside the company, and (I) for a standard that is maintained, updated, and authorized by a group inside the company.
5. In the third column in the <a href=http://www.projectmanager.com>Project Management Software</a>, enter the version number of the standard. As illustrated and discussed below, if multiple versions of a standard are being maintained, enter each version on a separate row, and use the “What must comply?” column to specify what projects or processes must comply with each version.
6. Create a link to the actual content of the standard in the Link column. Make sure that all people who should be allowed to read the standard, and only those people, can access the material at the target of that link.
7. In the Training column, create a link to training material about the standard.
8. In the “What must comply?” column, identify the projects, processes, or products that must comply with the standard. If two versions of the standard are listed, ensure that this column eliminates any ambiguity regarding which standard applies in any particular situation.
March 11, 2010
In the above example, two versions of the PMBOK®, Prince2®, and CMMI® are external Project Management Methodologies standards. Each project will use PRINCE2 if it is in the UK, and will use an appropriate version of the PMBOK® if outside the UK. Which version of the PMBOK® is unambiguously determined by the start date of the project. “Conducting Staff Evaluations” is an internal standard. There are two versions of the “Meeting Process Standard,” and which one must be used is determined by the start date of the project in which the meetings are taking place. Maintaining a clear, unambiguous list of standards has two benefits:
- At any time, any Project Manager or other standards customer can determine which standard must be complied with.
- Reviews, auditors, and the managers of projects they are auditing all have immediate access to identical standards. This reduces hassle, ensuring that the standard the reviewers will use is the project management methodologies standard the managers have been instructed to comply with.
The standards themselves are available through the list of standards. There are two types of links maintained in the list of standards:
- External. When the Project Management Templates standard is external to the organization, the link should go directly to the official, authoritative source for the standard. The PMO Standards Expert should ensure that everyone who is required to comply with the standard can access this link, whether it is to an external web site or a CD-ROM or other authorized copy of the standard.
- Internal. When the standard is internal, the link should go directly to the official, authoritative source for that internal standard, whether it is on the PMO web site or elsewhere within the organization.
There are three important technical notes with regard to creating and maintaining these outputs:
- Sometimes multiple versions of a standard must be maintained. When a standard changes, it is not effective to require that all projects already in process adhere to the new standard. Often, it is better to allow existing projects to complete in compliance with the older version of the standard while ensuring that new projects comply with the new version. As a result, it may be necessary to have two links to two different versions of a standard within the List of Standards document, as illustrated in the example above.
- Occasionally, standards undergo major revision. Occasionally – typically every few years for each standard – a standard may be thoroughly revised. In that case, the company’s Standards Experts should determine when and how to shift to requiring the new standard. Making the shift can require extensive training to bring staff up to date.
March 8, 2010
Note that training on Project Management Methodology standards is often available either from the organization that promotes the Online Project Management standard or from companies that provide project management or industry-specific training services. Use of external training services can reduce deployment time and cost.
Standards Maintenance Schedule
Each standards expert should follow these eight steps to create and implement the Standards Maintenance Schedule:
1. Make a copy of the Standards Maintenance Schedule Project Management Template. Enter the general information at the top left.
2. Receive input from all users, and also check sources for the standards to identify proposed changes.
3. Enter each proposed change on one row. In the first column of the table, name the change.
4. In the Source field, enter the source of the change, including contact information.
5. In the Reason field, enter a short reason for, or benefit of, the change. See below for a sample list of reasons.
6. List the name of the standard being changed in the Standards column. Put the current version number in the Old Version column. Put the new version number that will be used when the change is complete in the New Version column.
7. Enter the dates planned for the completion of each piece of work: drafting the change, approving the change, updating the version, updating the training, and formally making the new version of the standard available.
8. Perform the work and track progress by entering the actual date deliverables are completed.
March 4, 2010
Standards Training Plan
The Project Management Methodology PMO Standards Expert and the PMO Training Manager follow these eight steps to create and implement the Standards Training Plan:
1. Open a copy of the Standards Training Plan Project Management Template. Enter the general information at the top left.
2. Copy the list of standards from the Standards Publication Schedule into the Standards Training Plan.
3. Copy the version numbers into the Version # column.
4. Create one row for each training format. Each training program may be in an in-class format, a <a href=http://www.projectmanager.com>Online Project Management</a> web-based format, and other formats for guided or independent study.
5. Copy the planned dates for the start and end of training from the Standards Publication Schedule.
6. Enter the planned dates for when the outline will be approved, when the materials will be prepared, and when test classes will be run. Make sure to allow sufficient time to complete each of these activities so that the class can be available on the date listed for training to be available.
7. As work is completed, track the work by entering the actual dates deliverables are finished.
8. Whenever a standard is updated to a new version, enter a line on this schedule for each version of the training materials, and revise the training for that standard.
