How to do Successful Project Management in a Competitive Industry J. Mauricio Najarro Technical Director IT Sponsored & Infrastructure PMO SBC Services

Agenda Does Project Management add value to the bottom line? Setting clear business and IT objectives (Project Requirements) Dealing with project creep (project refresh) Managing challenging projects through virtual teams Methodology or Tools, which one should first to make project management successful A case study: Reasons for a successful implementation of a Billing Project Measurements The Importance of a Project Champion Other processes that support a successful project management: Portfolio Management/Governance Governance Process Goals Business Case Guidelines

Does Project Management add value to the bottom line? Organizations can make considerable gains by planning and instituting formal project management practices Organizations without formal project management practices will be at a competitive disadvantage Investment in project management gives an overall return on investment of 27.9%, according to the Center for Business Practices Maturity in project management is considered the single most important factor in project management performance and ROI To measure the value of project management you can utilized a balanced scorecard that includes qualitative and quantitative measures

Setting clear business and IT objectives Make sure that business objectives are clearly stated, understood and documented Communicate IT objectives and verify that alignment with business objectives exists Clear set of requirements needs to be documented and signed-off at a walk thru Do not move ahead to next phase until: Sign-off has been obtained by both parties Business (Client) and Applications (IT) or A plan to get there has been established to be completed not far from the beginning of the next phase with deliverables (action items), due dates and responsible persons assigned to each action item

Dealing with project creep (project refresh) Diligently invest time in project scope planning and then manage scope change control Once business requirements are signed off, any changes to them need to be assessed for impacts to cost, resources, and timeline A formal Change Management process needs to be in place Change Request forms need to be filled out and discussed at the next project team meeting after a change is introduced Alternatives should be included Decision on which alternative needs to be taken and implemented with everyone in agreement If no agreement can be obtained, escalation to the next level of management needs to follow

Managing challenging projects through virtual teams Clear definition of roles and responsibilities Establishment of communication guidelines, patterns, and state shared objectives Address conflict resolution, either privately or with the entire team, but head on Effective use of People, Process, and Technology Make sure common understanding of terminology exist Clear set of engagement rules need to be established

Methodology or Tools, which one should first? Are you following an established project management methodology? Usually the answer to this question is “NO’ This is the first step. Define, Establish, Understand, and practice throughout the organization Develop a solid methodology and approach for managing projects first and then find the tool to support and increase the efficiency of the methodology

A case study: Internet Billing Reasons for a successful project implementation: Maintaining a dialogue between Marketing, Network, IT, IP on content and business functions Keep in mind job mandates and personalities are different between Marketing and IT Marketing thinks about opportunities, raking in revenue , promising new and more exciting services and IT deals with limitations, lack of resources, and financial barriers If you are having problems with the dialogue, get everyone in person if necessary and work out a plan with inputs from both sides Have IT speak the Marketing language. Instead of talking technology, talk cost and profitability Keep having a walkthrough at the end of every phase of the lifecycle to ensure you are still on track Whenever there is questions on content or business function go back to the original requirements Working with 3rd parties from day one to ensure that their requirements are integrated into the plan Engage 3rd parties and keep them engage to make sure their requirements are integrated into the plan Develop a complete set of data requirements, which includes documenting data fields and their ownership Study and utilize key learning points to help make your implementation subsequent projects run more smoothly Develop a solid methodology and approach for managing projects and then focus on finding a tool to help support and increase efficiency of the methodology

Measurements Metrics in place To be able to better estimate projects Establish data points at every SDLC phase Utilize metrics to improve performance Make sure metrics are utilize consistently across organizations On schedule means the same in multiple organizations Measure against self and other organizations Start to benchmark within the industry Understand metrics within the process and business Projects improve business, business improves projects

The Importance of a Project Champion Every medium to large size project needs an identified champion Provide executive sponsorship Scope Budget Able to endorse recommendations for the various projects Final authority on “impasses” Instrumental in defending the project if budget cuts occur The role of the project sponsor is critical Define Defend If personnel change, priorities change Often a factor in supplier relationships May be contracts with outsourcers Implementing technology Mature processes help make decisions more scientific and less political

Portfolio Management/Governance Step 1: Gather: Do a Project Inventory This is about creating ONE list of projects that are underway with basic data like project title, length, estimated cost, ROI, business benefit, etc. Step 2: Evaluate: Identify Projects That Match Strategic Objectives Establish the portfolio process. Who will serve on the steering committee? When will the committee meet? How will the initial “first cut” list be defined, ensuring a match between projects and the companies objectives, etc. Step 3: Prioritize: Score and Categorize Your Projects From the “first cut” list, how will we finalize the portfolio and determine objectively, which projects are the “best” from a holistic, corporate perspective. Step 4: Review: Actively Manage Your Portfolio How often will the committee meet? How often are projects reviewed or new projects considered? What will cause us to “kill” a project? How will we know the health of a project underway? Etc.

Governance Process Goals Ensure that the organization’s financial and personnel resources are aligned with the corporate strategy and business needs Provide clients, the corporation and IT leadership with insight into utilization of IT financial and personnel resources Provide information necessary to prioritize limited IT resources and identify potential gaps in resources Ensure IT meets financial and personnel commitments Provide on-going review of the IT program portfolio and identify the need or opportunity for budget and portfolio adjustments Coordinate with other business units to deliver the total enterprise solution for corporate initiatives Enable cost, resource and program management tracking and reporting capabilities

Business Case Guidelines Thresholds to determine the need for a business case Project > $350,000 total cost - requires a business case Project < $350,000 total cost – part of the general business case Business Case Approval For Project Authorization IT must receive validated business case from the Business Case Group IT Governance will validate the following from an IT perspective Architectural compliance has been met Any hardware requests processed & approved Expense and Headcount coverage determined Governance coordinates with IT Leadership and IT Finance sign off