1. Dave Pratt, PMP DHP Project Services, LLC

2. What is Project Recovery A project that is 18 months into a 10 month schedule A project that is two years into a 1 year schedule A project that has been tried and failed, tried and failed again, and is ready to invest the money and time to do it right It is most of what I’ve done for the past 12 years DHP Project Services, LLC 2

3. The Keys to Project Recovery It’s all about the basics It’s about clear roles and responsibilities It’s never about the gee-whiz technology It’s about an organization with the will and capacity to carry out a project It’s about planning large and delivering small It’s about understanding what “done” looks like, and a clear plan to get there It’s about seeing the end… clearly… and never losing sight of it DHP Project Services, LLC 3

4. The IT Project Gone Awry You are assigned to fix a project that is in trouble and is 50% complete. After several weeks of working with the project team, you have gathered the following information: The project’s value is approximately $15,000,000 to implement. A vendor has been selected to provide the new system as an Application Service Provided, and has provided a beautiful proposal. The project is half way through a 12 month schedule. The Project Manager is very dedicated; spending long hours answering emails, filing reports, and writing requirements for the project. The Project Manager works for the organization’s IT director. The project team has not met collectively, ever. The Business Manager and the Project Manager have adjacent offices, but do not talk. The vendor is working directly with the Business Manager who will use the system once it is complete. Together they have instituted four changes to the system, including a schedule that requires delivery six months prior to the schedule documented in the contract with the vendor. The Project Manager is unaware of these changes. There is no written project charter for the project. There are no project plans, such as communications plans, change management plans, issue management plans, risk management plans, etc. The Project Sponsor does not know he is the project sponsor, but has received numerous calls from constituents around the State who are very interested in the project but have heard nothing and are ready to go to their legislators. The Project Manager does not know who the Project Sponsor is. No written schedule exists for the project. The vendor has never provided a project status report to the organization. There is no list of issues or risks that need to be addressed for the project. The requirements have been written for the new system, but have never been formally accepted or acknowledged by the vendor. The vendor is ready to deliver the new system. DHP Project Services, LLC 4

5. IT Gone Awry – Solution Identify and appoint a project sponsor Train and mentor them Move the PM under the project sponsor Empower and authorize Consolidate project and vendor management under the PM Move the team under the direct control of the PM Develop and enforce a vendor management plan Escalate the issues as far as is required Demand excellence Expect promises to be delivered Put teeth into the contract Be clear, but don’t settle DHP Project Services, LLC 5

6. The Vague PM You are the Project Sponsor. Based on your status reports from your project manager, your project appears to be going nowhere. She tells you things are okay, but offers little more. You are at your whit’s end. You demand a project status report from your Project Manager. When you ask the Project Manager how the schedule is doing, she responds, “We’re about half way through.” When the you ask how the budget is holding out, the PM says, “We’re using some of the project’s contingency budget, but we should be all right.” How do you know if the project is in good shape? How can you gain confidence in what the PM is telling you? DHP Project Services, LLC 6

7. The Vague PM – Solution Tell the PM to “prove it” Produce objective artifacts Deliver objective evidence of status Meaningful, current, working schedule Budget tracking Deliverable tracking and proof of delivery and acceptance by qualified stakeholders DHP Project Services, LLC 7

8. The Project that will not Die You are assigned to take over a project that is 18 months into a 10 month schedule, with no identifiable end in sight. The solution is a replacement for a message switch that handles critical message traffic at the rate of 1.2 million message per month. The solution will be provided by a top-rated vendor. The team is hard-working, but there is a lot of conflict with the vendor. Scope continues to move around, with no predictable end to those wanderings. The contract has 235 specific requirements, but there is a constant trend toward adding more requirements, and discounting those that already exist. The business manager is the project sponsor, but IT appears to be doing most of the work; even so, there is a lot of conflict between the project office and IT. The users are and stakeholders are disheartened, and feels that the project team is missing the point, and unresponsive – they just don’t listen to us. The agency PM has been relieved of his duties. The vendor has fired their PM. There are 19,000 plus system users and stakeholders DHP Project Services, LLC 8

9. The Death-Defying Project – Solution Establish joint sponsors – Business and IT Buffers conflict – integrates the food chain Project manager becomes a leader and facilitator, rather than an owner who “knows better” In parallel with ongoing work, develop Requirements Traceability Vision – signed off by sponsors Objectives – identified and signed off by one or more key stakeholders Requirements – developed by stakeholders’ staff Align current list of requirements with objectives Modify the contract and delete 35 requirements Tasks – developed by project team (vendor); aligned with requirements Refocus work – create a path forward that aligns efforts with validated requirements Ensure that acceptance is determined and signed-off by those owning the objectives and requirements Obtain sign-off as you go on requirements, until the objectives are incrementally satisfied, and the vision is fulfilled, so you can prove that you are done DHP Project Services, LLC 9

10. Requirements Traceability DHP Project Services, LLC 10

11. The Book Version “Great Lessons in Project Management” By Dave Pratt Contributed Chapters by: Gary Hudson Debbie Spaulding Glenn Briskin Management Concepts Press, 2015 Available from: Management Concepts Press, Amazon… DHP Project Services, LLC 11

12. Contact Information Dave Pratt, PMP DHP Project Services, LLC 9003 28 th Way SE Olympia, WA 98513 Phone: 360.791.6531 www.dhpprojectservices.com Professional Consulting: Listening more and delivering better results. DHP Project Services, LLC 12