The second day of the PMI Earned Value Management World 2009 conference produced some thoughts. There were many presentations, some good, some better. But during one presentation it came to me that all the "whining" about how poorly projects are managed rarely comes with a causal analysis. I'd call this the "Standish Report Syndrome.
Here's an approach I've started taking:
- If you come to the conversation with some "whining" observation, what's your alternative?
- What changes are suggested, and are those changes credible enough to improve the situation?
- Of you have no alternative, or don't have a credible improvement suggestion, you're just whining.
So here's an approach to the situation. Ask the following questions of the troubled project and look for the tangible evidence of the existence of the answers;
Question | Evidence of Answer |
How will this system you're trying to build fulfill its mission? | Concept of Operations (ConOps) |
What systems and subsystems need to be constructed to fulfill the mission? | Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) |
What is each of the deliverables in the WBS going to cost when we're done? | BCWS spread against the WBS |
When will you be finished with each of the deliverables? | Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) |
What is the evidence that the program is maturity according to the plan? | Integrated Master Plan (IMP) |
What are impediments to progress and how will they be retired or mitigated when they occur? | Risk Management Plan (RMP) |
How will all the components of the system come together to produce the benefits to the mission? | Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) |
Without the answers to these questions, the project is likely headed for the ditch and you don't know it.
This doesn't mean you need a tome for each of these "documents." Sticky notes on the wall just as well for small self contained project as the 500 page ConOps for flying to Mars does for NASA. Same for all the other "evidentiary materials." But someone has the think through the answers to these questions, and convey these answers to the project participants, including the customer – be it NASA or your garden club president.
