• In other organizations run more along a military model, where members are accustomed to forced change, the Quaker approach would be perceived as weak, so a full-scale, top-down, Attila
Trang 1• In other organizations run more along a military model, where members are accustomed to forced change, the Quaker approach would be perceived as weak, so a full-scale, top-down, Attila, CEO-directed change effort would be more successful
• In either case it is obviously important to consider the organizational culture before forming an implementation plan
• In all cases it is important to have a sponsor who is influential in the organiza-tion For the Attila approach, a higher-level person is needed For the Quaker approach, the level may not be as important as the sponsor’s stature and breadth of influence
• The Quaker approach takes time and patience, values notoriously absent in many organizations
A hybrid approach begins in the indirect Quaker style and moves toward the Attila model if necessary Organization members can be triaged into one-third
“true believers” in project management who can’t wait to change, one-third “show me” skeptics who may change if they see the benefit, and one-third “die-hard” grizzled veterans who have seen it all before and will resist to the bitter end The hybrid approach starts with the true believers who demonstrate, through small wins, the benefits of a project office This approach helps develop credibility and offers something to show the “show me” gang When they are converted and you achieve critical mass of two-thirds of the organization, it may be necessary to apply a little top-down command to convince the die-hards This is a practical and realistic approach for most organizations
Refine the concept of a project office What is a project office and where did it come
from? Project management began as a countercultural movement Early project managers worked outside the organization In fact they were often literally out-side—in a trailer at a construction site, where decisions were made regarding the project The original project office referred to a place for the control of a specific project, what we would now call a project control office As projects moved inside the organization, the role of the project office has expanded Guidelines:
• Aim at a particular goal, call it Level 3, to use the terminology introduced in Chapter One, but remember that it may be best to start small, say Level 1, and document benefits of a project office for a few projects This idea is in concert with the hybrid approach mentioned earlier
• You need an organizational group, like a council or project management ini-tiative, to give legitimacy in different divisions and to help cross organizational boundaries
• A physical space is important It helps the work and also provides group identification
• Treat the implementation plan itself as a project
Trang 2Now document the plan on the “Implementing a Project Office” template provided in the Appendix
Develop an implementation goal Specify an important and measurable goal for
the endeavor For example, implement a Level 3 project office to cut cycle time
20 percent and produce 30 percent more new products while maintaining current headcount
Determine the value to the organization Why should the organization do this? Will
it help implement strategy? Fight competition? Are similar companies doing this? How will life be better when this is done? The value should be stated in business terms best understood by upper managers, such as the ROI of the project office For example, determine the increase in shareholder value that will result when the stated goal is reached Calculate the benefits if you had reduced cycle time by 20 percent in the past and how that would have increased value on the last five projects Then determine how many projects you will do per year to get an esti-mate of the value of reducing cycle time Also determine how much the imple-mentation of the project office will cost From these figures you can determine the project office ROI, a figure that is near to the heart of most upper managers
Develop a set of metrics to show progress Be careful here—you will get what you
measure, which may not be what you want For example, you might determine that your staff should attend more stakeholder meetings to help reduce cycle time However, if you then measure meeting attendance, people will attend plenty of meetings, but cycle time may not be reduced Ensure that office members and all project managers are well versed in those actions that actually lead to shareholder value in the organization, and then measure those actions
Determine project office content What will be in the office? This depends on the
goal of the office Typical functions to be included are project selection and pri-oritization procedures; mentoring and coaching help for project managers; de-veloping and coaching upper management sponsors for projects; a common set
of project management tools, techniques, and methodologies; consulting for on-going projects; training and project manager development programs; and possi-bly an administrative home for the project managers themselves
Develop an implementation plan With answers to the questions raised thus far,
de-termine how you are going to proceed, what to do first, second, and so on Then put a detailed action plan together
A Rewrite
Our greatest challenge is to rewrite the myth of Sisyphus (from Chapter Six) Modern organizations cannot afford futile and hopeless efforts The new hero sees the value of getting the rock up over the mountain The rewards, of both the destination and the journey, are clear, convincing, and compelling They got that
Trang 3way by passionate visionaries sharing their dreams and enlisting a guiding coalition
of supporters The dangers of the rock slipping back impact not just one person but the prosperity of the whole organization—the interconnected community The rock is carefully chosen while other pebbles are left as is; capabilities are lim-ited to the critical few projects Resources are aligned on tasks that help to pull the rock up, brace it from falling back, and remove uphill obstacles Other play-ers keep the lions, tigplay-ers, and bears from sidetracking progress
The tipping point that allows the rock to reach the top and stay there is the right people employing efficient processes in an effective environment The pro-gram is carefully planned, excellently executed, and nurtured once it reaches the top Because more mountains or opportunities can be seen from the new vantage point achieved by successful programs, the community realizes that the leader-ship, learning, means, and motivation it developed are the best means to tackle new challenges and expand its prosperity Ever present is a core team of project officers who gird, goad, and guide
Summary
The complete successful change agent
• Identifies a sense of urgency
• Lines up a guiding coalition of powerful forces
• Develops a clear, concise, compelling description of how the project office is chartered, structured, and staffed to meet organizational goals
• Communicates this vision across the organization to develop support
• Implements the strategy
• Thrives in the environmental chaos that surrounds any effort to create a new order of things
• Gets the right people on board; trains and supports them to be effective
• Lines up leadership, learning, means, and motivation
• Starts small but leads the drive toward large-scale positive impact on the orga-nization as a result of a strategic project office
• Perseveres and draws upon a wide variety of sociological mechanisms to main-tain the organizational change
Trang 4TEMPLATES FOR
PROJECT OFFICE PLANNING
291
Trang 5TEMPLATE 1: IMPLEMENTING A PROJECT OFFICE FOR ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE.
Name:
Organization:
Date:
Implementation Goal:
Value Argument:
Trang 6TEMPLATE 1: IMPLEMENTING A PROJECT OFFICE FOR ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE, Cont’d.
Metrics:
Content:
Trang 7294 Appendix
TEMPLATE 1: IMPLEMENTING A PROJECT OFFICE FOR ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE, Cont’d.
Implementation Plan/Approach:
Procedure/Other:
Trang 8Appendix 295
TEMPLATE 2: CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS.
Name:
Organization:
Date:
Strategic Emphasis score benchmark
• Steps:
Upper Management Support score benchmark
• Steps:
Project Planning Support score benchmark
• Steps:
Trang 9296 Appendix
TEMPLATE 2: CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS, Cont’d.
Customer/End User Input score benchmark
• Emphasis: more less OK
• Steps:
Project Team Support score benchmark
• Emphasis more less OK
• Steps:
Project Performance Support score benchmark
• Emphasis: more less OK
• Steps:
Trang 10Appendix 297
TEMPLATE 2: CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS, Cont’d.
Communications/Information Systems score benchmark
• Emphasis: more less OK
• Steps:
Organization Support score benchmark
• Emphasis more less OK
• Steps:
Economic Value Support score benchmark
• Emphasis: more less OK
• Steps: