In This Issue:
From the Editor
Alan Koch: The Essence of Agility
Site Highlights:
There's got to be more to marketing
Don't try this at home
Evolution is one thing ...
Then again, change can be good
I'll trade your feature set for my vacation
Not the big binder! Anything but that!
There's more than one way to get our templates
Where's ProjectConnections?
This month, Maryland and Iowa. Next month, even more Iowa!
Corporate Subscriptions
From the Editor
Project management often appears to be completely spontaneous and reactive to outsiders or newcomers, just because the inner workings aren't necessarily broadcast for all to see. Changes may appear to be handled ad hoc, procedures seem to be cherry-picked, products are supported or dropped on a whim, and complex plans may appear to exemplify order amid chaos. (Or maybe that's the way things actually are; but if so, we won't tell anyone.) But in a mature project management organization you'll find reasoning and procedures behind all of this apparently unmanaged activity.
This week, we've chosen to highlight some of the procedures and processes often used to manage these "unmanaged" activities. We were inspired by columnist Alan Koch, who uses his space this week to remind us that it takes a lot of discipline to look and be Agile. We found parallels in change requests, product discontinuance, schedule negotiation, and more. We hope it restores some order to your chaotic project world.
Featured Article
The Essence of Agility: Learning and Adaptation, Collaboration, by Alan Koch
The Agile approach is often panned as an excuse for lack of discipline. I've been told that Agility means, "We'll just wing it, and when we run out of money, we'll ask for more." This and other such statements show that many people don't understand what Agility is all about.
The confusion is understandable because there is a plethora of practices that people claim as "Agile." And unfortunately, some of them are indeed using the term "Agile" as an excuse for lack of discipline.
True Agility is based on a few distinct principles that are underpinned by a unique value system. The application of these values and principles results in a few indispensable behaviors that can be seen and judged objectively by any interested stakeholder of a project. It is those behaviors that we refer to as the Essence of Agility.
There's agile, and then there's Agile. How can we tell the difference? As usual, actions—or in this case, behaviors—speak louder than words. Read more »Want to hear more from Alan? He's got Agile on the brain—and the calendar—for most of March and April. You can catch his two-day Agile Project Management course in Columbia, South Carolina March 5-6, in Hartford, Connecticut April 8-9, and in Reston, Virginia April 10-11. He'll also be in Toronto for ProjectWorld Canada April 14-18 to discuss Process Modeling Techniques for Business Analysts.
Site Highlights
I Got Some Great Coffee Mugs, Does That Count? - Marketing Plan - SPECIAL
This Premium resource is free to registered Members until March 6, 2008
Marketing is a project just like any other, and it should be planned just like any other. This plan outline highlights the activities and components needed for an effective marketing campaign, whether for an existing product or service or to introduce a new one. That means planning how best to reach your customers, who's responsible, how to fit it in with the prototype and product release, and what outcomes would make those trade show airfares really worth it.
Professional Driver, Closed Course - WBS & Gantt for 802.11 Master Development Schedule - SPECIAL
This Premium resource is free to registered Members until March 6, 2008
If the words "work breakdown" have acquired new meaning because of a complex project looming on the horizon, you'll want to check out this WBS example. It's an extremely detailed master schedule for a large and complicated networking project, including input from departments ranging from software and hardware groups and engineering to marketing, quality assurance, and customer service, as well as OEM developers. The Microsoft Project file can be adapted in whole or part for your own WBS (with proper safety equipment, of course).
Don't Disturb the Dinosaur, It's Busy Sprouting Wings - Discontinuance/End-of-Life Planning - MEMBER
Even the most successful products can't dominate the marketplace forever. Whether your product has a defined lifecycle or you just want customers to migrate to more modern offerings, it pays to think ahead about how to accomplish the transition gracefully. Early conversations may uncover additional design requirements, as well as guiding financial decisions like inventory planning and migration offers. Later discussions inform tactical decisions about manufacturing ramp-downs, obsolescence, replacement, and so on. These document outlines walk you through this planning so you can control the process as part of your natural product/service evolution. Sure beats spending years tacking features onto a fossilized offering that you can't drag out of the Stone Age.
Not That There's Anything Wrong With That! - Change Control Form - PREMIUM
On the other hand, sometimes change is a good idea—or even a requirement—for even the most entrenched dinosaurs or hesitant birds. How do you avoid disasters of Jurassic proportions? Make sure everyone understands what the change is, why it's necessary, and what the implications are for both design and development. Then get official approval. This example form documents it all, so you can control scope creep and minimize disruptions caused by adding features just because they'd be really, really cool. Not that there's anything wrong with that!
Bug free. Cheap. On time. Works. (Pick Two) - Planning and Scheduling: Make Trade-offs and Optimize - PREMIUM
The first pass of scheduling is almost never the last one. Once you've figured out what's possible, it's time to go back and figure out what's practical. Factoring in the business and project objectives, the scope of work necessary to achieve them, the time available, and the resources available will almost certainly lead to some necessary tradeoff decisions. This template walks you through a list of activities you can use to optimize your project plan and resolve conflicts between scope, schedule, and resources.
So Simple a Child Could Use It! (Quick, Someone Find a Child) - Development Process Quick Reference - PREMIUM
"It's in the big binder." Those words, uttered in the usual exasperated tone, are enough to set the bravest project manager's knees quivering. Sure it looks simple to the people who put it together, but that six-inch-thick swath of dead trees may not be quite as user-friendly to everyone else. This excerpt from one company's process reference documentation shows how they assembled an easy-to-use and far less daunting guidebook, to help their teams actually use the dreaded Big Process Binder.
May I Have the Envelope, Please? No, Not That One, the BIG One - Project Planning and Tracking Bundle
Sometimes hard to fit everything into one little bundle, so we came up with one big one. This bundle of planning and tracking tools will help you get a handle on your project schedule. Learn how to build schedules and estimates that make sense. Go beyond Gantt charts for better visibility into what's really happening on your project. Make sure you everyone involved in the project knows what's going on, and that you know who's involved. Generate status reports that are useful and readable, that can be written and read quickly. If you don't have a Premium subscription yet, this is a great, economical way to get ten of our best Premium resources quickly, for a single low price, and put them to work on your project right away.
Want to license these templates for your organization? Contact us for licensing terms.
Where's ProjectConnections?
When they're not writing for ProjectConnections, our expert contributors and columnists keep a pretty busy calendar. We thought it was high time you all knew what they're up to, so you can have the opportunity to see them in person. The following appearances are not associated with ProjectConnections, but we think you ought to know about them anyway. These folks are worth hearing.
Need to get up to speed on PM fast? Carl Pritchard is leading a five-day Project Management Boot Camp in March at Frederick Community College in Maryland. You can get more information from the Frederick Community College website. (PMP candidates take note: this is a 35 PDU event.)
ProjectConnections President and CEO Cinda Voegtli will be describing leadership skills and team techniques for The Business-Savvy Project Manager at the IEEE Cedar Rapids Section Professional Development Conference on April 29. She'll also be leading a workshop on coaching and supporting people managing projects, "Becoming Great Project Managers." Information and registration available at the IEEE Cedar Rapids Section website.
Kent McDonald is still recuperating from the APLN Conference in Dallas, but he's already planning his next event: the Central Iowa IIBA Business Analyst Development Day 2008 (yes, that's BADD) in Des Moines, Iowa on May 2, 2008. Kent isn't speaking there, but he is helping to organize it, so you'll likely be able to waylay him in the halls. But don't tell him we told you!
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