7 Tips to know your Project Management Framework!

This article aims to give a high-level understanding of a project management framework, what do we call a project, the organisations and some aspects to consider that are usually considered as out of scope for each project.

Why this article! Though projects are time bound endeavors it impacts and be impacted by the settings it is initiated. Being thoughtful and considerate about these settings is crucial. Consideration of points listed in this article will contribute to project success in the following ways.

1. It prevents delays in projects

2. It sets a tone in the organization

3. It acknowledges the risks stemming from the enterprise environmental factors.

4. It gives us hints about where to focus to have a good project management discipline implementation.

While the projects formally start with the approval of project charter there are still quite many aspects that the potential project team, project manager, sponsor and the management team to contemplate.

Is it really a Project?

A project is a temporary endeavor with a beginning and an end. It aims to create a unique product, service or a result. For any set of actions/tasks to be projects, the underlined words are very critical. An ongoing activity that aims to produce same/similar result is not a project. Projects should be set for a definite time and should aim to create something unique; something has not been done before.

On the other hand, operational work is ongoing work to support the system and the business. When a project is finished, the team hands of the product to the operation.

Is it really a Project?

At the other side of the pendulum, we have a different separation that needs to be done. Is it a project, or a program or a portfolio?  We have already defined the project. So, what is a program then:

A program is a group of related projects. Grouping similar projects into a program helps the organization to reduce overall risks, understand and manage the interdependencies between these activities, maximize the economic benefits generated from these projects and also have a governing approach that may also include some additional tasks then project scopes themselves.

A portfolio is a group of programs, projects and related operational work that are prioritized and implemented to meet a common strategic goal. The programs do not have to be related. What is most important is that they have to serve to the same strategic goals. And reason we have portfolios are the same as we have for the programs. It helps the organization to reduce the risks, balance the resources and enhances other benefits.  

Know your Organizational Structure

No project functions in vacuum. The projects are impacted by (or have impact on), cultural norms of the company, management policies and procedures of the company. The organizational structure is one of the first things that a project manager to consider before starting a project. Who will the project manager go for help for resources, how is the communication structured, how is the authority and power balance is set are very important factors to determine the success of the project.

Functional Organizations: These are the most common types of organizations where there are departments (manufacturing, R&D, marketing). Departments can also be seen as silos where the projects happen within. When there is a need from another department, the project manager goes to the department manager and the communication is done via department managers.

Projectized Organizations: In such organizations the company is organized by projects. Where project manager is on charge and the resources directly report to him/her. Downside is that, when the project is finished in such structures, there no place for the team to go back! So the team dissolves

Matrix Organizations: Where the aim is to maximize the benefits of both structures. The team has two reporting lines (bosses) and they partially perform organizational work and partially project work.

Matrix organizations can also be listed as being Strong Matrix, Weak Matrix and Balanced Matrix organizations. In Strong Matrix the power rests with the Project Manager and in Weak Matrix organizations the Functional Manager (FM) has the authority and the PM acts more like an expeditor or a coordinator. In balanced structures the power is shared between PM and the FM.

Know your PMO!

Project Management Offices are established to standardize and centralize the project management activities. The level of maturity and control over the projects determines the types of PMOs.

Supportive: Typically exercises low level authority over projects and are there to provide guidance, policies, templates, lessons learned to the projects.

Controlling: has moderate level of authority over the projects. They support organization on how to manage projects, train the project management on methodologies, the software used and control the projects.

Directive: has the highest level of control. A directive PMO provides project managers for different projects in the organization, and responsible from the results of the projects.

Know your Stakeholders!

Contrary to a common understanding, stakeholders are not only the people that take part in a project, customer and sponsor. Stakeholders are any people, groups or organizations that are positively or negatively impacted by the project. They can be internal, or external, other departments or parties in the organization.  All should be considered and managed accordingly!

Consider Enterprise Environmental Factors

When we talk about enterprise environmental factors, we refer to the company culture, the way things are handled, or simply the existing system. All these are outside of the control of the project team and needs to be considered as input for all the projects.

Know your Organizational Process Assets

Almost in all cases, organizations have assets that the project team can utilize. Team should know them well and include them in their planning activities. These assets give the project team guidance and direction through the project.

Processes, procedures, policies are the most commonly used assets. If there are procedures and already established processes, why to create them again.

Corporate knowledge base is something that is lacking in many organizations. The experience gained from previous projects is often not kept as database and cannot be utilized when a new project starts. Hence, they have to plan, estimate or schedule each project from scratch.

Historical Information can be considered as record of past projects. Some examples are activities, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), benchmarks, reports, estimates, used resources or project management plans

Lessons Learned does not only include what went wrong but also includes what was right during the project, and what could be done differently if the project is to start again. In other words, all the workarounds, change requests, re-estimations and Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) and the issues are to be included in this category.