Project Management Thoughts

When you read the title, you probably thought of Requirements Management Tools like DOORS or RequisitePro.  This type of software is important and makes things easier, but we tend to focus too much on the tools and forget about the process they support.

Let me tell you a story that happened to one of my collegues to illustrate where we should focus when managing requirements:

We were about to finish the production of one of our systems, so we had to order the boxes we use for the shipping.  It was the first time my collegue did that, so he carefully checked similar boxes to make a proper order.  He realized that the difference between the inside and outside dimensions was very big because of all the padding and protections.  So he measured that difference to take it into account so that our system fit perfectly.

Therefore, final dimensions = system dimensions + padding + protections.  Makes sense, eh?

After checking it once again, he sent the measurements to the guys who manufactured the boxes and to the company which had to do the shipping.

And everything was fine… until we received the box.  It was HUGE!!  But something had to be wrong, because the dimensions had been checked.  A phone call to the box manufacturer explained it:  he always works with internal dimensions, not external.  On the contrary, the transportation company works with external dimensions.  And, to be honest, it makes sense:  you specify the size of the item you want to put in the box (internal dimensions) and the size of box you want to trasnport (external dimensions).  So the problem was obvious.  The requirements of our box were incorrect.  Well, they were incomplete, as we never specified that the dimensions we provided were external.

Box Requirements

So if the outcome of a “project” as simple as box can go wrong because of incorrect management of the requirements, imagine what can happen in a system with hundreds or thousands of requirements.

And it is clear that no tool could have helped in this situation.  Tools are very useful for checking missing traceabilities, control the changes, allow only certain users to modify the requirements and many other things.  But in the end it all depends on the analysis we do of those requirements.  And if we don’t do a good job (not get the right people, do the analysis in a rush, not ask the customer if there is a doubt…) then the consequences can be disastrous.

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The mission of the Project Manager is to get the project done in a timely manner, within budget and with the required quality.  In order to accomplish this mission, the project manager performs several tasks:

• Plan
• Monitor the progress
• Take appropriate actions

These tasks can be performed in very different ways.  A manager could plan the activities, communicate them to the team, control the progress periodically and push the team and “use the whip” when the progress is not as planned.
Another manager could agree the planning of the activities with the team, share the goal of the project with the team, control de progress periodically and help the team overcome the difficult moments.

As you can see, the basic workflow is followed in both situations.  However, the approaches are absolutely different.  The first behaviour is close to a foreman  and workers are treated as “robot” workers.  In doing this, workers usually respond as requested, so they do their job but they don’t try to be creative and find new solutions for existing problems.  In today’s world of knowledge workers, most proffesionals are highly trained, and a project manager cannot afford to not get the maximum from every single team member.
The second approach requires that the project manager is a facilitator.  This means that the project manager helps the team to reach the goal.  Instead of telling everyone how to do things, the project manager shares the goal of the project and helps the team to find the way to success.  This help can have different forms: getting the requested resources, defend the team when there are problems, be a positive leader when problems arise…
The result of this approach is that the team is involved in the project and motivated, which boosts the performance of the team.

But does this mean that I can’t be demanding?.  ABSOLUTLY NOT!!!  Don’t forget that you are responsible for finishing the project in a timely manner, within budget and with quality.  But there is a difference between just demanding something and demanding something providing the necessary help.

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Working as a Project Manager, it is highly probable that one of your project fails sooner or later.  There are always risks that you will try to minimize, external factors that you will not be able to control, or you may just make a bad decision.

I don’t want to be pesimistic.  I just want you to accept that failure is an option, and it may happen to you.  All great leaders and entepreneurs have suffered failure or rejection.  But what makes a leader a great leader is what they do after failure.  You can deny it and try to fool yourself so that you feel better.  You can blame someone else and don’t accept any responsibility.  Or you can learn from the experience, move on and start your next challenge with more energy and being a better professional.

I heard once:  “It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down, but how many times you rise up”.  An example of this is Steve Jobs.  If you haven’t seen his commencement address at Stanford, I highly recommend it.

And you have to remember that being a Project Manager you are also a leader, which means that rising up will not only benefit you but the whole project team.

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One of the key points to have a productive meeting is to write down a list of actions with the person responsible to do it and the due date.

But this is just a requirement to get things done.  How many times have you committed to do something in a meeting and then you didn’t do it because your daily  activity made you forget it?  As a project manager, you have to make sure that actions are completed on time.  You have to do a follow-up.

Depending on the complexity of the actions, you may want to do a follow-up meeting, write an email or just make a phone call.  A follow-up meeting is necessary when the actions are complex or when there are interrelationships between different tasks.  In this case it is better to get the responsible of the related actions together and discuss the progress and the problems that may have arisen.

In most cases, an email or a phone call will be enough.  But bear in mind that what you are doing is trying to help someone else to do his job, not just controlling his job.  What is the difference?  Have a look at these two approaches:

• Regarding action X, do you have all the information you need?  If you need  something or find a problem please let me know and I’ll try to help.
• How are you doing with action X?  Have you finished?  Will you finish on time?

I guess you can see the difference.  If your team feels that you are there to help and not just to control, they will work much more comfortably.  Communication will also improve, because when they find a problem, they won’t hesitate to tell you, and you will be able to take action earlier.  And that is key to avoid project delays.

It is also important to know when to do the follow-up.  It is clear that you don’t want to wait until the day before the due date, because you wouldn’t be helping but controlling.  On the other hand, you don’t want to do it too early, because people have to start their task to know if they need help or if there is a problem they didn’t see initially.  It also depends on the person assigned to the action.  If you know that that person usually waits until the last minute to start something, you may want to do an earlier follow-up.  Just follow your common sense and learn from the results that you get and you will be fine.

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