Projects all around us

This article was written by Roman Slivka as an introduction to the first part of the show "ProjecTor," which is being prepared by PMI.CZ for RED BUTTON EDU.

Why care about a project, in today's agile times?

Each of us has already done something in life that is not his daily bread. For example, today I planted garlic again after a year. Terrible work. Muddy clay, everything sticks. Can you imagine that? Mud on boots like I was fishing in a pond. But the garlic had to go into the ground. Although it took me longer than I expected, I will find out how well I planted it in almost a year.

How is garlic planting related to the project? Very closely.

Everything the project does will not start to be used until sometime in the future. It's like driving a ship. If you set the wrong course at the beginning, you will most likely not make it to the desired goal. So at the beginning of the project, the sponsor (the one who has a vision of what the project will bring him in the future) and the project manager (the one who has to ensure that the future will not just be a dream but become a reality) have to say clearly where they are now, what they want to get, how much and what means they will use. And especially what control mechanisms they will apply. Back to the ship! They are the sponsor and the project manager, as well as the entire project team, on one ship. I know where I am on the ship (mostly). I know where I want to go to avoid dangerous places (checkpoints) and what course I will take to the next point. I also know if I want to be there fast (with engine - expensive) or slow (with sails - cheap).

Defined goal and time - two essential elements of the project. However, another crucial element of the project is also its uniqueness. By definition, a project is to create something unique in a limited time and with limited resources. Uniqueness brings a fundamental dimension in designing the way of management, or rather the thinking that we need to use to fulfill a certain task (project). An example is driving a car. Are any of you thinking about driving a car? Who of you is thinking about when to leave in the morning to bring the children to school and kindergarten and be in the office on time? I don't think anyone. A routine run a thousand times. We already know exactly when and what to do, and we also know that if the children do not dress at 7:15, we have a problem. But what happens when we have to be somewhere else? Let's see how far it is, see if there are traffic jams on the route. It turns out that I have to leave at six in the morning, so the children have to be taken away by my wife. Negotiations begin…. And a well-established routine suddenly turns into a project. None of us will call it a project, but the essence of the problem we are trying to solve is a project (goal, limited time and resources, uniqueness) and we apply all aspects of project management when solving. Communication, making estimates and plans, risk management, stakeholder management.

Do you know what is interesting and what they probably didn't tell you during the agile transformation? Each sprint and iteration is a separate project that uses all aspects of project management. The budget is story points and the team will not take on more than it has the capacity for. Definition of goals using kanban board. Planning and prioritizing activities is nothing more than finding a critical path. Lessons learned and Project Status Report - it takes place on daily huddles. You will find all aspects of project management if you are trying to create something unique limited by time and budget.

Don't you believe it? Guess what role performs all these activities...

The very first thing all XXX deals with is management. Their task is basically to answer 1000 questions a day, give another 1000 orders and struggle with 1000 problems, all aimed at reviving the vision. XXX is sometimes nothing more than an employee who fulfills the wishes of the client's strategy. But the task is always to assemble a jigsaw puzzle with an inaccurate picture. In short, XXX conducts a team of people to perform each of their many specialized functions to realize a symphony of activities that materialize into the final work. For the final vision to be successful, astonishing craftsmanship is needed with precision. And it's XXX, on whose shoulders the weight of all teeth falls. They are champions, if it all works; they are the one to blame when it all fails. There is no real way to approach the performance of the XXX role. The methods vary from careful preparation to instinctive improvisation. A great combination of several approaches is often best. It is a quixotic task that requires finely refined wit, a huge dose of self-confidence and sharp instincts. However, there are the basics of the work - the basic things that need to be done that require full attention XXX. This applies equally to feature films, commercials and even 30-second videos on YouTube ...

Yes, it's a director. Note the last sentence, no matter the size (scope), always need to use all aspects of project management.

The mention of the director led me to another thought. The director is responsible to the producer for the (non) profitability of the work. In this respect, the director is, I would say, much worse than a regular project manager. What can project management bring to the sponsor (client and investor)? It will sound paradoxical if I say “save money” when most projects do not end within the original budget. But that's what this is about. The project manager and sponsor must create a functional and harmonious relationship that fulfills a common vision. The project manager, however, must maintain common sense and critical insight. He must be able to apply the emergency brake if the project is unable to meet the goal. It is very difficult to deliver such a message to the sponsor and very often project managers fail here. They are so drowned in managing daily activities that they lack insight. They lack the ability to switch from operational thinking to strategic thinking. How many times, unfortunately, also due to excessive micro-supervision of the sponsor.

The sponsor and the project manager form a team. They must have correctly divided roles. The sponsor's lack of interest in the project or its exaggerated care will not work. The sponsor seldom asks, "How can I help?" Likewise, instead of "When will it be?" the sponsor should ask, "What values ​​are you working on now?" It's different if you ask "What are you working on?" (we test, develop, eliminate deficiencies), instead of "What will it bring me?"

I'm not saying that you can't (either as a sponsor / investor or someone who solves a problem) achieve a goal without project management. I just think it's important to realize what key activities you need to do to get to your goal. As a proven cookbook, project management can serve you for that.