It always takes longer than you think —

It always takes longer than you think - even if you think it will take longer than you think. Reflections on project management Pete Walker, Internet Development Manager peter. walker@bristol. ac. uk 1

What’s it all about? • The delights of project management – Mainly from the developer’s perspective • Not another methodology – Tips, tricks, techniques, clichés, trite little sayings, wise sayings, my mistakes, etc • I won’t solve all your problems • I won’t answer all your questions – but please ask questions at any time • I will save you time and money! 2

Why am I here and what do I know? • 15 years IT experience • Programmer/DBA/Project Manager in Local Government – Oracle, PL/SQL, Paradox and other PC apps • Software Development Manager at Emis/Capita FHE – Student record systems for FE & HE – Oracle, VB, client-server • Software Development Manager with Swift – Stock control, financial and manufacturing systems – Ingress database and 4 GL • May 2001 - joined ILRT 3

What does ID group do? • Web sites and applications – – – • • CMS for University of Bristol, C of E, LTSN-Best Online survey software, car share software UCISA, SCONUL, HESDA, Leadership Foundation Departmental VLE’s Course Online Booking System e. Learning apps 10 staff plus others from ILRT and IS Open-source Quasi-commercial 50% Uo. B/50% external 4

A lot to cover – the rest of this session • • • Definitions Knowledge Alarm bells Requirements Project scope What the client must do • How much and how long? • • Planning Communication Handling change We’re late! Finished? Measuring outcomes Project team Questions 5

Definition time – “To manage” • Poster worthy? – Be successful, achieve a goal, be in charge of, act on, deal successfully, control • Sometimes necessary! – “achieve something by trickery or devious methods” • Reality? (Struggle, frustration, just-about-do-it) e. g. – “We just managed to catch the train in time” – “He managed to convince them” – “We managed to hide the fact that the widget did not actually work yet” 6

To project manage (1) • You must play office politics • Knowledge leading to control • Lots of administration • Gain respect and authority (aka: at least look as if you know what you are doing!) 7

To project manage (2) • You are being watched! • You are not expected to be expert on everything • Expertise not through knowing but knowing where to find out • 3 C’s – Commitment – Communication – Coordination • Despite the above - you need to know a lot of things! 8

Knowledge • Professional knowledge e. g software, methodologies • What projects have we got on and where are they at? • Whose working on them, what are their skills? • What’s coming up next? • Costs (and ideally success criteria/ROI) • Milestones, deadlines • Customer comments – good and bad • Timesheets, Bug lists, Wash-up meetings 9

Project initiation - Alarm bells! • Nobody’s project (or no one important) – you need a project sponsor • No long term budget (initial spend only 30% of total) • Multiple customers/stakeholders • People think it is only a technical project • The job has to fit a budget not the other way round • Multiple dependencies • Potential feature creep – “oh and it could do this” • No idea where this project fits with institutional goals or strategies • Have all this responsibility but not any authority 10

Requirements - what do you want? • System requirements – the BIG problem? • Users WILL change their minds (for sure, always, every time, without fail…) • They will never get everything • Mo. SCo. W • “Must Have” V “Should have”? • Do you still want the system if you do NOT get this feature? 11

You won’t get this… • “Out of scope”- List what you won’t do • Don’t assume anything – check and agree • Client contact may change – write it all down • You WILL miss something • Write it down for next time - keep standard text • Get someone to sign (CYA) 12

What the client has to do and when • Tell them what to do and when e. g. – – – – How many meetings? Arrange for staff (particularly senior) to be available? How long to review documents or designs? Buy licences? Sort-out domain names? Prepare content (major)? Convert data, etc? • Penalties for being late! • Customer is always right? – not necessarily! 13

Biggest Knowledge gap? How much and how long? • • • We’re all optimists - PMWT Resist giving ball-park figures for cost or time “I know this bloke wot wrote …” “Gutless estimating” (Brooks) Function-point analysis? Metrics Are you good at estimating – be honest! Get estimates from project staff (buy-in) Are your staff good at estimating – be honest! 14

We just don’t know! • • Most importantly - CYA Tell the customer (more than once) Try to better define requirements Get paid for an analysis and specification phase? • DSDM? – – Fix dates and budget but be flexible on functionality Prototype Time box Cooperate – client as team member 15

Planning (1) • • Define scope before planning Emperor’s clothes? Public plan and real plan? Gantt chart, Excel, Word? Plan and then throw it away? Effort V Elapsed – 3 day week? Specific points in the year – guide not determine e. g. – Start of the academic year – “It will be over by Christmas” 16

Planning (2) - What to include • Analysis • Specification (iterations? ) • User interface design (iterations? ) • Development phases • Testing (and fixes!) • Content preparation • Documentation • • • Holidays? Server set-up? Document review? User acceptance? Project management? • Admin? • Meetings? • Milestones 17

Planning (3) • Project Risk log – What’s the worse that could happen? • What risks do you make public? (CYA) • Will the customer overrun – do you risk it? • Communication plan 18

Communication (1) • Communication plan – Audience. Who should receive the communication? – Reason. Why you are communicating with them. Why are they a key stakeholder. – Event. The communication, be it a weekly report, or a presentation, or seminar – Responsible. Who is responsible for preparing and scheduling the piece of communication. – Medium. The way in which it will be delivered. – Timing. How often it will be presented. – Content. What it will contain. This should address the reason the audience will be interested in the project. 19

Communication (2) “Communication is not saying something; it is being heard [and understood]” • People hear what they want to hear; it suit their needs • Write things down (CYA) 20

We’d just like to change… • Change is inevitable, accept it (but not too readily! • It never pays to be helpful! • Communicate & CYA – – – Who is asking for it? Get exact details Impacts and risk Write it all down Get authorisation 21

Doesn’t time fly!! • How does a project go late – one day at a time • Why? – – – Hidden requirements Changing requirements (poorly managed) Under-estimation Technology Illness, staff leaving • When development is 90% complete the project is only two-thirds done. 22

POF? • Out of control, getting worse, redeemable but only if you act now. • Communicate - tell the customer – talk to them (even if there is nothing much to say) • Don’t throw resources at it! • Cut functionality rather than extend deadlines • If you do extend deadlines then make it realistic (only do it once) 23

Technology • Often the least important factor but… • Never use new technology on a time/business critical project • NEVER use new technology on a time/business critical project • Buy V Build – it depends…. • Don’t lock-in content 24

When its “finished” • Only finished when no one is using it anymore • Wash-up – how was it for you? Good bits as well as bad • Maintenance – 20% of initial budget? – Initial cost only 30% of lifetime cost • Don’t rely on one person – spread the knowledge 25

Measuring the outcomes ROI • Number of users • Increased sales • Intangibles – image, lack of legal action, etc • Site usage stats – misleading • People forget the past – point to achievements 26

The project team (1) • You need a mix – From gurus/high-flyer through to plodders • Assign responsibilities – try to avoid single expert – Assign the Cardboard cut-out developer? – Office Whiteboard of who’s doing what • Keep people involved and informed • Belbin team roles http: //www. belbin. com/ 27

Project team (2) - Belbin team roles • • • Plant Coordinator Monitor/Evaluator Implementer Complete Finisher • Resource Investigator • Shaper • Team Worker • Specialist 28

Pitfalls • Governance at the expense of leadership? • Becoming defensive • “It’ll never work” - focus on the negatives • Lose enthusiasm • Not prepared to take risks 29

Do I practice what I preach? • • • No I still under-estimate I often regret not writing things down I don’t say “no” enough I still sometimes let keen developers use new technology • …and always regret it! 30

PM buzzword bingo • • SSADM DSDM XP RAD UML UCD ROI The useful ones? • CYA • POF • Mo. SCo. W • PMWT • 3 C’s 31

QUESTIONS? Peter. walker@bristol. ac. uk http: //www. ilrt. bristol. ac. uk 32