Dwight Fischer, Assistant Vice President and CIO, Dalhousie University
Project management provides campus technology departments with a framework to implement and infuse new technologies. It's a disciplined approach to managing the process and containing costs of what can be multi-year, expensive (short- and long-term) technology initiatives. Project management is also a strategic method for managing and leveraging organizational change. Campus technology professionals should take stock; those who can run a project from inception to completion are worth their weight in gold.
Let's start with a definition: a project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service.
It implies:
· a defined objective and/or deliverable
· a specific timeframe
· a budget
· unique specifications
· work across organizational boundaries
Good projects start with a charter -or scope document- that aligns executives and decision-makers with the core business and academic drivers for new technologies. Charters should be tied to organizational strategy and outline assumptions, costs, people needed, business practices impacted and key decisions that need to be made. Think of a project charter as a who-what-where-why-when...and how much?
A good project charter will (and should!) spur debate and meaningful dialogue before the project is approved. If it doesn't, it hasn't gone deep enough into the salient issues. Also, a charter should be a living document. Assumptions around costs, change management and staffing may need to be revisited as the project uncovers new information.
Not everyone appreciates project charters. They force decisions around challenging organizational issues and priorities, particularly for executives. There is a tendency for many to see only the shiny tip of the iceberg; project charters look underneath the surface at inconvenient realities and costs. Charters may present projects as underestimated and, sometimes, unfeasible.
There are several other key components of projects:
· Work breakdown structures: definition and delineation of all the major categories of work.
· Project schedule: Once the work is defined, the key tasks are injected into a schedule around which a realistic timeframe is derived.
· Project budget: an outline of initial costs, long-term costs for people, software, hardware, training, events and documentation.
· Communication plan: keeping stakeholders and project participants informed (bi-directional).
· Team structure: engaging the people whose skills, experience and aptitude are best suited to the job.
Project management is also a framework for managing organizational change. New technologies require changes in business processes and work habits. New behaviors must be learned and adopted, often at the expense of old behaviors. This is probably the greatest challenge for most technology projects in the higher ed culture. Due to the highly decentralized culture, managing change is difficult. Most leaders would prefer to avoid it and 'just get the system up and running.'
Good projects require a responsive and centralized decision-making structure. Again, this is contrary to the higher ed culture that values broad input, debate and consensus. These values should not be dismissed, yet expedited decision-making for projects is required.
First, identify the decisions required, by whom and when. With large projects that involve major investments of funds and human resources, the decisions belong at the executive level.
Second, allow for broad input, but place them in the timeframe of the project. If you are driven by a project schedule, allow for broader participation in defined times. Conduct open information sessions. Engage people online. But, no matter what, give them deadlines for input. Remember, this is not business as usual. Projects that do not address this will often end up going over budget or schedule. Or worse, they could fail.
Managing change is an integral part of project management. You can plan for it. Or stumble through it. But there is no avoiding it.
Finally, the selection of a project manager is key. Not everyone is cut out for it. It requires someone who is organized. They need a desire to lead and be comfortable with ambiguity and long hours. A thick skin and positive attitude help. Mostly, they demonstrate a blend of hard and soft skills.
Effective project managers gain organizational cache. They may not be experts in all the areas of project management, but they are able to surround themselves with people of complementary skills. Then, with teams, they're the ones who get things done.
If your organization is struggling with poorly led and waylaid IT initiatives, an infusion of project management is needed. Learn it, live by it and assign projects to the most capable individuals.