Project Momentum

I guess most of you who have been following the previous posts have been wondering when we are going to get down and dirty with some data migration action... Well, not just yet I'm afraid. Is this not a blog dedicated to managing data migration? I hear you ask...

True, true, however the reason we are lacking in the data area is simple; it comes down to momentum. When dealing with a large scale project like ours, never under-estimate its power.

So far in our project, we have been trying desperately to follow sound PRINCE2 project management practices but unfortunately our organization does things its own way (often, it would seem, in spite of any reasonable logic).

We entered the Starting Up A Project (SU) process a while ago and had we waited for everything we needed (according to PRINCE2) before moving on, we would still be sitting in the SU processes. The problem lies with our senior management structure and although I like to blame them (as much as possible in fact) the issues are understandable and, to be honest, expected.

In a previous post I explained our very new and widely dispersed management structure which is only just finding its feet. This has meant that although we have the go-ahead for the project, we are having difficulty getting anything else from them.

PRINCE2 tells us that all projects need a Project Board from which the project manager takes high level direction for the project. This is especially important for us as the project manager (aka yours truly) does not have the authority to do things like commit resources from the business, commit budget funds or set enterprise level priorities. Although we have hassled senior management to get their act together, they have to sort themselves out first (there's power structures to be built and reinforced don't you know...). At this stage we have a headless
project.

We made the mistake of waiting for senior management to catch up with our fast passed schedules and in process we have lost some project momentum. People in our organization got a taste when the project was first mentioned (dare I say, even a little excited!) but because we were not able to follow up on that initial interest, we lost some focus and attention.

However, all is not lost.

While trying to get through this stalled period, the Project Team have been madly working through the Initiating a Project Stage and many other areas (PRINCE2 purists will be horrified) taking into account what we know and making assumptions left, right and centre.

Basically we are not prepared to simply sit and wait. What we hope to do when management get their acts together, is to flood the organization with our massive wave of project planning. Before they realise it, they will be swept up in the project and we will have our momentum back!

Project Impact:

Project Planning - Positive
We have used the delay in managerial decision process to gain more planning time that may not have otherwise been available. Extra time is spent on solidifying our communication plans to ensure the momentum is regained.

Project Planning - Negative
As we are currently 'headless', our planning in some areas has been based on assumptions or tentative schedules. These may very well turn out to be invalid further down the track.

Project Management Software

Those who have ever attempted to set up an organization with any form of project management software will know that it's a minefield out there. So many options each with their own spin on the "must-have" features and functions needed to make running your project easier. The one thing I have found is that there is not any single product out there that will be all things to all people involved with your project.

In our case, the decision making process was all but made for us. Our organization had, at one stage or another, purchased MS Project Server but had never really implemented it. The IT unit were already using Sharepoint for a few internal team sites and I have been using MS Project for a while so there we have it. Many project managers will recoil in horror at the mention of MS Project Server but for what we needed, it should do quite nicely.

The other reason it suits is due to the maturity of our organization in the project area. We are at a time of reasonably large change and even the concept of project management software is new to some. I really wanted a collaboration platform for our workgroups and the MS Project Server solution gives us familiar interfaces and integration aspects that MS Office users seem to have an easier time adopting.

That being said, I would by no means say that it is the be all and end all in the area. I would encourage anyone in the market for project management software to thoroughly research and benckmark their options against things like:

• Is the software likely to be a time burden or a productivity tool?
• Is the organization or project team ready for the level of functionality available?
• What sort of reporting does your organization expect from the project and does the software easily deliver it?
• Does the size and complexity of the project warrant a dedicated project management software solution?
  

There are many, many factors to consider and a big one for us was not to make the implementation of project management software a project within a project. In the end, it was the small implementation and learning burden on the end users that sealed the deal for us.

Project Impact:

Project Team Organization
Should (and I repeat, should) see productivity gains in day to day management of tasks, activities, issues and risks. Given that our project is likely to raise a high number of issues the ability for all project team members to raise issues directly into the central repository is huge advantage.

Project Team Training
Additional time required to familiarise some subject matter experts and team members with the new software.

Staff Morale
By keeping a constant collaborative channel open, all team members are able to contribute at their own pace. Some staff may prefer to raise issues in a passive manner rather than in front of a group. It also construes the message that every team member's input is valueable.

Setting the Scene - Part 2 - New Management

With the merger of the organizations comes the integration of staff into a new structure. Our merger was constrained by employment guarantees so that no-one lost their jobs as part of the process.

The entire management structure of the four previous organizations was thrown into the air and where it all landed is where it stayed. In areas where there was competition for roles (e.g. Senior Management), new roles were created for those who needed positions.

Another constraint on the merger was that no staff member would be made to relocate to another site or office. Given the wide geographic dispersal of the original organizations, the new management structure faced challenges of distance and fragmentation. In some business units of the organization, the manager has been appointed from one of the original organizations where the team that they now run did not exist or have an equivalent. That manager now has to run the team from an office 30 miles away which does help the process.

Project Impact:

Staff Morale
Staff morale in some areas is low due to issue surrounding the new management structure - more effort will be required to encourage active participation in the changes the project will bring.

Communication Barriers
In some business units the psychical distance between staff has been turned into a communication barrier - a heavy focus needs to be placed on a formal Project Communication Plan to bridge the gaps

Management Ideologies
With an expansion of the management group (approx 50 managers) as a result of the merger, there are now great variations in management styles, personalities and agendas - the Project Manager needs to invest a large amount of time in a diplomatic capacity to negotiate agreements between units regarding business activities

Decision Making
The size and fragmentation of the management group adds time onto the decision making process - project time lines need to allow for this during planning

Setting the Scene - Part 1 - The Organization/s

Our project takes place in the local government arena where grassroots meets politial agenda. The organization as recently undergone a massive overhaul ordered and legislated by the state government. We used to be four separate but neighbouring entities, now we are one giant and widely dispersed organization.

Our previous organizations:

City of Atlantis (Administration centre - Atlantis City) - Main economic and population centre of the region but little available land for development. Surrounded on all sides by other counties.

New Coast County (Administration centre - Oceanview) - Smaller coastal population centres around 24 miles from Atlantis with enourmous amounts of available development land

Green Fields County (Administration centre - Westville) - Outlying rural area with townships and widely dispersed population

Red Mount County (Administration centre - Red Mount) - Smallest of all counties with little infrastructure

Our new organization has been named Atlantis Regional County by the state government and is centred in Atlantis City. It includes all area, infrastructure, population, assets and staff from the four previous areas.

The merger itself occured in the recent past and now it is time to make it all work properly for our residents (... because being a local government organization, getting it to all to work before the merger was far too much to ask...)

The scope and context of "Managing a Data Migration Project"

Welcome to the inaugural post...! Before we get into too much detail, I would like to explain our limitations in the blog.

This blog is "based on true events" so all events reported are real. Names, identities, titles and place names have been changed to hide the guilty and protect the Project Team.

Any resemblance to any person or organization (living or dead) is coincidental.

That being said, we aim to bring your the inside action on what is shaping up to be a slow paced behemoth of a project.

It is our intention to focus on the technology, project management and people aspects of getting this off the ground and hopefully provoke thought and discussion in like minded individuals.