Project Management for Technical Communication Professionals

Project Management and the Technical Communicator STC-Indiana December 18, 2006

Rant Alert! IMO Technical Communications is not really about Semi-invisible activities Software tools Content TC should be mostly about Applying the tools to communicate and manage content as useful business knowledge Using visible KM activities to apply that business knowledge for business results Technical Communications is a tool – a means to a business end – not an end unto itself! STC hasn’t sold this to business management…

A “Hard Sell” of Our Value I think: Business already recognizes Project Management TechComm can “ride” PM to visibility and success etc... Business Continuity Projects New Product or Service Development Technical Communications Project Management Regulatory Compliance Projects Customer / Quality Projects C-Level Management

Lessons from Failed Projects Projects may fail outright due to Incomplete Planning Poor Execution … or may be perceived as having failed Poor quality of the project’s product (“better”) Exceeding time (“faster”) Exceeding cost estimates (“cheaper”) Poor management of stakeholder expectations PMBOK Guide says: pay serious attention to: Project Charter and Scope Statement (documents!) Stakeholder management (communication!) TC’ors can improve project success, if We can talk the PM talk We can walk the talk (or at least support it)

Purposes Tonight Provide overview of formal PM techniques, enabling technical communicators to: Apply these techniques to your own projects Suggest some specific ways for TC’ors: Value you can add to projects (to help “talk your way” onto project teams Work effectively with other team members

Part 1: Understanding Formal Project Management Techniques Goals: Learn techniques applicable to your own projects Enable you to communicate effectively with project teams

Project Management Institute Guiding Documents: “ PMBOK Guide”® Is ANSI Standard for project management Provides generic PM techniques for all project types/sizes “ Practice Standards” for PM-related activities Professional PM Certification – PMP® 4500+ hours of experience in project leadership role Passing four-hour exam with 82% score or better Continuing education requirements (PDUs) Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards Organizational ProjMgt Maturity Model – OPM3® 5 Chapters in Indiana, including “Central IN” (Indy)

PMI Definitions Project “ A temporary endeavor, undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result” Ex: building new Walgreen’s on the corner Portfolio Collection of projects grouped together to facilitate effective management Ex: building 3 new Walgreen’s in FW at same time Ex: Business Continuity (FRP, RRP, WRP, DRP, etc.) Program ~Centralized management of related work outside of discrete projects (implies an on-going effort) Ex: customer satisfaction program Ex: QMS registration program (e.g., ISO-9000)

“ Project” vs. “ Product of Project” Project (a cloud) creates product (a tangible) 1. Activities related to managing project – are somewhat independent of the product Bringing team members onto project, training them, and releasing them when their work is done Identifying and resolving issues Monitoring project schedule and budget Communicating project results and information 2. Activities related to creating the product – this project’s unique deliverable or results Estimating RTO and RPO of a business process Determining the MARC of the business process Establishing “business recovery box”

Knowledge Areas Consider all 9 of these for every project, including TechComm projects Integration Management Ensure all pieces “fit together” without gaps / overlaps Ensure that changes in one component cause proper review and/or adjustment in all others Scope Management Define project’s “target” Define what work is required and what’s not Control proposed changes in project scope Obtain stakeholder approval for scope (and changes) Time Management Create project work schedule

Knowledge Areas Consider all 9 of these for every project, including TechComm projects Cost Management Create project budget (time-phased spending plan) Quality Management Identify relevant quality standards Ensure quality of project activities Ensure quality of project deliverables Human Resources Management Acquire appropriate resources at correct time Define, develop, and provide orientation and training Release resources when their work is completed

Knowledge Areas Consider all 9 of these for every project, including TechComm projects Communications Management Identify stakeholder information needs Provide status reports and info when/how needed Risk Management Identify risks to project success Develop risk mitigation and monitoring plan Procurement Management Plan purchases Qualify sellers and products/services Conduct bidding, negotiation, etc. Administer contracts

ITTO Model Helpful to document Inputs, Tools&Techniques, and Outputs (ITTO) of each process or task I nput(s) T ools & T echniques O utput(s) Activity Outputs of one process often become Inputs to others

Process Groups Formalizing Process Groups for a project: Provides high-level project perspective Identifies major Inputs and Outputs of each Offers go/no-go decision gate Phases in project life-cycle 2 processes Closing 5 7 processes Monitoring and Controlling 4 7 processes Executing 3 26 processes Planning 2 2 processes Initiating 1

1. Initiating Processes Define and authorize the project Inputs: Business “trigger” – legislation, BOD resolution, feasibility study, customer contract, SOW, etc.) Tools & Techniques: Organizational resources (PMO, PM “culture”, etc.) Project Management Information System (PMIS) Glossary [hellooo, opportunity calling…!] Expert opinion / assistance Outputs: Project Charter Preliminary Scope Statement If your company does a lot of projects, you could offer to create some templates for these documents [hellooo again…!]

1A: Project Charter Three purposes: Formally establish project’s existence Officially authorize start of project activities – spend time and $$$ Provide common understanding of purpose (resolves “disputes”) Identifies: Why– business driver, need, opportunity, or justification What– chief result or deliverable, and its customer(s) When– project time-line (usually shown as milestone chart) How much– cost estimate Who– project leadership Sponsor – provides resources Champion – acts as executive “cheerleader” Project Manager – directs activities and controls resources How– Assumptions and Constraints [documentation calling…] Should include signatures of: Sponsor, Project Manager, and chief Customer

1B: Preliminary Scope Statement Should include: Description of result / deliverable(s) Activities needed to produce result / deliverable Entities involved in performing project (internal & external) Known project boundaries – results, activities, resources, etc. that are specifically out-of-bounds Risks that may affect success of project Stakeholder matters: List of stakeholders and their roles – active participants, non-participants who are affected, interested observers, etc. Expectations, stated and unstated! Issues and concerns Acceptance criteria

2. Planning Processes I separate planning into: A. Administrative Planning Creates a plan to control project (“forest”) B. Execution Planning Creates a plan to produce result/product (“trees”) These different planning types usually performed by different team members or sub-teams …

2A. Administrative Planning Creates plan that controls project Inputs: Project Charter Preliminary Scope Statement Tools & Techniques: Organizational resources (PMO, PP&Ps, culture, etc.) Project Management Information System (PMIS) Glossary Expert opinion / assistance Outputs: Project Management Plan – how each of the 9 Knowledge Areas will be managed

Project Management Plan Covers Knowledge Areas Scope Management: How actual project scope will be monitored for “creep” and shrinkage How proposed changes in scope will be submitted, approved, controlled, and communicated Time Management: How begin- and end-dates will be monitored How task durations will be monitored How schedule tracking will be performed Cost Management: How costs variances will be monitored How budget tracking will be monitored How contingency/reserve funds will be administered

Project Management Plan Quality Management: Identify regulations, standards, and guidelines Define/clarify acceptance criteria How Quality Assurance (QA) will be provided How Quality Control (QC) will be performed How Corrective & Preventative Actions will be handled Human Resources Management: How appropriately skilled individuals, groups, or organizations will be identified How team members will be brought onto the team How members will be oriented, trained, and qualified? How work performance will be measured / monitored How members will be released when their work is completed, or when it is unsatisfactory

Project Management Plan Communication Management: Identify content required/requested by stakeholder Identify timing of delivery (daily, monthly, as-needed) Identify format and media preferences Risk Management: How project risks will be identified How risks are analyzed How risks will be mitigated What risk measures and triggers will be used, and how they will be monitored

Project Management Plan Procurement Management: What regulations, standards, and/or guidelines are relevant How specifications for goods and services will be developed How sellers will be qualified/approved How product/service sourcing will be decided – RFI/RFQ, price comparison, value analysis, etc. How contracts will be administered PM Plan tells how we’ll run the project

2B. Execution Planning Creates work-plan that produces product Inputs: Project Charter Preliminary Scope Statement Project Management Plan Tools & Techniques: Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Expert opinion / assistance Project Management Information System (PMIS) Glossary Outputs: Project Schedule Resource Plan Project Budget

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Can be presented graphically… Create a Manual 1 Define 2 Design 3 Develop 4 Deliver 1.1 Audience 1.2 Purpose 2.1 Scope 2.2 Structure 2.3 Level of Detail 3.1 Write 3.2 Add Graphics 3.3 Index 3.4 Edit 4.1 Copy 4.2 Post 4.3 DMS

WBS … or as a numbered outline: Creating a Manual 1 Define 2 Design 2.1 Design Scope 2.2 Design Structure 2.2.1 Front Matter 2.2.2 Main Body 2.2.3 Back Matter 2.3 Level of Detail 3 Develop 4 Deliver MS-Project uses this scheme

Applied to Processes w/ ITTO 4 Project Cost Management 4.1 Cost Estimating 4.1.1 Inputs 4.1.1.1 Work Breakdown Structure 4.1.1.2 Project Management Plan 4.1.2 Tools & Techniques 4.1.2.1 Estimating Techniques (analogous, etc.) 4.1.2.2 Vendor Bid Analysis 4.1.3 Outputs 4.1.3.1 Activity Cost Estimates 4.1.3.2 Supporting Detail [hellooo…!] 4.2 Cost Budgeting 4.2.1 Inputs 4.2.2 Tools & Techniques 4.2.3 Outputs

3. Executing Processes Do work needed to produce result/deliverable Inputs: Project Work Plan Project Management Plan Tools & Techniques: Project Management Information System (PMIS) “ People skills” Outputs: Product, service, or results (e.g. a deliverable) Work performance reports and information

4. Controlling Processes Monitor performance, and compare it to plan Inputs: Product, service, or results (e.g. a deliverable) Work performance reports and information Tools & Techniques: Risk triggers Project Management Information System (PMIS) Issues tracking system Outputs: Raised issues/concerns/problems Corrective or preventative actions Requested changes in scope, schedule, quality, etc.

5. Closing Processes Formally end the project Inputs: Product, service, or results (e.g. a deliverable) Work performance reports and information Invoices and receipts Tools & Techniques: Project Management Information System (PMIS) Expert opinion / assistance Outputs: Released resources Project records, including “lessons learned” [hellooo!] Contract close-outs and settlements

PMBOK Guide ANSI Standard for projects of all kinds/sizes That includes TechComm initiatives… Can be applied in total or in part, formally or informally, in general or in detail – whatever is practical Techniques work for big team and team-of-1 Knowledge Areas remind you of things to consider when quoting time and cost Process Groups can serve as milestones in time-line, and may assist in schedule estimation WBS helps identify work and the resources needed to perform it, assisting in cost estimation ITTO Model clarifies what you need, what you do, and what you produce for each phase, activity, or task Outputs can serve as sign-off documents

Part 2: Adding Value to Project Teams Goal: Persuade Management to let you out of writer/editor box Enable you to work effectively on project teams

TechComm Opportunities Projects often fail due to Poor documentation of specifications Poor communication of project information Poor creation and management of project records PMBOK Guide has 117+ Inputs & Outputs! Many are project “working documents” such as forms, records, lists, reports, charts, communications, etc. Not usually done by TC professional = ?usability “ FallWorld 2004” Largest conference of Business Continuity industry in world 2000 attendees, speakers, exhibitors No person with ProjMgt certification No person who described him/herself as a TC’or No company with TC’or on BC project team – but everyone said it was great idea!

A. Represent The Organization Goal: Help safeguard business interests Correlate project to organization Mission and Goals Facilitate integration of project with other programs, such as Sarbanes or ISO-9000 Correlate project results/deliverables to existing policies, processes, and procedures Help define and facilitate information exchange between project team and the organization Maintain “outside editor” perspective – watch “forest” while team works on “trees”, especially scope creep Help identify project risks and critical success factors Add project vocabulary to company Glossary Define, design, develop, and deliver training Grow and manage template library

B. Represent The Project Goal: Support project team and its success Facilitate development of important documents, such as Charter, Scope Statement, Project Mgt. Plan Identify risks, and help mitigate and monitor them Clarify tasks, milestones, and deliverables Handle Change Management Maintain Issues Log and help resolve items Assist information communication within team Capture and record work performance information Update Project Management Info. System (PMIS) Create/capture project records, including “lessons learned”, and make sure they get updated into KMS

C. “Suggest” Changes ASAP Initiation T i m e & C o s t Execution Planning Closure

PMI Resources Project Management Institute (international) www.pmi.org Indiana Chapters: Central – www.pmicic.org Michiana – www.?????.org Northeast – www.pmi-neic.org Northwest – www.pmi-calumet.org Southwest – www.pmiswic.org

Questions = Greg McCormick , PMP Cedar Canyon Consulting [email_address]

Project Management for Technical Communication Professionals

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