Delivering The Future Into The Present:: Fulfilling Mission and Vision Through Portfolio Priorities and Project Execution
Delivering The Future Into The Present:: Fulfilling Mission and Vision Through Portfolio Priorities and Project Execution
Delivering The Future Into The Present:: Fulfilling Mission and Vision Through Portfolio Priorities and Project Execution
Table of Contents
IV. Execution
a. Challenges
i. Meeting the Original Business Case
1. Initial Specifications
2. Ongoing Governance
ii. Having the Skills Needed to Deliver
b. Execution Solutions
i. People
ii. Technology
iii. Governance
iv. Process
V. Change Process
i. Assess your current state
ii. Define your desired future state
iii. Build a business strategy
VI. Conclusion
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Delivering the Future into the Present | Preface: Organizational Layers
Preface:
Organizational Layers
Throughout the paper, we will be referring to three layers of Mission and Vision, with each layer having
its own major process groups, or nested methodology. In order to make clear which layer we are
referring to, we have broken them down into different levels.
There is a Mission and Vision that the organization as a whole is striving toward. This makes up Level
1, or the Organizational Layer.
The Organizational Vision gets executed through Project Portfolio Management (PPM), which is Level 2
or the Project Layer.
Finally, there is a methodology for improving how your organization changes. This is a project whose
objective is improving projects, or the Project-Project Layer. This meta-layer is Level 3.
The above graphic illustrates these different layers. Throughout the paper we will refer to the different
kinds of Vision and Execution as Level 1 (Organizational), Level 2 (Project or PPM), and Level 3
(Project-Project or Meta).
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Delivering the Future into the Present | Introduction: Initiatives Drive Your Mission & Obstacles for Delivering on the Mission
Introduction:
Initiatives Drive Your Mission
Every organization, then, needs a core PPM layer. Failures of execution is what most
competency in how to define what the “best” often keeps organizations from delivering on
projects are, and then they need to successfully what they set out to do. To use an example
execute projects in order to continually progress from the IT world, 68% of projects in that
toward the organization’s Vision for the future. industry fail. This means that an effective
system for delivering the project portfolio is
When projects are chosen that don’t enable the
often the differentiator for organizations that
Mission, then an organization is set down the
ultimately accomplish their Mission.
wrong road before the journey's even begun, or
when a slate is selected that allows for too much
risk, then the trip is setup for potential disaster.
Obstacles for Delivering the
Mission
At the base of the pyramid above is the execution
on the mission-critical initiatives themselves. This You can dive even deeper within the project
is where the gears of Levels 1 and 2 engage, going portfolio (Level 2) to find the predictable points
from the high-level Organizational view to the of pain in the organization. There are two
4
Delivering the Future into the Present | Strategy Challenges
gears that drive projects—Strategy and of “fluid requirements” that exist in almost
Execution—and they need to be fully engaged in every facet of business operations.
order to succeed. This paper will investigate the Organizations are accountable to dynamic
challenges for both Strategy and Execution on external stakeholders—new legislation,
both the Organizational and Project Layer (Levels changes in community needs, ever-evolving
1 and 2), providing solutions that will ensure technology, increased globalization—which
success for the initiatives and for the organization forces business to change their direction and
as a whole. priorities constantly, often in ways that are
difficult to track and quantify.
Within Strategy, we will cover: having a Mission,
Envisioning a Future State for the organization, This all means that legacy business cases from
assessing the Current State, and creating a tactical yester-year do not necessarily apply anymore,
plan to get from here to there. and even the business case that was made for
a project in the definition phase might not still
Within the tier of Execution, we will cover: People, apply by the time the project is executed.
Technology and Governance, and demonstrate These realities obviate the need for both a
how to engage Process with each of these to more intensive process for the original
ensure the rubber meets the road. business case and for a nimble, ongoing
governance of the projects in the portfolio.
Annual planning cycles face serious pressure to
Strategy Challenges:
make this process as fluid as the requirements
Evolve or Die in the marketplace.
The major contemporary challenge for With so many possible strategic scenarios, it's
organizational strategy is the need for constant difficult to maintain a coherent view of each
adaptability to change market conditions. strategic scenario and how they interface with
each other as well as the ever-changing
The global economic crisis of 2008 has effected a environment.
New Normal in the business world, characterized
by an intolerance for failure that doesn’t allow for These challenges are compounded by a
do-over opportunities in the a marketplace. reduced margin for error. There's more
Optimal realization of portfolio ROI was always a pressure than ever from external stakeholders
nice idea that a company could do to improve for maximal profitability, forcing organizations
their business processes, but now it’s a must in to redefine strategies often.
order to simply stay alive on a global stage.
5
Delivering the Future into the Present | Strategy Challenges & Solving the Strategy Challenges
6
Delivering the Future into the Present | Solving the Strategy Challenges & Execution
7
Delivering the Future into the Present | Execution Challenges
The most important element of a successful Because of this, a project can deliver on the
project is meeting the business case and original original specifications, but still not be aligned
projects are best to support the Organizational objectives evolve. It requires an airtight
Vision and Strategy. The initial output from the process to make sure that changes are
portfolio process (specifications) may have vague identified, acknowledge, and revised in a way
project. For example, a capital project might have expectations. There are often deficiencies
a requirement that merely says “Improve system somewhere in the following process:
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Delivering the Future into the Present | Execution Challenges
project management is, “Yes, we do charge for Even with the right people available, they can
estimates.” still underperform. Team building and
personal growth activities are often not taken
Another challenge for governance is properly seriously.
managing risk, especially in monitoring and
responding to project risks during execution. When the team atmosphere is not strong, it is
Executives have enough “real” problems to then susceptible to people problems. Rather
address that they often do not want to focus on than trying to solve these problems, many
problems that not only do not exist yet but might organizations immediately resort to
not ever actualize. It takes a well-oiled process to compromise-oriented solutions, which leaves
have the project manager dedicate the bandwidth all parties dissatisfied. After enough
to continually monitor the risks, have the compromises, it can chip at team morale. This
fortitude to report negative findings to the is exacerbated when project managers are
stakeholder, and for the stakeholder to know asked to make to keep the schedule and
when a significant change is needed, even pulling budget as originally defined and the team is
the plug on the project altogether when asked to take on the challenges of fitting an
necessary. Most organizations have difficulty with oversized reality into a under-sized budget and
at least one stage of that process, which often schedule.
leaves the benefits of risk management
unrealized. When things get truly bad, there is attrition
with necessary resources leaving the team that
Organizational self-awareness is a virtue that then need to be replaced, further delaying the
allows you to know what you can really expect project and costing the organization money.
when the roadmap is constructed. Organizational
Change should happen incrementally, happening Managing the Project Plan and
in feasible leaps. Below is a Maturity Model for
Schedule
incrementally improving an organization's
The above challenges have, as yet, hardly
enterprise management.
touched on the project and program managers'
main duties once the project is being executed.
Having the Skills Needed to Deliver The project manager should spend the
The next challenge is that many organizations duration of the project tracking variances and
simply do not have the horses in the stable to adjusting the plan and schedule accordingly.
execute their initiatives. This can come in the
form of not having enough people or not having The first difficulty in tracking project progress is
the appropriate skills; it can also come at the defining the appropriate level of detail and key
management level or at the practitioner level, and measurements (e.g. labor, cost, and schedule)
any combinations of those possibilities. Each of to enable effective measurement of progress.
these permutations will be redressed in the The more detailed and more frequent, the
Execution Solutions section. more able the project manager is to identify
9
Delivering the Future into the Present | Execution Challenges & Execution Solutions
and communicate the potential gaps between the project delay among any of the projects could
original expectations and the present reality; have a significant ripple effect that requires the
however, daily tracking is generally too granular teamwork of multiple managers to resolve.
to provide useful information on the larger The interrelatedness of different
picture of a project. One the common challenges projects—which share resources and
in this stage is the lack of time many Project deliverables—complicates things even further.
Managers have when managing multiple project
and multiple stages of execution. One of the keys Finally, as has already been referenced over
to this stage, then, is finding just the right level of and again, ongoing communication about
control that is responsive while being realistic and project progress with stakeholders is critical.
actionable. Project managers must communicate project
milestones and budget performance in real
Another common difficulty is tracking the critical time or else the project status is not credible,
path. Many organization do not require their the opportunity to control the project through
project manager to track it all, despite the critical effective communicating is lost. Organizations
information it offers. Many project managers also that do not require this communication dilute
have difficulty identifying and managing the the responsibility of the project manager by not
critical path. When a project manager does not know when and why projects have gone off
recognize where slack is in a project, they either track.
become inflexible with their schedule or they
make changes to the tasks that have an outgrown Execution Solutions
impact on the project as a whole.
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Delivering the Future into the Present | Execution Solutions
fully implemented, well-managed, and fully costs an organization’s time, dollars, morale,
adopted. They must be both adopted individually and efficiency. The impact of a poor hire is
and integrated together to enable each other for multiplied when it occurs at position as crucial
success. as project manager. It is important then to
place a priority on getting the best fit available,
People rather than giving into the urgency of
The largest portion of these dimension is the unrealistic schedule and budget expectations.
People. In the last section, we covered four In this case, haste truly makes waste.
permutations of challenges an organization can
have with regards to its people: a shortage of If there is a lack of skills among the
practitioners, a missing competency among the practitioners, then the solution is training,
practitioners, a shortage of leaders, and a lack of coaching, and mentoring in the specific
leadership skill. competency that needs development. If there
is a lack of skill among leadership, then the
The solution to a shortage of practitioners and solution can be more complex because the
leaders is the same: project staffing. Whether necessary skills of leaders do not always easily
that means finding help within the organization, coexist within an organizations politics. As the
hiring new people through your own Human old fable has it, being a good project manager
Resources department, or outsourcing the often means pointing out that the Emperor has
process altogether, the below graphic provides no clothes, which a savvy person who is
the process for how this is delivered conscientious of their job security might not be
willing to do if it means getting the guillotine.
11
Delivering the Future into the Present | Execution Solutions
Governance
Governance has two prongs of attacks:
a. Successful execution of the
projects themselves, and
b. Compliance to the overall
process for how projects should
be executed and delivered. In
other words, this the formal
process of Change
Management, or as we
described in the Strategy
Figure 8: Functional skills (bare minimum qualification for a section, how you “change the
project manager) versus Leadership Skills
way you change.”
The dimension of “People” goes beyond the literal There needs to be a well-defined set of KPIs for
humans running the ship. It refers to the entire ensuring alignment of results of execution
structure that allows them to be effective. So against the business cases that were defined at
organizational structure, organizational the portfolio level. You might meet the specs,
incentives, organizational framework, job but the results still needs to be held against the
descriptions, et al falls under People. business case—for example, if the market
changes. There needs to be a on ongoing
Technology execution governance body, such as a steering
In our Information Age efficiency and efficacy is committee, ensuring that the project is
often defined by the Technology an organization continuing to be held against the current
has adopted. Note the use of the term “adopted.” environment, updating risk assessments, and
It is not enough for an organization to own a so forth.
Technology, or even for it to be implemented.
What determines the efficacy of the solution is A well-articulated governance process does not
how fully it is adopted into the organization and automatically do the governing. The process of
integrated into its People and Process. effectively governing a project during execution
is also not a native competency for steering
It is impossible to speak of Technology in a committees. The governance process and the
general sense because needs are specific to an governing body must harmonize for proper
organization. What can be said for all governance to take place.
organizations is that the business and functional
requirements for a technology solution needs to Process
be synchronized with the time-phased Maturity We saved Process for last because the most
Model that was covered in the Strategy Solutions important part of Process isn't a solution unto
section. itself, but rather a wrapper around the other
solution areas.
12
Delivering the Future into the Present | Execution Solutions
The execution process relies on the side-by-side The deliverables of a project are conceived,
processes of lifecycle and project management, as designed, developed and tested through
shown below: project lifecycle management processes that
typically vary widely across many different
industries. These project lifecycles document
the processes that ultimately become the
project tasks that need to be performed to
complete the project with “high-quality” (i.e.,
“on specification”).
13
Delivering the Future into the Present | Execution Solutions & Analysis/Vision/Roadmap
strategy, which informs the Organizational Goals, The best practice for a custom gap analysis is
Vision, and Mission. built upon a three-phase initiative:
1. Assess the current state,
2. Define your desired future state, and
3. Build a business strategy (a plan for
change) that will bridge the gap
between the two.
14
Delivering the Future into the Present | Analysis/Vision/Roadmap
Let’s cover each of these steps individually: The answers you collect from this assessment
should provide a situational awareness of
1. Current State Assessment where the starting point. This provides crucial
The current state assessment is as much about context as the PPM Vision is determined.
evaluating the business environment as it is about Organizational self-awareness is a virtue that
examining your own organization. Given the allows you to know what you can really expect
conditions of the economic climate and goals of when the roadmap is constructed.
the Organizational Vision and Strategy, what types Organizational Change should happen
of organizations are going to survive? What incrementally, happening in feasible leaps.
qualities will be favored? Which of these essential Below is a Maturity Model for incrementally
qualities is your organization lacking? improving an organization's enterprise
management.
The Current State Analysis is primarily focused on
understanding the status of a list of relevant 2. Developing the Level 3 Vision
disciplines that comprise the practice of PPM: This process should resemble intelligent
a. Project Management Tools design. Now that you’ve researched the
b. Quality Assurance climate, know what resources are available,
c. Cost Management and are familiar with what types of
d. Scope Management organization are the fittest for the
e. Resource Capacity (Project / environment, you can move forward with an
Enterprise) end state in mind.
f. Schedule Management
g. Communications Management To continue with the biology analogy, this is
h. Risk & Issue Management where you decide whether you are best suited
i. Knowledge Management to have fur or not—or if conditions are so
j. Project / Portfolio Governance volatile that only those who use clothing will be
k. Professional Development able to keep up with the climate. What diet
l. Methodology Management ought you employ? Do you need to acquire
15
Delivering the Future into the Present | Analysis/Vision/Roadmaps & Conclusion and Additional Resources
largesse to become king of your domain, or is it c. Develop a “mini portfolio” initiatives, i.e.
more sustainable to be small and dependent on a the Roadmap. This describes the series
smaller access to resources? of changes that will be necessary to
deliver an optimized Level 2
The necessary traits for the organization are methodology.
determined through collaboration with PPM
experts combined with the organization-specific 3. Defining the Roadmap for
context, often represented by the portfolio
Optimal Future State for PPM
management team of the organization
Once you know where you are and where you
a. Review the current start of maturity,
would like to be, you need to decide how you
b. Define a feasible Level 3 Vision, an
will get there: you need to develop a plan for
organization should have a plan for
change.
change to get to each level of the maturity
a. Determine the initiatives that
process. If the current state is Level 1,
will be necessary to deliver the
then the future state should not be a
Project-Project Vision,
fully-adopted, highly rigorous resource
b. Define a “project charter” for
management capability. The below
each initiative,
graphics demonstrate a more attainable
c. Prioritize and Sequence the
approach to Organizational Change
initiative,
Management.
d. Provide governance oversight
of the “mini portfolio” to ensure
the Vision is delivered.
16
Delivering the Future into the Present | Conclusion
17
Delivering the Future into the Present | Additional Resources
Additional Resources
Project Assistants' own library of content contains a wealth of information on each one of the
deliverables for successful delivering initiatives:
18
Delivering the Future into the Present | Additional Resources
Additional Resources
• Technology
• Which Project Management Software Is Best for You
• Microsoft Project Online Webinar
• Revealing the Secrets of Project’s Scheduling Engine Webinar
• Leveraging the Value of Project Server Webinar
• Microsoft Project Training Guide
• Navigating Information in Microsoft Project Video Series
• Variance Analysis in Microsoft Project Video Series
• Microsoft Project Blog Series
• Governance
• Monitoring and Guiding Projects Webinar
• Achieving Organizational Harmony Webinar
• Process
• Project Execution Best Practices Webinar
• Agile Webinar
• Methodology Assembly and Distribution Tool
• Professional Services Best Practices Webinar
• Advice from 25 Top Project Managers (with Gus Cicala as contributing
author)
• Risk Management Blog
For any additional content, including PDF copies of any of our webinars, contact us via the Contact Form
at ProjectAssistants.com
19
Delivering the Future into the Present | Bibliography
Bibliography
Bryant, Adam. "The Challenge of Creating a Unified Organizational Strategy." The New
York Times, 11 July 2013. Web. 09 July 2016.
Oracle, and FSN. "The Challenge of Strategic Alignment: The Role of Scorecards and
Dashboards in Strategy Execution." Oracle, 2008. Web. 23 June 2016
Sharma, Rupen. "Crazy Project Management Problems in the Project Execution Phase."
Brighthub Project Management, 20 May 2011. Web. 03 Feb. 2016.
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