360-degree project management

Michael J. Leser, Assistant Vice President, CIGNA Corporation

Introduction

60% challenged! 30% cancelled! 33% failed to deliver expected shareholder value! Statistics everywhere grimly proclaim continuing downward trends in project success rates. The latest report from Standish Group, whose 1995 Chaos Report spotlighted this issue, shows 84% of projects today continue to be delivered late and over budget. That means the remaining 16% were delivered on time, within budget, and meeting scope; yet a large percentage of those projects failed anyway. Even fulfilling PMI's three critical success factors does not ensure a project's success!

Perhaps it is our definition of success that is at fault. If a project is delivered on time, within budget, and meeting scope, yet it fails to deliver expected benefits, negatively impacts operations, or overwhelms the workforce, is it successful? The answer, a resounding “no,” has startling implications.

The Program Management Institute's Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) defines project scope to include all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project. However, the Project Scope Management knowledge area fails to help us understand the criticality of proper scope definition. We contend that the first step in the scope planning process should be to understand the Driving Need that brought the project to life in the first place. Lacking this understanding, project managers simply cannot know all of what has to be done. If our definition of a project's success is ill conceived, how can we possibly define scope? In turn, how can we control it?

360-Degree Project Management is a full-viewed approach to defining the scope for solutions that are not only successful, but which also deliver expected results. Taking in the landscape through the lenses of Driving Need, we gain a panoramic understanding of what will make our projects truly successful --- and why. Armed with this information, we can plan more realistically, derive more accurate estimates, and achieve greater control over related risks.

This white paper explores the use of 360-Degree Project Management for accurately defining the project scope --- the most critical project management step of all.

The Problem

After a combined 40 years of leading and consulting on development projects, IT capability and process improvement programs, we have diagnosed a form of management myopia to be at the root of most project failures.

Over and over, we've seen solutions that didn't meet business need and users rejecting systems that should have awed them. Convinced that the answers were in our methods, we commenced a never-ending search for the “right” project management and solution development methodologies. There were (and are) hundreds, but few (if any) rectify “the problem.”

Despite their best intentions, we believe project managers have been conditioned to view the world with blinders on. Some do so in self-defence, responding to limited project sponsorship and spans of control. Others just do so because their mentors did. As a result, we often overlook critical factors influencing our project's success when defining and controlling scope. Some of us have even developed permanent blind spots.

Understanding the 360-Degree Approach

The PMBOK® defines project as “a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product or service… the purpose of a project is to attain the objective and close the project.” If the stated “objective” does not clearly reflect the Driving Need --- the real reason the project exists --- scope cannot be properly defined, and the project will be unsuccessful. To help us remember this fundamental concept, we developed a tool called the Scoping Compasssm.

Designed to guide Project Managers through a network of thought processes, the Scoping Compasssm (Exhibit 1) opens our eyes to frequently invisible aspects surrounding the projects we have been asked to plan. When defining project scope, it helps us to see beyond our own point-of-view --- to see the full 360 degrees of the project landscape. Armed with this insight, we can steer the project in the right direction, reorient ourselves when we stray from course, and readjust our sights when we lose focus.

The Scoping Compasssm is based on four major Domains that cover the entire project landscape:

The Scoping Compasssm

Exhibit 1: The Scoping Compasssm

Staff or Enterprise - this is the “Supply” Domain, our workforce or available resources

Client or Market - the “Demand” Domain defines why we're in business

Operations - the “How” Domain defines the way we do it

Process - the “What” Domain defines the activities keeping us in business

Enablement - the plan for change in any Domain

Like a compass on a ship, the Scoping Compasssm helps to ensure a successful project by facilitating our way through the scope planning process by helping you to:

  1. 1.   Determine Your Destination: Understanding what you are really trying to accomplish is key to figuring out how you're going to get there.
  2. 2.   Survey the Landscape: Adopting a 360-Degree Project Management stance when defining scope helps us to recognise everything that should be done if we are to be successful.
  3. 3.   Chart the Course: Planning a successful project means deliberately deciding what is in and out of scope, understanding the implications, and planning for them accordingly.

While the Scoping Compasssm is invaluable for planning a project's journey, it can't think for itself; it only works in conjunction with the human brain. Project Managers must know (or find) the answers to the questions it raises, understand the implications, and take responsibility for consciously determining what we need to pay attention to.

1. Determine Your Destination: Driving Need vs. Objectives

As described in the PMBOK®, project scope includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully --- the operative word, being “successfully.” Just what do we mean when we use that word?

Imagine the last time you had to find (or build) a new place to live and that doing so was a project. It began when you realised you needed a new place, and it ended when you were moved in and enjoying (or hating) your new home. Was the project successful? If so, what about it makes you think so. If not, what about it makes you think it wasn't? Whatever your response, there's no doubt your answer reflects how well you understood the Driving Need behind your project to begin with.

Understanding Driving Need is the first step in establishing project scope. If your answer to the prior question was “yes, the project was successful,” chances are the home you ended up with met your Driving Need, e.g. living in a place that offers you comfort. If your answer was “no, it was a disappointment,” the home you were stuck with most likely failed to meet your Driving Need, although it might have met its objectives, e.g. coming up with a new place to live and obtaining a mortgage to buy or build it. A project is successful only if it satisfies the Driving Need.

Crafting a successful solution requires understanding what the project is trying to accomplish. Seemingly obvious, this truth is easy to forget. Too often we are fooled into thinking that a project's deliverable is its purpose; we forget that the deliverable is actually a means to an end, not an end in itself. Regardless of size or complexity, a project is only justified if it meets the Driving Need, and if what it will cost does not exceed the benefits of fulfilling that need.

Although a single project may address multiple needs, there is usually only one Driving Need or “Anchor Point” behind any project. The four Domains of the Scoping Compasssm help us to think about the questions whose answers will reveal the Driving Need behind any project. If you correctly identify the Driving Need, you can adopt the appropriate perspective for assessing project scope and keeping the project on track.

2. Survey the Landscape: Anchor Point vs. Point-of-View

If we were to ask 360 people to tell us what they think we need to know in order to solve a problem, they would respond with answers that reflect their personal life experiences, their current sense of what's important, and how they see the world. Consequently, no two answers would be the same. While each might provide us with relevant information, no one answer would provide all we need to know. What we would have are 360 individual points-of-view based on each individual's vantage point. What we would need to solve the problem effectively is an integrated vision of what needs to be done --- derived from considering all 360 points-of-view from the perspective of Driving Need.

With so many points-of-view to consider, how do we know which to pay attention to? The Scoping Compasssm uses the Driving Need as the anchor point to help us differentiate between relevant and irrelevant vantage points:

•    First, identify the Domain reflecting Driving Need, and establish it as your anchor point.

•    Second, ask, “What would need to be true in the anchored Domain for us to know the project has met Driving Need?” Your answer may be simple or complex, but it must be measurable and observable, as it will be used to assess project success.

•    Third, ask, “What would need to be true of each of the remaining Domains in order to achieve targeted results in the anchored Domain?”

The Domain you are anchored in and any Domain for which you have determined a need are relevant to the project. Once you've identified relevant Domains, use The Scoping Compasssm to select relevant “Domain Shapers” --- areas of focus through which you might achieve desired impact.

As illustrated in Exhibit 2, there are two Domain Shapers for each of the four Scoping Domains. For instance, if your Driving Need is to expand your target market (therefore anchored in the Client Domain), then two things you absolutely must consider changing are “image” and “offerings.” If you identified Process as another relevant Domain, because processes must be developed or modified to handle an expanded market, then you must also consider “applications” and “policies & procedures.”

Domain Shapers

Exhibit 2: Domain Shapers

The Domain Shapers related to each of the four possible anchor points are described below:

Anchor to the Staff Domain of the Compass

To in some way alter workforce or available human resources, focus on the following:

•    Skills & Knowledge: We can change the competency levels of our employees. In order to understand how big the change will be, we will need to assess existing skills & knowledge and to determine the gap between where we are and where we need to be.

•    Culture: We can change our employees' values, beliefs, or attitudes. In order to understand how big the change will be, we will need to assess existing culture and to determine the gap between where we are and where we need to be.

Anchor to the Client Domain of the Compass

To in some way alter why we are in business ---- or whom we serve, focus on the following:

•    Offerings: We can change our product or service lines. In order to understand how big the change will be, we will need to assess existing offerings and to determine the gap between where we are and where we need to be.

•    Image: We can change how we are perceived in the marketplace. In order to understand how big the change will be, we will need to assess existing image and to determine the gap between where we are and where we need to be.

Anchor to the Operations Domain of the Compass

To in some way alter how things are done, focus on the following:

•    Technology Infrastructure: We can change hardware, systems software, or computerised workstations. In order to understand how big the change will be, we will need to assess existing technology infrastructure and to determine the gap between where we are and where we need to be.

•    Facilities: We can change where employees work and their physical working environment. In order to understand how big the change will be, we will need to assess existing facilities and to determine the gap between where we are and where we need to be.

Anchor to the Process Domain of the Compass

To in some way alter what things are done, focus on the following:

•    Applications: We can acquire new or modify existing application software. In order to understand how big the change will be, we will need to assess existing applications and off-the-shelf packages in order to determine the gap between where we are and where we need to be.

•    Policies and Procedures: We can change the rules that govern what we do. In order to understand how big the change will be, we will need to assess existing policies and procedures and to determine the gap between where we are and where we need to be.

3. Chart the Course: Ideal vs. Practical

Ideally, we should plan to address all circumstances that may impact a project's ability to meet Driving Need. However, we cannot assume that all things are equal and that we must do everything. Some desired characteristics might not be as important as others. Others, although important, may be slowly phased in without significant consequence. Finally, we simply may not have the resources needed to address a particular characteristic. Although we may start with an ideal strategy for meeting Driving Need, we must be practical and consider our limited time and resources.

Regardless of our strategy, we must always strive to keep Domain Shapers in balance. We must make an educated guess about the consequences of omitting or short-changing any in-scope activity, and plan to compensate for the imbalance through special tactics and conscientious risk management. Just as the 3 legs of the triple constraint triangle (scope, cost and quality) must be kept in balance, any change to one of the Domain Shapers must be compensated by another change in one or more of the other relevant shapers.

For example, if we identified Staff and Process as our 2 relevant domains, our domain shapers would include: Skills & Knowledge, Culture, Applications and Policies & Procedures. If we discover that the staff we have lacks the skills and knowledge needed for a successful project, we could make up for it by ensuring a culture that motivates employees to overcome such deficiencies, and providing a more robust application solution. (See Exhibit 4.)

Keeping Shapers in Balance

Exhibit 4: Keeping Shapers in Balance

Critical Success Factors

The 360-Degree Project Management approach is a way of looking at and thinking about project scope. The Scoping Compasssm is a tool for guiding project managers through the related network of thought processes. In the end, however, it's the project manager who must have the thoughts, ask the questions, gather the information, and decide (or recommend) project scope. To meet the challenge, project managers must pay heed to the following critical success factors:

•    All decisions and judgement calls should be made from the perspective of Driving Need. Remember to stay anchored in the corresponding Domain when exploring initial project scope.

•    Once a baseline scope is approved, be sure to return to the Anchor Point whenever faced with a change in scope.

•    When considering a change in scope, be sure to assess the consequences from a 360-degree perspective.

•    When exploring scoping alternatives, remember to keep relevant Domain Shapers in balance for relevant Domains.

Conclusion

Most of us acquire a defensive posture around the “s” word. We “confirm scope,” “manage change in scope,” and avoid “scope creep” at all costs. What we fail to do is master how scope is defined in the first place. We continually miss the forest as we focus on the trees, unwittingly allowing ourselves to be led astray by nearsightedness and an incomplete scope definition.

Projects are failing around the world at an alarming rate. Struggling to survive in a competitive market and troubled economy, organisations can no longer afford to write off the results. It is time for project managers to take up a new set of lenses; ones that allow us to re-focus on need while viewing the entire landscape as we define and adjust project scope.

We must adopt 360-Degree Project Management as our stance or continue to face the consequences.

©2003 Beth S. Lapp & Michael J. Leser

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