The Project Manager's Playbook by Bryan Barrow Wednesday 6th May 2015 Aberdeen

1. The Project Manager’s Playbook
Bryan Barrow CITP MAPM MBCS MPSA

2. time
cost
target
max
target max
LET’S LOOK AT OUR PROJECTS

3. time
cost
target max
target
max
THIS IS WHERE WE WANT TO BE

4. time
cost
target max
target
max
THIS IS SEEN AS ACCEPTABLE

5. time
cost
target max
target
max
WHAT WOULD YOU CALL THIS?

6. TODAY’S AGENDA
• The Challenges We Face
• A Bit About Me
• Why American Football?
• The Project Manager’s Play Book
• The Top Three Plays
• Over To You . . .

7. TODAY’S AGENDA
• The Challenges We Face
• A Bit About Me
• Why American Football?
• The Project Manager’s Play Book
• The Top Three Plays
• Over To You . . .

8. POOR INITIATION AND PLANNING
• xx
photo credit: Flickr via photopin cc

9. MEETINGS, BLOODY MEETINGS!
Photo credit: www.toronto.com

10. POOR PROJECT PUBLIC RELATIONS

11. TODAY’S AGENDA
• The Challenges We Face
• A Bit About Me
• Why American Football?
• The Project Manager’s Play Book
• The Top Three Plays
• Over To You . . .

12. I’M A CONSULTANT AND SPEAKER

13. BUT I STARTED OUT HERE

14. MY PROJECT MANAGEMENT JOURNEY
1981:
Started life
as an
apprentice
1984: My son
was born,
finished
Apprenticeship
1989: My first
project role
1992: My First
PM Role
1994: When I
decided to go
freelance

15. BUT I TOOK ANOTHER JOURNEY TOO

16. MY AMERICAN FOOTBALL JOURNEY
1982:
Channel 4
broadcasts
American
Football
1989: I first
play
American
Football
1992: I Join
the Swindon
Steelers
American
football club,
we win our
first game
1993: My
second
season with
the Swindon
Steelers, we
win our
second game
1994: My
final season
with the
Swindon
Steelers, we
have a
winning
season!

17. 1982:
Channel 4
broadcasts
American
Football
1989: I first
play
American
Football
1992: I Join the
Swindon
Steelers
American
football club,
we win our
first game
1993: My
second season
with the
Swindon
Steelers, we
win our second
game
1994: My final
season with
the Swindon
Steelers, we
have a
winning
season!
ONE JOURNEY LED TO THE OTHER
1981:
Started life
as an
apprentice
1984: My son
was born,
finished
Apprenticeship
1989: My
first project
role
1992: My
First PM Role
1994: When
I decided to
go freelance

18. TODAY’S AGENDA
• The Challenges We Face
• A Bit About Me
• Why American Football?
• The Project Manager’s Play Book
• The Top Three Plays
• Over To You . . .

19. THE OBJECTIVE IS TO GAIN TERRITORY
4 10 1st
Attempts Yards Down
ENDZONE
ENDZONE
1 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 5 0 4 0 3 0 2 0 1 0
102030405040302010

20. PROJECTS ARE NO DIFFERENT
Initiation
Feasibility
Definition
Development
Installation
Testing / Pilot
Rollout
Review & Close
End
Start

21. SUCCESS IS DOWN TO THE BASICS
“Some people
try to find
things in this
game that don’t
exist but
football is only
two things:
blocking and
tackling.”
Vince Lombardi
Head Coach of the
Green Bay Packers
1959 -1967

22. MY TOP 12 FOOTBALL LESSONS
1. Everyone knows the goal
2. One squad, three teams
3. The kick-off is vital
4. Players know their
assignments
5. No teamwork, no victory!
6. Unlimited substitutions

23. MY TOP 12 FOOTBALL LESSONS
7. Feedback in real time
8. Always watch the clock
9. Minimise fumbles and
turnovers
10.You will play hurt
11.Defenses win championships
12.No draws in football

24. MY MOST IMPORTANT LESSON
“I would rather play on
a losing team with a
bunch of winners than
on a winning team with
a bunch of losers.”
-- @bryanbarrow
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25. TODAY’S AGENDA
• The Challenges We Face
• A Bit About Me
• Why American Football?
• The Project Manager’s Play Book
• The Top Three Plays
• Over To You . . .

26. MY OFFENSIVE PLAYS
• Task Assignment, Coaching and
Mentoring
• Quality Assurance Reviews
• The Weekly Schedule Review
• The Budget Review
• The Top Ten Risk Log
• Stakeholder Communications

27. MY DEFENSIVE PLAYS
• Scope Statement
• Resource Management
• Dependency Tracking
• Contingency Planning
• Issue Management
• Change Management

28. MY SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYS
• Project Kick-off
• Stakeholder Analysis
• Project Scheduling
• Risk Identification
• End Stage Review
• Exception Management
• Lessons Learned Review

29. TODAY’S AGENDA
• The Challenges We Face
• A Bit About Me
• Why American Football?
• The Project Manager’s Play Book
• The Top Three Plays
• Over To You . . .

30. PLAY #1 – PROJECT KICK OFF
photo credit: acaben via photopin cc

31. PLAN PROJECTS USING INDEX CARDS

32. HERE’S THE WORKSHOP AGENDA
First Hour
Second Hour
Third Hour
Add Work
Products needed
to achieve Key
Milestones
Add
Governance
Review Points
Review the
results of
the
Workshop
Introduce
the
Workshop
Activity
Break
Review the
High Level
Plan
Welcome,
Agenda and
Icebreaker
Break
Goal of the
Workshop
Project
Vision
Review
Expectations
Divide the project into
Workstreams and
Agree Key Milestones
Add the
Timeline

33. HERE’S A WORKSHOP IN ACTION

34. THIS IS A KEY DECISION POINT
If the project is viable, proceed with:
• Project Scheduling
• Risk Identification
• Contingency planning
• Stakeholder Analysis
If the project is not viable:
• Terminate the project now

35. MOST PROJECTS ONLY HAVE ‘PLAN A’
“Most projects only
have a ‘Plan A’.
These projects are
never successful
because Plan A
never works.”
-- @bryanbarrow
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36. YOU NEED TO HAVE ‘PLAN B’ READY
“It’s better to have a
plan you don’t need
than need a plan you
don’t have.”
-- @bryanbarrow
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37. BRYAN SAYS . . .
“You can successfully
kick off even the most
challenging projects
but only if you have
the right process and
the right people.”
-- @bryanbarrow
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38. PLAY #2 – WEEKLY TEAM MEETINGS
photo credit: Monica's Dad via photopin cc

39. LEADERSHIP IS THE #1 RATED SKILL
Source: Project Management Institute (2013), “Pulse of the Profession”

40. Common problems:
No Agenda
Failure to Signal
Intentions
Negligent Ordering
of Items and Poor
Allocation of Time
Not being in Control
of the Meeting
No Record of the
Meeting
My Meeting Formula:
Standard Agenda
Clear Purpose and
Outcome
Time Allocated and
Each Item Taken In
Order
I’m in Charge
Minutes Published
to Attendees and
Stakeholders
WHY MY TEAM MEETINGS WORK

41. HERE’S MY STANDARD AGENDA
10 mins 20 mins 10 mins 10 mins 10 mins
Item 1
Review
Actions
Item 2
Review
Progress
Item 3
Review
top 10
risks
Item 4
Review
top 10
issues
Item 5
AOB

42. HERE’S HOW WE REVIEW PROGRESS

43. time
cost
target max
target
max
INSTEAD OF TIME VERSUS COST

44. time
risk
100%
target max
LET’S LOOK AT TIME VERSUS RISK

45. FOCUS ON TOP 10 RISKS
80% of
problems
issues
and
delays
20%
of risks

46. risk
100%
target max
Here’s where
we started
Here’s where
we are now
Here’s where
we’re likely
to finish
CONSTANT FOCUS REDUCES RISK

47. PLAY #3 - STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS
photo credit: JohnSeb via photopin cc

48. GOOD COMMUNICATION IS VITAL
Source: Project Management Institute (2013), “Pulse of the Profession”

49. MY PROJECT PR PROCESS
• Issue team meeting minutes
• Update the project schedule
• Update the risk and issues logs
• Issue pack to key stakeholders
• Create tailored updates
• Make good news travel fast
• Prepare people for bad news

50. BRYAN SAYS . . .
“Make sure that you
are the one telling
the story of your
project.
If you don’t, someone
else will do it for you.
Their version will be
worse that yours.”
-- @bryanbarrow
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51. HERE’S ME WITH MY SON JASON

52. HE WAS LOVABLE AND TALENTED

53. BUT HE WAS WASTING HIS TALENTS

54. ENDZONE
age
Here’s where
you started
Here’s where
you are now
Degree
stage
30
15
10
5
20
25 A Levels
Good
GCSEs
Accepted on
GCSE courses
THIS WAS MY GAMEPLAN FOR JASON

55. DESPITE SETBACKS, HE SUCCEEDED

56. BRYAN SAYS . . .
“Work hard and
believe in yourself,
your play book and
your team mates.
Don’t worry about the
outcome, the victories
will follow -- Bryan
Barrow”
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57. ALL THAT HARD WORK PAID OFF

58. NOW IT’S OVER TO YOU . . .
Is there a challenge in your life that you’ve
been afraid to take on because you might
fail? Are you working on a project that is
stressing you out because you feel it’s all
on you? Here’s what to do:
• Trust in your playbook and your team
• Tell your project’s story, loud and often
• Put your fears to one side, look beyond
today’s failures to tomorrow’s successes

59. FEEL FREE TO CONNECT WITH ME
Bryan Barrow
CITP MAPM MBCS MPSA
Tel:
+44 (0)7954 435456
Email:
bryan@bryanbarrow.com
Web:
bryanbarrow.com
Skype:
bryanbarrow
Twitter:
@bryanbarrow

60. Available at bryanbarrow.com/resources
FOR MORE INFORMATION . . .
• The Five Biggest Drawbacks Of
The ‘Brown Paper and Post-It’
Planning Workshop
• How To Plan Your Project Using
Index Cards
• The Business Benefits Of
Facilitated Planning Workshops

61. FOR EVEN MORE INFORMATION . . .
My take on running
successful project
kickoff workshops:
• My Step-by-Step
planning approach
• Who should attend
• Getting buy-in
• Resources needed
Available on Amazon