Project Management For Nonprofits

Project Management for Nonprofits Norman Reiss Feb. 12, 2008 Nonprofit Bridge Bridging Technology, Communications & Development http://nhr.vox.com [email_address]

Agenda
Introductions
Basic Project Management Principles
Project Management for Nonprofits?
Project Management Techniques applied to Three Major Nonprofit Initiatives
Questions (but welcome at any time)

Introductions – Norman Reiss
Core strengths:
Internet / Web Site Strategies
Online Fundraising / ePhilanthropy
Project Management
CMS / CRM Selection / Implementation
Moved to nonprofit in 2000 after corporate career, mostly in financial services.
Currently at Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. Raised over $8 million in online revenues
Received PMP certification in fall 2006
Active in ePhilanthropy Foundation, NTen, Not for Profit Webmaster Roundtable, Project Management Institute

Introductions – Norman Reiss
“ Last year I decided to apply for the PMP (Project Management Professional) certification to enhance my skills in managing technology projects. I hoped this would be especially useful at my current position as 'Web Project Manager.‘
“ When attending meetings of the Project Management Institute , rarely have I heard much talk about nonprofit organizations or have I met people who focus on nonprofits. Similarly, in my current organization, I often have to explain the benefits of project management in planning and implementing initiatives.
“ Project management would be helpful in any organization yet nonprofits have been a bit slow to get on the bandwagon. One of the biggest challenges I've faced recently is getting all stakeholders to participate. If only a few people / departments dominate conversations, it is less likely that the results will be acceptable to all who are affected by its implementation.”
From my blog, Nonprofit Bridge, March 6, 2007

Introductions – About You
Please introduce yourself:
Name
Organization
Project Management experience?
For Profit? Not for Profit background?
What you hope to learn from today’s session

Basic Project Management Principles

Project Management Principles
PMBOK – Project Management Body of Knowledge
Characteristics of a Project
Temporary - definite beginning & end
Create unique product, service or results
Progressive elaboration – series of steps
Specific objective vs. ongoing operations
Project Management
Application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to meet project requirements.

Project Plan
Stakeholders
Selecting Your Team
Risk Management
Communications Strategies
probably the most important project management skill
Handling Change Requests
Must have process in place from beginning

Project management involves:
Identifying requirements
Establishing clear & achievable objectives
‘ Triple constraint’ – changing one must change others:
Time
Cost
Scope
also Quality
Adjusting specifications, plans and approach to meet concerns / expectations of stakeholders

Project Management Terms
Program – group of related projects managed together
Portfolio – collection of projects and programs managed together
Project Management Office (PMO) – oversees management of projects, programs, or combination of both
Scope Creep – have a formal process in place to evaluate proposed changes then approve or reject.
Critical Path – tasks that must be done to finish project on time

Project Management Processes
Initiating – defines, authorizes project
Planning – plans actions required to achieve objectives and scope
Executing – integrates people and other resources to carry out plan
Monitoring / Controlling – regularly measures and monitors progress to identify variances from plan so corrective action can be taken
Closing – formalizes acceptances of product, service or results and brings project to end

More Project Management Concepts
Project objectives (SMART):
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time specific
Project staff varies depending on project – usually no direct reporting relationship
Reasons for project failure
Fear – team members need to protect their own interests
Misaligned expectations – project deliverables not clear to all
Confusion – over roles, responsibilities or process
Loss of momentum – problems not dealt with when they come up
Team member job dissatisfaction
Lack of commitment to success of project – not part of ‘job description’
Staff inexperience

Project Management Approaches
Traditional / Waterfall – series of steps in linear sequence
Agile / Extreme / Radical – work best when requirements are vague, organization is undergoing change, or risk is high
Project split into small phases
Requirements modified as you go
Constant interaction between developers and users
Short timeframes
Used mostly in software and web site development
Rapid feedback from users
Adapt to change if you can’t predict it
Agile manifesto – www.agilemanifesto.org

Top 10 Reasons for Project Success (Standish Group)
User involvement
Executive management support
Clear business objectives
Optimizing scope
Agile process
Project manager expertise
Financial management
Skilled resources
Formal methodology
Standard tools and infrastructure

Top 10 Project Management Skills (Tech Republic) 10. Manage metrics 5. Manage scope 9. Manage quality 4. Manage issues 8. Manage documentation 3. Manage work plan 7. Manage communication 2. Plan work 6. Manage risks 1. Define project

Project Management Software
Microsoft Project
Basecamp
Central Desktop
OmniPlan (Macintosh)
DreamTeam (SalesForce add-in)
Active Collab
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel etc.)

Dealing with Stakeholders
Stakeholder – individual or organization whose interests may be affected by project
Importance of identifying all stakeholders at the beginning of project
Project success depends on how you manage stockholders, so engage them in decision making and keep lines of communication open.
Meet individually with stakeholders to advise of updates and adjust expectations.

Managing Nonprofit Technology Projects
Recent conference was first to focus on project management at nonprofit organizations
Sponsored by Idealware & Aspiration
Wiki - http://mntp.aspirationtech.org
Idealware – Six Views of Project Management Software – http://www.idealware.org/articles/fgt_project_management.php

Project Management for Nonprofits?

Establishing Project Management Within Your Organization
Project success measured by whether objectives are met AND whether team members found work rewarding.
Educate organization on how Project Management can help
If organization is not ‘project friendly,’ need more authority and/or money to succeed.
PM isn’t only useful for technology projects
PM isn’t the same as software development

Establishing Project Management Within Your Organization
Don’t use IT terms with non IT people
Find a supporter on business side
Use a variety of communications techniques
Start small to build successes
Must understand business side of organization
Address organization’s points of pain

‘Project Friendly’ Organizations (Rob Purdie, Important Projects)
Management balance between tasks & people
Balance between output and processes
Teamwork / cooperation is focus vs. dept ‘silos’
Tolerance for conflict / taking risks

Top Project Strategy Mistakes
Identifying a new technology, then trying to develop ways to apply it
Failing to insure projects are business driven
Failing to access projects and capabilities before committing to plan and schedule
Not identifying possible risks
Not learning from poorly performing projects
Inadequate communication with business staff
Not integrating new systems with old
Inadequate metrics, documentation

Top 10 Technology Projects Which Apply to Nonprofits? (Baseline Magazine) Financial Reporting For nonprofits, how does your fundraising software talk to your accounting software? Web Services Early adopters – financial services, government Enterprise Systems Planning Getting systems to work together after a merger Desktop / Laptop Upgrades Do you have a schedule or do you wait until something breaks? Server Upgrades Are you prepared for organizational growth by increasing capacity? Business Analytics / Business Intelligence Analyzing what’s happening and figuring out how to respond. Intrusion Detection and Prevention Do you know where your laptops are and what information is on them? Customer (Constituent) Relationship Management (CRM) Universal need of for profit and not for profit organizations. Disaster Planning / Recovery Preparing for the worst. Business Process Management / Improvement Break down business functions, figure out better ways of executing them, building technology systems to do them.

Project Management Techniques Applied to Three Major Nonprofit Initiatives

Project Management Techniques Applied to Three Major Nonprofit Initiatives
Web Site Redesign
Use of agile techniques
Identifying and updating all stakeholders
Introduction of Content Management System
Planning who will update web site
Ease of use vs. total flexibility
Introduction / Enhancement of ePhilanthropy Tools
Jointly involving all departments that will be affected
Selecting products that integrate with existing software
How would project management strategies improve how projects are implemented at your organization?

Questions?
Nonprofit Bridge
Bridging Technology, Communications & Development
http://nhr.vox.com [email_address]

Project Management For Nonprofits

by Norman Reiss on Nov 04, 2008

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Project Management For Nonprofits — Presentation Transcript