CHAOS: A Recipe for Success - Software and Systems Engineering

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The Executive Sponsor: Project ChampionThe executive sponsor provides the vision for the project. Often the executive sponsorprovides the funding and some of the major resources, as well. When choosing asponsor, it is crucial that the executive have a vested interest in a successful outcome.To ensure this interest, answer the following questions:• Is there clear understanding of what will motivatethe executive?• Have the political issues affecting the executivebeen identified?• Can the executive afford to have the project fail?• Will the executive gain stature from a successful project?Once a project has the backing of the right executive sponsor,it’s vital to encourage positive and discourage negative traits.Our CHAOS University ® participants identified the followingways to accentuate the positive:The Executive Sponsor should be “The Visionary”.An executive sponsor should have a global view of the project,how it supports corporate goals and benefits the organization.The executive sponsor should set the agenda, arrange the fundingand articulate the project’s overall objectives.The Executive Sponsor should be the Project’s Champion.The project should live and die by the executive sponsor. IT canencourage the executive sponsor to champion the project bysupplying full disclosure and minimizing blindsides, having welldefined goals and milestones, and focusing on business ratherthan technology issues.The Executive Sponsor should be a “Minesweeper”.An effective executive sponsor should positively reinforce thewinners and neutralize the losers on the project team. Theexecutive sponsor must pave the way for success and guaranteethat the project does not get sidetracked.The Executive Sponsor should be a “Gen. Schwarzkopf”.The executive sponsor will muster the resources necessary tocomplete the project. If IT identifies those resources quickly,the executive sponsor will have adequate time to marshal them.The Executive Sponsor should be the “Fall Guy”.It is imperative that the executive sponsor claim total ownershipof the project, including blame if the project fails. The buckstops here. Sometimes knowing what not to do is as importantas knowing what to do. CHAOS University ® and focus groupparticipants delineated the negative traits for an executivesponsor.The Executive Sponsor should not be the Project Manager.Too much executive involvement can be as disastrous as toolittle. IT must clarify roles and responsibilities early on bydefining the rules of engagement. IT also should provide weeklyfiltered reports that offer the executive sponsor easy anddigestible information in language devoid of techno-speak.The Executive Sponsor should not be the Function Rep.The executive sponsor is probably unaware of the true operationof the business. Enlisting committed, trusted users in the projectwill help keep the executive sponsor out of the project details.The Executive Sponsor should not be “Santa Claus”.Time is the absolute enemy of all projects. All too often, featuresand functions are added to the project with no understanding ofthe consequences for the health of the project. IT mustdiscourage scope creep by alerting the executive sponsor ofthose consequences, by having a formal change managementprocedure, and by pushing to deliver quickly.The Executive Sponsor should not be the Technical Officer.The best way to discourage an executive sponsor from being atechnical officer is to have good technologists in the company.The Executive Sponsor should not be a “Wimp”.All too often the executive sponsor will not make decisionsbecause he does not understand the project or the technology.IT must encourage the executive sponsor to make businessdecisions and to reduce political conflicts. Using the 10 positiveand negative characteristics outlined here, a development teamcan get a head start toward finding the appropriate executivesponsor to lead their project.The Project Manager: The Linch-PinThe IT community is just beginning tounderstand the true role of the projectmanager, the skill required to be a goodproject manager, and the benefits aproject manager can bring to any project.The Standish Group’s research clearlyshows that projects are likely to be lesschallenged and more successful with acompetent and experienced projectmanager on board.The package of skills most CIOs cite asdesirable in a project manager includestechnology and business knowledge,judgment, negotiation, good communicationand organization. Emphasis ison business skills rather than technicalcredentials. Moreover, project managersmust know not only the business needsof their own company, but also those ofsuppliers and partners.The Project Manager should be“Multilingual”. He/she must have theskills necessary to converse with all thestakeholders and technical teams. Theproject manager needs to have a viewof the project resources and how thoseresources come together. Giving theproject manager exposure throughout theorganization will encourage him or herto be “multilingual.”More exposure to both the businessorganization and the technical teams willincrease the project manager’s skills. Oneway to do this is to establish a mentoringand buddy system. Another way is tohave monthly “Project Managers Only”brainstorming sessions to exchange ideasand problem resolutions. Projectmanagement should be considered aprofession, not a discrete task.THE STANDISH GROUP INTERNATIONAL, INC. 6COPYRIGHT ©1999
The Project Manager should be a“Gatekeeper”. He/she must have theauthority to decide at the detail levelwhich features and functions will be partof the project, whether for the first phaseor for later release. There must be achange policy procedure in place, withassociated risk factors and cost increases.Change increases the scope of theproject, the time involved and the chanceof failure. The project manager shouldadvise the stakeholders about the risksof scope creep and its potentiallydisastrous effects.The Project Manager should be a“Maestro”. The project manager mustorchestrate all the resources so that theyplay together like a fine symphony. Inthis regard, the project manager needsto know the depth and skills of all theplayers to prevent wrong notes. Theproject manager must be empowered toacquire and keep the right talent and getrid of non-contributors.The Project Manager should be a“Cattle Driver”. The project managermust be a hard driver, able to focus onthe goal and to minimize diversions.The Project Manager should be a“Clark Kent”. Good communicationis one of the cornerstones of successfulprojects. The project manager mustcommunicate well, both verbally and inwriting. In order to encourage theseskills, IT management should considertwo training venues: Dale Carnegieclasses on how to win friends andinfluence people, and Toastmaster’sclasses on how to present. The projectmanager should be encouraged to usethe organization’s business dialect tokeep communication simple.The Project Manager should not bethe Executive Sponsor. The StandishGroup believes the surest road to projectfailure is through the IT organization.Projects are done on behalf of thebusiness organization and should havefirm executive commitment. IT must setdown the rules of engagement andclearly define the stakeholders’ roles.The project manager needs to move withthe team, while getting the project done.The best way to discourage the projectmanager from becoming the executivesponsor is to have an effective sponsoralready.The Project Manager should not bethe Function Representative. TheStandish Group has seen many caseswhere the project manager thought he/she knew more about the organizationthan the function representative did.However, in most cases this is not so.The best way to discourage a projectmanager from being a functionrepresentative is to have strong userrepresentation.The Project Manager should not bea “Santa Claus”. Learning to say “no”is the hardest lesson for many projectmanagers. Each feature and functionmust be measured against businessvalue, project quality, resources, risk andschedule. With eighty percent ofdelivered features and functionsultimately unused, enlarging the project’sscope should not be taken lightly.The Project Manager should not bea “Control Freak”. While the projectmanager must control the resources andknow all the project details, he/she10 FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS FOR EVALUATING A MENTOR:1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.cannot look over the shoulders of theother stakeholders. Establishing peerreview processes, focusing on goals andhaving status communications meetingscan discourage a control freak.The Project Manager cannot be“Superman”. Projects are risky, andeven a remarkable project managercannot save a failing project. It takesthe active participation of all thestakeholders to create a successfulproject. Setting correct expectations earlyin the project can have a positive effect.Minimizing project scope will result inbetter estimates, and over-promisingshould be discouraged.A Project Manager is much like aPresident of a Small Company. Theexecutive sponsor is the venturecapitalist, the function representatives arethe customers, and the developers arethe workers. Keeping the project ontrack is like keeping a small companyon track — no easy feat.MENTORING FOR THE PROJECT MANAGERSince the time of the ancient Greeks, the concept of mentoring has defined aconstructive personal relationship between individuals who provide support,guidance and assistance in the achievement of their full potential.The role of today’s business mentor is as friendly advisor, coach and teacher. Liketheir predecessors, today’s mentors share experience in pursuit of higher levels oforganizational performance. With mentors, skills and expert knowledge aretransferred and institutionalized within the organization.From a management perspective, mentoring offers a safety net to the organizationas it undertakes new projects, pursues new strategies or applies new techniques.Thus, the best mentors are alert to situations where methods, tools and strategiesare inconsistent or incompatible with those currently in use, so that managementgoals and objectives are not compromised, and process improvement opportunitiesare not missed.Engaging a mentor requires care. Selecting the wrong mentor can have devastatingconsequences that could potentially take years to undo.What direct experience does the contractor/mentor have?Has the contractor/mentor proposed constructive suggestionsand/or strategies?What methodologies has the contractor/mentor offered?What training has the contractor/mentor received?What are the characteristics of the contractor/mentor?What are the greatest strengths of the contractor/mentor, and why?In which areas are the contractor/mentor weak and why?Has the contractor/mentor made viable observations or suggestions forimmediate change?Why does the contractor/mentor want to work on this assignment?Has the contractor/mentor answered any questions that should have beenasked but were not?COPYRIGHT ©19997THE STANDISH GROUP INTERNATIONAL, INC.
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CHAOS: A Recipe for Success - Software and Systems Engineering

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