Project First Aid: Bring your projects back from the dead

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PM First Aid: Bring Your Projects Back From the Dead

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Welcome Resident Doctors Louder Than Ten Project Teaching Hospital Faculty of Emergency Project Medicine Vancouver, Canada

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Dr. Carson Pierce ! Dr. Rachel Gertz

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Mr. Travis Gertz AKA ‘The Patient’

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Case study #1

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Project description Client: Teaching hospital, Infectious diseases ward [Client X] Project brief: Client X approached agency requesting an application for educating public about and highlighting major risk factors, complications, and treatment of MRSA infections (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) with $100K budget set aside. Anticipated launch: April 2015

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• Rocky kickoff: client not clear on app goals or needs • PM misses ‘private email’ sent by POC • Surprise! Director arrives as new (unhappy) stakeholder Initial onset

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Red flag symptoms Unclear goals Unclear expectations Stakeholder conflict

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Client is “solutioneering” Unclear goals

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Functionality requirements are missing or out of date Unclear goals

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Unclear expectations Three new stakeholders show up at design meeting with scope changes

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Unclear expectations Point of contact communicating outside of designated channels

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Stakeholder conflict Client & stakeholders arguing during meeting

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Stakeholder conflict • Client & stakeholders disagree on project direction • Design halted

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Prognosis SERIOUS CONDITION

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Treatment summary A. Revive project plan B. Clarify expectations C. Get it in writing

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Prevention

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Prevention • Practice tough conversations • Mystery voices • Pause clause

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Case study #2

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Project description Client: Retail baked goods company [Client Y] Project brief: Client Y negotiated contract with agency salesperson to convert their retail baked goods ecommerce site to new content management system. Some minor design updates may also be required. Approach appeared to be a relatively straightforward project, so fixed price of $40,000 and three month timeline set. Anticipated launch: January 2015

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• Fixed budget set by salesperson • Assertive project manager brought on to ‘control’ team • Internal conflict escalated unchecked Initial onset

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Red flag symptoms Unhealthy team Underweight budget & schedule Unstable resourcing

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Unhealthy team • Teams of ‘one’ • Lack of trust • Aggressive PM

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Underweight budget & schedule • Budget & timeline too tight • Cutting corners vs missing deadlines

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Unstable resourcing • Some teammates working hard, some hardly working • Schedule overlap will put future projects at risk

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Prognosis CRITICAL CONDITION

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Treatment summary A. Build trust with team B. Clarify goals & expectations C. Introduce strong leaders

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Prevention

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Prevention • Choose right people for team • Chunk estimating: e.g. rolling wave • Use Project Evaluation Review Technique

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Case study #3

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Project description Client: Luxury tile company [Client Z] Project brief: Client Z approached agency requesting new branding, logo, and full website redesign for high end tile distribution company. Have $85K budget set aside for all work. Customers include high profile celebrities like Kanye, Joe Pesci, and Carrot Top. Anticipated launch: November 2014

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• Your boss is ‘friends’ with Tile Distributor aka your new client, aka no formal agreement • Wife ‘writes’ content, ‘designs’ logo • Wife leaves client • Joe Pesci sues client • Client threatens you via voicemail Initial onset

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Red flag symptoms Inadequate documentation Poor content performance Abusive client Stopped payments

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Prognosis DOA

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Treatment

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Prevention

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Prevention • Avoid conflicts of interest • Content & design together • Don’t put up with sh*t • Create healthy client mix

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Rx summary • Clients only drive when they think you can’t • We teach people how to treat us • We make this industry better

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Your projects are waiting… Review complete case symptoms and prognosis at: http://lt10.ca/q0 !

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