Managing Complex Technology Engagements: Avoiding Common Mistakes Penelope Prett 3/11/2011

1. Managing Complex Technology Engagements:Avoiding Common MistakesPenelope Prett3/11/2011

2. The Most Common Mistakes of First-Time Managers • Remembering The Basic Equation • Managing Budget • Managing Scope • Managing Dependencies • Tracking Progress • Proper Staffing • Working With Remote Teams • Communicating Clearly • Asking for Help

3. Remembering The Basic Equation Work Schedule = Resources You must increase the resources, Or decrease the work To decrease the schedule. Overtime is not a sustainable strategy.

4. Managing Budget • Your Grandmother gives you $20 and asks you to go to the store. She asks for a loaf of bread, a dozen eggs, and her change – which she plans to use to pay her phone bill. What do you do? • Bring her a what she asked for, and her change. • Spend the entire $20, and tell her she really needed the other items you decided to buy – and she can do without paying her phone bill. • Bring her what she asked for, and change…and purchase some items for her out of your own budget. • Now, what would you do with your client’s or your company’s money? How would you explain that action to shareholders?

5. Managing Scope • You are building your customer a web portal. You are deep in the testing phase, and your client asks you to add just one more little requirement…what do you do? • A. It’s a small thing in your mind, so you just say yes and slide it into scope rather than argue. • It’s an addition to scope, so you quickly figure out the cost, and tell your customer that if they are willing to pay for it at your calculated cost, you will do it. • You put your foot down…no way are you risking delivery to get last-minute scope in place. • None of the above.

6. Managing Dependencies • Dependency management is the hardest of the management tasks – because it involves influence and communication, not direct control. • The first step is getting the whole list of dependencies… large to small. • The second step is making sure you know who’s on point for each dependency. • The third step is communicating frequently to avoid surprises. • The fourth step is trusting….but verifying…with facts. • And the fifth step is having a back-up plan!

7. Tracking Progress • Make sure you have a well thought out delivery methodology, and that you understand each task and deliverable required to achieve a successful outcome. • Have a work plan where the largest single task is no more than 40 hours. • Keep your work plan current, and require people to enter and track time – this way you know for sure that your people are focusing on the right things. • Be granular – make sure you understand what constitutes “percent complete” on a deliverable or task. • Trust…but verify!

8. Proper Staffing • Know your people and their skills inside and out. • Make sure you get the right skills for the job. Interview, verify, clarify. Having managed work is not the same thing as having done work. • Make sure your team profile matches your customer team’s profile. • Make sure you have the right pyramid of experience represented on your team. • Leverage, leverage, leverage, leverage and leverage. • A little praise goes a long way.

9. Working With Remote Teams • Remote teams are the way of the future, as companies become more global. • Domestic versus international teams operate differently. Consider time zones when shaping your work team. • Working with offshore teams in Asia or Latin America is vastly different than working with an American team – respect and adapt to the cultural differences • You may think you are being clear…but chances are you aren’t...so think about how to relay your meaning clearly. • Telecommunications are very reliable and cost effective in today’s market – use them!

10. Clear Communication • NO SURPRISES! • Your boss will not appreciate it. • Three C’s – • Clear • Consistent • Controlled

11. …and finally, most importantly…. • ASK FOR HELP • It’s a strength, not a weakness.

12. QUESTIONS?