The Project Management Kung Fu Theater Kerry R. Wills, PMP Director The Hartford Financial Services Group
Objectives How many people have seen a classic Kung Fu movie? • Project Management resembles these
Objectives • Identify different styles • Discover new techniques for being effective • Come away with a different way of thinking
Kung Fu Theater What are Characteristics of Kung Fu Movies? •Story •Superhuman moves
•Different techniques •Words not matching lips Just like Project Management
The Styles
Dragon
Cat
Snake
Monkey
Crane
The Styles Dragon •Aggressive •Breathes fire •Direct •Fear is a motivator
The Styles Crane •Stick out their necks •Take risks •Anything is possible
The Styles Snake •Sneaky •Doesn’t give out information •Good talkers
The Styles Monkey •Gregarious •Everyone’s friend •Team camaraderie
The Styles Cat •Cautious •Reluctant to act quickly •Likes all information
The Styles When Would You Use Each Style?
Use •Expectations set, but not met •Work not done
Don’t Use •Early in project •Experienced team
The Styles When Would You Use Each Style?
Use •Creative projects •Deadlines not critical
Don’t Use •Schedule constraints •Big implications
The Styles When Would You Use Each Style?
Use •Minor problems
Don’t Use •Big problems •Early in project
The Styles When Would You Use Each Style?
Use •Early in project •Stress reliever
Don’t Use •Problems that require addressing
The Styles When Would You Use Each Style?
Use •Need to consider big implications
Don’t Use •Minor decisions •Info not available
The Styles What other styles can you think of? •The Drunken Monkey •The Chameleon
Practice and Discipline •Practice is necessary to attain mastery •Can’t learn from a Kung Fu book •You want to take some punches •Experience is the best teacher
•Discipline is critical to success •The 36 Chambers •Frameworks
36 Chambers Understand of all aspects of a project 1. Scoping – Business case writing 19. 2. Scoping – CBA creation 20. 3. Scoping – Estimation 21. 4. Scoping – Resource Planning 22. 5. Scoping – Product/Vendor Analysis 23. 6. Req – Business Process Redesign 24. 7. Req – Use Case writing 25. 8. Req – UML Diagrams 26. 9. Req – Rules mining 27. 10.Req – Context Diagramming 28. 11.Des – Designing systems 29. 12.Des – Logical Data Modeling 30. 13.Des – Test Planning 31. 14.Des – Usability Testing 32. 15.Des – Infrastructure planning 33. 16.Des – Organizational Impact Analysis 34. 17.Build – Coding 35. 18.Build – Unit Testing 36.
Build – Assembly Testing Build – Test Script Writing Build – Implementation Planning Test – System Testing Test – Regression Testing Implement – Release Management Management – Project planning Management – Budget tracking/analysis Management – Executive presentations Management – Conflict resolution Management – Meeting facilitation Management – Team empowerment Management – Vendor management Management – Risk management Management – Issue management Management – Change Management Management – Resource Coordination Management – Communication
Unexpected Punches There will always be unexpected punches •The master always took a beating first •Experience and training will prepare you •You know some will land
•Risk Management
Breaking Boards Who knows how to break boards? • Aim for six inches beyond the target • You still need to hit the target • Focus on the short term and long term goals
Five Deadly Venoms “5 Deadly Venoms” of Projects 1. Not having proper sponsorship 2. No process rigor 3. Not taking ownership 4. Wrong match of people 5. Not empowering the team
Voice-Overs Words don’t always match lips Original
Voice-Over
The project is going well
The project is going great
The project has problems The project is in trouble
The project is going great The project is going great
We pray that we can do it
We have a plan
The project will never work The project has some risks The team is looking on Monster.com
We have some potential show stoppers
Summary •PMs are Super-human warriors •Use the techniques when appropriate •Continue to work on practice and discipline
•There will still be some kicks •Watch for the venoms • Make sure your words match your lips Keep the cauldrons warm
Contact Information Kerry R. Wills, PMP
[email protected] 1-860-547-5268
