SYNERGY Collaborating Project Management for High Performance Business Insight
Nov 2016, Issue 17
INSIDE Reliance JIO—A Digital Revolution
4
Is Agile successful in every project?
8
Spirituality & Project Management
14
Startups, Innovation & Project Management
20
Culture & Project Success 25
Image—http://www.wikiwand.com/
Saving Off-track projects
30
Events @PMI NIC
18
PMBOK—New Edition
13
Message from the President Welcome to this last magazine of Year 2016 and best wishes to you on upcoming festivals of the year.
Pritam D. Gautam
As ceremonial, it may be called now, we undergo the elections every year to provide an opportunity for our chapter members and volunteers to step up and take bigger roles and responsibilities. By the time this magazine reaches you, you may have already received election communications for chapter board positions, or it may be underway. We would like to see good number of chapter members participating – both in terms of filing nominations for various positions and voting for final selected nominees by the chapter nomination committee for these elections. Chapter is for Members by Members We as Chapter Board strive on increasing member value, and would be glad to hear any new ideas, that you believe can help in increasing the member value of our chapter members. Please click http://j.mp/1FjeyAp to share your ideas and suggestions for improvement. Also, if you think, you or your organization can help us in hosting an event of 70-100 ppl, please let us know by visiting http://j.mp/1FjeyAp and share your interest to host a chapter event in your organization. We are sure project management practitioners are gaining from the knowledge sharing sessions being conducted by the chapter We also welcome veterans to come and share their knowledge and experience at chapter events.
Thanks, Pritam D. Gautam President & CEO - PMI North India Chapter pritam@pminorthindia.org
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 2
From the editor’s desk Hello PM Gurus,
Prashant Malhotra
W
ishing & hoping that everyone had a safe & joyous, full of warmth Diwali. Special thanks to our troops who are constantly guarding our borders; and many thanks to those who were working during this festival time like the regular Pizza delivery Boy or our Electrical & Water Works Department folks, or for that matter the busiest railway network of the world—Indian Railways and ensuring that we are able to celebrate & enjoy this festival with our loved ones. Coming back to editorial, just thought of sharing few insights. ”Diamonds are made under pressure else you are just a piece of coal” . It takes efforts and multiple round of grinding for anyone to take out time to pen down on what’s been floating inside the brain and carve out a fine piece of writing from it. So, thank you authors for all the contributions. And a deeply felt thanks to the Synergy Team who reviewed quite a few times to ensure that creativity is mixed well with interest that brings freshness for any reader. Happy Reading !! Happy Synergizing !!
With best regards Editor-in-Chief PMI North India Chapter
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the articles of this magazine are those of the authors and do not stated position of the PMI or PMI North India Chapter. Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 3
Reliance Jio 4G A Digital Revolution
A
By—Rahul Bhatia major shakeup and a disruption in telecom
market took place on 5Sep-2016, by the
launch of Reliance JIO - 4G or LTE services, across the country. A market cluttered with several players vying for the customers was rattled by the BIG announcement made by Mukesh Ambani, in the Annual General Meeting of Reliance Industries.
The unprecedented euphoria reminds of the “Monsoon Dhamaka” launched by Reliance Infocomm way back in July 2003 when multimedia hand sets and wireless connectivity was being provided for as little as INR 501(less than USD 10). The ensuing scramble for connections changed the Indian market forever as the incumbent players were forced to lower the tariffs. Unfortunately, the poorest of poor though got connected but never really derived the benefits of the digital world in the true sense. The big difference made was that the Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
farthest villages were connected by a web of mobile network. For sure, some sparsely populated and economically weaker regions still remained out of the ambit. Though the voice calls prices head southwards, but the incumbent players continued to charge a hefty price for the data. Reliance Jio’s path breaking, ‘out of the box’ thinking, meticulous planning and the changes in the telecom environment are behind the giant killer launch of LTE(4G) services for a data hungry market.
B WA L i c e n s e s Reliance Industries had acquired the complete Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) licenses in 2010 during the DoT auction of spectrum. While the traditional players were vying with each other to corner 2G and 3G licenses at a huge cost for 8 to 10 telecom circles, Reliance grabbed the BWA licenses (for data internet services) for the 13 circles. The auction of spectrum was completed in 34 days with 183 rounds of bidding. In 2014 in next
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 4
round of bidding Reliance Jio garnered licenses for 14 circles, thus having a complete foot print of its own. The licenses then acquired could be used for next 20 years
Te c h n o l o g y A d v a n c e m e n t s
execution of this mammoth project such as Having excellent communications with all stakeholders at every stage of the project. Extensive planning and detailing of project including documentation
In the intervening time the Frequent meetings to incorporate technology changed and the quality of changes as needed based on the voice calls using the IP (data dynamics and changes in network) instead of conventional deliverables As this was a new voice network changed positive technology tremendously in endeavor, progression from his is a multi-wave identification of 2.5 G to 4G by g a m e w h e r e t h e c o m p a critical resources advent of VoLTE n y w i l l h a v e t h e o p p o r was critical to the (Voice over LTE). tunity to delight cussuccess hence This does away tomers with digital life periodiexperts from with conventional c a l l y, M u k e s h A m b a n i t e l l s R o domains were on circuit switched m i t G u h a a n d R S r i r a m o f E T. boarded well in technology, advance. being used by
T
likes of Bharti Airtel, Vodafone etc.
Clearly defined SLAs with all business partners , vendors and suppliers
Regulation Changes In Apr 2016 DoT (Department of Telecom) amended the terms of Unified Access Service License Agreement allowing convergence of traditional networks with current state of the art technology, thus removing the last barrier in launch of Reliance Jio 4G services.
Adoption of best practices of Project Management Reliance Jio followed the best practices of project management in
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Due Diligence, Strategy and Planning (In-house plus 3 rd p a r t y p u r c h a s e ) Reliance team headquartered in Navi Mumbai had done due diligence by roping in top class professionals and advisors to work in their premises for development of certain in-house technologies at Ran Core (a subsidiary of RIL) while inviting top vendors to their premises for demonstration of capabilities of their equipment to meet the bigger objectives. Thus, a complete history of every equipment Synergy Oct 2016, Page 5
was virtually created, de novo perhaps, for the first time since they were factory tested in different parts of the world. After a careful evaluation of their performance, the best of the class and cost effective (COTS-Commercial Off the Shelf) solutions were procured at best negotiated prices from companies like Samsung (eNodeB), HP, SAP, Cisco, Subex, IBM, Alcatel Lucent (Media Gateway) and Nokia (IMS). The inter-operability of the equipment from diverse vendors was indeed a huge challenge.
E xecu tion and Ope rations Technology companies like IBM and Ericsson were assigned responsibilities like High Level Design to the Complete EOT (Establish-Operate-Transfer) methodologies which covered every possible scenario from setting up network, logistics, Service Level Agreements with all vendors, Incidence Handling, establishment of a
“ We h a d w h a t I c a l l t a r g e t deadlines, but we did not want to meet a deadline just for the sake of meeting one. What we were looking for were outcomes� continued Mukesh Ambani with Romit Guha and R Sriram of ET
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Network Operations Centre, Billing, Quality Assurance, Quality of Service (QoS) to name just a few. The global experts worked in the premises of RIL and under guidance of the top management team of RIL worked assiduously for months. The complete project plans were drawn out with micro level of work breakdown structure (WBS) to ensure that there is no room of error or oversight.
Te s t i n g Reliance Jio setup a trial network in its township in Jamnagar in 20122013 but the handicap was nonavailability of LTE handsets. Therefore, dongles (test handsets) and limited LTE handsets were used for testing.
Infrastructure In parallel, Jio worked to strengthen the Fiber backbone network and completed the laying of 2.7 lakh km of fiber, essential to provide a high bandwidth and high speed internet. Along with this, it deployed LTE eNodeBs all throughout. Bharti Airtel, the nearest rival has 2.1 lakh km of fiber backbone network. Additionally, Reliance Jio has deployed 1.4 lakh 4G wireless nodes and base stations of which 50,000 are in small cell (Femto Cell) configuration against 91,000 3G/4G cell sites deployed by Bharti Airtel.
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 6
Ecosystem Readiness – Content Providers Reliance Jio also acquired a number of Infotainment channels to provide the highest quality content in conventional and HD format
Mobile applications A number of mobile applications have been developed for downloading the special content for the smartphone users
Compatible Handsets By tying up with top hand set manufacturers the affordability and reach for masses has increased immensely. A smart phone with Reliance Jio SIM is now available from INR 2,600 onwards
Launch Strategy Reliance Jio has planned to rollout the following services across the country High Speed Internet access with bandwidth boost Fiber to Home and Fiber to building (basically FTTXawaiting launch)
IP Multimedia Services-Voice calls, conference, call forwarding, video calls, message texts, Instant messaging, Network Address book Entertainment- Catch up TV, Live TV, Video on Demand, Movies on Demand, Music on Demand
Services, Sharing Devices, Smartphone Apps Besides these, free voice calls have created ripples in the market, which the competition will find difficult to match. The tariff plans are very attractive. The initial hiccups of such a large network with so much power packed in it are bound to be there. The competition is shocked. They are up in arms against the regulator. The POI (points of interconnect) are being denied to Reliance Jio - but with time things are bound to change. For the first time, a common man will be able to realize the benefits of a digital revolution.
Rahul Bhatia is currently working as a Freelance Advisor on Project Management in effectively implementing the Telecom projects, after thirty eight years of work experience. He was last working as a Senior Project Manager with Ericsson India Private Ltd. He was the Operational Project Manager responsible for 4G/ LTE Establish, Operate and Transfer Model of Reliance Jio , which has recently launched service. He can be reached on LinkedIn
Cloud Applications-Storage
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 7
Is Agile successful in every project? By Shalini Mittal
Image—http://drawingchange.com/ Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 8
A
the value while quality and constraints (scope, cost, schedule) are variable. gile as per dictionary means “able to move quickly and easily or able
to think and understand quickly.”
Let’s take an example of Business Intelligence dashboard for stock exchange. The client wants to build a dashboard that shows real-time compari-
of project management, is
son of stock prices of companies listed in New
used especially for software development that is
York and Bombay stock exchange. This project can
characterized by the division of tasks into short
start giving a return of investment as soon as we
phases of work and frequent reassessment and
have the first dashboard ready. Depending on the
adaptation of plans.
money and time we have we can continue to give
Agile methodology
product increments. Once the time is over the Agile asks us to make early and quick delivery so
project gets over. There is no detailed planning in
that we may have customer feedback after every
the beginning and the requirements are emergent
iteration. This allows us to rapidly incorporate
in nature bringing in high potential for scope
feedback on the product to satisfy the need of our
creep.
stakeholders on their envisioned product. Is this approach practicable under all circum-
Agile doesn’t advocate detailed planning in the
stances, for all projects ? Let us find out.
beginning of the project; rather a rudimentary plan is made so that, changes can be incorporated
In Agile the focus lies on the end product satisfy-
at any stage of the project.
ing the product vision and mission and how to do it with transparency and adaptation.
However, the short term focus can lead to selection / drawing of a less than apt architecture leading to rework at later stages, defeating the very purpose of the adopting Agile methodology.
Hence Agile may not serve the best interests of the projects where robust architecture is the prime requirement for the long term success of the project and the product,
Let’s take an example of a product that maybe difAs per agile triangle shown above the focus is on Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
ficult to implement in Agile. What if the project we Synergy Oct 2016, Page 9
want to make is a software for “pacemaker” which
used to control the trajectory of a vehicle without
can help control abnormal heart rhythms? This
constant 'hands-on' control by a human operator
device uses low energy electrical pluses to prompt
being required. Autopilots do not replace a human
the heartbeat at a normal rate. {- source medi-
operator, but assist them in controlling the vehi-
cinenet.com}. To make this product we need to
cle, allowing them to focus on broader aspects of
have a complete planning upfront, so that there
operation, such as monitoring the trajectory,
will be no quality compromise. Any mistake in this
weather and systems (Wikipedia.com). This is an
software that controls the pacemaker will lead to
extensive system that cannot be built in Agile be-
the death of a patient. This is not to say that some
cause Intermediate delivery makes no sense,
aspects of Agile cannot be useful in the implemen-
while quality standards are very stringent.
tation. Quality standards can easily be achieved in agile, We could probably use Kanban boards in the
the upfront architectural requirement can also be
above example to maintain the flow of require-
done, but delivery can be made only as a total sys-
ments and stick to the plans. This Kanban board
tem. In fact, testing will also make sense in totali-
will act as an information radiator so that any de-
ty not in parts. It would therefore be more logical
viation in plans can immediately be identified and
to execute this system using the traditional meth-
rectified.
ods.
But the delivery is valid once the product is complete, and due to
“IN AGILE THE FOCUS LIES ON THE
A construction
END PRODUCT SATISFYING THE VI-
multi-storeyed
project for a shopping com-
sensitive nature of the product we would create
plex can also be an example where the traditional
the complete technical architecture of the product
methods win over the Agile methodologies. This is
upfront and would not be accepting any change
like building a bathroom. Many aspects of Ma-
during implementation.
son’s work can not even be checked, till the other aspects of project are complete. On the other
In this kind of project, the traditional 5 process
hand, if I building a portal for airport departure
PMP approach will be best suited as all the pro-
and arrivals, the moment the board is even par-
cesses must be followed in the stricter sense.
tially done I will want it running as it will be able to convey meaningful information to my client.
An example of a product difficult to implement using Agile would be An autopilot is a system Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
But to say agile cannot be used in some form or Synergy Oct 2016, Page 10
the other in any project is wrong. We can always
6. Delays
use Agile principle in some form, as agile is very
7. Defects
adaptable.
Below diagram shows really how much of the feaIn the above examples we can use agile methods
tures we develop are used by the end customer.
like Lean and Kanban for the following:
Agile helps us minimize them by using the principle “Simplicity, the art of minimizing the work not
Eliminating wastes
done”.
We can identify by value stream mapping which process create wastage of time and eliminate them to increase efficiency. The seven waste we
can eliminate are:
We can use Kanban board and Cumulative Flow
Information Radiators
diagrams to identify stages in project, bottlenecks 1. Partially done work
involved to augment our project plan.
2. Extra feature 3. Lost knowledge
4. Handoffs
By dividing the entire plan into small pieces like
5. Task Switching
we do in Agile, we make a chain for delivery and
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Stream-line the process
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 11
team will understand it easier and can implement
Shalini Mittal is an Infor-
is easily. Later we can do continuous integration
mation Technology profes-
to join them together
sional with over 16 years of experience across industries
We can take one of the most important aspect
& functions including service
in Agile which is “self-organised team”, we can
delivery, product develop-
use this aspect in traditional method also to
ment education & training.
have better delivery
She has extensive exposure to scoping, designing, developing, deploying, and supporting enterprise
Self-empowering development team can be
scale applications using Agile, Waterfall and Itera-
achieved by taking their input in architectural
tive development methodologies.
design and estimation phase. This will make
She can be reached on LinkedIn
team adhere to timeline with only encouragement. Thus concluding Agile is useful in most if not all projects in any domain.
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 12
PM BOK 6th Edition a
i
g
p
l
m
e
p
The PMBOK® Guide – Sixth Edition The exposure drafts for our flagship standard and body of knowledge, The PMBOK®Guide, were held earlier in 2016. Our committee is currently reviewing your comments and will be making revisions in the coming months. Agile comes to the PMBOK® Guide
New to the Sixth Edition, each knowledge area will contain a section entitled Approaches for Agile, Iterative and Adaptive Environments, describing how these practices integrate in project settings. Detail on agile and other adaptive and iterative approaches will also be included in an appendix. Other content enhancements include:
More emphasis on strategic and business knowledge, including discussion of project management business documents.
Information on the PMI Talent Triangle™ and the essential skills for success in today’s market.
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 13
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Spirituality and Project Management By—Asim Prasad Background
P
sion into reality. Even though the endeavor while managing the risks and uncertainty in the remote and operating environment is temporary but the
roject Management is the art and sci-
effort always aims to ensure that the cost of ser-
ence of converting a vision into reality.
vice to be borne by the end user is affordable. Bal-
It is the process of managing several interrelated
ancing stakeholder’s expectations is the primary
activities
focus of all Project Managers.
through
systematic
application
of
knowledge and resources to obtain tangible results. The application of managerial and technical
As the project transitions from a state of infancy
concepts along with fundamental principles from
to maturity, the interaction of project elements
both Engineering and Management disciplines
with one another as well as with extraneous fac-
apart from the soft skills such as Ethics and Hu-
tors like environment increase by many folds. This
man Psychology results in transformation of vi-
results in increase in project entropy leading to an
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 14
increase in complexity. Delivering project results
tions and the soul.
successfully in complex and chaotic environment is highly challenging. The reason for this is that
Historic Evidence
the human behavior varies drastically from situa-
Projects are executed by humans who usually
tion to situation. This paper endeavors to provide
possess a burning desire to achieve something
a connect between Spirituality and Project Man-
good and valuable. This is manifested by the fact
agement and how spiritual value system coupled
that large num-
by personal commitment leads to project success.
Spirituality
“Human beings are considered spiritual since they have the power to know one’s self, one’s body, one’s mind, one’s emotions, one’s actions and the soul.”
ber of monuments,
pyra-
mids and religious
places
were built by the rulers of
Spirituality is an expansive concept and embraces
different civilizations spread across different geo-
a sense of connection to something bigger and
graphic areas without any physical connect be-
meaningful that touches us all. It’s the ability to
tween them. All such structures built in the an-
experience and integrate meaning and purpose
cient period are valued even today and some of
Image Source—http://www.arthurzajonc.org/
for value creation through dedicated selfless continuous effort spread over time and space. It is
them are considered the wonders of the world. If
one’s own property, a particular quality of one’s
this is analyzed critically and in depth, following
inner action. Human beings are considered spir-
facts emerges:
itual since they have the power to know one’s self, one’s body, one’s mind, one’s emotions, one’s acFeedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
i.
Concepts of project management have been
practiced since the beginning of human civilizaSynergy Oct 2016, Page 15
tion.
ii. The construction took place without using any modern day tools of project management. iii. In-depth planning was done to execute the
meet, interact, and understand the team objective, goal, requirements, challenges, their desired action, rules and guidelines. Since individuals are spiritual, so when they meet, their collective spiritual energy goes up.
projects with perfection and continuous monitoring of progress. Large teams were deployed to execute the projects. The teams were high performing, exhibited
values like shared vision and goal, self and mutual accountability, personal commitment and complementing skills.
Team Development for Project Success Projects cannot be executed single handedly but require teams at each stage for its execution. Both
time and effort is required to build teams. Team development happens through five stages namely Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning/Transforming or alternatively stages also named as Searching, Defining, Identifying, Processing and Assimilating/Reforming. Individuals join and collaborate to form teams. As individuals are spiritual, when they team up, their collective spiritual energy goes up. Individuals at each stage of team development utilize four different types of energy namely physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual to attain inner success. In the 1st stage, once team is formed, members
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Each team member is unique, have their own ideas, their power to influence and express. As such in the 2nd stage, open conflict occurs between each spiritual member. Members try to search for leaders who can guide them and help to concentrate their energy levels towards achieving the common goal. Under the guidance of the leader, in the third stage, the team understands the framework, rules and guidelines to follow the work habits that support group activities, shared rules and values.
Team members are encouraged to participate, communicate openly, exhibit mutual trust and focus to complete the intermittent milestones to achieve the set targets. With passage of time, individual team members start understanding each other better, the clarity of team objective enhances, participation increas-
es and the members are self-motivated and selfdirected to execute the plans. As the issues gets resolved, targets are achieved and this leads to individual growth. Knowledge and responsibility sharing increases and the leader gradually becomes a facilitator to enhance the communication processes and thereby helping the members to achieve their next level targets. The spiritual enSynergy Oct 2016, Page 16
ergy level is highest at this stage since the mem-
ment. Projects provide a platform through which
bers have bonded well with one another and
vision is converted to reality resulting in some-
have completed their work assignments. The
thing that brings greater meaning and purpose,
team entropy is saturated.
for project teams through the challenges and opportunities which they face. This results in per-
It’s time to recognize team achievement and cele-
sonal growth of each team member and ensures
brate success. The team relationship starts dis-
camaraderie between them. Project teams be-
solving and members become ready for change.
come effective, when the team members under-
Here
individuals
share and document their success
stories
part
of
as
lessons
learned. The team
“Stages also named as Searching, Defining, Identifying, Processing and Assimilating/ Reforming”
stand the balance between process discipline, value relationship and spiritual connection among themselves as well as stake-
leader helps his team mates in their transition to
holders.. A win-win situation is achieved for eve-
another teams. This is the last stage. Here indi-
ryone involved in project execution if the team
viduals share and document success stories so
members takes a spiritual approach and are
that the mistakes are not repeated again.
more committed, inspired, and effective in imple-
menting the processes needed for a successful Team becomes a high performance team when
project completion.
individual members develop deep personal commitment, care for one another’s personal as well
Mr. Asim Prasad is a Me-
as spiritual growth and wellbeing while at the
chanical
same time effortlessly raising themselves to
Graduate with B.Tech de-
measurable challenges known or unknown. Such
gree from IIT Kanpur cur-
relentless commitment to projects alone brings
rently working as DGM,
positive difference in the world.
GAIL (India) Limited. He
Engineering
has diversified professional experience in the
Conclusion
Natural Gas Value Chain comprising Operation
Human values decide the outcome of any project.
and Maintenance of Natural Gas Pipelines Sys-
The most acclaimed human values across differ-
tems, Project Planning/Management for LPG /
ent social culture namely truth, compassion, re-
Natural Gas Pipelines, Gas Marketing.
sponsibility, freedom and reverence when exhibited by project team members aid team developFeedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 17
@events of PMI—NIC (Apr—Oct 2016) Strategic Management to avoid delays and cost overruns in Public Sector Projects PDUs: 6.5
15– Sept– 2016
at University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Uttarakhand
This was a full day event in University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehardun. The day started with the inaugural session on objectives of the program by Mr. B. C. K. Mishra. He also took another session on handling contracts to ensure timely completion of projects. Mr. S. N. Verma introduced the audience on the challenges faced in projects of Public Sector Organizations and how to treat them as opportunities to learn & grow. Mr. Karan after taking the stage helped the audience to learn as how to formulate & implement a strategy and achieve the goals & objectives. Post lunch, Dr. D. P. Uniyal gave an insight as how to avoid delays and remain in budget . The last session was taken on enhancing productivity by ensuring appropriate planning & scheduling of tasks.
Webinar — Empowering the Leader in all of Us PDUs: 12
11 to 21 - July - 2016
by General Management Systems and Organizational Cybernetics
After having success with Mumbai & Bengaluru chapters, PMI NIC initiated this 6 modules sessions covering various topics on motivation, team building, negotiation, leadership, organizational & culture of countries, communications and how leader plays an important role. Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 18
@events of PMI—NIC (Apr—Oct 2016) Agile in Large Enterprises PDUs: 3
25 - June - 2016
at NCR Corporation , Gurgaon
This 1/2 day event started off by knowing the tit-bits of NCR Corporation. This was immediately followed by Suchi talking about challenges & their overcoming of performing the agile way in a distributed team. The audience were then routed to another platform by Nidhi, as how to handle challenges in relation to stakeholders, analyze, prioritize and move forward; be it waterfall or be it agile. The last session for the day was given by Ramakrishna on the issues, challenges, and approach to address those in transforming projects in different types of organization.
Harnessing Leadership Skills in Project Management PDUs: 3
17 - June - 2016
At BT Global Business services
This 1/2 day event started off at British Telecom where senior folks talked about the company, its core values & its contribution. After that we had three sessions where audiences were given new insights about Leadership such as Col. Atul talked about how leaders can be made or developed to one’s max potential by enhancing their core strengths yet emphasizing one’s role in the team. Another interesting session by Vivek & Arun left people pondering over the thought if success can lead to failure or vice versa.
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 19
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Startups,
Innovation & Project Management By—Devesh Verma Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 20
W
orld is traversing through a
boost economic growth and their innovative ideas,
steep curve of number of
engage and empower our people, thereby driving
startups and incubators, some
positive change in our society.
successful, few struggling and
some on the verge of dying. Innovative concepts
Creativity, Innovation and Design are three funda-
and business ideas are being launched every day,
mental blocks and define how’s & what’s of any
depicting multifaceted growth all across universe.
business. Any business actually touches upon all
These startups have made footprints in diversified
these blocks in some proportion, form and shape.
industries and all walks of life. Moreover, their im-
Now comes the underlying factor which differenti-
pact on the ecosystem has been overwhelming es-
ates a successful startup from a failed one, and i.e.
pecially in cases where they have tried to resolve
implementation. Success is a function of a great
fundamental problems prevailing in society. Driv-
idea and its execution to bring it to fruition. This
en by their success in solving day to day problems
article throws light on some critical aspects of how
of common man, startups have commanded a sig-
Startups, Innovation and Project Management are
nificant place in economic discussion and investor
interlinked, specifically how innovation is brought
landscape. As we move forward in 2016, business
to life in successful startups through effective pro-
forecasts are showcasing the facts which favor
ject management in simple and practicable man-
growth and exponential rise in number of new
ner.
ventures which intend to transform the socio-
“Innovation is not the product of logical thought,
system. It is not an overstatement to call India, the
although the result is tied to logical structure” –
land of entrepreneurs, a country where people
Albert Einstein
who have taken the responsibility of their future
Einstein outlines the eminent thought by saying
as well as the country’s. These entrepreneurs
structure and planning is the most important part
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 21
of innovation. Project management plays pivotal role in deriving results from innovation. Like any organization, startup needs to keep constant a tab on their product quality but high stakeholder interest puts high pressure on managing budget, time lines, risks etc. Although innovation provides best platform to catapult a startup, but rigorous implementation discipline is imperative to successful outcomes. The diagram below depicts basic role of project management in startups:
With effective management of various work streams i.e. time, budget and stakeholders, PM creates an environment that is highly conducive for success and thereby encourages the flow of
more ideas and successful outcomes. In the skeleton, outer shell represents a startup,
Handle rapid changes
encompassing innovation and project manage-
Pseudo name for startup is Dynamism. In fact, dy-
ment at its core. It is safe to state that project
namism is of paramount importance to survive in
management is the lifeline for any startup. This is a well-known finding that most of the startups fail due to lack of innovation and improper implemen-
tation of idea. When project management is sitting at the core of ecosystem, it guarantees diligent execution and drives success of a startup. Thus, the role of project management enhances itself to being a catalyst in expansion of innovation in the following ways -
the economic galaxy. In the world of cut throat competition, startups look around with open
Paving the way to success Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
minds and rapidly make changes in their busiSynergy Oct 2016, Page 22
nesses which sometimes bring about a transfor-
stakeholders of the startup can chalk out the con-
mation in the way the industry does business. For
comitant effects on the ecosystem. This eventually
instance, when an e-commerce company launched
leads to thorough assessment and implementation
the concept of cash on delivery (COD) as a solution
of proposed innovation, thereby attesting the in-
to cater to need of a specific set of customers, the
novative idea of the developer and also encourag-
competition took no time to adopt this change. In
ing many others to think beyond boundaries.
such cases, via effective change management, project manager ensures the agility is addressed with-
Communication
out impacting the goals of the company.
Communication breaks barriers. Somebody has rightly said, “Communication is the key to person-
Risk Management
al and professional success�. A well-managed communication plan adds to the glory of a startup. A PM is responsible for both verbal communications through workshops, brainstorming sessions, status updates etc. and written communications through mailers, dashboards etc. Regular communication announces company’s growth and development to all internal and external stakeholders
including investors, VCs, employees, leaders etc. This also provides an opportunity to resolve routine conflicts such as segregation of duties, team Since most startups have very low risk appetite, effective risk assessment plays a pivotal role through the journey of incubation. Risk management fosters risk identification, prepares proactive mitigation plans and minimizes risk exposure. A comprehensive risk management model allows team to work and think beyond boundaries. As an example, consider a situation in which a technology oriented startup is trying to modify its technical product due to an innovative thought extended by a developer. Any change or modification may have multifaceted impact on the overall business. Through an integrated risk management program, Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
issues which eventually develop a conductive work environment to flourish potential ideas for growth and success. Synergy Oct 2016, Page 23
startup-entrepreneur-guide-to-riskmanagement-2009-6
Conclusion In this highly volatile, performance oriented envi-
http://noopymedia.com/our-process/
ronment, innovation is the lever to succeed and a project management, the key to success. In fact, with all the thoughts and elements discussed
Devesh Verma is a business-
above, it is evident why startups need to diligently
IT professional focused in IT
keep project management at the helm of their idea
consulting domain with total
incubators. At the same time, the PMs in startups
work experience 8 years.
should be dynamic, open and liberal while main-
Currently, he is working as
taining the rigor of project management in the
senior manager with EXL in
world of innovation. *Images referred from: http://imblog.ideaglow.com/5-tips-how-toboost-innovation/ http://www.projectmanage.com/5-principlesfor-successful-change-and-transformation/ http://www.businessinsider.com.au/the-
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Global Technology function. He has volunteer responsibility through PMI North India Chapter as EXL Company Connect Ambassador.
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 24
Culture & Project Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 25
P
roject Managers (PM) are like an en-
gine of a train that needs to ensure train reaches destination on time and within set route. Having said
that role of a Project Manager varies from company to company and from department to department. For instance role of a PM will be different in functional organization as compared to that in projectized organization. The main ingredient in the success of any organization is culture, structure of an organization and strategy to meet long and short term goals. Once all these ingredient line in sync then only organization is able to achieve its targets and revenues. Culture is like an iceberg with easily observable (a surface view) components and lots of nonobservable (a depth view) components. In any organization one person (or team member) constitutes a personality and constitution of various people across organization makes a culture. According to Michael Watkins of Harvard University,
“Culture is something which is in the DNA of any organization”
from taking hold and damaging the body. The problem, of course, is that organizational immune systems also can attack agents of needed change, and this has important implications for onboarding and integrating people into organizations . On the other hand according to Stanford Strategic Execution Framework (SEF), culture is defined as the artefacts, core values, and behavior of the organization.
SEF is a kind of framework developed by Stanford University which clearly defines various parameters in the success of any projects. It starts from the ideation phase and closes to execution phase wherein project is imbibed into operational strategy of the organization. It revolves around aligning a project with organizational strategy and thus making sure same is in sync with the MoS of the
same. The main reason towards choosing SEF is the comprehensive parameter identification and showcasing of culture impact on the overall project success. Culture is something which is in the DNA of any organization and is most important and difficult part to handle. It is like steering wheel of a car which if not handled and considered can often lead to accidents. As per SEF, in broad scenario in any
Culture is a form of protection that has evolved
organization culture can have either a positive or
from situational pressures. It prevents “wrong
negative impact:
thinking” and “wrong people” from entering the organization in the first place. It says that organi-
•
zational culture functions much like the human
mindset and working conditions of any organiza-
immune system in preventing viruses and bacteria
tion. It can be considered as a heart of an organiza-
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
It is difficult to handle, as same is linked to
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 26
tion, imagine doing by-pass surgery with running
below helps to showcase the same.
heart. •
It gets automatically embedded in each and
every team player working in an organization in due course of time •
It can impede or accelerate projects
•
It is often misinterpreted as an easy going
element of change in any organization •
It is one of the most important lever for
project managers towards achieving project suc-
cess There are various studies done by organizations
Figure 1
(Source: Stanford Centre for Professional Development)
and research institutes which hold that culture is like a watchdog for project managers which need
As shown above, there is clear linkage and impact
to be kept in mind during running any simple or
of culture on the strategic positioning and struc-
complex project.
ture of organization. Any organization working in
As per research done by Stanford University,
a competitive environment is surrounded by
there are four types of culture :
many factors both internal and external. Internal
•
Cultivation Culture
factors refers to project teams, internal projects
•
Competence Culture
etc. On the other hand, external factors refer to
•
Collaboration Culture
Government rules and regulations, competition
•
Control Culture
etc. At any point of time, a company is working towards its mission and hence falls into various
The above mentioned types of culture differ with
strategic positions mentioned in figure 1.
respect to structure and strategic positioning of
the organization. As mentioned above, culture
Now on the basis of kind and complexity of a pro-
needs to be aligned with organization strategy
ject, the project manager needs to align himself to
and structure to enable easy implementation of
the culture and structure of the organization. Sup-
projects and successful implementation of strate-
pose, an organization is set to embark into new
gies across organizations. As per Stanford Univer-
product development, it would fall into disruptive
sity advanced research institute, there is a map-
innovation and will have small dedicated teams
ping between team structure, strategic position-
(tiger teams) working towards common goal. In
ing of company and desired culture. The diagram
such scenario, the role of the project manager is to
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 27
cultivate the culture of the team and enable
monopoly, they didn't change their culture and
growth and understanding among the team mem-
approach towards innovation and thought of mo-
bers. At every stage of the project lifecycle, it is the
nopoly. On the other hand Apple continued to ex-
role of the project manager to control and align
periment with their products. As a result latter is
the project teams towards common goal of meet-
product leaders whereas former barely sell them-
ing triple constraint triangle.
selves for $7 billion. This clearly showcases culture and stagnant attitude of leadership resulting
Though culture is something which is in-built as
into fall of Nokia. Having said that it becomes re-
per organization style of working and at the same
sponsibility of the project managers to under-
time it is one thing which is most difficult to change. Having said that in order to achieve project success project manager needs to align and understand the ground rules if required need to hamper
stand the psyche of the
Any organization working in a competitive environment is surrounded by many factors both internal and external.
the mindset of the project
team members and take necessary actions at right time and in right order. In all these cases, it becomes the responsibility of the sponsors and seniors to empow-
teams. Hence culture at anytime can either make
er project managers to take relevant and neces-
or break a project. If the project team members
sary steps towards innovation and trying new
are understanding and collaborative then they can
strategies. But at the same time, project manager
achieve project success. At the same time, if pro-
should keep sponsors and seniors in right spirit
ject team members are aligned to work in silos
before taking any adverse steps. Hence communi-
then at any time, same can fail the project.
cation also becomes a torch light for the success of any ongoing project.
Though culture is top driven from leadership
team to teams on ground, considering the project
Before concluding let’s take an example of IBM to
scope and nature, project team may sometimes
appreciate how culture impacted the working
need to align or change course of action. A simple
style of the teams. IBM under the leadership of
example to support is decline of Nokia over
Louis Gerstner made huge impact on the culture
course of time. In Year 2000 Nokia was worth
and the working style of the company. As men-
more than $220 billion whereas Apple was less
tioned in the book “Who Says Elephants Can’t
than $5 billion. But Nokia remained egoistic about
Dance? Inside IBM's Historic Turnaround” by Lou-
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 28
is V. Gerstner, the then CEO of the company,
right way to overcome hindrances and use it to
Gerstner showcased the amount of effort and
achieve and meet project milestones. And it is the
strategy he took to change the mindset of the
role of project manager to use the individual
working teams. He has demonstrated very clearly
mindset towards achieving project deliverables.
that culture though important is most difficult to
Once individual contribution is made then only
change as it goes through belief and behavior cy-
project success can be achieved and same can be
cle of each individual. It is like changing the mind-
measured across the baselines of project.
set of the people, and if done in right way it enables growth and prosperity for the company. When Gerstner took as a CEO of IBM, the company was going through various issues. Competition
Rachin Sarin is PMP, MBA
was overtaking revenue share of the company.
and B.Tech. He is having
The main issue with the team members was that
around 9+ years of indus-
they were complacent with the existing success
trial experience in the
and were not customer centric. Gerstner changed
field of project manage-
and challenged the existing culture of the compa-
ment and business analy-
ny and took few bold steps like taking control of
sis. He is currently working as a Sr. Manager
the projects, changing leadership team, increasing
(Digital Solutions) with Max Life Insurance. In his
communications with the team, taking feedback
primary role in current organization he is han-
to name few. At last the company overcame the
dling B2B Digital projects solutioning aspect and
competition and again became the product and
project management.
service leader.
Rachin can reached on LinkedIn These examples exhibit that culture is an important aspect for any project and it is made up of the individuals. Project managers should use it in
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 29
Saving off-track Projects Image Source—Pinterest.com
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
By—Anoop Maheshwari Synergy Oct 2016, Page 30
O
Uncovering the “real” causes underlying the issues
is crucial to identify the remedial corrective and longer term preventive actions. Rope in your ne in six IT Projects have
quality assurance specialists or the PMO as the
an average cost overrun of
need be. Make use of any of the available multiple
200% and a schedule overrun of 70%. (Source:
standard tools and structured techniques like the
Harvard Business Review) – no wonder, Projects
5 Why’s, the A3 Approach, Fishbone Analysis and
often veer off track before you may realize.
more. Often simple but immensely useful, use of a
Salvaging the situation effectively is a critical
structured technique helps ensure objectivity in
Project and program management skill. As most
the causal analysis and enables teams to arrive at
successful Project leaders would affirm and vouch,
the “real” underlying causes more effectively.
the success mantras are often simple provided they are executed timely, effectively and diligently. Below, I’d like to share a few good practices, that have
Taking responsibility for the Project situation, is the first and foremost step towards a possible solution.
proven themselves to be highly effective in varied situations.
The importance of roping in the specialists should not be undermined; professionals trained in the
First and foremost, “Acknowledge” that
usage of structured techniques can steer the
there is a problem. When in trouble, weak Project
causal analysis activity to success better than
teams often look for excuses and behave
those who are ill exposed to such techniques. As
defensively. It does not help anyone and only
per one study (Source: PM Solutions), while an
complicates matters further. Taking responsibility
average 49% of the PMO organizations had a
for the Project situation, is the first and foremost
training program in place, in the higher
step towards a possible solution. Also, the
performing organizations there is a 67%
transparency builds trust and confidence with the
likelihood to have a PMO training program in
concerned stakeholders. Avoid being an ostrich.
place.
Next, “Undertake a Causal Analysis”, to
Thereafter, “Ratify the RCA” with all
reach to the root cause of the issues. Dig as deep
concerned stakeholders. Share, socialize and
as necessary; avoid scratching the just the surface.
verify your findings with all the stakeholders to
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 31
ensure that everyone understands and agrees to
must be quantified for its severity, probability and
the situation analysis, and is on the same page.
impact to arrive at the risk exposure and must be
Often, stakeholders may carry perceptions about
managed accordingly. The mitigation and
the Project team that may not be so obvious; de-
contingency actions must be well documented
briefing the RCA report with all stakeholders can
and followed upon. No one likes surprises and it is
help build the much needed transparency and the
best to avoid them. 33% of Projects tend to fail
confidence that the Project is indeed in safe hands.
because of a lack of involvement from Senior
The importance of this task can be judged from
Management (Source: University of Ottawa). Keep
the fact that almost 75% of the IT executives
your stakeholders well informed and ensure that
anticipate that their software Projects will fail
you flag any support needed to mitigate or
(Source: Geneca).
manage a risk before it becomes another issue.
“Make a Plan” that is time bound and with
“Communicate,
clear owners. It is always advisable to create a
Communicate”. Publish your recovery plan,
tangible 30-day, 60-day, 90-day, 180-day plan
milestones and owners. Establish a periodic and
with clear milestones, expected outcomes and
robust governance. Communicate the progress
unambiguous KPIs. Executives, sponsors and
(actual versus planned) regularly with
steering
quick,
concerned stakeholders. Keep a tight check on the
incremental and consistent progress on the
financials and share the consumption figures at a
recovery plans. Breaking the execution plan into
regular frequency. Leverage technology to publish
short term (tactical, hygiene establishment),
a dashboard that can be accessed by any
medium
term
stakeholder at any point in time without always
(preventive, strategic) actions is hence always
asking for it. Build the confidence, trust and
advisable and a good practice.
establish the dialogue between all Stakeholders.
“Manage the Risks” proactively. No plan is
“Execute” diligently and relentlessly. Follow up
void of any risks, and how well the Project Team
on every identified action, minute every meeting,
manages the risks can be a deterministic factor in
monitor every single risk and keep everyone
the success of the recovery plan. It is advisable to
informed. Your conviction in the recovery plan
follow quantitative and structured techniques for
will be evident in your execution actions. Do not
risk profiling and risk management. Each risk
hesitate
group
term
members
(corrective)
expect
and
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
long
to
use
Communicate,
your
applicable
and
all
escalation
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 32
channels
and
get
the
needed
attention.
Why Your IT Project May Be Riskier Than You
Escalations are not bad but nasty surprises are.
Think, by Bent Flyvbjerg and Alexander
Make incremental progress and make the
Budzier,
progress made, visible. Remember, all eyes are on
September 2011
the Project during this phase, looking for signs that can sustain the confidence in the Project team.
Harvard
Business
Review,
The State of the Project Management Office (PMO) 2014, PM Solutions Research Up to 75% of Business and IT Executives Anticipate Their Software Projects Will Fail,
“Celebrate” the little wins and share the credit. When reviving a failed Project, it is not unusual
by Geneca, Mar 14, 2011 A replicated survey of IT software Project
for Project teams to suffer a low morale which can
failures, by El Emam, Khaled and Koru, A.
impact their performance. A Project leader’s role
Günes, University of Ottawa, 2008
in keeping the team motivated and not letting the mood remain somber is his/her test of people
The High Cost of Low Performance 2014 | PMI Pulse of Profession, PMI.org
leadership. Celebrating the small wins and the achieved interim milestones, go a long way in
Anoop works as a Director,
boosting the team morale and instilling the much
Technology and Service
needed confidence in the sanity of the recovery
Delivery Automation at
plan. High-performing organizations successfully
Ericsson Global Services India
complete 89% of their Projects, while low
Pvt. Ltd, driving strategic
performers complete only 36% (Source: PMI.org).
programs aimed at increasing
Make sure your teams remain in the high
the organization’s service delivery efficiency and
performance zone.
productivity. He carries over 22 years of industry experience (System Software, Telecom, ICT), has led projects and programs for leading global
What differentiates a winning team from others is
industry players like IBM R&D Labs, Unisys,
often the Attitude. Most Projects can be revived or
Hughes Network Systems, Nokia, Tekelec,
closed gracefully if the teams retain a positive
Freescale, Alvarion, Panasonic Mobile Corp to
attitude and remain objective (unemotional)
name a few.
towards the goal for which the Project was initiated.
He can be reached on LinkedIn
References Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 33
Ajay Bhargove
Hemant Seigell
Lt. Col. Manu Chaudhary,(retd)
Neelima Chakara
Nirmallya Kar
Pooja Kapoor
Feedback: pminicmag@pminorthindia.org
Prashant Malhotra
Shashank Neppalli
Synergy Oct 2016, Page 34