Project/Program Management Best Practices for Success in ANY Industry!

 by: Eddie R. Williams

Where is our success? Although there have been improvements, over 60% of projects/programs failed and many were canceled in 2003 (ref:The Standish Report CHAOS)! Our goal for 2004 and beyond is to contribute to a 60% and better, project/program success rate! STOP THE MADNESS-MANAGE AND CONTROL PROJECTS

WITH THE FOLLOWING:

Best Practice Processes for Project/Program Success(Outline):

1. Program/Project Management (and Business Management) (Integration)

   • Use of Experience and Knowledge (Integration)

   • Planning and Scheduling/WBS (Scope/Time/Cost)

   • Communication Planning (Communication)

   • Status & Earned Value Reporting (Communication)

   • Performance (metrics) Reporting (Communication)

   • Risks Identification and Management (Risks)

   • Project Repository/DB (Communication/Lessons Learned/Knowledge Transfer)

   • Change Management (Integration)

   • Subcontractor/Vendor Control (Procurement)

   • Team Building (Human Resource)

2. Development Process (Integration/Solution/Scope)

   • Selection of the appropriate model/technique (e.g., Interactive, Waterfall, Spiral, Evolutionary Object Oriented, Structured)

   • Selection of the appropriate implementation methodology (e.g., MSF, RUP, GXP, DOD- STD 2167 and other standards)

   • Selection, if required, to use Rapid Development

   • Rapid Application Development/Joint Application Development (RAD/JAD)

   • Prototypes and Mockups

   • Interviews and Facilitated Sessions

   • Collaboration

   • Selection of technical and project reviews

   • Selection of development and support tools and applications

3. Configuration Management (Integration/Scope/Control) (described in the book "Software and Firmware Configuration Management", subtitled "Management Control and Quality".)

   • Configuration Identification

   • Configuration Control - Software/Application, Firmware (Embedded Software, and Systems)

   • Configuration Status Accounting

   • Configuration Audits

4. Quality Assurance (Integration/Quality/Control)

   • Verification

   • Validation

   • Testing

Some of the organizations that support these practices and certifications for their professional knowledge recognized in many industries are: Project Management Institute (PMI) , American Management Association (AMA), Software Engineering Institute (SEI), Electronic Industries Association (EIA), Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the Department of Defense (DOD).