The Value of
Project Management
Presented February 25, 2004
by
Kathy Schwalbe, Ph.D, PMP
Presentation Outline
Background information on project
management
Ways to measure the value of project
management
Examples of project management in
health care organizations
Question and answer session
What is a Project?
A project is “a temporary endeavor
undertaken to accomplish a unique product
or service” (PMBOK® Guide 2000, p. 4)
Attributes of projects
–unique purpose
–temporary
–require resources, often from various areas
–should have a primary sponsor and/or customer
–involve uncertainty
Recent Project Statistics
The U.S. spends $2.3 trillion on projects every
year, an amount equal to one-quarter of the
nation’s gross domestic product*
More than sixteen million people regard project
management as their profession; on average, a
project manager earns more than $82,000 per year*
IT Project Managers are still in great demand and
earn over $95,000/year on average (Ziv, 2002)
*PMI, The PMI Project Management Fact Book, Second Edition, 2001
What is Project Management?
Project management is “the application of
knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to
project activities in order to meet project
requirements” (PMI*, Project Management Body
of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), 2000, p. 6)
In addition to meeting project requirements, it’s
also important to satisfy key stakeholders and
make sure the results of the project benefit the
organization
Project management should be a strategic as well
as a tactical tool
Project Management Framework*
*Schwalbe, Kathy. Information Technology Project Management, Third Edition, 2004
Project Management Tools and
Techniques
Project management tools and techniques assist
project managers and their teams in various aspects
of project management
Some specific ones include
–Business cases, project charters, scope statements, and
work breakdown structures (scope management)
–Gantt charts, network diagrams, critical path analysis,
critical chain scheduling (time management)
–Cost estimates, project portfolio management, and earned
value management (cost management)
–See following charts for many more examples (all from
Schwalbe text, 2004)
Sample Gantt Chart
The WBS is on the left, and each task’s start and finish date
are shown on the right using a calendar timescale. Early
Gantt charts, first used in 1917, were drawn by hand.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Sample Network Diagram
Each box is a project task from the WBS. Arrows show
dependencies between tasks. The bolded tasks are on the
critical path. If any tasks on the critical path take longer than
planned, the whole project will slip unless something is done.
Network diagrams were first used in 1958.
Sample Earned Value Chart
Many PM experts recommend using earned value management
to help track and manage projects. Assumes a good WBS,
schedule, and cost information as well as entering actuals.
Sample Enterprise PM Tool
In recent years, organizations are taking advantage of software
to help manage their projects throughout the enterprise.
BUT…
PMs Can’t Neglect Business and
Leadership Skills
•In addition to using appropriate PM tools
and techniques, PMs must use
–Business skills: financial analysis, problem-
solving, decision-making
–Leadership skills: negotiation, team-
building
–Communication skills: listening, speaking,
writing, presenting
Don’t Overemphasize
Using PM Software
•You can’t use PM software well if you
don’t understand fundamental PM
concepts
•“A fool with a tool is still just a fool”
Common PM Tools and
Techniques by Knowledge Area
Knowledge Area/Category Tools and Techniques
Integration management Stakeholder analysis
Project plans
Project management software
Change control boards
Configuration management
Project review meetings
Work authorization systems
Project leadership
Executive sponsorship
Scope management Net present value, return on investment,
payback
Weighted scoring models
Business cases
Project charters
Scope statements
Work breakdown structures
Statements of work
Requirements analysis
Scope change control
Time management Gantt charts
Project network diagrams
Critical path analysis
Program evaluation review technique
Critical chain scheduling
Crashing
Fast tracking
Milestone reviews
Cost management Earned value management
Project portfolio management
Cost estimates
Cost management plan
Financial software
Common PM Tools and
Techniques by Knowledge Area
Knowledge Area/Category Tools and Techniques
Quality management Six sigma
Quality control charts
Pareto diagrams
Fishbone or Ishikawa diagrams
Quality audits
Maturity models
Statistical methods
Human resource management Motivation techniques
Empathic listening
Team contracts
Responsibility assignment matrices
Resource histograms
Resource loading
Resource leveling
Team building exercises
Communications management Communications management plan
Conflict management
Communications media selection
Communications infrastructure
Status reports
Meetings
Virtual communications
Templates
Project Web sites
Procurement management Make-or-buy analysis
Contracts
Requests for Proposals or Quotes
Source selection
Negotiating
E-procurement
Risk management Risk management plan
Probability/impact matrix
Risk ranking
Monte Carlo simulation
Top-Ten Risk Item Tracking
Hard Part About PM…
“Because every project is unique, project
managers and their teams must have a good
understanding of what tools and techniques
are available before they can make the
more difficult decisions of which ones to
use on their projects and how to implement
them.”
Schwalbe, Kathy, “Project Management Techniques”, The Internet
Encyclopedia, Volume 3 (2004), p. 108
Ways to Measure Value
Agreement on general benefits
Improved project performance/results
ROI of project management
PM maturity levels
Competitive advantage
“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.”
Warren Buffet
General Benefits of Project
Management
Better control of financial, physical, and
human resources
Improved customer relations
Shorter development times
Lower costs
Higher quality and increased reliability
Improved productivity
Better internal coordination
Higher worker morale (less stress)
Improved Project Performance
Project success is often based on meeting
project scope, time, and cost goals
The Standish Group’s CHAOS studies are
well known for documenting IT project
success rates and cost of failures*
Measure 1994 Data 2002 Data Result
Successful projects 16% 34% Doubled
Failed projects 31% 15% Halved
Money wasted on
challenged and
failed projects
$140 B out
of $250 B
$55 B out of
$255 B
More than
halved
*PM Network, July 2003, p. 16
Why the Improvements?
"The reasons for the increase in successful
projects vary. First, the average cost of a
project has been more than cut in half. Better
tools have been created to monitor and
control progress and better skilled project
managers with better management
processes are being used. The fact that
there are processes is significant in itself.“*
*The Standish Group, "CHAOS 2001: A Recipe for Success" (2001)
Improvements to Key IT Project
Metrics Due to Project Management*
38.637.637
32.832.532.131.9
25.6
23.82322.8
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*Value of Project Management in IT Organizations survey,Center for Business
Practices, 2002, cited in PM Network, July 2003, p. 16
“What the Winners Do”*
•Recent research findings show that companies
that excel in project delivery capability:
–Build an integrated project management toolbox
(use standard/advanced PM tools, lots of templates)
–Grow competent project leaders, emphasizing
business and soft skills
–Develop streamlined, consistent project delivery
processes
–Install a sound but comprehensive set of project
performance metrics
*Milosevic, Dragan, Portland State University, “Delivering Projects:
What the Winners Do,” PMI Conference Proceedings, November 2001
Using a Standardized Project
Management Approach*
Research found that a consistent (one-size-
fits-all) managerial approach may be
essential to the successful standardization of
certain aspects of project management, and
a contingency approach is needed for
certain aspects, too
Low standardization with a sufficient
amount of variation is the more appropriate
approach
*Milosevic and Pantanakul, “The Impact of Standardized Project
Management: New Product Development Projects versus Software
Development Projects,” Proceedings of PMI Research Conference
2002
Findings From 5-Year Study on
Quantifying the Value of PM*
1.Companies with more mature project
management practices have better project
performance (on time and budget vs. 40% over
time and 20% over cost targets)
2.Project management maturity is strongly
correlated with more predictable project
schedule and cost performance (i.e. .08 schedule
performance index variation vs. .16)
3.Good project management companies have
lower direct costs than poor project management
companies (6-7% vs. 11-20%)
*Ibbs, William and Justin Reginato, Quantifying the Value of Project
Management (2002)
Project Management ROI*
Over 94% of senior project management
professionals say that implementing PM
added value to their organizations
Formula to predict increased company ROI
based on increased PMM level
–Determine cost to improve PMM level,
improvement in cost performance index (CPI),
then calculate PM ROI using profit margins and
projected annual revenues
*Ibbs, William, “The $$$ Value of Project Management: Continuing the Search for
PM’s ROI,” PDS ’02 Conference Proceedings, PMI-ISSIG
http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/pmroi/PMROI%20PMI%20Presentation%20Feb2001.pdf
PM ROI Example*
Company initially has PMM of 2.3, CPI
of .71, profit margin of 5% , $10 M projected
annual revenues
Company improves PMM to 3.1, CPI to .94,
profit margin to 6.6% at a cost of $400,000
PM ROI = (6.6%-5.0%)X$10,000,000 = 40%
$400,000
*Ibbs, William, “Managing Chaotic Projects: Improving your PM/ROI”
http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/pmroi/PMROI%20PMI%20Presentation%20Feb2001.pdf
Project Management Maturity
Models
Similar to maturity models for improving software
like the Capability Maturity Model (CMM)
Several PM firms have their own maturity models,
most using levels 1-5
–The International Institute for Learning, Inc. calls the
five levels common language, common processes,
singular methodology, benchmarking, and continuous
improvement
–ESI’s five levels are called ad hoc, consistent, integrated,
comprehensive, and optimizing
–PMI’s Organizational Project Management Maturity
Model (OPM3) released their model in 2004
Berkeley Project Management
Process Maturity Model
Project Management Maturity by
Knowledge Area and Industry
Feedback from Bill Ibbs*
We've benchmarked a couple healthcare
organizations…what I can say is that the IT PM
capability of those organizations was poor,
especially in terms of initiating projects.
We
helped one of those companies save several
million dollars over a 2 year period by helping
them focus better on the projects they launched.”
Wall Street reports that the healthcare industry in
general is gearing up to spend even more $$$ on
IT in the next couple years than they have in the
past.
So
there's a lot at stake.”
* From e-mail correspondence Feb. 2, 2004
Other Research Suggests That PM Maturity
Models Only Measure Explicit Knowledge*
Explicit knowledge: “know what,” can be
put into IT, a digital or discrete process that
can be codified and transmitted in formal,
systematic language (Nonaka 1994)
Tacit knowledge: “know how”, in one’s
experience; hard to replicate and can be
transferred indirectly though time consuming
socialization processes (Kaplan et al 2001)
*Jugdev and Thomas, “Blueprint for Value Creation: Developing and
Sustaining a Project Management Competitive Advantage Through the
Resource Based View,” Proceedings of PMI Research Conference, 2002
Need to Make PM a Strategic Asset
(Just Like IT)
Many executives view project management as
having worth at the operational and tactical
rather than strategic level
Resource Based View (RBV) frameworks
emphasize how firms create value and profits
from their internal resources and focus on
strategic assets
RBV is relevant to project management
because it emphasizes intellectual capital
Research Based View Model*
high Social Strategic
Capital Assets
Know How
PM
Maturity
low
Know What
low high
*Jugdev, Kam, presented at PMI Research Conference, July 2002
Need to combine know what with know how
to make PM a strategic asset!
Successful Examples of
Applying PM in Healthcare
Organizations
Theory of Constraints aids in scheduling
Focusing on meeting goals with good PM
helps organizations meet demands under
budget constraints
Good project managers are critical to
successful drug launches
Applying the Theory of Constraints
(TOC) in Health Care*
TOC is a form of systems thinking that suggests that
any complex system at any point in time often has
only one aspect or constraint that limits its ability to
achieve more of its goal. Need to exploit constraint
and adjust scheduling and resource usage
–A USAF base decreased waiting time for primary care
appointments from 17 days to 4.5 at no additional cost
–Radcliff Infirmary in Oxford, England used TOC to
improve waiting times for neurosurgery and
ophthalmology (noted a 100% reduction in elective
cancellations and increases in throughput of over 16%
at no additional cost
*
Breen, Anne, Tracey Burton-Houle, and David C. Aron, “Applying the Theory of Con-
straints in HealthCare: Part 1 – The Philosophy,” Quality Management in Health Care,
(Vol 10, Number 3), Spring 2002, www.goldratt.com/for-cause/applyingtocinhcpt1fco.htm
Meeting Goals With Good
Project Management*
St. Mary’s National Health Service (NHS)
in London was facing a huge deficit,
problems in staffing, and long outpatient
waiting times
They focused on meeting specific goals by
getting the right resources in the right
places at the right times (basic PM
concepts) and went from a one star to a
three star rating by their trust
* Williams, Monica, “Healthy Returns,” PM Network, February 2002
Pharmaceutical Project Managers
Are a Breed Apart*
Significant investments in drug development
projects (12 years and $800M on average), the
magnitude of risks in the development cycle, and
extensive involvement of senor management
makes it especially tough being a PM in this
industry
“I know of no pharmaceutical company today
attempting drug development without a project
manager to oversee it” (Luis Cabassa, PMP,
Genetech Inc.)
Pappas, Lorna, “The Right Prescription,” PM Network, October 2002
Examples of How Good Project
Management Adds Value at Your
Organization?
Question & Answer Session
Feel free to contact me at [email protected]
Visit my Web site at www.kathyschwalbe.com