Delivering Transformation? 5 Key Steps to Project Success

You have put a lot of resources into setting and agreeing your transformation strategy. The success of the organisation depends on it being delivered.

 Expectations of senior management and the organisation's board, need that strategy to deliver the organisation's required outcomes.

  Goals are set and baked into individual performance reviews.  Projects must be delivered

 Stakes are high, pressure is on.

 We must deliver on the strategy. Projects must succeed

 There is grave danger that the transformation will not be delivered successfully

 “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Sun Tzu

 So, Don’t “Wing It”: Use this list of 5 key project portfolio management steps to give you the best chance of success:

1.  Make sure the projects you start actually align to the transformation strategy . Sounds kind of obvious I know, but too often the projects started don't actually align.
2. Even where they do align, priorities need to be agreed. If project priorities, and sequencing are not agreed between project sponsors and all key stakeholders, then you still haven't got a clear path to success. 
3. And then you need the right resources committed to the projects. The right mix of experienced, skilled and motivated team members melded into a positive culture is required in order for the project to succeed.  
4.  And it is essential that you have a process to plan thoroughly and continuously. It doesn't matter what project approach is used, waterfall, agile, or hybrid. Get the planning balance right.
5. Then deliver - Always to a deadline date using a strong collaborative approach  to best manage the predicted activity and the undoubted issues that will arise. The key components during delivery are ongoing checks on progress and sound communications of any required changes.

Step 1.  Make sure the projects align to the transformation strategy.

 "There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." Peter Drucker

 "Those who know WHAT they do tend to work harder. Those who know WHY tend to work smarter". Simon Sinek

Trying to deliver a misaligned project is fraught with risk. Especially if you are not aware it is misaligned.

 At every escalation of any issue the sponsor will be asked why this project is occurring in the first place. Are the resources invested wisely?

  If stakeholders cannot see a clear link to strategy, then the project will always be questioned. Quite rightly.

 Why do misaligned projects get started?

•  Often due to individual business managers in the organisation interpreting the strategy from their own paradigm and promoting a project they believe aligns.
• At worst - pet projects are pushed through that may meet the requirements of a business sponsors ego - but do not efficiently deliver the transformation

 So hopefully your projects are aligned. Your organisation has a clearly defined strategy and you have a repeating portfolio planning process to

a.       Understand the outcomes required and by when

b.      Agree what needs to change,

c.      identify which existing and new projects are required to deliver that change

d.      Evaluate and score the projects against each other

e.      discard any project that does not help deliver that strategy within the timeframe

f.       align to capability, risk, resources and budget constraints

 This should ensure that any project that doesn’t drive your transformation strategy doesn’t start (or continue).

 Care: If your organisation's strategy is vague and only a broad direction - this will make your challenge harder as everything will appear aligned and that makes prioritisation even more critical - but I’ll get too that shortly.

 Strategy alignment process should have a regular cycle. Your strategy will likely need to evolve - sometimes drastically change. If it does then the project alignment needs to be reviewed.

 My “Battle Scar” Tips

• Align outcomes of individual projects to strategic outcomes
•  Regularly check projects’ alignment to strategy and outcomes are still achievable
•  Have a separate project approval process in addition to budget approval (essential to stop pet projects)
• Always include in scope functionality to measure project benefits. This can sometimes be complex so ensure sufficient resource is allocated to its design and implementation.
• Don’t get confused by project methodologies. Key themes are just as relevant in agile, waterfall or hybrid approaches. The terminology is just different.
• Have a strong project portfolio management function that fits the organisation need

 If you want to understand the concept of focusing only on what needs to get done – I recommend reading  Will It Make the Boat Go Faster by Ben Hunt-Davis  -  based on the approach the GB Rowing team took to winning a Gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. 

 Step 2. Balance and Agree Priorities

"When you have too many top priorities you effectively have no priorities" Stephen R Covey

 So, we know that transformation will fail if projects are allowed that do not align to the strategy.

 But resources are limited so those same projects also need to be prioritised, balanced and agreed.

 The reasons for this are quite logical:

• Resources of every type are always scarce in one way or another. Resources include money, skilled people, time, technical release slots, launch opportunities
• If strategy is loosely defined or ambiguous in any way, it is easy for individual managers to have conflicting views of priorities
• Not agreeing priorities across projects will undoubtedly create conflict between the managers sponsoring them
• The clearer the road ahead, the less distracting noise, the more chance to succeed.
• What individual projects should not be asked to do, once they are started, is constantly compete for resources
• Competing for resources will: Lower moral; Increase staff turnover; cause inefficient activity; reduce output quality; delay benefits. All increasing cost or reducing revenue.

  So as part of ongoing project portfolio management, project priorities must be assessed, set and agreed.

 This is done using an organisation specific algorithm. Different factors need to be given a weighting based on transformation objectives, risk appetite and known constraints, then built into objective scores for Benefit estimated and Complexity (or Ease) to inform the priority decision.

 Then, importantly:

•  all who can influence the outcome MUST COMMIT to these strategic priorities
• all who can influence the outcome MUST STAY ALIGNED to the strategic priorities
• No person can be allowed to drive their own agenda outside of the agreed strategic priorities
• No Excuses - no person has reason to disrupt priorities due to misaligned agendas such as: Ego - eagerness to get their bit done; Blindness to required enabling projects; Or blindness to power of combined solution across business areas

 My Battle Scar Tips:

• Don’t deny priorities need to be agreed upfront – Most resource related delays I have had to manage were due to misaligned priorities
• Don’t think this is easy - Managing priorities is possibly the most difficult but crucial element of successfully delivering strategy
• Too often - agreement isn’t reached as person accountable for agreement is too junior.
• The person accountable for agreeing priorities needs to be the top exec in the relevant structure. For enterprise change this is likely to be the CEO
• Must keep it up-to-date. Regular priority reviews and updates
• The need is relevant regardless of project delivery mechanism being used (agile, waterfall or hybrid)
• If you’re the responsible business owner for a project and don’t have clarity on your projects priority in relation to others competing for resources. Stop. Seek clarity before issues occur. They will.

   “Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes, but no plans.” Peter F. Drucker

Step 3. Set Up High Performing Teams

  “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” ~ Michael Jordan

Whilst getting programs and projects aligned and prioritised gets you maybe 50% of the way there. Getting the right resources allocated is another essential step.

 Too often, this step is given too little thought and

• the wrong individuals are assigned or
• stretched resources are over allocated or just as importantly
• team formation is done out of sync. And key resources join the project too late to be involved in design and planning activities

 To succeed - a lot of planning needs to be done - that planning needs to be conducted by the right people. Usually senior project, technical and business experts who can consider ALL aspects of the project.

  Roles should never be combined just to keep headcount down -rather get the expertise by sharing resources across projects - be dynamic - go virtual/part-time if required.

Challenge antiquated internal rules (e.g; no part timers, no contractors) set by personnel departments or finance with conflicting agendas

 Hire dynamic, motivated people then set them the vision, tell them the strategy, and watch them make it a reality.....

 Think long term - get people who buy into long term. Do not allow short term/scarcity mentality to prevail or you get short term solutions you'll end up rebuilding every couple of years......

 Avoid silo thinking - it drives transactional, short term hiring for specific projects -invest long term in motivated team members by planning and hiring resources across the portfolio

  My Battle Scar Tips:

•  A highly motivated team of skilled players all aligned in one direction can increase output by at least 20%.
• Take time to hire the skills don’t rush into planning due to the need to please superiors
•  Hire for the team fit- not just technical ability or experience
• Always invest in building the team culture
• Hire the A team - the right people in the right roles
•  In tech projects always employ architects and designers do not rely on developers to design - it rarely works
• Hire ability AND experience - but NEVER Experience on its own. Hire combinations - one has ability and drive - the other has experience/ can guide.

"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results." – Andrew Carnegie 

 Step 4. Plan Plan Plan...

  A goal without a plan is just a wish.”  Larry Elder

  "First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination” - Napoleon Hill

 Planning is so important but is often either skimped or over indulged. The route to success is to focus on getting the balance right.

 Do this by acknowledging that planning is iterative. Everything needs to be considered in the plan, but not always in detail.

  Ambiguity is OK and should be your friend. The level of detail and certainty for individual items in your plan will always vary at any point in time.

When planning, there is a natural tendency to be over optimistic. Check for it, adjust for it. Use the experience of your A team to moderate the plans

 Portfolio and Program planning has a different focus to project Planning. Key to success is to properly embrace, analyse and eventually accept bottom up, project level plans to adjust and validate original portfolio and program plans. Challenge yes, but then accept. Too often if bottom up does not align, projects are told to go away and change. Avoid this - adjust program plans wherever possible. Well constructed project plans - must be respected and embraced.

 The trick is to make sure project plans are robustly created by the right cross section of team members and their relevance maintained

 Planning is not a solo sport- it shouldn’t be just the portfolio team, or the technical team, or the project manager - it should be all of them working together.  Publish the plan broadly and use feedback in the next planning cycle

 Learn from the past - Refer to past project reviews and use team members prior experiences as an input

 Projects should focus their planning effort on things that they will be delivering – not on the governance side of things that can, and should, be templated and planned at portfolio and program level.

  My Battle Scar Tips

• Begin with the end in mind. Start with a sequence back from there.
• Always have a plan - so stakeholders (particularly superiors) see control and progress and don’t get nervous BUT vary the detail to fit the point in time.
• Start and reiterate from high level approach and a sequence of activity
• Never rush planning - but don’t procrastinate or be too perfect either
• Accept that ambiguity and unknowns are valid concepts
• Do not baseline or laminate any plan. The universe has no respect for plans so they will change
• Test for adequacy of the detail will be based on the confidence of any stakeholder or subject expert to commit to their part of the plan.
• Regardless of project approach (Agile/Waterfall) - resist any impatience of your superiors or other key stakeholders to see delivery progress. Instead, provide iterative versions of your plan to show progress.

Step 5.  Deliver - to deadlines

 “Execution is the ability to mesh strategy with reality, align people with goals, and achieve the promised results.” Larry Bossidy

 So once

• There is alignment to transformation strategy
• Everyone knows and buys into priorities
• The A team is formed
• And initial plans are in place

 Teams should be allowed to get on with it!

 They set a date and deliver to that date. Always a date – never cost or quality. This is known as "forcing function” theory – once the right environment is in place - the team will deliver. If needed - the team will use combinations of scope, quality, and cost levers to meet the deadline. Benefits will be delivered.

 Sell the team the vision and watch them make it a reality

  But success will only happen if there is ongoing portfolio best practice across the layers of delivery to amend plans as required.

•  Project - manage the project team towards date adjust deliverables, cost, and quality standards as required.
•  Program - track and adjust plans and approaches to deliver on time. Not just each individual project but collectively across the program for all key elements such as risk, quality, schedule, benefits, costs, communications, etc.
• Portfolio - track these projects/programs to ensure they continue to deliver towards the expected strategic outcome in terms of quality, cost, schedule, and scope. Always looking for ways to leverage economies of scale across the projects, reduce risk and improve the probability of successfully delivering expected transformation outcomes.

  My Battle Scar Tips:

• Listen well. Issues will “whisper” to you first. manage them before they scream for attention
• Be ready for issues to arise
• Constantly Monitor, Review and Tweak
• Don’t be fooled by the illusion of calm and control
• Regularly review assumptions in the planning
• Regularly check  that benefits are still on track to be delivered and complexity is as expected
• Make quick decisions and move decisively

?“You have to be fast on your feet and adaptive or else a strategy is useless.” Charles de Gaulle

 To Conclude

 Success should flow - Because you’ve set up your environment for success. It is not an easy fix, it takes resources, but this approach gets results. I’ve used it to spectacular success but also seen many change programs fail where steps are missed or skimped

1.  Your projects are aligned to purpose and strategy
2. Influential stakeholders who need to contribute are fully onboard
3.  You have a talented team that are well motivated and high performing
4.  You have set up a planning regime and structures to help bring the project on track if things start to go off course
5. This will hold you in good stead for all the challenges that will undoubtedly be encountered throughout the delivery stage

In my experience, strong and deliberate portfolio management leadership is essential if the delivery team is to work efficiently. Investment in this function will be returned by benefits of project efficiency.

 It doesn't matter what the project methodology is. Whether it is traditional or scaled lean agile, the project must still align to the overarching strategy that the portfolio was established from. 

 With Lean methodologies there is more ambiguity so more frequent gathering of the key senior stakeholders will be required to review progress, reset priorities, and provide clarity to delivery teams and supporting functions.

  Wherever possible the delivery structure should evolve to reduce dependencies on different functions managed by different senior execs.

 Organisations successfully delivering projects and programs that produce strategic business results are those that respect the need for good portfolio management. They use these suggested methodologies, processes, tools, and resources most appropriate for the function being performed be it portfolio, program, or project management.

 And Remember

 When you “wing it” without a well governed and coordinated project portfolio approach, the transformation will fail.

 This is because you will ALWAYS:

• over commit resources,
• overestimate supplier capacity
• show poor resource prediction capability and
• end up with piecemeal information about projects.

In addition:

The organisation will make ill-informed decisions to approve the "right" projects and will not shut down projects with no hope of success.

The organisation will not be able to define specific alerts, such as projects that do not align with transformation strategy.

When you “wing it” without a well governed and coordinated project portfolio approach, the transformation will fail.