Management Synthesis - A Recipe for Success

In the field of Program/Project management there are many intersections with other professional disciplines such that niches or sub-specialities seem to naturally evolve. But the truth be told, these niches are simply an indication that the focus of a professional discipline have been too narrowly defined. My particular example is formed by the intersection of the typical PMI Project (or Program) Manager, The Contract Management Professionals, and of course the Earned Value Management professionals.

One would think such an intersection is rather small - it isn't. As this article will show this intersection of specialties is actually the sweet-spot that those of us who work on larger developmental or infrastructure projects should be aiming for in our professional development. What's so unique about this nexus?

Common Ground

The first unifying factor in this management approach is the understanding that the skeleton underlying every instance is a common definition of what work is included in the effort and what work is excluded. The unifying document then is the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and its various presentations. To the PMP community the WBS is a hierarchical listing of all the work that is to be done supported by a WBS dictionary defining what is included or excluded from that element.

To the Contracts Manager, the WBS is a narrative called the Statement of Work. There, each specific requirement is identified and elaborated upon to some degree. To the EVMS practitioner the WBS is both the tree structured WBS and the resulting schedule that associates the element of time with the what in the WBS and the allocated resources from the budget that add the element of how much.

Recipe for Success

While all three disciplines see the WBS from a slightly different perspective, they all agree that it is the core definition (or a prime constituent thereof) of the effort to be accomplished i.e., the contract.

Therefore this common vision needs to be created early in the project's lifecycle. In the contracts world (where I mostly live) that common statement of purpose should be made during the pre-solicitation or proposal response time frame. If that is not done - and done well - the results can be catastrophic. It is this unity of vision, and ultimately management focus that guides and directs the entire project. It defines how the technical solution is comprised, it is the basis for the cost proposed or negotiated, and it sets the stage for the creation of a schedule and the performance baseline.

Managing such projects therefore requires a focus on the basics - but approached from all angles. For example the approach I recommend to my clients is to: "Plan it like you intend to do it - then do it like you planned it" Translating this advice into action involves the following steps:

1. Restating the customer's requirements as deliverable products or services.
2. Organizing that restatement into a product or deliverable oriented hierarchy and expressing it as a WBS supported by a WBS dictionary.
3. Expanding the WBS into a schedule of what work needs to be done and when that work should begin and end.
4. Identifying relationships and constraints among the various elements such first this then that as well as hard delivery dates.
5. Assigning resources to the work - either indigenous to your organization or purchased from others - including subcontracts.
6. Expressing the resources as costs so as to determine the performance budget and price.
7. Negotiate the resulting agreement
8. Monitor technical performance and quality so as to execute the above plan by continuously monitoring accomplishments and identifying/correcting deviations (e.g., variances).

But the key aspect of this approach is that the person who is leading the effort is fluent in all of the above disciplines and may even hold multiple certifications such as PMP, CPCM, or as a CPM PEP graduate. In other words they are multi-disipline practitioners with expertise in several management areas.

More Spice Please

On closer inspection - and through my experience as a Program Manager and Contract Manager - I find the above definition is simply the beginning of a true management synthesis. While the above certainly describes the attributes of a good program manager it is lacking several key attributes. It's like a soup that needs more seasoning if you will.

The first added ingredient is the lingua franca of program management - accounting and finance. Just as a physicist needs calculus, a program manager needs a good accounting background. But it's not all debits and credits. Rather their knowledge needs to be in the area of cost accounting and with a specific focus on topics such as indirect rates, cost and pricing fundamentals, and Cost Accounting Standards. Yes, they have accountants who do the heavy lifting but they need to speak the language.

The second additional ingredient needed is risk management. Good program managers need to understand and apply risk management techniques throughout the project lifecycle. Not only must they be able to identify risks and qualitatively analyze their impacts they also need to understand the various dynamics of each risk. They need to develop mitigation strategies and include them in the overall project plan/budget as well as to apply various quantitive analysis techniques to assess overall impacts.

The Unlikely Catalyst

Many chemical reactions only happen in the presence of a catalyst. What then is necessary to facilitate the transformation from a silo approach to management to the synthesized vision I prescribe? Professional education is certainly helpful but it's not the 'secret ingredient' you need per se. No that secret ingredient is exposure to all the other management disciplines.

That exposure comes from working in integrated project teams (IPTs). It comes from attending professional association meetings and seminars. It comes from rotating job assignments. Finally it comes through social media and belonging to multiple groups representing dissimilar specialties. Through exposure we learn our chosen specialty is not the center of the universe. We also learn how we fit into the overall 'big picture' and how our cog meshes with others to move things forward.

So it's ok to be eclectic ... as a mater of fact it's a good thing. Walk a mile in the other person's shoes and learn something of their specialty - especially as it interfaces with your own. Don't be afraid to take on new assignments that stretch your boundaries. And never stop learning. Although I will be 69 this year I am still a student and learn new things every day. I often look back a few years and wish I knew then what I know now. Imagine how I'll feel about today in five years?