2009-02-12 February 2009 Meeting Documents (Project Review)

Project Review, Bob Cutler

- Gave a history of project management (Historical Influence)

- Reviews have roots in the accounting audits (before project mgt. was a profession). There was not PMBOK or PMI.l

- Why using an audit a process/objectives Project Audits are narrow focus

- PM is product focused. Whole is greater than parts)

- Project participants/stakeholders (sponsor->business consumer, IT provider, PM provider, Project Review, Others.

- Stakeholder want to know if the project is going be successful (time, quality, resources, etc)
May need to define what success is.

- Success oriented project review (set aside 2 to 3 days), No forms to fill out, provide a preliminary report 2 days later and a complete report within a week. Here's how its done...

Q - How do you handle multiple large projects
(A)- Talk to multiple people over and over again. but do it early in the project.
need to take action early.

- Only ask for PM documents that exist (no something thrown together)
Short list: PM Charter, schedule, risk & issues log, status reports for last three periods.

- Get physical interviewees - PM (45 min), Sponsor (20 min), Project team members (45 minutes each), knowledgeable end users/consumers (duration depends on degree of involvement.

- In the interview
a) Describe you role.
b) Explain that you will talking notes
c) Comments are anonymous
d) Explain that you are going to be as objective as possible.

- 3 questions that always must be asked.
what's going right.
what's going wrong.
what keeps you up at night.

Talking notes (take then at all times during the interview - don't change your behavior. This alleviate fear being introduced to the interviewee)
- Write when something important comes up
- Write when nothing important is said

closing the interview -Is there anything else on their mind. Let them know when the results will be available, thank them.

brief the sponsor (only the facts can be changed)
-- Overview of your impressions
-- Timing on report availability

Meet with the PM (offer to be a resource)

Before writing the Report
- Know who is your audience
- What do they want to learn

Structure the report
- Tell them about what is going right first.
- Exec summary with graphical overview
- Is this observation going to contribute to success
- Keep items bulleted with a max of 3 to 4 sentences.