Managing Technical Projects

Managing Technical Projects is a challenging adventure as it requires many insights. Most technical projects can be thought of as experiments in motions. A product can be considered stable only after a few iterations (for some companies). For this reason we can start most projects as an experiment.

This kind of structuring can help us keep an open mind about:
1. Client requirements
2. Stakeholders interest
3. Delivery schedules
4. Product strategy and its variance
5. Quality

Experimentation (according to Stefan Thomke) can help organize, structure and lead the development activities of most projects. With experimentation as a common denominator the importance of value creation is the most importance peace (of course with quality, company goals and innovation are other factors often considered). Success with experimentation is to make an unknown/known and develop a process for innovation that is reusable and repeatable. Experimentation also transforms new technology (i.e. its creation and making it better).

In the course "Managing Technology Projects" at De Anza College, students take on a challenge of experimentation by working on a new idea in teams of 4 to 5. They learn about the following in three modules:

1. What is experimentation, factor involved in managing experimentation to success, how to do market research, develop a plan and strategy for initiating projects ... all to help with Technology evolution awareness and its impact of value creation.

2. Next module helps improve product design process by involving customers from the prototyping stage. Validating product iterations can save cost of development by getting feedback early and often from customer.

3. In the third module (best for last) students learn how to develop a product road map and its dependency on partnerships, stakeholder, technology, organizational structure and processes.

In the end students present the developed prototypes and answer question in context of their respective projects to illustrate application of what they have learnt in three modules.

A very interesting class to get "real-world" perspective on what it takes to manage/develop/create technology.

CIS 95D - Managing Outsourcing - A Practicum

For the first time in Spring 2009 we have introduced short courses to respond to the market requirements. Managing Outsourcing is being taught over two weekends - starting June 6th and ending June 14th.

Teaching methodology
Individuals are getting "hands-on" experience in working for C-Bay Inc (a ficticious company) used in our in-class fiction. Director of IT is busy working on keeping the system running and has a new project that needs attention. Students help the Director of IT create a Procurement Plan by first understanding reasoning behind why C-Bay should outsource and how their decision making process should align with stategic initiatives of C-Bay.

Students build a Request for Proposal considering;
1. What part of projects should be outsourced?
2. SWOT analysis technique to develop the reasoning for outsourcing
3. Contract type to be used for the given project at hand
4. How a supplier should be selected?
5. Risks associated with outsourcing

Student also prepare a statement of work that can be utilized to manage the vendor being mindful of tasks to be performed by vendor, deliverables, project duration, payments, vendor requirments and other contractual elements.

Students also learn to manage the vendor through several hard situations to bring a project to completion considering the five pillars of project management - Scope, Quality, Budget, Schedule and Team. Student learn how to manage hard situations by comparing/contrasting solution in class discussion and get a perspective of others on the problem they are solving in class.

Student are required to work in teams and get to experience framework, tools and techniques utilized for integrating the outcomes in realtime (A skill much needed for the real world) - at the same time dealing with politics in team, gain ing consensus and making the project successful.

Following elements contributed to student grade:

1. Individual performance assessment:
Based on Q and A in class (Verbal and Written)
Class participation
Contribution to teamwork for group tasks
Attendance

2. Group work
Score assigned for each task
Group synergy

3. 360 Evaluation
Each member grades their team members
Instructor observations

Overall these classes are engaging - there is lot of interaction among class members and facilitator with students gaining experience - which help in long-term retention of the material.

Course offering for Spring 2009 at De Anza

Just a quick reminder of course offerings for Project Management at De Anza College.

Enrollment for Summer opens today so pl. plan to register quickly. Considering the state budget issues classes below size of 20 would be canceled. Also note that CIS 95D is being taught in Spring starting tomorrow and will not be offered again until Winter 2010 (in case you are trying to finish your certificate)

Project Management courses at De Anza for remainder of the year:
Spring 2009
CIS 95D: Managing Outsourcing - A Practicum (Lecture)
CIS -095D-55L: Class meets for 2 weekends beginning June 6th and ending June 14th.
Time 9:00AM-4:40PM on Saturday and Sunday in Room AT311

Summer 2009
CIS 95A: Project Management - A Practicum (Lecture)
Class meets Mon/Wed from 6:00pm to 10:40pm for six weeks starting June 29th to August 8thin AT202

CIS 95B: Project Planning and Control - A Practicum
Class meets Tues/Thurs from 6:00pm to 9:40pm for six weeks starting June 29th to August 8th in ADM103

CIS 95E: CAPM and PMP Exam Preparation (Lecture)
Class meets Saturday from 9:00AM-4:40PM for six weeks starting June 29th to August 8th in L74

To learn more about De Anza's Certificate of Achievement in Project Management please visit
http://cis.deanza.edu/pm/courses.html

Offerings planned for Fall 2009

CIS 95A Project Management - A Practicum
CIS 95B Project Planning and Control - A Practicum
CIS 95C Risk Assessment and Mitigation
CIS 79/BUS 88 Managing Technology Projects
CIS 95E CAPM and PMP Exam Preparation

Seeing things through completion

Greg Doherty, a tenacious senior manager from Oracle had hired me to work in Onebox during the .com boom. On my first day at work I did see a very chaotic atmosphere (this was my first startup experience). No welcome letter, No desk, No computer, People busy doing things and profanity flying around like there as no other words. After about 1.5 days of this I had it. Times were good and job offers were dime a dozen. So I left, only to later find out that Onebox was acquired by Software.com for 800 million dollars. And later that year I had managers from Onebox taking First course in Java from me in UC Berkeley extension.

Before I left Onebox, I did talk with Greg Doherty about the situation. He told me outright that I did not fit into the genetics of Onebox. I did ask Greg what are two things that shape his goals. He said:
1. I take on a lot of things (that why he was always busy).
2. I never let the ball drop on anyone of those things.
3. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

This lesson from 1999 would later shape my career. I did join a startup and found two companies (that are all successful). I now make sure that what I start, I finish - bring it to a closure. It is important to weigh the consequences of what you take on and accomplish the set out of objectives. This is a key for success of any project execution.

Transaction Management and Project Management

What does Transaction Management and Project Management have in common?
Yes I am talking about Transaction Management with Databases and Distributed Systems.
They are both a unit of work in which all participating operation should either succeed or fail and recover together. How many times have you thought about your projects in this context?

Of'course things become a little more complicated when you are working on several projects together that may have dependencies on each other. You have to coordinate tasks to manage such dependencies and synchronize the effort of several tasks. The other element is of thinking of risk mitigation and preparing for failures to ensure that project timeline and budget don't suffer. And if they do how do you proactively communicate so you can have a safe landing versus a hard landing.

The solution lies in knowing a project management theory such as PMBOK which amplifies the characteristics of planning, risk mitigation, execution, control and closing. Once you know this theory, contrasting it with Transaction Management theory reinforces the concept.

So what is the big deal?

De Anza College is now offering four courses cis 95a, 95b, 95c and 95d as a course sequence to teach project management. This is a great opportunity for all techies to gain those skills on project management so that your projects can be on time and under budget.

You see - project management is both an art and science. In the first course we put your through several projects so you can understand what does it take succeed. You learn some project mgmt. theory from PMBOK (Project Management Book of Knowledge) from PMI (Project Management Institute) and apply it to case studies you work on. Some of these case studies are very interesting.

First course in the sequence will be offered this Summer quarter starting on July 3rd 06. The fee is a whopping $17.00 per unit (sure beats those $800.00 per courses offered by other institutions) and yes it uses learning by doing approach - same pedagogical style used by Carnegie Mellon - West (west.cmu.edu).

If you know people that want great quality education at this affordable a price then pass on the word. Course work is taught by faculty trained in project management / pogram management and working professionals.