Hello I need help with this case study for Project Management and answering the questions at the end. Please help!

Two Players

• Shim Marom, PMP, highly-experienced project manager, who is telling the story below
• Sandy Hemmingway, PMP, fellow experienced project manager, colleague and friend of Shim

Background

I ve known Sandy for years having worked with her on a number of projects in the past 15 years. When she rang to say we need to have a chat I could tell from her voice that something is troubling her. Sandy is a seasoned project manager, someone I would rely on to get things done. She has the experience, the methodological background and the maturity necessary to navigate in the murky waters that usually surround politically charged projects.

We met for coffee, looked for and sat in a corner table so the surrounding noise will be minimal - there s nothing more annoying than trying to have a meaningful conversation while attempting to out-do other conversations.

I m a bit confused , started Sandy. I ve been put into what I considered to be a very interesting and challenging project. The project is meant to implement a strategic business initiative, is driven and sponsored by the Chief Operating Officer, co-sponsored by the Chief Information Officer, and has all the characteristics of a project whose strong business backing will ensure it gets the necessary business focus and backing .

Sounds great , I said, so why the concerned look?

Things are not always what they seem replied Sandy. The project sponsor, not wanting to be involved in the day to day mechanics of the project, appointed a steering committee with four senior members and these guys lack the focus or the commitment of the sponsor. They say the right things and verbalize their commitment but I can never get them all to attend steering committee meetings and in between meetings they seem to be pulling the project in different directions.

Interesting predicament, have you tried to communicate this to the project sponsor?

Well, he sort of delegated all communication channels to the steering committee and they, as I mentioned before, are causing more confusion than help .

Sandy s problem is not uncommon, especially in organizations that score low on established project management maturity models. More importantly, in most organizations I ve been exposed to, there seem to be a big maturity gap between projects that run by the IT / Technology divisions and those run by a business division. In many cases the technology end of the organization is fairly well organized and is aware of the need to put in place, and implement, steps that will take their operations up the maturity ladder. This, however, is less often the case with the business end of organizations.

At the practical level, once assigned to a project, it is not practical to expect the PM to change the organizational culture - though it is a good idea in theory, it is not very practical. Another consideration that will be applicable to many PM s (and this has certainly been my experience) is the fact that it is not an easy task to challenge work practices and habits of senior managers. As your livelihood may be dependent on the whims of these individuals, how far can you push your agenda to improve their performance?

The literature is littered with advice on how to manage up. All good stuff, at least in theory, probably useful in some circumstances, but not very applicable to the case outlined above. Most scenarios of managing up are set in the context of one-to-one relationship, not a case of one-to-many, as in the case of a project manager and her project s steering committee.

Without substantial governance changes it is most likely your project will fail , I answered.

I realize that , answered Sandy, what would you do to resolve this situation ?

I knew the question would come but I had to pause for a minute, before I replied, to think the situation through.

As a project manager you have a vast array of tools and techniques at your disposal. What I would do is make sure I manage all the fundamentals correctly and methodically. In your situation it means, primarily, managing and communicating your issues and risks. It is situations like this that require a PM to be extraordinarily meticulous about ensuring that all stumbling blocks are thoroughly communicated to the relevant stakeholders - with clear indication of the action(s) required by the stakeholder(s) to help mitigate them.

This, however, is unlikely to fix this up, is it? asked Sandy.

I suspect it will not but my view is that it is your job to present the facts the way they are. Your communication should clearly demonstrate the impact the issues you are encountering have on the project. It is then their responsibility to come to the party and help clear things up. If you step back from your immediate problem and think about the nature of your job you should realize that project management is about managing processes with the implied intention that these processes will result in a tangible and positive outcome. This, however, is only an implied intention. A project manager can be 100% successful in his/her job but still end up having a failed project. Yours might just end up being one of these projects .

I never thought about it this way said Sandy. I was always of the opinion that you cannot be a successful project manager if your project failed. This certainly gives me some food for thought. I now realize that first and foremost I need to do my job, and follow the basic rules of engagement that are at the heart of project management.

Assignment

What do you think? What would you advise Sandy? Enter your response below.

Your response must:

• Be at least 200 words long
• Discuss the roles(a) stakeholders and (b) steering committee members play on projects
• Describe your recommendation that either provides a different approach than already offered OR concurs with the above recommendation, explaining why, and expands upon the recommendation