My Mid-Year Learning Experience
In the middle of 2009, I published a series of articles on ellfin.org about what turned out to be a very short consulting assignment of 10 days instead of 6 months. Looking back it shows that even an old dog like me can learn something new – and I have. It’s reminded me to listen to my intuitive side a bit more. If I had done so in this case I would have got down into the mud to sort the rot out.
I’ve collected those articles together and published as one here. It’s quite a yarn.
Day One – Into the Unknown
The Fear of Honesty
On this Monday morning I started a contract as a PMO Leader through one of the large enterprise project management vendors. This had been going on for the last two or three weeks. Typical of these things it started in the middle of a Friday with a demand to get 2 PMO Leaders and 2 MSP Planner/Schedulers to start by next Tuesday, as Monday was a Bank Holiday. Having worked hard finding the most appropriate people I knew and updating and rewriting CVs for all, we ended up with just me being contracted.
It turns out they only put my CV forward and didn’t tell me until last Friday. They also told me the client was only using Microsoft Project and missed the existence of Clarity altogether. Now I have to get back in touch with my people, some of whom I have known for 20+ years to say “sorry there isn’t a job for you after all”. Setting expectations in Consulting is very important so the client can make reasonable plans based on the certainty of what they are being told. Whatever we say we can do, should have a reasonable chance of happening and if not then it should be so close as to hardly matter. If only the same was true for some of the people who pretend to be Salespeople. I say this because I have worked with some great Salespeople in my time, and though they have different styles and approaches, the setting of expectations with their clients and other stakeholders, including the consultants is excellent.
At the start, when I put myself forward on that first Friday, I explained I would be away on holiday between 22 May and 29 May inclusive. Strange then that it was left to me to call the Project Director up before I went into the client building to tell him I would be on holiday.
This is a saga of fear from the guy winning the work for the vendor. He was to scared to tell the Project Director I was going on holiday, and he was too scared to challenge them about what they needed. Clients have a long history of wanting something different to what they need. The guy at the big vendor is a nice chap, but I can’t understand why he never bothered to ask about the other positions or why he never told the client about my holiday..
On Being Friendly
When I first go to a client or enter an office for the first time I make a point of getting to know the people in administration roles. It’s like an insurance policy that pays out over time. It also makes them feel good because many people take them for granted. This includes receptionists, security people, project administrators, mail room people and so on.
On entering this client the receptionist was in the middle of opening a packet of Rich Tea Biscuits and looked like she was about to stop for me. I moved first and talked about the importance of opening the biscuits first and having a cup of tea. We had a good conversation from that and I ended up with an unescorted visitors badge despite producing no identification whatsoever.
Being decent and appreciative of people makes me and them feel good and sometimes I get an unexpected benefit.
Meeting My Client
The Project Director I called earlier was on holiday so I met with the current PMO Manager and had a good conversation. I know this because I didn’t say much and listened to what he had to say to me. Gerry Weinberg says the client will tell you the answer in the first 5 to 10 minutes. It’s just that we don’t know enough to know what the answer is just yet. Over the next couple of days I should be able to work it out.
I did the same listening to everyone I met. By the end of the day, I had a list of a number of issues nobody told me about, but I believe are there:
- The PMO consists of three people who spend a lot of time chasing project managers who should know better.
- The PMO has no teeth because they have no authority
- The schedules are rubbish
- The plans rarely exist
- Risk Management is unheard off.
- They’re at least a year late
- There is no respect for the PMO
- There is no WBS structure or dictionary
- Nobody has any time as they are mostly busy not delivering on time.
First Week – Clear As Mud
Tuesday
Much the same as yesterday but had the chance to attend a Dependency Review at 10:30 which is where the project managers come together to ensure hand-offs between tasks in different projects are managed. Only two Project Managers turned up and their appeared to be more issues generated than resolved. Clearly PMs either don’t want to or don’t have the time to prepare for or attend this essential event. [EDIT: Don’t have the time]
Two people from Capability Enhancement rolled by and it seems they were here to duplicate much of what I believed I was here to do. Further discussion took place and I provided my view from observation to date. Agreement to be at the client’s site the following day to see programme in operation and meet some key people.
Wednesday & Thursday
Meet with the Project Director for the first time emphasising my knowledge and skills in defining and building an appropriate PMO structure, processes and artefacts.
Rest of both days spent mainly with WF from Capability Enhancement and the three Work Stream Leads with our conclusions. Joined on a number of occasions by CM, who is also from Capability Enhancement. I was picking up information that I considered good input for PMO design.
We had a wash-up with the Project Director regarding the sick note we’d gathered, none of which the Project Director found surprising, which begs the question why it has taken several months before starting to address them. I was tasked with producing three documents which I said would be difficult as I didn’t have the information, but I’d do what I could and pass it to the PMO. I believe only one person was in the PMO on Thursday.
Thursday Evening
Tried to piece together a monthly and weekly calendar as well as roles and responsibilities from information I had been provided, but quite impossible to do. Eventually completing all I could and sending a note to the others in the “PMO” at 12:30am – Friday morning. This was the first day of my holiday.
Friday – Whilst on Vacation
Responded to emails regarding what I’d sent on the previous evening as well as a first stab of the points uncovered by Capability Enhancement. This right up until I got on the plane.
Day Seven Was Far From Heaven
What Happened?
On returning from holiday, I lasted just three more days at the PMO role and it knocked me back a bit and made me question my own worth. My last day was Wednesday 3rd June and I got the call on the morning of Thursday 4th June about 2 minutes before I entered the building for work. I’m writing this on Tuesday 30th June, and haven’t been able to find work since. It’s tough, in fact it’s very tough.
I had stayed until 10:00pm on the night before observing a Planning Session which made me cringe. On returning from my vacation, the Project Director was insisting more and more publicly that I will be standing up in front of his client and C-Level board members at his company and say how great the plan was. As good as the daily rate was, I never have and never will stand up and knowingly lie. On the morning of June 4th I wrote an email on the train and sent it off to the guy from their “Capability & Enhancement” group. I needed to speak to him, but it never happened.
The problems on the programme run much deeper than a non-existent PMO. It is deep in the culture of the client. Changing systems and process is relatively easy to changing culture. It’s a big task for someone.
Final Fling
Not one to let go easily, I submitted my conclusions to the vendor which included a brief statement of the commercial risk (very high) and the likelihood of success (very low). I also provided observations around the People, Process and Technology that is part of the programme. Finally, I outlined some steps that needed to be taken.
Another guy from the vendor has gone in to observe and report back. He was supposed to be contacting me, but hasn’t. I am interested in seeing what his conclusions are.
The Situation in December 2009
I spoke with the vendor only last week and he told me their man had been in there since just after I left. He described him as being a crutch for them to lean on, and he just rushes around filling in the gaps and isn’t allowed to address the real issues. A new guy joined their client as an employee in the PMO Manager role, who the vendor and consultant know very well. He says they still need the consultant in there running round for them. The consultant is at another client at the moment – “having a break from the chaos, he needed to get out for his health and sanity” as the vendor said.