Empowering Project Teams Using Project Followership to Improve Performance

Although project team members play crucial roles in projects, they often do not possess the required mastery of project management methodologies. As a result, dialog between project managers and team members is not as effective as it can be and can quickly become a source of stress and tension.Empowering Project Teams: Using Project Followership to Improve Performance improves on this situation by presenting the project environment from the perspective of project team members. Re-interpreting project management methodologies and behaviors using a bottom-up approach, it explores the application of project followership in the key stages of project management. It details the methods and techniques that all project team members need to know and outlines the behaviors they should adopt to be successful in each stage of the project. The book is divided into five sections: Introduces and explores the basic concepts of project management and project followership Examines project start-up—the all too often underestimated set of activities that make it possible to make future activities less problematic Highlights the importance of project planning Focuses on execution and control of the project Considers project closure and transfer and explains why this is an ideal time to determine if efforts invested have been rewarded Despite an understanding that project success is directly proportional to the entire team’s ability to act as a managerial center of excellence, there has long been a need for a book dedicated to the individuals that participate in projects. Filling this need, this book is an ideal resource for anyone who regularly works as a member of a project team. Complete with case studies in each chapter, the book also includes exercises on the topics covered to facilitate understanding.

PROJECT FOLLOWERSHIPIntroduction to Project ManagementKeywordsReader’s GuideProjects, Projects, and More Projects!Ten Key Characteristics of a ProjectProject Life CycleProject Environment and the Stakeholders The Project’s Key Stakeholders Project Sponsor Project Manager Project Management Team (PMT) Project Team PMO Other Project Stakeholders Focus on the Project Management TeamSuccess of the Project A Frame of Reference The Project Evaluation System Degree of Complexity of a Project Project Management StrategyConclusionsReferencesProject Followership in ActionKeywordsReader’s GuideToward Widespread Project ManagementProject Followership: A Reference ModelProject Followership Actions Project Followership during Project Initiation Project Followership during Project Planning Project Followership during Project Execution and Control Project Followership during the Project Closure Importance of the Distinctive Features of Project FollowershipConclusionsReferencesThe Kickoff MeetingKeywordsReader’s GuideWhy the Kickoff? Kickoff Objectives Support in Preparing the Kickoff Response to the Invitation and Receiving the Information Presentation of the Stakeholders and the Organization of the Project Reading the Project CharterDiscussion of the ProjectProject Followership Actions for the Kickoff MeetingConclusionsReferencesThe Requirements AnalysisKeywordsReader’s GuideWhy a Requirements Analysis?Role of the Project Team Member in the Requirements AnalysisRequirements Analysis: Steps and Techniques General Outline Classify the Stakeholders Collect the Expectations Define the Requirements Validate the Requirements Reviewers Prototypes Acceptance TestsConclusionsReferencesPlanning the ScopeKeywordsReader’s GuideWhy Manage the Scope?Managing the Scope Is Not EasyRole of the Project Follower in Planning the Project ScopeDeliverables: The Essence of the ProjectWBS: Instructions for Use Meaning of WBS Ultimate Purpose of the WBS: To Magnetize the Team Rules for Building the WBSWBS MetaphorsWBS Dictionary: An Extremely Useful CompendiumConclusionsReferences Project SchedulingKeywordsReader’s GuideWhy Scheduling?Approach to Project SchedulingScheduling Steps and the Project Follower’s ContributionIn-Depth Study of the Project Scheduling Steps Step 1: Determine the Project Work Sequence Step 2: Estimate the Duration of the Network Elements Step 3: Compress the Project Duration Fast Tracking Crashing Quality Reduction Scope Reduction Step 4: Allocating the Available Resources Step 5: Optimize the Allocation of Resources and Include New Resources if NecessaryProfile of the Project Follower in Project Scheduling Step 1: Determine the Project Work Sequence Step 2: Estimate the Duration of the Network Elements Step 3: Compress the Project Duration Step 4: Allocating the Available Resources Step 5: Optimize the Allocation of Resources and Include New Resources if NecessaryConclusionsReferencesFormulation of EstimatesKeywordsReader’s GuideWhy Is Estimating So Important?Estimation Techniques Bottom-Up Top-Down The Experts’ Judgment Analogy Historic Series ModelsPitfalls in the Estimation Process Different Degrees of Tolerable Approximation Optimistic Estimates Pessimistic Estimates Temporal Distance of the Activities to Be Performed Parkinson’s Law Student Syndrome Main Activity Measuring Time Availability of Information Actual Time Available for the Project Forecasts for Others Closeness of Temporal PhenomenaProject Followership Actions to Improve EstimatesConclusionsReferencesProject Risk ManagementKeywordsReader’s GuideWhy Project Risk Should Be ManagedProject Risk Management ProcessPlanning the Risk Management ProcessRisk IdentificationAnalysis of RisksPlanning the Risk ResponseRisk Monitoring and ControllingProject Followership Actions for Project Risk ManagementConclusionsReferencesChange as a Natural Factor in ProjectsKeywordsReader’s GuideWhy Are Projects Constantly Changing?Partial Vision of the Project as a Contribution to Its Perceived InstabilityContributing to the Reduction of Changes Proximity of Temporal Phenomena Pressure over Results A Project Environment That Is Very Different from How Operational Activities Are Carried OutHow to Effectively Communicate ChangesWhen Change Is Beneficial and When It Is NegativeProject Followership Actions for Change ManagementConclusionsReferencesControlling the ProjectKeywordsReader’s GuideProjects and ControlProject Control: Comparing MeaningsProject Control Cycle Plan the Project Baseline Measure the Project Performance Evaluate Variances, Trends, and Forecasts Define Corrective Actions, as Needed Project Control in Action General Considerations Techniques for Monitoring Project Progress Timesheet Criteria for Measuring the Work Carried Out Comparison of the Progress Observed with Respect to the Baseline Techniques for Assessing Project Progress Techniques to Identify Corrective ActionsProject StatusPersonal Reflections on Project ControlProject Followership Actions for Project ControlConclusionsReferencesProjects Never Finish: The Importance of the Lessons LearnedKeywordsReader’s GuideWhy the Lessons Learned Are ImportantSome Clarifications on the Concept of Lessons Learned Value of the Lessons LearnedFactors Hindering Systematization of the Lessons LearnedWhat Contributing to Writing the Lessons Learned Means Time Dimension Preparation Support Questions Discussion during a Meeting The Follow-UpInformational Sources for the Lessons LearnedProject Followership Actions for Project ClosureConclusionsReferencesPersonal AssessmentWhy You Should Participate in ProjectsWhy You Should Adopt a Project Followership ApproachExercisesSolutions

Marco Sampietro received a MSC in Economics at the Insubria University in Italy and a PhD at the University of Bremen, Germany. Since 2000 he has been a professor at SDA Bocconi School of Management, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy. SDA Bocconi School of Management is ranked among the top 100 Business Schools in the world (Financial Times Rankings).He is a Core Faculty Member at SDA Bocconi School of Management and teaches Project Management in the following programs: MBA – Master of Business Administration, EMBA – Executive Master of Business Administration, GEMBA – Global Executive Master of Business Administration. He is also responsible of the executive education course: IT Project Management. He is also a Faculty Member at MISB Bocconi – Mumbai International School of Business Bocconi, the Indian subsidiary of SDA Bocconi School of Management.Since 2001 he has been a contract professor at Bocconi University where he teaches Project Management, IT Management, and Computer Skills for Economics. In 2008 and 2009 he has been Vice-Director of a Master Degree in IT Management at Bocconi University. He is also Contract Professor at the Milano Fashion Institute where he teaches Project Management. Finally, in 2010 he has co-founded The Base Project Management Consultancy. Some of his international experiences are: speaker at the NASA Project Management Challenge 2007, 2008, and 2011, USA; speaker at the PMI Global European Congress, 2010; speaker at the IPMA-GPM Young Crew Conference, 2008, Germany; visiting instructor at the University of Queensland, Australia.He is co-author of 5 books on project management and 7 books on IT management. Finally he is author of internationally published articles and case studies.Tiziano Villa, PMP® CMC® started his career at IBM as organizational analyst in the manufacturing plant of Vimercate, Italy. Subsequently he worked in the IT area of insurance companies, first as a Project Manager and later as PMO Coordinator. Since 1989 Tiziano Villa has been working in the management consultancy field, mainly on project management-related topics as a trainer and consultant.In 2002 he founded "the Project Management LAB®", an Italian consulting and training company which is also a PMI® REP. From 2003 to 2007 he was a member of the Board of Directors of the PMI®–NIC Northern Italy Chapter. He is a past director of PMI®-NIC. In this role he coordinated PMI®-NIC research, workshops, and events. He is project management Contract Professor at the "Master IT Governance & Compliance", University of Turin – SAA – School of Business Administration.