Brightmoon Consulting & Training

We are delighted to bring these three pro-bono training to you. Now you can register in the links below. At the same time, stay tuned on our Eventbrite page on the news of future sessions.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Wednesday, January 22, 2014 from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM

Wednesday, January 22, 2014 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Welcome to 2014. What is your new year resolution? This blog is specially for you, if one of your goals is to make career transition to project management. This post is a personal experience sharing from Tai Choo Tack.

The First Step - Not for Fainthearted
The future is lucrative if he was to stay in existing role. However, he decided to conquer another peak. The very first step is to coming down from existing peak. It is like letting go all the fortunes and start from ground zero, and this is not for fainthearted!

The Second Step - Search for the Bullet
Since he was in employment, he started lobbying for project management opportunities within the company. At the same time, he took MBA specialized in Project Management. With hope, he has sufficient knowledge to jump-start a new role. Unfortunately, the luck was not on his side. His superior and department head unable provide such opportunities. Thus, he started to look out for new job.

The Third Step - Bite the Bullet
This is common step in any career change - find new job elsewhere. Five points below can give you a good start:-

1. Read A Lot of Job Requirements - familiarize yourselves with what other companies are looking for, and gaps can be easily identified early. And, you can focus on those close to your heart and personality. For example: Project Director, Project Manager, Project Controller & etc.
2. Transferability - List out the experience or skill you can "transfer" to project management role. Try focus more on those in relation to job requirements. For example, transfer "conduct end-to-end user acceptance test with relevant stakeholders in accordance to test cases" as "engage key stakeholders in UAT sign-off."
   
3. Rewrite Resume/ CV - invest your time here to come out new resume/ CV. All the gaps you identified are highlighted here. Remember, take your time to identify all transferable experiences & skills - in relation to project management job requirements. Please focus on highlighting your accomplishments.
4. Job Application - start depositing the completed resume/ CV to any potential companies. You might get call for interview. Interview is great an most effective way to validate one's readiness for new role. It's perfectly okay to be rejected. Remember - you are going to a new peak from ground zero.
5. Revise Resume & Close Gaps - go back to your resume to note down the weaknesses/ gaps surfaced during interview. Remember to close the gaps or find ways to mitigate the weaknesses. Repeat from step 1 to make your mind clearer.

Concluding Remark
A quick reflection, Tai Choo Tack took 6 months to land him on a new role. He was going all-out to make the transition happen, and ready for pay-cut. What kept him moving is the analogy of two peaks - he needs to go all the way down from where he stands, before he can go to a new peak.


Please comment here if you are ready to bite the bullet to venture into project management role.

Happy New Year to everyone. Our 2014 training calendar is available here.

At first cut, the public training is on:-

• Scrum Workshop
  
• Introduction to Document Management
  
• Effective Document Management in SharePoint®
  
• Using SharePoint® for Effective Project Collaboration & Management

We proudly offer pro-bono training (FREE training) covering topics below. Their availability will be published in this blog, EventBrite and Facebook.

• Introduction to PRINCE2®
• Accelerated Introduction to Scrum
• Accelerated Introduction to Document Management
• Accelerated Introduction to SharePoint®
• Accelerated Introduction to PMIS (Project Management Information System)
• Accelerated Introduction to KOAN-PM

We would love to listen to what you have in mind. Till then, have a great and wonderful 2014 ahead!

Typical project success criteria mentioned previously are on-time, on-budget and within scope.

This article is to shed some light on 10 Critical Success Factors (CSF), which have empirically proven in contributing directly and indirectly to success criteria above. However, without proper measurement, it would be challenging to have these CSF serve as a reputable benchmark.


The History
Two renowned experts (Pinto & Slevin) conducted this research over 400 projects across industries. They came out a diagnostic instrument to measure these 10 CSF - Project Implementation Profile (PIP). This is 360-degree approach to solicit feedback from all project stakeholders. Over two decades, it has been proven on its practicality and usefulness.

The Wake-up Call
There was on product development project in one multinational organization. Everyone was excited about the project, including the technology partner. However, something does not feel so right, and no-one is able to tell the exact.

After PIP was conducted, the shocking and ugly truth revealed itself. At the quick glance on its CSF rating (see figure below), this project is at the brink of extinction. They have been experiencing unnecessary fire fighting, chasing unreasonable deadlines and stressed working atmosphere.

The Priority of Remedial Actions
With the insights of CSF rating, there is always a chance to salvage the project.

1. Top priority is given to those CSF rating below 50
2. Second priority is given to those CSF rating below 80

Usage of PIP

1. Identify early indicators of project failure
2. Objectively benchmark across project performance
3. Facilitate in strategically and tactically thinking in entire project lifecycle

Concluding Remark
The success of adopting PIP in entire organization requires openness and higher project management maturity. Without that, PIP may be wrongly used as a political weapon. An independent third party could be invited in conducting PIP to ensure all project stakeholders are comfortable in voicing their honest and brutal feedback - anonymously. This third party will compile all feedback into one CSF rating (as seen in figure above).

Towards year-end, all successful individuals/ organizations will have a reflection on how they performed in 2013. Subsequently, they can plan how to increase/ elevate their success to new height in 2014.

Back to project management, the usual success statements are on-time, on-budget and within scope. These three are often used because they are easy to measure. And, this is how a project be profitable.

On the flip side of this success definition:-

1. Can a project deemed as a failure despite it met three criteria above? 
2. Can a project gauged as a success when it burst the time, budget and scope? 

These two questions are highly debatable. Nevertheless, the answers are absolute when we take into consideration of the behavioral aspects.


Critical Success Factors outlined by Pinto & Slevin provides holistic overview on project success.

1. Project Mission - Initial clearly defined goals and general directions.
2. Top Management Support - Willingness of top management to provide the necessary resources and authority/ power for project success.
3. Project Schedule/ Plan - A detailed specification of the individual actions steps for project implementation.
4. Client Consultation - Communication, consultation, and active listening to al impacted parties.
5. Personnel - Recruitment, selection, and training of the necessary personnel for the project team.
6. Technical Tasks - Availability of the required technology and expertise to accomplish the specific technical action steps.
7. Client Acceptance - The act of "selling" the final project to its ultimate intended users.
8. Monitoring and Feedback - Timely provision of comprehensive control information at each stage in the implementation process.
9. Communication - The provision of an appropriate network and necessary data to all key actors in the project implementation.
10. Troubleshooting - Ability to handle unexpected crises and deviations from plan.
    

All these factors are good on paper. Without proper quantification, they serve no purpose in project benchmarking. Next article we will share a way to translate qualitative inputs into numbers.

Till then, have fun reflecting now.

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Scrum has proven its benefits in software development. These projects are having transparent communication, high adaptability, better client engagement, and many more. Thus, this create an impression that Scrum is only for software development and nothing else.

Many other industries are eyeing on how to harvest such benefits of Scrum in their context. Let's take a step back - PRINCE2 was originated for IT projects, PMBoK was initially meant for construction projects  Now many non-IT, non-construction industries are using them.


Scrum is a Framework
Virtually all industries are able adopt Scrum without having to make it industry-neutral. Scrum is a framework and not a methodology. Allow us to have quick look on their differences.

Framework - it outlines the principles and generally answer "Why & How" and often challenges status quo.
For examples:

1. Why we need lengthy meetings? How to make meeting value-add to client?
   
2. Why client not satisfy with our hard works? How to increase client satisfaction the simplest way?
   
3. Why team are not performing? How to make the team self-organized?

Methodology - it prescribes the working mechanisms of an activity/ deliverable, i.e. "What" need to to be done by "Who" via "How" approach in the timing of "When".
For example:

1. What are needed in a Project Charter? Who is responsible to create/ review/ approve it? When it is needed before next activity can start?

Framework is for Adoption and not Adaptation
As a framework, it must be accepted as a whole. Any changes on it, may invite chaos if not catastrophe. When the Scrum framework is adhered, you can come out your own working mechanism based on your preferences.

Just like a house - its framework is solid foundation of everything in it, which make the occupants comfortable living in it. You can decorate it without worrying its safety. Any removal of the framework entails unexpected risks.

Concluding Notes
When you are planning to introduce Scrum in your team/ organization, it will be better to have someone knowledgeable in Scrum to be on your side. This is to ensure the Scrum framework is maintained and not omitted.

On the other side, if your Scrum does not deliver expected benefits, you may want to consider to re-inspect its framework. Hopefully after the inspection, you can restore the framework and reap its intended benefits.

Have fun decorating your Scrum framework.

We are delighted to introduce this complementary half-day training to you. Seats are limited. Please register yourselves in Eventbrite to avoid disappointment.

Who Should Attend?

• Business Owners
• Management Team
• Project Management Team Members
• Whoever passionate want to know more about PRINCE2
  

What is PRINCE2?
It is a project management methodology with worldwide recognition and adoption. Join this session to find out more.

What Do I Gain?
After this session, you will have higher level of appreciation/ understanding on PRINCE2. And, it can help you to plan your professional develop in the realm of Project Management.

What Can an Organization Gain?
You can plan how to reap the practical benefits of PRINCE2 in your Organization.

Intended Benefits of Scrum
Scrum is gaining popularity due to its benefits in making a team more adaptive and responsive to its ever-changing environment, such as volatile user changes, technology advancement & etc. In the nutshell, Scrum is to make a team be self-organized. An self-organized team able to deliver results with higher customer satisfaction and better client engagement.

Introducing Scrum Role
More and more organizations introduce a role named Scrum Master (SM). This role is a Scrum evangelist in the organization. He/ she does not have any authority over the team and only facilitates the team to be self-organized. The first expected benefit is the team won't cause any headache to the management team, particularly in managing their works in a team. The communication within the team is open and transparent. Thus, everyone has a happier life.

The Reality
Back to reality, many organizations pro-claimed they are using Scrum or have roles of SM/ Product Owner (PO). However, these roles expects the team can deliver faster under the flag of Scrum, despite the fundamental working arrangements are status-quo (i.e. prior introduction of Scrum). The SM/ PO holds responsibilities of typical team lead or manager. They dictate how the team doing their works, which is contradicting to Scrum approach - make the team self-organized. Due to various reason, they refused to claim they failed in using Scrum, they said they "adapted" Scrum.

"Adapted" Scrum - The Destroyer
Let's have a quick reality check, whether your organization or team has "adapted" Scrum in a counter-productive way:-

1. The team size is too small - ideal team size is 3 to 7 person.
2. Someone dictate of how a job is done - definition of done should agreed up front.
3. Estimation of each work is done by someone - estimation should solicit from the team as they know their stuffs well.
4. Someone assigns the works to each team member - as self-organized team, the team is empowered with commitment to their taken jobs.
5. Sprint Backlog is owned by someone and not the team - Sprint Backlog is ownership of the team and their prioritize their works to meet the ultimate goal.
   
6. Changes are frequently interrupted a sprint in progress - this hinder the concentration of the team and their progress.
7. Daily Scrum (a.k.a. stand up meeting) is omitted and replaced with lengthy project status meeting - daily Scrum is an avenue to make the communication crisp and transparent.

Concluding Remarks
Scrum is designed to make the team self-organized. Such self-organized team won't happen overnight and it takes time to nurture them. Once they are matured, an organization can harvest maximum benefits of such self-organized team.

When the "adapted" Scrum unable to make your team self-organized, it must be something wrong. Take a step back and look on what you really want from Scrum. It requires change of mindset and ways of working. A proper transition plan is needed to ensure everyone (beside the team) understand how to make Scrum works. It should follow-up with a monitoring stage to ensure the organization/ team practice Scrum to its fullest.

Your Agility Ticket - Scrum Workshop
Please refer to attached flyer (3 images) for greater details.

Who We Are
Allow us to briefly introduce ourselves - Brightmoon Consulting & Training. We have combined experience of 30 years in Software Development and Project Management. We are certified with two leading Scrum advocates - ScrumAlliance and Scrum.org. Our passion is to nurture the success of others in delivering successful software projects via Scrum.

In Need of Practical Knowledge in Scrum
Many companies are aware that they need to be highly agile to meet market dynamics. Thus, many of them introduce scrum/ agile into their work. However, many are unable to reap much benefits of scrum. Primary factor is they don't have practical knowledge and skills to make scrum work for them. Most of the existing trainings emphasizes on certification and not much on its practicality and usage. Therefore, it inspires us to share our passion in Scrum to you.