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High time to tap the enormous power of Informal project management

Praveen Gupta

21st NOV 2010

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Lets see and feel this …

High time to tap the enormous power of Informal project management

Video Clip Source : From Youtube of www.destination.net

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Facts Behind ….

• The construction of Taj Mahal

started in 1631

• 22,000 laborers and 1,000

elephants.

• Built entirely out of white

marble, which was brought in

from all over India and central

Asia.

• Expenditure of 32 million

rupees (approx US $68000)

• Completed in the year 1653. The Making of Taj Mahal .. One of the seven wonders of world ..

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Amazing .. Isn’t it ?

CAN WE EVEN IMAGINE WHO MANAGED SUCH SPECTACULAR

PROJECT WITH SO MUCH

MATERIAL

RESOURCES,

MONEY &

SCHEDULE SPANNING OVER 22 YEARS

WITHOUT ANY DEVIATION IN OBJECTIVE

TO DELIVER THE PRODUCT ,

KNOWN BY WORLD AS

TAJ MAHAL ???

....when there was hardly any formal project management education

available !!!

Forget the project management and the technological advancement, we are

enjoying and utilizing today on every project today.

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Another Interesting and amazing example ....

• Lets review the facts behind world

famous Mumbai Dabbawalah’s

• Started in the 1880s ,

• 4500 semi-literate dabbawalas

collect and deliver 175,000 Tiffin

boxes

• Covering more than 25 kms of

public transport, 10 kms on foot and

involving multiple transfer points.

• Own coding system for the error-

free delivery

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Interesting and amazing …

• 85 % of Dabbawalahs are illiterate and 15 %

are till 8th class , yet achieved virtually six-

sigma quality with zero documentation?

• The Dabbawalla’s operations is an excellent

model of elegant logistics, operational

efficiency & supply chain management

• Completely home grown model envisioned,

developed and perfected by individuals who

are not exposed to formal scientific methods

procedures or principles of management.

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Facts behind success....

• Belief in simple but efficient coding &

delivery system

• Flat org – faster decision making with

autonomy

• Less Operational Cost

• Only Investment is the every

Dabbawalahs honesty, hard work, mutual

respect, ownership & commitment

• Informal approaches driven by

experience and wisdom

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Briefly ..

Theme and soul behind this paper

“High time to tap the enormous power of

Informal Project Management “

 

is

… a suggested structured approach to tap few drops from the sea

of immense wisdom driven by experience and power of instinctive

& intuitive thinking from the informal part of all of us. This may

give us a unique direction to introspect and incorporate the missing

link in approaches and methodologies to execute the projects

successfully.

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Inspiration behind this paper …

• Standish CHAOS Survey Research highlights that only 32 % of IT projects can be

considered truly successful.

• … that means 70 % still fail one way or other , its quite high !!! ..

• Certainly no body can eliminate this but some more logical efforts can reduce this rate.

• Failure attributed to lot of technical, financial or business reasons but

• One important aspect, which can enhance success rates is certainly the more realistic and

practical future project managers equipped with informal aspects of projects handling.

Refer

ence

:

Stand

ish C

HAOS

2009

Rep

ort

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Normally Ignored Aspect of Project Failures ..

Around 70 % of the projects fail, Even projects handled by extremely educated , best breed Project

managers from best / esteemed management institute fail ???

The underline is - Failure of projects is actually the failure of people executing the projects

Factory Project Managers misses Real Ground Project Management skills or do not apply them

.. .High Time to tap & nurture the power of Informal Project Mgmt skills and integrating in

Future Factory Project Managers with a structured approach

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Missing link ..

• Focus is on planned and structured

approach driven by procedures and

hierarchy

• Concerned with the generation and

execution of plans.

• Formal project management can be

automated because it makes use of such

approaches as critical path analysis.

.

• Focus is on getting the work done

rather than stuck in procedures

• Concerned with the motivation &

coordination of project staff.

• Informal project management is

concerned more with intuitive

judgment

Formal Project Mgmt (FPM) Informal Project Mgmt (IPM)

Formal Project Mgmt

Informal Project Mgmt

Balanced Approach

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Meet the - Informal Project Mgmt ...

• Its not newly discovered, is present through ages within each of

us

• In most basic terms the informal PM is the unplanned execution

of work without adhering to standard procedures, hierarchy or

rules, emphasis here is getting the work done rather than

hooked in procedures.

• In informal environments, project managers can approach the

projects in way they deem appropriate and is driven by their

experience, instinct and judgment taking capability.

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Objective and Scope of this Paper ..

•To suggest a structured methodology driven by a honest & conscience effort to get the best of informal project management techniques & solutions and to integrate with the formal project management domain

•To explore the ways to quantify the intangible skills, discover the treasure of extraordinary historical experience & start embracing the art of making intuitive correct judgments and various other similar aspects of informal intelligence (II) / Informal Project Management (IPM) in a structured and formal way

•To emphasize that solution lies in integration & merger of both FPM & IPM approaches based on intelligent and judicious mix keeping in mind the contextual relevance & significance of each of them.

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Defining the Problem : The Challenge ..

To convert the knowledge & skills from this to a useful, searchable online database of contextual relevance , which can work as guided

path and strategy to deliver the useful results in future.

To quantify the intangible skills and convert them in to a format which could be made part of the curriculum of formal project management

education.

To identify projects / persons / approaches / informal process scattered over wide geographical places with honest intentions of capturing such

thoughts / experiences / decisions / actions.

To focus on practical and viable techniques of tapping the vast power of various aspects of informal project mgmt.

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Environmental impact ( formal and informal ) on skills to be

a successful project manager ..

• A survey is being done by circulation to individuals of widely varying

background to get the inputs on the belief on the probability of acquaintance

of important aspects of the essential skills required for a successful project

manager through Informal or Formal environment??

• The 8 skills have been included in this survey and each participant was

asked to rate on the probability factor (from 0 to 1) for each of the skill.

• This survey was sent to the peoples varying from the formal project

managers, program managers in formal organizations as well as to the

other’s involved in various projects in smaller organizations following more

informal ways to handle the projects and even to persons not directly /

indirectly associated with projects handling.

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Survey Questionnaire SAMPLE ..

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Average Statistics ..

Inputs from survey respondents were compiled against each skill and in separate category of probability of acquaintance through Formal and

Informal environment. After that average is calculated by summing all the values and dividing by the number of respondents.

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Survey Results Assessment ..

INFORMAL HIGH

•Leadership skills with a score of 0.9 , followed by conflict mgmt and negotiation skills are backed and acquired by the informal exposure and experience of the individual

•Development of communication and influencing skills attributes to 0.75 probability by informal environments

FORMAL

HIGH

•Except Budgeting , Planning and Organizational skills for all other skills for a successful PM, respondents have given more value to informal acquaintance.

CONCLUSIO

N

•Though the survey was limited to small size due to time limitations, but values could give an indicative direction.

•No respondent have given 0 value in either of category.

•Overall conclusion is that acquaintance of essential skills for a successful PM requires exposure to informal and formal environments both.

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Results of Survey :

Outcome summary is the requirement of optimum mix of informal and formal skills

to be Successful Project Manager.

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Suggested Methodology to tap the enormous power of informal project mgmt ( IPM) :

• Identification of exemplary examples of

informal projects from Authentic Sources

• Subject wise Categorization of the projects

identified

• Analysis of the projects based on the complex

situations / problems, solutions & approaches

adopted

Online Database development of the Informal

techniques used in projects analyzed

Online Database development of project wise

informal project managers & the skills matrix

from their profile

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Steps Contd:

• Development of comprehensive, ambitious & searchable nationwide

online database of proven Informal Project Mgmt Techniques with

periodic up dation

• Incorporation of summarized key learning’s of the Informal PM

techniques & solutions as part of Formal PM courses / education to

bridge the gap of missing skills of future Project Managers

Suggestion to establish a body like National Institute of Informal

Project Mgmt (NIPM) to work in this area of huge tasks, challenges and

opportunities

Application of EI & AI models & techniques to work for measurement,

quantification & improvement of the informal skills to future project

managers continuous & sustainable basis

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Development of informal skills matrix :

• Essential informal skills of a successful PM can be identified

from various projects / successful persons case study.

• Such identified skills can be included as the part of intangible and

informal skills matrix and can be made available online.

• The measurement and continuous improvement part should be

addressed via the various models of Emotional Intelligence (EI).

• Inclusion of the same to formal project management curriculum

with special emphasis on techniques of nurturing them.

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Identification of Exemplary Examples of Informal Projects from

Authentic Sources

Subject wise Categorization of

the projects identifiedOnline Database

development of the Informal techniques

used in projects analyzed

Online Database development of

project wise informal project managers &

the skills matrix from their profile

Development of comprehensive, ambitious &

searchable nationwide online database of proven

Informal Project Mgmt Techniques with periodic

updation

Incorporation of summarized key learning’s of the Informal PM techniques & solutions as part of Formal PM courses / education to bridge the gap of missing skills of future Project Managers

Application of EI & AI models & techniques to

work for measurement,

quantification & improvement of

the informal skills to future

project managers on continuous & sustainable

basis

Suggestion to establish a body

like National Institute of

Informal Project Mgmt (NIPM) to

work in this area of huge tasks, challenges and opportunities

Analysis of the projects based on the complex situations / problems,

solutions & approaches adopted

Flow Chart

of

Suggestive

Methodology

to Tap The

power of IP

M

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Some of the historical projects executed in india well before the advent of formal PM ( FPM)

The Making of Qutub Minar :

World's tallest brick minaret with a height of 72.5 meters (237.8 ft). Built in 1193 by India's first Muslim ruler Qutub-bin -Aibek

The Making of Amber Fort, Jaipur :

Built in 16th Century is known for its unique artistic style, ornate and breathtaking artistic mastery. Constructed of white and red sandstone. The Making of Jantar Mantar :

Built in 18th century by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur. means calculation instrument. With purpose to compile astronomical tables, predict the times and movements of the Sun, Moon and Planets.

The Making of  Ellora Caves :

Aurangabad. Complex cave architecture, the epitome of this genre, contains 34 caves. Built 5th - 7th century AD.

The Making of Ajanta Caves :

Aurangabad. Complex of 29 rock-hewn monastic residences (Viharas) and monument halls dates to the 2nd century BC

Some of the historical projects executed in india well before the advent of formal PM ( FPM)

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Some of the historical projects executed in india well before the advent of formal PM ( FPM)

The Making of  Pink (City) Palace , Jaipur:

Built of pink sandstone , is the most imposing building at the City Palace of Jaipur. Built between 1729 -32, A unique fusion of Shilpa shastra of indian arch. with Rajput, Mughal and Eurpoean Style

The Making of Golden Temple, Amritsar. :

Real name is Harmandir Sahib. The site is actually a complex of buildings surrounded by a lake. originally built in 1604.

The Making of Red Fort, Old Delhi:

This stunning palace built in 1639 by Shah Jahan, fort is surrounded by a 1.5 mile wall, which is as high as 60 feet, on the sides facing the city.

The Making of Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur, :

Built in 1010 AD by Raja Raja Chola with 130,000 tons of granite. The 60-metre tall Vimana and Nandi (sacred bull), carved out of a single rock, 16 feet long and 13 feet high are main structures.

The Making of Mehrangarh Fort ( Majestic Fort) Jodhpur : One of the largest forts in India, is located high on a hill and is surrounded by thick walls with several palatial buildings. 

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Conclusion …

• Overall methodology suggested is to focus on successful

historical projects & persons identified through a careful

selection criteria.

• To extract the best of informal aspects through a structured

systematic process from such identified projects / persons skills.

• It can be institutionalized as a system of imparting informal

project management skills to our new and next generation

project managers

• To effectively tap the sea of proven knowledge and experience &

integrate with formal stream of producing future project

managers.

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Future Work & Challenges :

Intense and immense amount of work to bridge the gap between

FPM and IPM.

Informal techniques can reduce the cost and time in projects but one

aspect where focus could be is to enhance the certainty.

The latest techniques of EI, AI coupled with neural network can help

us to a great extent to build a model for extraction and conversion of

the informal skills, experience and knowledge to a formalized content

useful for making of future project managers.

Huge challenge to get an ideal mix of informal and formal skills

essentially required for enhancing the success of projects and

institutionalizing the process for acquaintance by future project

managers.

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Thank you

Praveen GuptaEmail : pgupta@hpcl.co.in, Mobile : 9999300175