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Jim depiante
- 1. Watson
The IBM Jeopardy! Challenge
Jim De Piante, PMP
Executive Project Manager
IBM Research
© 2011 IBM
- 3. Jim De Piante, PMP
Executive Project Manager
IBM Research
Watson
The IBM Jeopardy! Challenge
© 2011 IBM
- 5. At a restaurant in upstate New York
Charles Lickel
Ken Jennings
© 2011 IBM 5
- 7. The next Grand Challenge
• Difficult problem
• Broader audience
• Scientific community
• Relevant to clients
© 2011 IBM 7
- 9. What they were in for
2 hours 3 seconds
Wrong 66% Right 90%
Simple questions Quirky clues
© 2011 IBM 9
- 15. Watson was a contender
Press conference after the practice match
© 2011 IBM 15
- 21. Watson
The role ofProject
© 2011 IBM
Management
- 22. • Scope
• Schedule
• Budget
• Risk
• Stakeholders
• Communications
• Change
• Procurement
• Integration
© 2011 IBM
- 24. Scope
Win on Jeopardy!
• Against the best of the best
• In early 2011
Radically new technology
• Architecture
• Software
HW configuration
Marketing / Communications
Scientific research
• 55 sparring matches
• Research papers
Asset to commercialize
© 2011 IBM 24
- 25. Unlike any other project
One of a kind
• Unprecedented
• No “methodology”
• SW development, but not
Division of responsibilities
• Principal Investigator
• Project Managers
IBM infrastructure not suited
Creative use of PM techniques
• Flexibility
• Non-rigorous
© 2011 IBM 25
- 26. Principal Investigator
Deep QA software
• Architecture
• Algorithms
• Development
• Integration
Watson hardware
• Configuration
• Scale-out
• Optimization
Front end
• Game strategy
• Betting David Ferrucci, PhD
• Watson’s voice
• Game state
© 2011 IBM 26
- 27. Project Managers
1. Project communications
2. Procurement
3. Stakeholder management
4. Elements of the budget
5. Milestone management
6. Dependencies David Shepler, PMP
7. Risk management
8. Sparring matches
9. Contestant management
10. Negotiations
11. Change management
12. Hardware build-out
13. Move to Hollywood
14. The set at IBM Research
15. Integration of all elements Jim De Piante, PMP
© 2011 IBM 27
- 29. One unyielding deadline
Early 2011
Public commitment
IBM Research: Grand Challenge
Hollywood: Ratings
Jeopardy! Challenge …..……|………………………|……..
© 2011 IBM 29
- 32. Budget
Severely constrained
• Immutable deadline
• Fixed scope
• Financial pressures
Managed at several levels
Principal Investigator
• Development resources
• Department travel
Project Managers
• Hardware
• Other travel
• Procurement
© 2011 IBM 32
- 34. Key risks
Technology
Reputation (brand)
Schedule
Perceptions
• Might seem too easy
• If Watson wins
• If Watson loses
• HAL-like associations
Failure Rep. Holt beats Watson?
• Show might not air
• Watson could lose
Move Watson to Hollywood Not!
© 2011 IBM 34
- 35. Perceptions
Negative perceptions
• Jeopardy! (Sony)
• IBM
Risk analysis
• Probability: high
• Effect: high
• Position: avoid
Actions
• Avatar
• Voice
• Publicity
© 2011 IBM 35
- 36. Move to Hollywood
Watson damaged in transit
• Probability: low
• Effect: devastating
• Position: mitigate
Risk analysis
• Likelihood of accident
• Likelihood of damage
Actions considered
• Second system
• Fly/drive
• Choice of supplier
Action: change approach
© 2011 IBM 36
- 38. Stakeholder groups
IBM Research
Sony Pictures
Ogilvy
Talent
IBM internal
• Marketing
• Legal
• Procurement
• Industrial Design
• Systems Technology Group
© 2011 IBM 38
- 39. Yorktown
Heights
Hollywood
© 2011 IBM 39
- 40. IBM Research
Creative culture
Desire for flexibility
Not used to PM approach
Worried about perceptions
Protective of brand
Communication style
Contracts
Science
IBM
© 2011 IBM 40
- 41. Sony Pictures
Creative culture
Desire for flexibility
Not used to PM approach
Worried about perceptions
Protective of brand
Communication style
Contracts
Entertainment
Hollywood
© 2011 IBM 41
- 42. What they had in common
Creative culture
Desire for flexibility
Not used to PM approach
Worried about perceptions
Protective of brand
© 2011 IBM 42
- 43. Where they were different
Motives for the project
• Science and product revenue
• Entertainment and ad revenue
Contracts
Culture
Communications
• Internally
• Externally
© 2011 IBM 43
- 45. Communications approach
Speak several languages
• IBM
• IBM Research
• Hollywood
• Legal
• Procurement
• Marketing
• IP Law
Use various means
Update frequently
© 2011 IBM 45
- 47. Approach to change
Facilitate change
• Know alternatives
• Know costs
Isolate change
• System: PI
• Everything else: PMs
Two examples
• Watson’s hand
• Match venue
© 2011 IBM 47
- 48. The hand of Watson
Plan
• Watson receives clue
• Watson buzzes electronically
Rationale for change
• Avoid perception problems
• Level playing field
Create mechanical hand
• IBM Research facilities
• Working prototype in 3 weeks
New risk
• Introduced slight delay
• Possibly lose the buzz
© 2011 IBM 48
- 49. Change of venue
Plan
• Watson goes to Hollywood
• Wheel-of-Fortune set
Rationale for change
• Avoid perception problems
• On IBM Research turf
Create full Jeopardy! set
• Huge undertaking
• Watson stays in Yorktown Heights
• Jeopardy! comes to IBM Research
Opportunities seized
• Reduced risk of the move
• Showcase IBM Research facility
© 2011 IBM 49
- 51. Procurement
Key PM focus
Highly specialized needs
Sole source
Key areas
• Talent
• Compliance
• Contestants
Outside the IBM norm
• Processes
• Skills
© 2011 IBM 51
- 52. Talent
Challenge
• Role of Alex Trebek
• Short lead time
New world for IBM
• Specification
• Actor’s guild
Solution
• Sole source
• Known quantity
Todd Allen Crain
© 2011 IBM 52
- 53. Compliance and integrity
Challenge
• Game-show compliance
• Challenge integrity
New world for IBM
Alex Hendrie
• Specification
• Making payments
Solution
• Sole source
• Jeopardy’s supplier
© 2011 IBM 53
- 54. Sparring contestants
Challenge
• Former Jeopardy! contestants
• Manage the logistics
• Tight scheduling
Solution
• Considered “cattle call”
• Solicit through Jeopardy!
• Hire as consultants
© 2011 IBM 54
- 55. Contestant management
Challenge
• Find the right skills
• Outsource completely
Solution
• Sole source
• Existing approach Josiane Emorine and Alex Trebek
• Existing supplier
• Explicit specification
• Detailed process definition
• Supplier web site
• Supplier travel agency
• Supplier disbursement
• Extreme empowerment
© 2011 IBM 55
- 57. Integration
Crisp boundaries
Communication
Blended approach
• Co-location
• Virtual
Tight linkages
• Researchers
• Sony Pictures
Milestone driven
• Clear goals
• Clear deadlines
© 2011 IBM 57
- 62. Nuance
ARMONK, NY and BURLINGTON, MA – 17 Feb 2011
IBM and Nuance Communications today announced a
research agreement to explore, develop and
commercialize the Watson computing system's advanced
analytics capabilities in the healthcare industry.
© 2011 IBM 62
- 63. WellPoint
INDIANAPOLIS and ARMONK, NY – 12 Sep 2011
WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP), and IBM (NYSE: IBM)
announced an agreement today to create the first
commercial applications of the IBM Watson technology.
© 2011 IBM 63
- 64. Watson
The IBM Jeopardy! Challenge
Jim De Piante, PMP
Executive Project Manager
IBM Research
© 2011 IBM