This document discusses using best practices during a recession. It notes that while new funding is scarce during a recession, using optimal processes, skills, tools and information through best practices can help organizations prioritize work and avoid waste. The document provides an overview of a session on why and how to embed best practices during a recession. It also includes characteristics of best practices and recessions, and discusses using best practices for portfolio, program and project management.

1. Best Practice User Group™ aims to be the
official user group of choice for
programmes, projects and risks.
Our mission: to help users adopt, use,
share and shape the application of OGC
PPM products.

2. Best practice in a recession:
luxury or necessity?
PREPARED BY
THE LEAD AUTHOR
CLUB

3. Overview
 Session one
 Why use Best Practice in a recession?
 Session two
 How do I embed Best Practice in a recession?

4. OGC Best Practice Portfolio

5. Characteristics
 Best Practice  A Recession
Optimal use of process, New funding is scarce
 
skills, tools, information Existing funding may be

Proven withdrawn

Based on experience External factors uncertain
 
Structured thinking Sense of panic
 
Avoids waste Sense of urgency
 
Enables prioritisation The ‘wing it’ approach can
 
emerge
Provides governance


6. More costs less agility?
Best Practice Winging It
Optimal process No process
(not too much, not too little)
Adds some Project Management costs Adds Fire Fighting costs
Improves predictability Requires a leap of faith – trust me
Repeatable People dependent
Comparable projects/programmes enable Pet projects/programmes prevail
informed decision making
Ensures strategic alignment Silo decisions
Dependencies clear Subject to surprise
Change is controlled (not prevented) Change is normal (what baseline?)
Success can be measured Success defined retrospectively
(I said you could trust me!)

7. Questions to ask?
 Do senior management know…
How each project contributes to strategic objectives?

 The likelihood of achieving the expected benefits?
 The remaining cost of each project?
 The earliest and latest completion time for each project?
 What’s our exposure to risk?
 What’s our resource capacity?
 The impact on the achievement of strategic objectives if
any single project was cancelled, deferred, slowed down
or accelerated?

8. Portfolio appraisal - decisions
 Existing projects  New projects
(never start)
Cancel Reject
 need to make safe and/or Defer (not now)
salvage work in progress
Go (now)
Suspend
 as above but leave in a position
such that it can easily be
restarted
on
Carry
 And keep monitoring
Accelerate
 for existing projects yielding
high returns at low cost

9. Example portfolio appraisal
Cancel or Suspend Reject or Defer Accelerate
Go
Decisions Decision Decision
Decisions
Note: this is just one way of viewing a portfolio (diagram courtesy of ChangeDirector)

10. Informed decision making
 Requires
 clear understanding of strategic objectives and corporate
priorities
 transparency of analysis
 confidence in forecasts
 timely, efficient and effective reporting
 Contribution of changes to strategy
 Team work
Best Practice project, programme and portfolio management enables this

11.  Session one
 Why use Best Practice in a recession?
 Session two
 How do I embed Best Practice in a recession?

12. Where to focus?
Corporate Programme Management
Strategy
Project Management
Business-as- Delivery Portfolio
usual mechanisms Management
environment for change

13. Where to focus?
Portfolio
DOING the RIGHT
THINGS The quot;Rightquot; things to do?
Capacity?
How are we doing?
effectiveness
Can we do it?
Can we adopt it?
Programme
Outcomes
Benefits
Processes?
How do we do it?
Lets do it the
efficiency
Project same way!
DOING the
THINGS RIGHT
Deliverables

14. How P3M3 can help
Stake-holder Management
Oganisation Governance
Benefits Management
Management Control
Risk Management
Management
Management
Resource
Finance
Metrics Level 5
Improvement
Optimised
Level 4
Managed
Plan Level 3
Defined
Level 2
Repeatable
Level 1
Recognised
Appropriate
Step 4
Capabilities
How will you know?
Stake-holder Management
Oganisation Governance
Benefits Management
Management Control
Risk Management
Management
Management
Resource
Finance
Baseline
Step 3
Level 5
Optimised
Assessment Level 4
Managed
How will you
Level 3
Defined
get there?
Level 2
Repeatable
Level 1
Recognised
Stake-holder Management
Oganisation Governance
Benefits Management
Management Control
Risk Management
Management
Management
Resource
Finance
Level 5
Optimised
Step 2
Level 4
Managed
Where do you
Level 3
Defined
Level 2
want to be?
Repeatable
Level 1
Recognised
Step 1
Where are you today?

15. P3M3 Maturity Levels
Project Management Programme Management Portfolio Management
Undertake continuous process improvement Undertake continuous process improvement Undertake continuous process improvement
Level 5 - 15
with proactive problem and technology with proactive problem and technology with proactive problem and technology
Optimised
management for projects in order to improve management for programmes in order to management for the portfolio in order to
its ability to depict performance over time and improve its ability to depict performance over improve its ability to depict performance over
optimize processes. time and optimize processes. time and optimize processes.
Obtain and retain specific measurements on Obtain and retain specific management Obtain and retain specific management
Level 4 -
its project management performance and run metrics on its programme management metrics on its whole portfolio of programmes
Managed
a quality management organization to better performance and run a quality management and projects as a means of predicting future
predict and control future performance. organization to better predict and control future performance. The organization assesses its
performance. capacity to manage programmes and projects
and prioritize them accordingly.
Have its own centrally controlled project Have its own centrally controlled programme Have its own portfolio management process
Level 3 -
processes with individual projects being able processes with individual programmes being and centrally controlled programme and
Defined
to flex within these processes to suit the able to flex within these processes to suit the project processes with individual programmes
particular project. particular programme. and projects being able to flex within these
processes to suit particular programmes
and/or projects.
Ensure that each project is run with its own Ensure that each programme is run with its Ensure that each programme and/or project in
Level 2 -
Repeatable processes and procedures to a minimum own processes and procedures to a minimum its portfolio is run with its own processes and
specified standard. (There may be limited specified standard. (There may be limited procedures to a minimum specified standard.
consistency or coordination between projects). consistency or coordination between (There may be limited consistency or
programmes). coordination).
Recognize projects and run them differently Recognize programmes and run them Have an Executive Board that recognizes
Level 1 -
from ongoing business. (Projects may be differently from projects. (Programmes may be programmes and projects and maintains an
Aware
running informally with no standard processes running informally with no standard processes informal list of investments in programmes and
or tracking system). or tracking system). projects, without perhaps a formal tracking
mechanism and documented process.

16. P3M3 Maturity Levels
Project Management Programme Management Portfolio Management
Undertake continuous process improvement Undertake continuous process improvement Undertake continuous process improvement
Level 5 - 16
with proactive problem and technology with proactive problem and technology with proactive problem and technology
Optimised
(Process Improvement)
management for projects in order to improve management for programmes in order to management for the portfolio in order to
2%
its ability to depict performance over time and improve its ability to depict performance over improve its ability to depict performance over
Deliberate optimisation/improvement
optimize processes. time and optimize processes. time and optimize processes.
Obtain and retain specific measurements on Obtain and retain specific management Obtain and retain specific management
Level 4 -
its project management performance and run metrics on its programme management metrics on its whole portfolio of programmes
Managed
(Quantified)
a quality management organization to better performance and run a quality management and projects as a means of predicting future
4%
predict and control future performance. organization to better predict and control future performance. The organization assesses its
Process management and measurement takes place
performance. capacity to manage programmes and projects
and prioritize them accordingly.
Have its own centrally controlled project Have its own centrally controlled programme Have its own portfolio management process
Level 3 -
processes with individual projects being able processes with individual programmes being and centrally controlled programme and
Defined (Embedded)
to flex within these processes to suit the able to flex within these processes to suit the project processes with individual programmes
The process is defined/confirmed as a standard business process 9%
particular project. particular programme. and projects being able to flex within these
processes to suit particular programmes
- Documenting desired practices / Designing processes. and/or projects.
Ensure that each project is run with its own Ensure that each programme is run with its Ensure that each programme and/or project in
Level 2 -
Repeatable processes and procedures to a minimum own processes and procedures to a minimum its portfolio is run with its own processes and
(Process discipline)
specified standard. (There may be limited specified standard. (There may be limited procedures to a minimum specified standard.
The process is used repeatedly 85%
consistency or coordination between projects). consistency or coordination between (There may be limited consistency or
programmes). coordination).
- Documenting current practices
Recognize projects and run them differently Recognize programmes and run them Have an Executive Board that recognizes
Level 1 -
from ongoing business. (Projects may be differently from projects. (Programmes may be programmes and projects and maintains an
Aware
(Chaotic, Ad Hoc, Heroic)
running informally with no standard processes running informally with no standard processes informal list of investments in programmes and
or tracking system). or tracking system). projects, without perhaps a formal tracking
The starting point for use of a new process mechanism and documented process.

17. Example P3M3 dashboard
PjM3 specific Attributes
Oganisational
Management
Management
Management
Management
Management
Management
Stake-holder
Governance
Resource
Benefits
Finance
Control
Risk
Key:
H/M/L designates confidence
Red = no evidence of key practices
Level 5 Amber = some evidence key
Optimised practices
Green = most key practices in place
Level 4 White = out of scope
M H
Managed
Level 3
H H M M M H M
Defined
Level 2
H H M H L M H
Repeatable
Level 1
M H H M M H H
Aware

18. Tips for ‘low cost’ activities
 Understand the environment
Current strategy

Current threats and opportunities - risk assessment

Current capability - use a P3M3 self-assessment or facilitated self-assessment

Define the portfolio – It’s always important, now it is also urgent

 Do the right things - Get a list of projects/programmes
Evaluate strategic alignment and status

Look for unhinged projects/programmes

Look for duplication and opportunities to pool initiatives

 Do those things right - Avoid ‘silver bullet’ solutions. Best practice
requires a blend of capability in
People

Process

Technology

Information

 Share successes
Establish a community of practice

But, remember…
Success = quality of (people, processes, technology, information) x the level of adoption

19. Where to find Best Practice guidance?
www.best-management-practice.com

20. Contributors
 Craig Kilford
Portfolio Management Guide author

 ckilford@cansoti.com
 www.cansoti.com
 Andy Murray
 PRINCE2 2009 lead author
 Andy.murray@outperform.co.uk
 www.outperform.co.uk
 Rod Sowden
 MSP 2007 lead author
 rod.sowden@aspireeurope.com
 www.aspireeurope.com
 Sue Vowler
 P3O lead author
 sue@project-angels.co.uk
 www.project-angels.co.uk

21. www.usergroup.org.uk
0845 0548038
admin@usergroup.org.uk