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New features in primavera P6 professional portfolio management version 15.1


Primavera_P6_ProPrimavera p6 has always promised its customers to deliver the best. Solutions that is tangible to the problem as well delivering the value to your business. Primavera P6 has introduced latest features for its customers. This version enhances the skills to bring out the best from your project.

Key features include:

  • Usability
  • Import and export baselines of projects  in XML format
  • Enterprise features when connected to an EPPM database
  • Separate module excess for P6 professional and visualizer
  • UN/ CEFACT improvements
  • Unifier integration
  • Visualizer
  • Import and export visualizer layouts

New usability feature include:

  1. Import and export baselines of projects in XML format
  2. Enterprise features when connected to an EPPM database
  3. Separate module excess for P6 professional and visualizer

Import and export baseline of project in XML format:

The ability to include baselines when importing or exporting a project in primavera XML format has been added to the new version 1.1. Previously you needed to restore a baseline to a project in order to import or export it. In P6 professional 15.1 baseline information is included in the XML file.

A new field, exists, is included in the baselines to import dialogue box. The purpose is to notify you if an imported baseline already exists in the project being updated.

To access this feature:

On the file menu, click import or export.

Enterprise features when connected to an EPPM database:

Several features have been re enabled in P6 professional version 15.1 when connected to an EPPM database. In previous versions, these features were disabled with the expectation that they would be administered in the p6 application.

The following features have been re enabled in P6 professional when connected to an EPPM database

  • EPS
  • OBS
  • PROJECT CODES
  • ACTIVITY STEP TEMPLATES
  • COST ACCOUNTS
  • FUNDING RESOURCES

These features continue to be available for P6 professional instances that are connected to professional databases or installed in standalone mode.

Separate module access for P6 professional and visualizer:

A new module, visualizer, has been added to the module access section of the user access page in this new version 15.1. The difference is that in previous versions, access to visualizer was included with the P6 professional module access. This new features enables project managers to allow separate access to both the applications. This is useful if for example , a user tasked with creating Gantt chart or time scaled logic diagram reports in visualizer might not require  access to P6 professional. Conversely some users may be given p6 professional access but not the privilege to work in visualizer.

To access this feature:

Open p6 professional or visualizer. Access will vary depending upon the module privileges granted in p6 web.

UN/CEFACT IMPROVEMENTS:

This new version of p6 provides additional support for UN/CEFACT XML format 6, which defines and contains integrated master schedule (IMS) data. The existing UN/CEFACT XML support has been enhanced to support all the fields in the D09b version of the XML schema.

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Organizational Performance Management

Performance management design concept. Typographic poster. Performance management concepts for web banner and printed materials.
Performance management design concept. Typographic poster. Performance management concepts for web banner and printed materials.

A very crucial question that need to be pondered over is how does organizational performance management fit in. when talking about small startups, OPM main seem quite a big deal. But what if the organization is somewhere in between. On one hand you no more do all the logistics yourself on the other hand, there is still time when you will be cutting checks for a large number of employees.

For understanding how organizational performance management fit in, you first need to understand that OPM is a good thing. Relating strategy with implementation, making a strong link between strategies, how it is planned and then implemented in order to deliver on portfolio grounds. Also realize how important its value is.

Thing to keep in mind is OPM at scale is even better. If you don’t scale OPM to where your organization is OPM may seem quite complex to you, even in try of attempting it. If you think OPM is a good thing don’t waste a single moment trying it. It has been witnessed that the organizations that doesn’t seem to care enough about OPM, witness a downfall in their businesses. At times teams get frustrated and at times the progress get halted. And the same answers are given by the leadership- work harder.

Performance management is a lot more than the appraisals given at the end of the year. It’s about translating goals into outcomes, or results that are effective and has a huge progressive impact on the organization. It includes individual employees, teams, processes and the organization as a whole.

Effective PM will help you in nurturing individual performance, foster ongoing employees hence increasing overall organizational effectiveness.

OPM and strategic planning is closely related, here we will discuss how strategic planning has influenced private and public sector organizations. Indeed strategic planning is a crucial step in the management of any organization, regardless of at what level they reside. Public agencies have a greater challenge in evaluating their results. Whereas, private organizations have clear goals and results as the outcomes are closely related to the financial goals. Rapidly changing and increasing demands for programs, products and services and greater demands for accountability are the adequate reasons the public sector organizations have tend to opt strategic planning which leads to good organizational performance management as well as good results in overall progressive growth of the organization.Organizational PM helps in improving different levels.

How OPM can help?

  1. Assessment of your existing performance appraisal system.
  2. Development of performance plans in accordance with organization’s missions and goals.
  3. Writing elements and standards that involve measure of performance.
  4. Pay for performance systems
  5. Reward systems linked to your performance appraisal systems.

OPM mainly involves identifying the gaps in performance against the objectives of business, further recognizing where the gaps lie and deploying the improvements to close the gaps. Some of the key features are

Establish objectives, analyze process performance data, identify and implement improvement, implementation of improvements

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How to Determine the Value of Value?

valueThe question is project management, that has been asked frequently and quite readily is how the things both tangible and intangible can be determined, the cost and effectiveness. What is its value exactly? Value is a concept that varies from organization to organization and encompasses the total sum of all profits, gains and losses.

When the value which can be seen and determined is easy but what about the intangible ones. The clear ones can get you return, and you can easily get where the return is? The intangible elements the project can generate.

Businesses primarily consists of things are tangible, but things which are intangible can have great impact on businesses changing the way they operate, how employees are managed, how products are designed and sold. Intangibles can be classified as benefits or assets (resources). The benefits classified as intangible consists of subjective approaches and views about a company that can’t be expressed in terms of money.

The challenge is finding and tracing these valued intangibles. Keeping in mind, most of the value will be created in the minds of the investors or stakeholders.

Project management is considered as a central process in businesses used to oversee and control specific activities. The results of project management from that of the project as a whole cannot be differentiated and if they can, this might be a difficult thing to do. It definitely takes time and money to manage a project. The benefits include, both in terms of tangible and intangible.

One of the very basic tangible benefits that adds value to the business or project is budget management.

It is a major benefit that includes budgetary savings. Project managers are responsible for controlling budgets, making decisions how the resources need to be allocated, in order to get the best return.

Second major tangible benefit is meeting deadlines, which majorly includes managing your time. The completion of project requires two main things, completing it in budget and in time, meeting the deadline is very crucial to success of the project which ultimately adds value to the business and in return stakeholders get a sense of reliability over the project management team.

The intangible benefits can be managing risk and team work.

Discussing the prior, risk management is important as well as a difficult task to do. The reason being its difficult quantifying as compared to cost savings. The only thing project managers can do is evaluate the factors that can cause harm to the project and plan a strategy to avoid it to the best of their knowledge.

It might contains some tangible benefits too like placing a financial metrics for placing a tangible value on risk. The intangible benefit is taking the risk when it’s best to take it, the appropriate move to make. The sign of a skilled project manager is he can lead the team to its objectives but remain flexible to react to changing risk factors.

Another intangible benefit is team work, one of the key factors that affects project management is its allocation of human resources. The right person for the right job and their ability to work in coordination to achieve a common goal.

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What are some common ways to align portfolio management with strategy?

portfolioIn most organizations, the successful implementation of initiatives that are strategic in nature is very crucial. But a number of them neglects the importance of aligning portfolio management with strategy. According to a recent survey only 10 percent pay heed to aligning portfolio management with strategy.

Leadership, direction and guidance. Monitoring and reporting of key performance. ALIGNMNET TO STRATEGY and empowering teams to make day to day decisions is very crucial.

The most talked about and critical factors to align portfolio management with strategy are as follows.

3 C’s:

The important three c’s mainly culture, change management and communication. These three c’s are very crucial to company’s success. The triple threat of portfolio management is having these components work in harmony with the company’s strategy.

Culture can be understood as the habits which are embodied by an organization. It may also refer to personality. Culture can be described as something that may refer to something unseen that can be felt when walking around in an organization. According a survey, it has been cited that approx. 95% of the employs never pay attention to what’s the strategy, they just focus on the tasks individually, not the strategy or planning or the overall growth.

Although culture may be difficult to describe, it can be understood as instead of just letting our cultures evolve randomly we should focus on making and building cultures inside our organizations. And that can happen by socializing that culture through communication and change movement.

Governance:

When you want to practice good portfolio management with remarkably aligned strategy these core governance functions should always be kept in mind.

  1. Oversight
  2. Control
  3. Decision making
  4. Integrating
  5. Value
  6. Risk management
  7. PPPM maturity.
  8. Organizational structure.

 

 

Agility:

A broader umbrella for organizations culture and processes that are quick and adaptable.Quick here suggests how nimble they are in terms of speed of reacting. Whereas adaptable refers to being flexible or versatile. To take best advantages of internal of external changes one should it’s crucial to make a versatile and flexible organizations. The cause of strategical change is portfolio management.

How you align portfolio management with strategy?

This question is a challenge for project managers now a days. While building an organization to enable strategic initiative an organization should be defined by verticals of end to end processes.

Portfolio management is all aboutmaking decisions and then carrying out appropriate actions for its cause. Portfolio managers need to develop their business skills, most importantly the understanding the mechanisms and processes associated with governance and strategy planning.

Some of the key features are

Exploring the factors that influence strategy, mainly the culture of organization, capability of the organization and what does stakeholders expect from the firm.

Secondly, the strategic management or planning of the organization. Their choices at corporate level, decisions and how the actions are carried out to formulate those decisions into successful happenings

In the end, the process of portfolio execution is presented.

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Primavera Project Planner

Primavera P6 SchedulingBefore understanding primavera project planner, there is a dire need to understand modern day project management, with an effect of changing methods and workload dependencies in today’s business projects. Modern project management can be understood by two things

  • Business-driven
  • Technology powered.

The organization which follows the modern day project management mechanism looks a lot more stabilized and progressive than those who are not following it. The enterprises have added a lot to their business value by converting their business models and functional models from old to new trends, which includes, following agile methods, in order to make your projects a big success.

The main factors that can be seen while following modern project management approach are,

  1. Insight driven
  2. Collaborative
  3. People-centric
  4. Ultra efficient
  5. In control

Providing immediate project insight, what is needed, why and where they need it, questions like these, which are data driven and give your project competitive advantage. Understanding through it an example,a survey was conducted which indicated a demand for expedited financial information delivery, stakeholders wanted a robust insight into the financial details of the project and what tasks were carried out.

A culture of social project management has been created in the enterprises with this modern project management approach. Which results in better project results and successful outcomes are delivered by the team?

Understanding through an example, top priorities of CFO’S or CEO’s is information sharing between the teammates.

MODERN DAY PROJECT MANAGEMENT LEADS ARE PROJECT DRIVEN AND TECHNOLOGY Powered which makes them more important for the enterprise the reason being their valuable strategic approach, which confirms the success rate of projects and reduces the risk of pitfalls.

The primavera project planner has these all capabilities, primavera enterprise project portfolio management improves enterprise performance. Primavera focuses on solutions that go beyond facilitating on time, within budget and scope. This is mainly because primavera portfolio project focuses on outcomes that derive C-level strategic metrics and results.

Primavera project planner provides an easy to use approach to project planning, the need of the hour. Its intuitive interface makes project planning and controlling easy as well as fun. And the good news, you don’t have to sacrifice the powerful sophistication of high-end project management software that you may expect from us. The product can be referred as the multi-user that operates in a popular local area. It allows you to share data with other networks making it portable and easy to use.

As discussed several times, while planning through primavera software project portfolio management software whether it’s P3, p6 or any of these, the main focus is laid on planning and control, a wide range of guides are available online in this regard.

The question arises why project managers only choose primavera project planner, the answer is simple, it gives them the control they need to accomplish their project on time. At the high level and quality of technical expertise and within budget. Which adds value Primavera P6 Scheduling

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Why Project Managers are Seen as Less Likeable for Businesses?

project-managersThe answer to the above asked question can be very simple, but first you need to understand the mindset of stakeholders who wants to get maximum results with minimum expenditures. Many people today see the project manager officials as providers of low value with high administrative cost. They also perceive that they are doing little to improve project delivery, which is indeed not true.

We will discuss the facts here.

The general state of the project management is not improving; the recent increase in project manager officials hasn’t changed the facts as well. According to estimation, organizations worldwide waste around US$122 million every year, this survey was done by PULSE, and was done according the expenditure of US$ 1 billion being invested for every project. The previous records show that it is the increase of 12 percent according to the gone years.

The question arises here, why there is a huge gap between the presence of project manager officials and the project success rate, as the success rate is declining, according to the stated facts?

Indeed the question is somewhere among the project managers.

Here are some of the reasons summed up for the failure of project managers and what the people in lead role of project management can do about it?

The first thing to ponder upon is repeated processes or redundancy over efficiency during project development lifecycle.

This can be explained by an example, let’s just take an example, in an organization there are multiple PMOs, functional PMOs, such as IT, business, finance PMOs etc. these multiple layers of PMOs will cost the portfolio manager an exaggerative cost, expenditure will be huge, excessive time, energy, utility etc in order to fulfill the requirements and requests of multiple functional project manager officials.

The thing that needs to be understood, there is more power and value in centralizing and standardizing portfolio information. The executives should have a clear insight into each and every part of the ongoing process to have a clear understanding of what and how the decision should be made.

Before appointing PMOS the things that should be taken into consideration is whether there are areas that have the same type of oversight and control.

Another major step is taking into account the difference between talent and template, how it is done is the next biggy.

The part where PMOS lack is they rely on templates rather than originating skillful teams. Teams that is skillful in all aspects.

In order to contribute to the project’s success, the portfolio management processes need to be repeatable. They should sustain for quite a good span of time. And need to be successful in demonstrating measurable impact; these all will clearly add value to a business by generating a successful project and making you and your team a success. The project manager leads lack when they try to enforce the process instead of having the right and skillful people at the place to help the success in project development and execution.

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Understanding Agile

A major thing when managing a project is understanding agile, which is very important for adding value to the business.

Agile + project management or project management + agile; as project delivery methods have evolved over the time. It has changed a lot of things; the special focus is now on leadership, different approaches have emerged. Such as hybrid approach, in which traditional waterfall approach and iterative agile approaches are used together. The reason is today the project managers need to contend with budgets, financial forecasts, release schedules, as well as business case benefits. Another big reason is aligning implementation of products with other projects across the organization.

agileSo one way or another, project managers today need to have a sound knowledge of what is agile and how it effects the product development phase. A frequent question that comes up is whether the industry needs a project manager who knows agile, or some agile leads who can handle traditional project management practices.  In today’s world we need both.

Agile development is an umbrella term for several iterative and incremental software development methodologies.

It should be kept in mind that a project manager will oversee an agile delivery process. So it is very important that a project manager start their journey with competency, this journey may include beginning with training in agile methods. As the journey continues shadowing an agile lead to see how the iterative process works is also very crucial.

As you advance in the process, you come to the understanding of terms such as agile metrics, alignment of agile both to testing and to release process. As well as the people factor, that is also very important.

Agile leads needs to understand project management as this may lead to more successful projects and adds value to business.

What’s your take on that? Do you think organizations today need agile leads who know project management?

As the journey continues, a project manager will soon see what sort of projects can be best delivered.

Regardless of the delivery approach, a linkage to enterprise approach is required. Experience with iterative methods used to quickly deliver and shape solutions. They have a strong business analysis background. That is majorly shown when defining user stories on the team member’s part. In the near past these abilities or skills were sufficient but as the time changes many of the things that were once part of the waterfall model, needs their agile counterparts. The things like schedule, budget, product quality, and business case realization are of great importance and are necessary tools in agile process. These include the complexities of the contemporary delivery.

These all things compels the people in agile lead role to acquire skills in traditional project management as well as agile methods in factors like estimation, forecasting, resource management, technical requirements, as well as testing and the development tool implementation practices. Developing these skills the people in agile lead roles to give better quality and successful projects that will enhance the business value.

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What Does Enterprise Function Support Means and Why it is Needed?

erpSome common enterprise functions of any enterprise involve the efficient management. The management of organizational resources, such as finances and other such entities. Other resources such as employers, suppliers, customers, and partners are also included. And assets such as equipment, material, parts, supplies and properties. While it can be safe to say that technology intensive systems,  such enterprise resource planning commonly known as ERP, have come to represent the most cost- efficient way, these are the functions that chief executives and business leaders turn to in the hour of need, widely known as ‘back office support functions’.

In what circumstances they are needed is a question, commonly asked, when the top priorities for an enterprise are cost containment, cost avoidance and efficiency improvement. These are the functions widely worked on.

Other enterprise functions may include,

Business value alignment, business process optimization, shared services and outsourcing advisory, information system for enterprise function etc.

The most important of these are information system for enterprise function; enterprise resource planning can be understood by these,

The first and most crucial one is business process re engineering and requirement definition.

Others may include steps like, project management of ERP implementation.

Enterprise architecture and technology integration consulting, organizational change management, transition to steady state operations.

Now the question arises why these enterprise functions are needed and how they have a big impact on project management, as discussed above the things like project management of ERP implementation is very important.

As the approach of hybrid product delivery is enhanced, the consideration of adding value to one’s business is widely implemented through alignment of resources. Most important of the considerations include, speed at which the iterations are produced by agile process, the other things include business and technology complexities, as well as the increasing expectations of customers.

The reason for their need is such enterprise functions are considered as the key to success by today’s agile heads. The enterprise functions as mentioned above, such as resource management and portfolio management etc. there are other traditional enterprise delivery disciplines that are considered as key to success. Other frameworks such as scaled agile framework commonly known as ‘SAFe’ are also considered key to success in today’s project management practices by the people leading the agile processes. The agile heads today are people who have sound and impressive knowledge of both new and traditional knowledge of processes needed for project management.

Talking about “safe” as the new big thing, it is indeed the nest generation thing for project managers and it has enhanced the prospects of managing processes. And why is that so?

The answer to this is it had identified the critical need to have all the enterprise functions in place. The enterprise functions are all engaged for all kinds of deliveries that are need of the existing hour.

Enterprise functions can be of great help for both project managers as well as people in agile leads by helping them in developing successful projects.

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Agility in Project Management

agility-in-project-managementAs the title of the article suggests, we will be talking about agile project management in this article. First we need to understand, what agility in project management is.

The agile movement seeks alternative to traditional approach in project management. The agile approach help teams respond to unpredictability through incremental, iterative, work cadences and empirical feedback. Agilest propose alternatives that are more fruitful for the project development phase.

The first step should be to make scrum practices the method for doing the work.

The main questions that arise here is

What is scrum?

Why is scrum?

Who is scrum for?

Scrum is an agile framework, which is consistent with the value of agile manifesto.

It is a team based approach used to deliver value to the business. Delivering value is the most important step. In scrum, team members work together to achieve a single goal. Which is a shared business goal; this framework promotes interaction which is effective.

The first step after selecting scrum is to get a shared business goal; further major steps are discussed below,

  • Figure out how to do the work
  • Does the work
  • Identifies what thing is getting in it’s way
  • Takes responsibility of getting out the things blocking their way
  • Focusing on the scope
  • Working with other parts of the organization to control the things which are not in their control.

This focus on scrum is considered critical.

A very important step is centralized collaboration, for example if your team consists of 30 members working in group of ten as three different team units, choose a single tool for communication such as Skype, line or Whatsapp, whichever is easy and accessible to all the members. And for documents, create Google drive or googleDoc, that would be of great help.

Creating a product backlog, which is a key reference tool for the committee or team involved in the development phase.

Planning how to perform the work is a crucial thing, the individual team members must be instructed to break their user stories into tasks that help them do their work effectively, it helps them feel ownership and make accurate tasks. For example, the tasks can be scheduled one day’s work over four sprints. This is in four weeks total. Allowing the team to get momentum and keep the flow going, this would a great step towards breaking down of the tasks in accordance with the need of the development phase, and acquiring the shared goal.

Scrum requires a working finished product goal after as the result of every sprint. A scrum’s team goal is to create a product increment after each sprint.

Meeting regularly with team leads, this will help you in ensuring whether the teams are working on the required tasks and in the required way, team leads should be asked such kind of questions,

  1. What has my team finished since last meeting?
  2. Are there any obstacles in the team’s way?

What needs to be done before the next meeting.

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Project Management for Newbie’s

project-maangementProject management is a serious business. The reason for using this title is I believe the new entrants to software development don’t realize or take it serious what a serious and stressful job project management is.

The newbie’s these days think that it is a cool job as in the TV series, “the apprentice” where in each episode each project manager is given a single task for a week but that is not the case in reality, the project management is far more adverse and hectic job. It is indeed a tough job, no matter how big or small the project is.

The most important key factors in managing projects are:

  • Evaluating what is done
  • Determining where you are on the way of getting things done.

When the project management was started in the early days, risk wasn’t the issue that was being focused on. Only focus was on time and budget, the job of it was just to deliver what was being asked by the stakeholders. But with the passage of time things have changed radically which is a positive thing and should be acknowledged. The process of risk management is given importance and the project evaluators as well as the stake holders give due importance to this factor.

The most critical and soft skill is understanding the psychology. Projects and most importantly successful projects are all about teams, successful teams make successful projects. And successful team is made by a project manager who very well understands the psychological needs of the members. Understanding the psychology is very important while dealing with the stake holders understanding the needs of the business sponsors.

Here I present an analogy, a lighter one for a better understanding of what project management is,

To understand this analogy let us compare IT with Golf;

There are four factors that are compatible between golf and IT.

  1. It looks simple but believes you me, it is not.
  2. A very little mistake can lead to major problem; an error is the last thing you might want to encounter.
  3. Second guessing others is easy, when it’s in your hands, its easy being an expert with hindsight.
  4. Very difficult thing to do is to sustain a consistent level of performance.

A very important question asked these days is where and how the education should be started these days as there are few industries where the project management  is taken seriously, to name a few, the sectors like banking, aerospace and pharmaceuticals are some. But there are still some smaller or bigger ones where the term project management hasn’t made an impact or the due importance is not given.

The questions arises from where the education should be started, the answer is from the stake holders, they should be made to realize not everything can be handled by the same

Old traditional way where everything was decided in a board room and people followed what was discussed , now every stage needs supervision.

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