Skills for a PM

[suityou01]

On the current gig (4 weeker) when I was here last (back in November) I put together a spreadsheet of deliverables and dependancies with estimates. It was very very detailed.

All you needed to do was turn it into a plan (or overall plan with drill downs). Would have taken a semi pro PM a couple of days. Would have taken me a morning

So I return here, and yesterday went through this list with the PM. Several of the items listed as dependancies have been forgotten about and the relevant teams not informed. This means we missed our slot and the project is going to miss it's April deadline.

The next available rollout slot is October.

Unforgivable or par for the course?

Even when you hand them a detailed breakdown of deliverables and dependancies they still **** up.

[GB9]

I am absolutely expert in dealing with tulipe PMs now. It's easy to whip them into a frenzy and put the living fear of Christ up 'em.

As you may recall I fell foul of a rookie PM some years back, so I have really looked into this.

On the subject of missed deadlines and them getting all shouty :

Ask what contingency they put in the plan. Ask what capacity the resources are working at. If it's 8 hrs per day mutter this is not realistic and it should be 6 hrs per day as with interuptions, phonecalls answering emails etc a full 8hrs work is unrealistic.

Ask them if they track estimates vs actuals and what loading factor they use per resource.

Ask them if you could review the RAID log.

Ask them if you could see the project log.

Suggest that as deadlines are being consistently missed it might be time to send the project for an audit.

I have more but need specific scenarios.

I'm sorry but you can't see any of those. As a common BA you just wouldn't understand them

[suityou01]

I'm sorry but you can't see any of those. As a common BA you just wouldn't understand them

Thank you for your email. I now have it on record that I asked to see them with a view of offering to help you. I will now go around you.

HTH

[edison]

Write a 30 page PID that no one will ever bother to read.

Spend days on updating project plans in MS Project that nobody can understand or are completely unfeasible.

Mistakenly think you are also the Business Change Manager.

Chuck in words like 'baseline' and 'artefacts' from time to time.


To be fair, I've had some excellent PMs working for me in the last few years

[Dallas]

Our PM is in Brum we are in the smoke. She asks us who our stakeholders/governance modal, she asks us for our milstones/status reports and asks why we are not ahead of our milestones.

She is off at least 2 days in 5 (young mother - dont get me started onthat one) and refuses all our holiday while taking 3 weeks in Dubai over xmas.

If I was perm I'd have fekkin throttled the ditzy bint by now - as I am not - I dont care

have booked x4 holidays this year outside of my current contract dates and they can pay me double to back out of them

[suityou01]

Our PM is in Brum we are in the smoke. She asks us who our stakeholders/governance modal, she asks us for our milstones/status reports and asks why we are not ahead of our milestones.

She is off at least 2 days in 5 (young mother - dont get me started onthat one) and refuses all our holiday while taking 3 weeks in Dubai over xmas.

If I was perm I'd have fekkin throttled the ditzy bint by now - as I am not - I dont care

have booked x4 holidays this year outside of my current contract dates and they can pay me double to back out of them

You are a contractor, you don't make holiday requests.

HTH

[Dallas]

You are a contractor, you don't make holiday requests.

HTH

I wont be doing - they will be the dates that myco services will be unavailable should they wish to renew.

[GB9]

Thank you for your email. I now have it on record that I asked to see them with a view of offering to help you. I will now go around you.

HTH

Hi Suity, have you got a minute. We're really sorry but we have just realised we have one BA too many. We will pay you 'til the end of the week but you can get your things and go now. No point hanging around. Thanks

[suityou01]

Hi Suity, have you got a minute. We're really sorry but we have just realised we have one BA too many. We will pay you 'til the end of the week but you can get your things and go now. No point hanging around. Thanks

Anonymous project report with findings left on CIO's desk.

[GB9]

Anonymous project report with findings left on CIO's desk.

I'm afraid the CIO has already questioned your work. I tried to cover for you but he made his mind up. Sorry.