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The Rise & Rise of Hybrid Project Management - Best Project Management Professionals

In one of my earlier articles, I had briefly touched upon the genesis of Project Management. However, I felt that an apt preface to this topic of discussion would be to delve deeper into the history and evolution of project management, which would set the context to discuss the latest trend that has been evolving in the project management world.

History of Project Management:

Preposterous as it may sound, Project Management shares its existence and evolution timeline with that of the human kind, it’s just that it was not christened then and got its name much later during the day. However, the history or project management is relatively recent.

Before project management was defined and named, there were projects. The Pharaohs built the pyramids of Egypt around 2500 BC, and to this day there are unanswered questions as to how they accomplished such an engineering marvel without the aid of any modern-day tools that we are aware of. There are records, however, that does indicate that there were managers, even back then, who was responsible for each of the four faces of the Great Pyramid. Another instance of a great project management feat was The Great Wall of China, constructed circa 208BC, which suggests the immense amount of planning which would have gone in to build this wonder of the world. Historical data reveals that the workforce for this large project was organized into groups. There were three that we know of: soldiers, common people, and criminals. Millions were ordered to complete the project.

Fast forwarding by a few millennia, the need for a more pronounced structure in construction, manufacturing, and transportation in the 19th century led to the birth of the modern-day project management as we recognize it today. While there might not have been task management, scope, or workload considerations at the time, there was certainly leadership at play, and there must have been some budget, even if open-ended, and scheduling of some sort. But with practice came process and refinement, as we shall see moving forwards.

It wasn’t until the 1900s that project management as we know it began to take form. As projects became industrialized, the process to manage them also experienced a revolution.

Henry Gantt, rightly conferred the title of the father of modern Project Management, in the year 1917 created a scheduling diagram (which later came to be known as Gantt Chart) using a visual timeline to plot tasks as points with durations and linked them if they were dependent. This was used in the construction of Hoover Dam in 1931, which remains a cornerstone in modern-day engineering and project management.

Development of Critical Path Method by Dupont in 1957, development of Program Evaluation & Review Technique in 1958 and Work Break Down structure in 1962, both by US Department of Defense, formulation of Theory of Constraints in 1984, the definition of Scrum model in 1984, ideation of Earned Value Management in 1989 and creation of the Agile Manifesto in 2001 were all significant milestones in the history of Project Management. In parallel, the formation of organizations/bodies like The American Association of Cost Engineers (1956), the International Project Management Association (1965), the Project Management Institute (1969), and the UK Government created Projects in Controlled Environment (1996) provided the much-needed cradle support to nurture and mature the project management theories.

With globalization, and the need for increased speed-to-market with products and services, Projects have become larger, more complex and increasingly difficult to manage. Teams have grown more diverse and spread across the world, there is an eternal need to cut costs but not corners, enhance product and service features, and make amends while the “machine is still running”. No doubt there have been better techniques, integrated with enhanced Artificial Intelligence (what machines learn from humans) and Machine Learning (what humans / machines learn from machines) capabilities, that are all shots in the arm for the modern Project Manager. However, in addition to these tools and techniques, there is an even greater need for the Project Management methodology to be more adaptive, nimble, agile and visual. Does Hybrid Project Management provide all of it and more? Let’s read on.

Case for Hybrid Project Management

The conflict between proponents of Agile project management method and those of the traditional waterfall method have reached legendary status. Agile proponents argue that since most of the projects involve some sort of research, where the scope is not defined and the requirements are in flux and where there is a need to show tangible progress as early as possible, this methodology aces. They further point that short duration sprints help teams to focus on important tasks and discover flaws with design assumptions and development processes much faster. The proponents of the traditional project management argue that for large projects, especially those which combine multiple disciplines, a clear blueprint is required for the work to be planned and executed. Without a robust structure, large teams consisting of multiple disciplines may get distracted by their own little problems and lose the focus on the overall objective.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle. The best project management method used in a project depends on the size of the team, the team’s experience, and the complexity of the project. Hybrid Project Management combines the best of what Agile offers in terms of speed of execution plus the detailed planning and clarity on objectives offered by traditional project management. Hybrid project management methodology is better suited for the majority of projects in which agile or waterfall methods don’t meet the need of the project.

What is Hybrid Project Management?

The hybrid approach includes the best principles practiced in both agile project management and traditional methods. In the hybrid methodology, the project is broken down into manageable components called sub-projects by discipline (hardware, software, mechanical, etc) or by functionality (navigational subsystem, computation modules, etc). This simplification can be accomplished by using a Work Breakdown Structure or WBS.

When a project is broken down in terms of functionality, the waterfall is used to map out the path from the requirement and specification to the development, testing, and final release to the customer. Each component is then specified in more detail and developed using an agile project management method like Scrum.

In Hybrid project management approach, all high-level tasks, their interrelationship (dependencies), and final product delivery are defined by the traditional method (Work Breakdown Structure). Agile is then used to speed up the development of each component and its sub-component in the plan. This defines a clear interface between separate disciplines. The hybrid approach is simple. It makes it possible for better quality products with less development time and faster reaction and adjustment to market changes.

After each component of the project is broken down into tasks that may take anywhere from one month to a few months, the Agile method comes into play. These components are broken down further into four to six weeks product releases called sprints. Here all principles used for the agile project management method are applied. The outcome of each sprint is tested and sent either to the market (if applicable) or used as the base for the next sprint. These iterations continue until the final product is developed and ready to be shipped to the market.

Hybrid Project Management Definitions

Components: The individual building modules driven from product requirement document. For example, a mobile phone has electronics, display, WIFI and software components. A software product may have UI, Business Logic and communication components. Product requirements establish which components are needed in a project.

Track: The path for development and release of each component. Some tracks could be shorter or longer than others.

Backlogs: The list of tasks for each component. Tasks for each sprint are derived from backlog of the same track. Both project manager and scrum masters add or modify the backlog.

Sprint: 4-8 weeks long development effort and each includes development, testing and release (deployment). Each track has its own backlog and sprints. Sprints from different tracks run in parallel. The output of each sprint from different tracks may or may not combine with sprints from other tracks to make it into a release

Project Team: Each project team is made up of dedicated team members. The essential members are 100% assigned to the project, and there is no sharing of resources across multiple projects. Team members report to scrum masters for day to day development effort. Components: The individual building modules driven from product requirement document. For example, a mobile phone has electronics, display, WIFI and software components. A software product may have UI, Business Logic and communication components. Product requirements establish which components are needed in a project.

Track: The path for development and release of each component. Some tracks could be shorter or longer than others.

Backlogs: The list of tasks for each component. Tasks for each sprint are derived from backlog of the same track. Both project manager and scrum masters add or modify the backlog.

Sprint: 4-8 weeks long development effort and each includes development, testing and release (deployment). Each track has its own backlog and sprints. Sprints from different tracks run in parallel. The output of each sprint from different tracks may or may not combine with sprints from other tracks to make it into a release

Project Team: Each project team is made up of dedicated team members. The essential members are 100% assigned to the project, and there is no sharing of resources across multiple projects. Team members report to scrum masters for day to day development effort.

Hybrid Project Management Guiding Principles

The guiding principles of Hybrid Project Management is enumerated as below:

A Hybrid project is managed by a Project Manager using WBS methodology who has overall ownership and responsibility for the project.

Scrum Masters support the Project Manager by executing each Agile Sprint.

Continuous Team Collaboration is required for ongoing reporting, analysis and management review.

Hybrid Planning Phase:

In the traditional methodology, the entire project plan is scoped and planned before the start of the project. In agile, only the first sprint is planned. Hybrid Project Management recommends a complete project plan but the specific details of each sprint is not defined until the first sprint is completed. The Project Manager has overall planning responsibility while each Sprint is managed by the Scrum Master.

Hybrid Supporting Processes:

Hybrid project management method suggests to follow the Agile methodology. At each iteration, customer feedback is sought, testing occurs and fixes made to enable continuous improvement. Formal method is used to define the outcome for each iteration.

Hybrid Execution Phase:

In Hybrid the Project Manager is assigned the overall project ownership, and the individual Scrum Master is responsible for executing Sprint. Reporting is a joint responsibility requiring continuous collaboration and communication.

Concluding Thoughts:

Hybrid project management, with all its novelties, is still in its nascent stage, and the methodology is yet to be formally acknowledged by the global Project Management bodies. However, the methodology does appear to hit all the right notes with the practitioners and it is only a matter of time before it edges out many of the existing methodologies. The pioneers of this school of thought are indeed driving a paradigm shift in the realm of project management as we see the rise and rise of the hybrid model. Do watch out this space for more on this.

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Why do Projects Fail - Project Management Professional Dubai

Projects are high visibility, and generally high-value initiatives undertaken by organizations with an aim to make a significant difference in which they conduct business. However, every year, organizations around the world bear the brunt of millions of dollars wasted in the form of failed projects. Furthermore, in a bid to salvage or bring such projects on track, another fortune is spent on expensive consultants to assess and recover failing projects. The resultant, more often than not, is a significant deviation from the original plan, and a disproportionate degree of success. Such projects are labeled as “failed”.

What causes a project to fail? How often do projects fail? What kinds of projects are more likely to fail? These are some of the questions that arise to the thinking mind. Before we get on to find the root causes of project failure, let’s look at some statistics to get a perspective of how “big” an issue are we talking about.

In 2018, nearly 70% of projects met their original goals or business intent (30% failure), while nearly 60% were completed within the original budget (40% overrun). Both these figures are up from 62% (38% failure) and 50% (50% overrun) respectively in 2016. (PMI)

A survey published in HBR found that the average IT project overran its budget by 27%. Moreover, at least one in six IT projects turns into a “black swan” with a cost overrun of 200% and a schedule overrun of 70%. (HBR)

Among IT projects, failure rate corresponds heavily to project size. An IT project with a budget over $1M is 50% more likely to fail than one with a budget below $350,000. For such large IT projects, functionality issues and schedule overruns are the top two causes of failure (at 22% and 28% respectively). (Gartner)

A PwC study of over 10,640 projects found that օnly 2.5% of companies complete their projects 100% successfully. The rest either failed to meet some of their original targets or missed the original budget or deadlines.

Failed IT projects alone cost the United States $50-$150B in lost revenue and productivity. (Gallup)

While software projects have an average cost overrun of 66%, the same figure for non-software projects is 43%. However, 133% of non-software projects fail to meet their stated benefits, compared to just 17% for software projects. (McKinsey)

17% of IT projects can go so bad that they can threaten the very existence of the company. (McKinsey)

Bridge on the river Choluteca

Search this one up, this would give you some perspective. This is in Honduras, Central America. It’s a fine, well-built bridge except that the river does not flow under it, but to one side. It’s rather funny when you see it, but it must be tragically unfunny for those who depended on the bridge. Apparently, when the bridge was built, it was in the correct place. However, a massive hurricane came and caused terrible flooding. It completely destroyed the approach roads, and forced the river to chart a new course, leaving the bridge spanning dry land! Many failed projects come to resemble the bridge, giving a grim reminder to the fact that projects can be left “high and dry” when they do not adapt and adopt to the changing environment.

Common Causes of Project Failure

While there can be multiple reasons of project failure, the usual suspects are the following:

Scope Creep: Scope for a project is sacrosanct and should always be zealously guarded. However, when scope is subjected to unplanned changes outside the agreed control mechanism, all project parameters start behaving erratically and are the first warning bells indicating “spoilers ahead”.

Poor resource allocation: Certain organizations encourage their resources to treat projects as “side of the desk job”, resulting in certain resources being allocated for far too many projects than they can actually handle. On the other hand, there are instances when there are far too many resources working on a project. Both scenarios are recipes for project disaster.

Poor communication: Importance of communication in a project environment cannot be overstated. Lack of a well-crafted communication strategy catering to all project stakeholders is a potent situation for unwarranted developments in the project, those that do not augur well for the success of the project.

Poor Stakeholder Management: This goes hand in hand with the communication. Not knowing your stakeholder well in a project is akin to a time bomb waiting to explode. Expectations, when not managed, can run wild, and when they do, project is the first thing to get sacrificed.

Unsupported project culture – “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” a phrase originated by Peter Drucker and made famous by Mark Fields, President at Ford, is an absolute reality when it comes to project! Projects need a delicate balance between flexibility and rigidity, which is often provided by an environment, culture of projects. An unsupportive culture can be the single biggest factor for project failure.

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PMP Certification in Dubai - Project Management Professional Courses

We Red Learning is a Best PMP Certification in Dubai, UAE. We offer best PMP in Dubai and Abu Dhabi with Approved PMP Certification of Project Management Professional Courses.

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A Word from My PMP Course - Project Management Professional in Dubai

Well my journey with focusing my interest to earn Project Management is a tedious one…

Explored two institutes to get the PDU’s in preparing for the exams, Attended both 5th Edition (twice) as well as 6th Edition, appeared for exam once with the 5th edition & twice with the 6th Edition (passed in the second attempt in 6th Edition)…

Without any doubt i need to mark the instructor who had been with me on all these journey until i got successful and that’s Mr. Najmul Hussain, and the institute RED Learning which have its enhanced dimensions of learning which made things to be on track….

Rather than writing too long a story on what made me successful, let me try to scribble down few things that should/ shouldn’t be done…

1. Do NOT take this course/ exam preparation/ credential for granted. Proper training and preparation is inevitable. Getting that habit of dedicating 4 hours is very important, which if you fail may make it uncomfortable during the exam as well…

2. Exam preparation course is mandatory and the way we study is important. RED LEARNING had the LMS (Learning Management System) which had helped to browse through the topics with ease and understanding the difference and giving priority to the section 2 of PMBOK is very critical (which is the Domain based learning)

3. Once the exam preparation course is attended, without fail appear for your exam in maximum 30-45 days. I had failed to even attend the exams in my earlier study, only since i delayed after the course and believe me your acquired knowledge from the classes deteriorate every day as you move away from the course completion

4. Attending MOCKUPS a lot will make the magic happen. Additionally keep the practice of mock-ups to help you aligned with the kind of language that’s used in the exams…

5. In the exam, i didn’t have any concern with timings, but mark the questions only if you have a doubt, and importantly correct it only if you are 100% sure to change from the previous marked answer. One of my failed exam attempt, i strongly believe it’s only since i made a huge list of corrections while i was reviewing it again.

6. Well my 3rd attempt gave me a result of above target in all domains, but as said that’s since i appeared for the exam as early as my courses where over and my knowledge was still fresh. I may not get above target, if i appear for the exam… that’s how you can evaluate the importance of appearing at the right time…

7. Well it’s a pool of professional and almost like minded individuals from across the world, and i wish all the aspiring seekers all the very best on your journey to PMP…

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Top 10 Reasons to Get a PMP Certification - PMP in Dubai

The Project Management Professional (PMP)® in Dubai is a globally acknowledged professional certification that validates a professional’s education and experience in project management. This coveted credential is offered by the reputed Project Management Institute to professionals who qualify in the PMP Exam conducted by the Project Management Institute (PMI)®. Why PMP Certification? Here are the top 10 reasons you should consider getting PMP certified: 1: Globally Acknowledged Who should become PMP certified? Anyone who wants the freedom to work anywhere in the world. The PMP is one of those credentials whose reputation precedes them, recognized and sought-after the world over (there are more than 760,000 PMP certified professionals worldwide). Achieving the PMP certification helps professionals demonstrate and showcase their skills and expertise to potential employers across the globe. 2: Salary Bump If you’ve wondered why to get a PMP certification, you should know that PMP holders typically enjoy a dramatic and steep hike in salary once they have attained the PMP certification. On average, PMP certified professionals earn 17% more than their non-certified counterparts, according to the Project Management Salary Survey, Eighth Edition. According to the PMI’s Project Management Salary Survey released in July 2017, PMP certified professionals earn a median salary of $111,969 per year in the United States. 3: Expand Your Market Reach and Scope PMP certification holders are a global yet close-knit community. There are many Project Management forums and online communities that attract PMP professionals from across the world who are willing to share tips, insights, and pool their experience—helping everyone stay abreast of the latest industry developments and trends. 4: Better Job Opportunities PMP Certification opens up better career avenues and provides professionals with greater job opportunities in the project management world. According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey, 80% of high-performing projects use PMP credentialed project managers; according to the PMI Pulse of the Profession study, organizations with more than 35% PMP certified project managers demonstrated much better project performance than those without a certification. 5: PMP Professionals Get The Most Challenging Projects The PMP Certification earns a professional a challenging and important role since the certification demonstrates an individual’s dedication to project management and attests to that person’s knowledge and experience in handling challenging projects. Additionally, since even the eligibility to take the PMP exam includes both education and experience, the PMP Certification validates one’s skills and experience leading and directing projects. 6: PMP Professionals Demonstrate Better Project Performance Not all project managers are PMP certified. Consequently, project managers who lack the credential perform less efficiently than their certified peers. The standards for the rigorous PMP exam are higher than other project management certifications, testing professionals on five project management processes: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring & controlling, and closing, providing the Project manager with a detailed, standardized, actionable set of project management best practices. Further, in order to qualify for the PMP exam, aspirants must have an in-depth understanding of nine knowledge areas of project management, including project scope management, integration management, human resource management, time management, cost management, quality management, and procurement management. 7: Greater Visibility To Recruiters Research across industries suggests that organizations prefer hiring PMP certified project managers rather their non-credentialed peers. The PMP certification is a standard that demonstrates a professional’s expertise in project management and it immediately catches a recruiter’s eye during profile evaluation. 8: Applicable to Most Industries The PMP certification is an ideal bet for all project managers in various professional fields, including IT, telecom, business processing, commerce, finance, research, and more. 9: A Great Investment for Your Future The exam itself falls into about the middle range in terms of cost. While not as expensive as many of the high-tech, very specific exams, it isn’t something you are likely to take lightly. At $555 a test (unless you are a PMI® member, in which case it is $405), it doesn’t seem too expensive. The passing rate of the PMP exam is estimated to be around 50 – 60%. Once you consider the pass/fail rate, you may decide that you need formal training. These types, of course, can cost between $1,500 and $2,000—not counting the cost of the exam. 10: PMP Professionals are Secure Even During Economic Downturns With the economy yet to get back to where it was 15 years ago, there is still plenty of uncertainty. While no one is immune to layoffs and downsizing, 80% of executives around the world believe that having a PMP certification demonstrated core competencies that made the certification holders valuable even during a recession.

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When we are talking about project management, then we should start it with discussing the base work. An expert is only developed after getting certain certification courses and the most craved course of being a pro in this field in PMP Certification. Each and every renowned project manager has started his venture after getting this certification. http://bit.ly/1FHou9b