Raising the Bar for Project Management in a Scientific Institution

Transcription

1 Raising the Bar for Project Management in a Scientific Institution 2017 Rocky Mountain Project Management Symposium Colorado Convention Center Friday, April 14, 2017

2 Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) Your Presenters Brigitte Baeuerle, PMP Assistant Director of Operations Earth Observing Laboratory / EOL National Mission Center for Atmospheric NCAR s Earth Observing Research Laboratory (EOL) provides leadership in observing facilities, field project support as Molly well as Killinger research and data services Senior needed Consultant to advance the scientific Arrow Performance understanding Group of the Earth System

3 Objectives for Today Share how we took a diverse group of employees through PMI certification Share how we have applied the learnings to deliver value

4 EOL Mission NCAR s Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) provides leadership in observing facilities, field project support as well as research and data services needed to advance the scientific understanding of the Earth System

5 Primary Motivation: R&D Projects Tighter budgets and fewer resources Entrepreneurial direction Scope, schedule and budget challenges Thorough planning process mandated

6 Primary Motivation: New Rules at NSF Courtesy: Resilience.org National Academy of Public Administration NSF: Use of Cooperative Agreements to Support Large Scale Investment in Research (December 2015) Major Research Facility Reform Act of 2016 (House Report 5049 Science, Space, and Technology Committee) NSF Inspector General (4 Feb 2016)

7 Attempts with Project Management 2005: Formation of EOL PM Committee 2006: 2-day, lab-wide training Essentials of PM 2008: PMI online training classes 2010: Hire of experienced, certified PMP 2011: Conduct of EOL-wide PM mini-seminars PM retreat 2012: Formation of PMO 2015: Internal proposal for in-depth training

8 Project Management Training 2015: Strategic partnership with Arrow Performance Group for overall training design Objectives Establish a culture of successful PM Build PM terminology and practices Improve ability to manage and deliver Prepare for PMI PMP or CAPM certification

9 Project Management Training Participants Mandatory for Project Managers Open to all other interested staff (EOL & other) Requirements Approval from supervisor Workplace action-learning project Commitment ( no quitting ) Schedule Training: March August 2015 Certification: October December 2015

10 Skillsoft Modules and PMBOK Skillsoft Provided through organization 30 modules total 3 to 6 modules/month hours per month Tracked progress PMBOK Covered sections monthly Content aligned with modules

11 Monthly Classroom Sessions Monthly Classroom Session Taught by Arrow Performance Group 7 sessions, 3-4 hours each Utilized team teaching, discussions and quizzes Reinforced large picture (i.e., knowledge areas, inputs/tools & techniques / outputs)

12 Monthly Classroom Sessions - Quizzes Q. Which of the following would your project sponsor not expect to see in your project management plan? A. It can be either summary or detailed B. It sets out the business case for the project, the project manager and approval from the project sponsor C. It describes how work will be executed to accomplish the project objectives D. It integrates and consolidates all of the subsidiary management plans

13 Workplace Projects / Small Study Groups Workplace Projects Each participant identified workrelated project Used to apply new concepts Project status reviewed monthly Small Study Groups Self-organized Conducted monthly (1-2 hrs) 4 people / group Condensed study guides

14 Daily PMP Prep Group and Flash Cards Daily PMP Prep Group Self-organized & voluntary 5 days/week, minutes Focus on certification/quizzes Daily Flash Cards Self-organized 5 days/week, via Focus on terminology 10 PM terms

15 Boot Camp in Denver Boot Camp 4 day intensive classroom training Taught by Project Management Academy Prerequisite: Completion of all online modules required Offered to staff who were interested in PMI certification Excellent wrap-up to entire training

16 Lessons Learned from Training Ensure executive sponsorship Acknowledge the steep learning curve Don t underestimate time & effort required Reinforce big picture early & repeatedly Utilize quizzes - important and fun Approach workplace projects differently Incorporate boot camp Bring management along Assess potential negative consequences

17 Outcome 16 staff participated 10 staff took PMP Test 8 staff got PMP certification 1 Director 3 Project Managers 1 E&O Coordinator 2 Data Managers 1 Design Engineer 2 staff reclassified to PM 3 staff departed

18 What has happened since training? Data and Publications Stewardship Project (DPS) Airborne Phased-Array Radar (APAR)

19 Data and Publications Stewardship Project Lead community in following modern data citation practices Track use of EOL-managed datasets to obtain reliable metrics Work towards a meaningful performance measurement system and outcome measures to assess impact of EOL services Provide users with a simple, standard way to reference an EOL-managed dataset Provide recognition to authors whose creativity and work created the dataset

20 Data and Publications Stewardship Project EOL Facility Jan 16 Aug 16 Minted DOIs RAF 100% 100% Minted as part of EMDAC scripted minting process RSF 40% 94% 50/53 RSF hand-minted ISF/Soundings 57% 99% 102/103 ISF hand-minted ISF/APG 46% 96% 108/112 ISF hand-minted ISF/ISFS 46% 94% 44/47 ISF hand-minted EOL wide 965 script minted Task Datasets/Status Completion Date EOL Dataset Identification and Metadata Update 10,715 (100%) 25 March 2016 EOL Dataset Authorship Clean-up 1078 (100%) 20 May 2016

21 Airborne Phased Array Radar (APAR) Proposal for a state-of-the-art airborne radar Focused research in high-impact weather, cloud microphysics, storm dynamics, radiation and climate Data at spatial and temporal scales that match numerical models Deployable on NSF/NCAR C-130 aircraft

22 APAR Scan Strategies A closer look Radar scan combines reflectivity, velocity and dual-polarization measurements 22

23 Airborne Phased Array Radar (APAR) : Conceptual Effort Planning > decade Focus on science & technical aspects (conceptual design, research) Parametric estimating budget and schedule White Paper seen as Project Management Plan In 2015 NSF and NCAR recognized the need to develop a more structured and formalized approach to advance the development : Real Deal Collaboration with APG & proposal to NSF to develop an APAR Master Project Management Plan (MP2)

24 Airborne Phased Array Radar (APAR) MP2 Development: Identify & document requirements High level mapped to lowlevel technical requirements, airflow feasibility analysis Information gathering/collection WBS development Identified APAR tasks (>400) for lifecycle of development Resource estimation Bottom-up estimating of internal resources, RFI with industry partner for industry development MP2 development Risk identification Identified technical, operational, programmatic, and development risks (>50) Develop processes Change control, QA/QC, risk management, etc. Realistic schedule & budget development (significant increases in both) Two project management plans + 15 Appendices Incorporates all knowledge areas, management plans, complete WBS, etc. Progressive elaboration, change control / quality control processes, risk analysis, etc. Submitted to NSF in early 2017 Paves way for potential future funding opportunity

25 Conclusion - Worthwhile Effort for EOL Redefined project management in EOL Created peer group of certified project managers Built a solid foundation for EOL Set the stage for systematic and consistent approach for future projects Positioned EOL to comply with new NSF rules Successfully competed for /received grants by including PM Noticeable change in EOL culture

26 Next Steps Continue strengthening Knowledge Management Conduct ongoing PM training Utilize consulting services for mentorship Upgrade infrastructure Select and Implement a Project Management Information System (PMIS) Promote and acknowledge good work Encourage staff to do great things, embrace change & dare to stand out

27 Contact Information Brigitte Baeuerle, PMP Assistant Director of Operations, NCAR EOL Stuart Thomas, PMP Founder, Arrow Performance Group

28 Questions? QUESTIONS?