Frustration with Project Team

[Muddypaws]

Hi All

Apologies for the whinge but.....I am relatively new to MS Project but
worked my way through it basically using this groups expertise and my
Idiots Guide.

I have created a resource pool, with 7 independent project plans
created by a team who have never used MS Project before and I have had
to show them the basics (ugh!)

My problems are actually getting the guys to update their plans, which
they don't unless I email them to say oi this is due or has passed
etc. Or, the information they put in is basically a task, and they
have not allocated a resource which is hacking me off. They have put
a task in with rediculous date timelines, with a resource at 100%
which is stupid and its becoming a nightmare.

I ask them to review and amend and update and they don't and I have no
idea about dependencies (which there are) nor about the detail of each
plan, its impossible, how can I get these guys to complete their plan
properly or communicate to me the details and I do it for them?

These plans are not used to plan they are being used as a list that
they complete when they have done a task and thats it, I cannnot go to
my manager and say this is what is forecasted or this is where we may
have a problem, can anyone help me please as I am losing the will to
live

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Muddypaws --

I sympathize with you. If I were your doctor, my prescription would be:

1. Mandate that your project managers go through a basic Microsoft Project
fundamentals class, taught by an instructor who understands both project
management and how to use Microsoft Project correctly. If necessary, hire
the instructor to guide and mentor your PM's to help them create realistic
production projects.

2. Mandate company processes for managing projects using Microsoft Project,
and then make these processes mandatory for your PM's. Make this a training
and performance issue with your PMs; teach them how to do it right and then
hold them accountable for these processes. If you do not have the authority
to mandate this, then enlist the support of an executive who can make the
mandate.

Hope this helps.

 

[Muddypaws]

I feel like I should review the plans for them and for all those tasks
that have not been started, or completed on time, push them on so that
the tasks then push the Go Live date back, is that possible?

 

[Jim Aksel]

We did exactly what Dale suggersted and things got better.
However, what we found was a general attitude that the managers were more
concerned with doing the job than statusing a schedule. We hired
professional schedulers who know the product and can work with the managers
to keep the schedule updated.

We distribute schedules weekly with tasks marked (by formula) of what needs
to be updated. We then combine the inputs we receive and put that into
Project. We keep separate books so the managers can't damage our orignals.
We review their inputs prior to overwriting the originals.

You have to play hardball. We require inputs on Wednesday no later than
10AM. If we do not have it, we report 0% progress for that manager for the
week and that is what we show. We do not listen to excuses. The rule is
that we input what we receive as of 10AM Wednesday. No input means no
progress and that is the way it is report.... no discussion. The problem
self corrects in about three weeks because if a manager makes no progress he
is required to write a variance recovery plan and that issue is forced.

The schedulers focus on adding different items to the schedules such as
formulas to indicate which tasks need update, checking for items like actual
start dates in the futuer, %Comlete not big enough, items that need to be
relinked, etc.

We are now to the point where managers can use the schedule as a proactive
tool rather than wallpaper.

If this post was helpful, please consider rating it.

Jim
It's software; it's not allowed to win.

 

[Muddypaws]

We did exactly what Dale suggersted and things got better.
However, what we found was a general attitude that the managers were more
concerned with doing the job than statusing a schedule.

Exactly!!! They want to do the jobs and get distracted and have
meetings for meetings sake and forget the plan, and its simply not
bein gused


We hired professional schedulers who know the product and can work
with the managers to keep the schedule updated.

Any tips to help me do this? I have been emailing the tasks due to
each of the people to say this is due, that has slipped etc etc
through Task Sheet, filter tasks and send to

We distribute schedules weekly with tasks marked (by formula) of what needs
to be updated. We then combine the inputs we receive and put that into
Project. We keep separate books so the managers can't damage our orignals.
We review their inputs prior to overwriting the originals.

You have to play hardball. We require inputs on Wednesday no later than
10AM. If we do not have it, we report 0% progress for that manager for the
week and that is what we show.

So for those that have a start of say 2% and according to the Gantt
chart is should be at 50% if its not updated I put it to 0% or leave
it? Or can I push the end date on.

I am so sorry about this, but I am trying to learn the thing and all I
know is the basics and reading my head off trying to sort this out -
so apologies

We do not listen to excuses. The rule is > that we input what we
receive as of 10AM Wednesday. No input means no > progress and that
is the way it is report.... no discussion. The problem > self
corrects in about three weeks because if a manager makes no progress
he > is required to write a variance recovery plan and that issue is
forced.

How do I get a report to state that this is over the project end date
to show a recovery plan has to be compelted, can I get an example of
one for my peace of mind?

 

[Jim Aksel]

We have another program where we distribute PDF versions of the file. A PDF
writer is available commercially and some can even be downloaded from the
internet for free. We happen to use Acrobat Pro. Less expensive products
would also serve the same purpose.

Most of our CAMs want to see the entire schedule, at least their part of it,
since it helps them with perspective. We are trying something new where we
also send them a filtered version for their tasks that should be statused
that week. They like that and it cuts our paper consumption as well.

We wrote some VBA code to determine which tasks need to be touched and set a
flag field to "Yes" for those tasks. The tests you want to make are pretty
much up to you, but the common ones are [Actucal Start] or [Actual Finish]
dates that are to the right of the status date, tasks with insufficeint
%Complete, [Start] or [Finish] dates to the left of [Status Date] with no
[Actual Start] or [Actual Finish].

If you want a good book on VBA to help you get started, I recommend Rod
Gil's "VBA Programming for Microsoft Project" ISBN: 0-9759828-7-7. If you
need someone to assist you in program management you may consider double
clicking on some of the names of people who post here to see what may show
up.

 

[Muddypaws]

Thanks for your help, but thats way out of my league, no way do I
understand that, so sorry to have bothered you.

THink I will just go home and cry - :-D

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Muddypaws,

Go home certainly, but no need to cry! If you can't get your people
properly trained, you will have to make it easy for them to give you the
info you want. As a starter, you might like to have a look at my series on
Microsoft Project in the TechTrax ezine, particularly #24 Customizing
Reports and #27 Progress Data Input, at this site: http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc
or this:
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMFrame.asp?CMD=ArticleSearch&AUTH=23
(Perhaps you'd care to rate the articles before leaving the site,
Thanks.)

However, you won't get what you need without senior management support. You
must have a Company Project Policy statement which directs all involved in
projects to obey set down rules on what is to be done in the management and
control of their projects, and how it is to be done in clearly defined
procedures. Without that type of stick, you're skating on thin ice! Get
the policy document written and issued by your most senior company manager.

FAQs, companion products and other useful Project information can be seen at
this web address: <http://www.mvps.org/project/>

Hope this helps - please let us know how you get on

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP

 

[Jim Aksel]

Take small steps. First thing is to get senior management support- the
activity is value added.

The rest of it will come to you.... I am sorry I scared you off with the
detailed explanation.

You can do all this with a paper printout and your eyeballs. Take a ruler
and draw a line down the paper on the status date (for example Month End
March). Now start looking at each task:

If the start date is to the right of the line --- those are the easiest, do
nothing.

Anything that is to the left of that line has to be either started or
completed. If it ends to the left of the line, it has to be 100% or you need
a finish date to the right of the line.

If the task staddles the line then it needs a %Complete update.

If the start date is to the left of the line, you have to have some
%Complete or they have to give you a date to the right of the line when it
will start.

Not so bad is it? Make sure you use a red pen And one more thing -- we
are here to help you, so no bother at all. Just read my tag line to keep it
all in perspective.

 

[Kate]

Gee you do sound frustrated.

I've experienced exactly the same thing too in the past and suggest the
following two steps:

1. Get these project managers onto an MSProject training course (a little
more than the basics) to ensure they understand dependencies etc. - I did
this training myself and it only took 2hrs, but getting them together
networking and making a "big deal" of the training ensures they know it's
importance. The training needs to be instigated by their manager, not you.
Our CEO actually sent our entire company on an MSProject training day offsite
- probably overkill, but highlighted the importance.

2. More importantly, some sort of governance structure needs to be in place.
Without a Senior Exec demanding to know where the projects are at and what
the completion dates are, there's no push for project managers to keep their
plans updated. After all, projects are there to deliver the strategies that
Senior Exec's are trying to achieve.

We started printing a weekly 1-page project summary report to Senior Execs
which highlighted start/finish dates, summary statements and project status.
You'll be surprised how quickly Senior Exec's pick up on the "RED/CRITICAL"
projects and out of date plans when they're responsible for sponsoring a
project. It's not easy getting Senior Execs to "own" projects, but without
it, there's no policing and project managers get slack in planning. Our
project mgrs very quickly learnt that they had to update their plans by
Monday afternoons, otherwise they were in big trouble! You can't do the
policing on your own.

Do you have a PMO to support you?

Good luck