The Good: The National Ignition
Facility Project
A great example of excellent
project management skills is the National Ignition Facility (NIF) Project,
which won the 2010 Project of the Year Award, an honor granted by the Project
Management Institute (PMI).
The NIF project was the largest scientific construction project completed by the US Department of Energy, resulting in the world’s largest and most powerful laser system. It was done by a highly competent team of government, academic, and industrial partners.
The NIF project was the largest scientific construction project completed by the US Department of Energy, resulting in the world’s largest and most powerful laser system. It was done by a highly competent team of government, academic, and industrial partners.
Some of the reasons for the
project’s success are:
- The team established a
well-designed completion criteria for the project, which was followed almost to
the
letter;
- The establishment of a good technical cost and schedule-based line;
- They developed new technologies based on existing ones, relying on a thorough and extensive research;
- The focus of the project was to make sure the new technology will be implemented for 30 years, so the
- The establishment of a good technical cost and schedule-based line;
- They developed new technologies based on existing ones, relying on a thorough and extensive research;
- The focus of the project was to make sure the new technology will be implemented for 30 years, so the
team made
sure everything was working properly and that it met the requirements to
maintain longevity;
- The team set working groups with members from different organizations, collaborating to solve problems;
- The team set working groups with members from different organizations, collaborating to solve problems;
tolerance standards.
In sum, the success of this project was thanks to good communication and collaboration skills between stakeholders, and to a very detailed project plan based on thorough research and innovations.
Sources: PMI's 2010 Winner / NIF website
The Bad: California DMV Project
In 1987, California’s DVM started a project intended to revamp the driver’s license and registration systems. The goal - though unclear - of the project was to transfer over 70 million user records into a new relational database. 6 years and $45 million dollars later, the project was deemed a failure, so it got shut down by the state authorities.
Some of the reasons given for its
demise are:
- The team did not have enough
knowledge and understanding of the new technology;
- There was no correlation between
the technology’s capabilities and the agency’s goals;
- Procurement restrictions required
the agency to use a specific hardware platform, without possibility to
explore
other kinds;
- No support or trust from the DMV technical
community or from the executive management;
- Poor planning and poor design
specifications, given the objectives of the project were unclear.
The Standish
Group issued a report in which the DMV project
was given 10 out of 100 success points, which means the project was doomed to
fail from the start. These are the criteria they used to measure the success,
and the points awarded:
This project’s failure was caused by poor planning and lack
of support. I don’t understand how it remained open for 6 years. Given that the
DMV didn’t
know what it wanted as a result, plus handing the project to a dysfunctional
and demotivated team, it’s not surprising that this project is considered one of the
biggest failures in the field.
Sources: University at Albany Publication / The Standish Group Report
Sources: University at Albany Publication / The Standish Group Report
For all of the information, and all of the statistics, and all of the details, I believe it is critically important to review the subject of human psychology, and specific corporate cultures...
ReplyDeleteI have said for the longest time, that people will destroy one another- as well as everything around them, even when it hurts them- for no other reason than to reinforce their emotional comfort zones. You take an environment where people are carefully chosen for their boldness, their willingness, their openness, and their professional maturity, and you'll find that half the intelligence and leadership skills can go twice as far, thrice as effectively, as an environment stacked high with people that have Master's Degrees and decades of experience, but within which their individual and collective focus has degraded to posturing, and position, and prominence.
Tortoise and the hare.
I have seen operational environments that were filled with some of the most skilled and qualified personnel in the world, but their primary focus was self-justification and relevance and a desperation for approval, so virtually every task was befuddled by childish competition, inefficiency, a virtual mountain range of posturing and fraud and masquerades and lies. Even the best of what got done, was fragile and unstable.
Leadership is responsible for the level of truth, justice, and honor, that defines the general attitudes of the people that inhabit a work place. Principle before personality. I am always refreshed and rejuvenated when I read success stories like the first one of this blog. My focus on doing the right thing, seeking out qualified people with similar beliefs, values, and ethics, is refreshed, and I know that I don't ever have to allow failure in any task or process or project that I am a member of.
6) Either from your own experience or by searching the Internet, describe a well-planned and executed project. Describe a disastrous project. What were some of the main differences between these projects? Please remember to restate the question in the title. Missing the second part of the question but David picked it up. Good team work! Pf. Forman
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