As the time goes by – Managing versions

By Eugenio, on August 14th, 2009

Nice attempt to hide the guest

In our projects, time comes in two versions:

“Fixed” in terms of delivery dates.
“Flowing” like a cursor moving with a uniform velocity on the calendar (toward the milestones).

These truisms are needed for introducing the concept of versioning.

Managing initial drafts

Until all “Acceptance Criteria” (to be intended as a general concept, not yet finalized in the Prince2 document) have been collected and approved. The documents (e.g. plans) are drafted for a shorter scope.

However essential for building the final results, these documents shall be clearly marked “Draft” and carefully doled out. This is done for avoiding stakeholders’ false expectations.

Once, the final draft has received the “imprimatur” from Sponsors, it shall be considered as a “living” document. From its changes, duly and correctly recorded, it is possible to manage the project.

Plans with short lives

Some Project managers haste to issue the “final” version, the one that shall freeze the time until the milestone will not be reached.

Risks, duly cataloged, are tamed in their boxes.
Senior Managers are assured that the neatly figures and lines will form an insurmountable barrier against every delay or extra costs.
Stakeholders have been completely satisfied with the last version of requirements.
Producers can spend all their energies on their assigned tasks.

Then all the magic disappears.

A new tall order has arrived in for changing the reality.

Again new plans are produced, usually without any consultation with the producers (probably in order to save their time).
Any trace of the previous past, shall be carefully erased. Just in case any doubt would be arisen about the far-sightedness of the project manager.

Facing difficult changes

Instead of “crying over spilled milk” (in other words, “unexpected” stakeholders’ requests for important changes, incoming big issues – until now considered as remote, risks that needs actions well beyond the PM allowances) the project management should investigate properly the accident (Prince2 Exception Report).
This means to analyze the current situation using the terms contained in the (updated) Business Case. In this analysis, the involvement of producers is essential, if it is properly focused on the event itself.
Emotions could be a big obstacle to the correct management of a brainstorming. If the current policy about changes is based on “erasing the past”; the authority could be challenged, jeopardizing the whole project.

The importance of baselines

The impact of the possible solutions shall be verified using the whole history of the project. From the well maintained documentation (including plans) it is possible to single out the trends (statistical tools – especially based on Monte Carlo system offer excellent support).
These results would supply, and then confirm, the validity of the options made available through a structured and honest confrontation with all stakeholders.
The validity of those proposed solutions shall be reviewed under both on the “Business Case – Reasons” and then “Acceptance Criteria”, especially for the “technical” aspects that influence the users.

Conclusions

The terms “life” referred to a project is not a simple label.It is a strong concept that allows managing properly any aspect of the processes needed for the outcome.

The idea of using plans as worn carpets that can be piled on, just to hide the elephant, does not work.

“I have a memory like an elephant. In fact, elephants often consult me.”
Image: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/elephant-in-the-room.html