CHAPTER 1

Initiate Your Project

After studying this chapter, you should be able to accomplish thefollowing:

• give the definition of a project

• differentiate between projects, programs, and portfolios

• differentiate between functional, matrix, and projectizedorganizational structures

• define and explain the importance of project initiation

• state what happens if some of the steps in project initiation areleft out

• list and describe the steps to be taken as a part of projectinitiation

• define stakeholders and list the persons and/or groups—internaland/or external to the organization—that fit that definition

• describe the importance of stakeholders

• explain the importance of properly identifying stakeholders atthe outset of the project

"Next stop, Kings Cross Station." The monotonous sound of theconductor's recorded voice jolts David from his nap with suddenawareness that his stop is next.

David arches backward in his seat, cups his hands behind his neck,and yawns openly. His is young and enthusiastic about moving up inthe organization, but his progress up the corporate ladder appears slowin his estimation.

The company is built on core values and guiding principles. Itpromotes from within and prides itself on embracing diversity andadding value by giving back to the community. That's what attractedDavid to join ten years ago as an assistant manager. But he is still justa manager now, so many years later.

Maybe he should have done a better job at networking, buildingrelationships with the people who are going places and being visible.

"Be a shameless self-promoter," one of the movers and shakerstold David. That's what it takes to move ahead nowadays, especially inan organization where there is reliance on the immediate manager forpromotion endorsement. Clearly David needs a mentor.

The train slows to a jolting stop; the doors open. David hustles outalong with hundreds of morning commuters on the procession to work.As he walks the three last blocks to the office, David anticipates whatlies ahead in the coming weeks in his new role as project manager.It's no promotion, just a lateral move with no change in level or pay, hereminds himself, citing verbatim from the letter received from humanresources. He was seriously considering turning down the offer for thetwelve-month temporary transfer to the project team. Someone elsewould backfill his job. He would sink or swim. Success may mean apromotion. Failure will mean that he's a "floater" moving from one cubicleto the next, with no real desk, just filling in for people on leave.

Why take the plunge into project management?

"What's in it for me?" he asks, canvassing opinions from trustedfriends and colleagues over whether or not he should accept theoffer.

Most of them say, "You'll see another side of the business; you'llgrow, expand, and learn."

All of that sounded good, but the thing that really sealed the dealand convinced him to accept the offer was the notion that the newassignment would, at the very least, temporarily relieve the monotonousroutine of his teensy weensy job, which he'd outgrown years ago. Hewould exceed expectations even in a semicomatose state, the statethat he typically operated in every boring day of his work life. And if justfor the notion that for once he could be alive at work, he was willingto take the chance to move from complement to overrun status on theorganization chart, relegated to floating after the project is over as areward.

Look at the time; pick up the pace; can't let this elevator go. I'llbe late! Elbowing his way into the crowded elevator, he presses thebutton to the twentieth floor, stopping at floors like a game of speedchess where players hit the clock to signal the start and end of a play.Twentieth floor, match over. The game has just begun.

Projects, Programs and Portfolios

Day planner, notebook, and pen in hand, David makes his waytoward the boss's office for a briefing on the project requirements.When he arrives, his boss greets him and explains that the organizationis embarking on several projects to realize strategic objectives in thecoming fiscal year. Some projects reside in portfolios; others areincluded in programs based on their relationship to the organization'sstrategy. The portfolio that the boss manages includes a collectionof projects and programs. Grouped within the portfolio are programscomprised of subprograms, projects, or other work managed in acoordinated fashion to support the portfolio.

At the boss's prompt for questions, David voices his concern: "I'mconcerned about reporting and my level of authority, given that my roleof project manager involves sourcing skills and expertise from personssenior to me. These persons are assigned to different departmentsand projects in business lines where I have no authority. Over thelast ten years of working with the company I know full well that thepower base lies in the hands of the functional department head. Onetoo many times I made the mistake of going directly to an employeein production or marketing without first routing the request throughthe functional department head only to be hauled before my boss oncharges of breach of the chain of command. I was admonished onseveral occasions to know my role or I would soon find myself on theoutside looking in, which may explain why I've only moved up one levelin the organization after ten consecutive years of employment. Butthat's another story."

"Interesting. Your impression is that this organization structureis functional?" The boss is curt. "In reality this organization uses abalanced matrix structure. Balanced matrix structures blend functionaland projectized characteristics."

"Balanced matrix structures, projectized characteristics? Pleaseexplain," David requests, his brow furrowed. "These concepts are stillrather new to me."

"No worries," the boss replies. "A functional organization is probablythe oldest type of organization. Functional organizations are groupedaccording to functions; for example, an organization may have humanresources, purchasing, and accounting departments. The work in thesedepartments is specialized and requires people whose skill sets relateto that function to carry out the work of the department. This type oforganization is set up to be a hierarchy," the...