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Project Management Metrics A

Team 6
Andy Reitter
Kumar Marisetty
Raja Baru
5. Is it possible that highly talented resources can overthink an R&D project to the point
where they look for the most complicated solution rather than the simplest solution?
It seems reasonable that at times technical resources become fixed on solving a problem in a
specific way that might not be the simplest. Many times people have an initial feeling as to
what the solution would be and they become fixated on that one solution and cannot see other
alternatives - or they only see that their alternative is best.
7. Can a PMO prevent failure?
A PMO can't prevent failure. For example there may be a technical flaw in the project that
cannot be overcome - the PMO has no influence in "preventing" that [1]. What the PMO can
and should be able to do is provide a framework to evaluate the progress of a project versus
some benchmark. This framework could identify that a project is having problems earlier
rather than later. In this way the PMO should be able to identify problem projects and take
actions to change the project, or, in some cases, cancel the project.
1. John Glander,
The Top 5 Reasons PMOs Fail - and how to avoid themhttp://www.level5partners.com/resources/blog/top-5-reasons-pmos-fail-and-how-avoi
d-them#sthash.12e46b3O.dpuf
8. Is it inherently dangerous to encourage a project manager to recommend that his or her
project be terminated during early life-cycle phases?
It can be dangerous because if a project manager doesn't like a project or the project team he
has he may paint a picture that it should be cancelled just so he can be reassigned [1]. The
project manager should take part in an objective assessment of the project at gateways
throughout the life-cycle phases to review project health and viability. If the project is no
longer viable at a gateway, then it should be changed or cancelled.
1. Hormozi, Amir M, McMinn, Robert D., Nzeogwu, Okeleke,
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/SAM-Advanced-Management-Journal/59648
779.html
10. Is Ann Hawthornes description of engineers realistic?
To some extent Ann is correct in her description of engineers. Engineers exist to solve
problems, and in my experience there is usually a high level of confidence that they can solve
the problem [1]. At some point they develop a vested interest in proving to themselves that
they can solve it - even if it is just curiosity driving them. This can lead to schedule delays, cost
overruns, and even failed projects.
I've been on projects before where engineers were confident that the solution to a problem
was simple to get to and just a short amount of work was needed to get there, whereas the

truth was quite different. We have learned that there are certain engineers who are very good
at estimating the amount of work required to do a task, but there are others who are not so
good and require some management oversight.
1. Kailash,
The role of cognitive biases in project
failure,https://eight2late.wordpress.com/2009/05/08/the-role-of-cognitive-biases-in-pr
oject-failure/

11. Would you agree with Al Grey that the real cause of the failures appears to be a lack of
good metrics? If this is the cause, then how do you justify that other projects were
successful?
The lack of metrics isn't the cause of the project failures, but is a contributing factor as to why
the projects continued for so long before they were deemed failures. If they had good metrics
that identified a project was on course to fail, they could have ended the project early and
shifted resources to other areas. Without the metrics the projects continued until nearly out of
budget before they pulled the plug.
12. Should the PMO take the lead in the establishment of the metrics?
The PMO should take the lead in establishing the metrics because the PMO is functioning as an
independent third party and would be less influenced by internal issues to shape metrics in a
specific way. For example, the engineering department would likely set up metrics that reflect
the engineering department's competencies and areas of focus. These may not be metrics that
can be used to identify if a project is having problems. They might also develop metrics that
would appear to shift blame away from them in the event there were problems. The PMO
should have a higher level view to focus on overall project health regardless of where the issues
are. In developing the metrics, the PMO should solicit input and buy-in from the engineering
department and other stakeholders that have inputs into the project. This would, hopefully,
provide a more well rounded set of metrics that reflect all aspects of the project.

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