Extreme Project Management Workshop May 4, 2010

In a recent advertisement for Microsoft Project, a Project Manager is shown alone in a high-tech room looking at 20 computer screens on a wall with project plans, tracking reports and other project information produced by Microsoft Project. The caption reads “Excellent”. The project is going to plan. In the client-driven, Internet-speed world of contemporary world of new Business, nothing could be further from reality than the Microsoft advertisement. With the evolution of XP (Extreme Programming and Lite or Agile Methodologies), the need for appropriate Project Management techniques to support the radical development approaches involved in Extreme projects has become critical. Traditional Project Management focused “downwards” to the technical content of the project. In other words, the Project Manager focused on issues such as schedule, deliverables, costs and so on (the Microsoft advertisement). Extreme Project Management balances the internal focus on the content with an external focus on the context of the project. Simply, what used to done with the project team is now shared fully with the project stakeholders. In addition, the broader context issues such as Business impact, Change Management, Business drivers, benefits realisation, organizational politics, communication, relationship and expectation Management are the main focus of the new Project Manager.
In a recent US survey, Robert Charette reported that Project Managers were struggling to cope with the changing Business environment. Challenges facing Project Managers include:

• Lack of budget or time to establish stable processes in highly compressed schedules
• The need for innovative new solutions to Business initiatives
• Insufficient planning
• Redundant work caused by sudden changes in priorities
• Too many dependencies with other projects
• Competition for resources with other projects
• Slow decision making

In this highly-provocative and challenging Masterclass, Extreme Project Management will be explored. The workshop will provide a forum for experienced Project Managers to come to grips with the new world of Project Management.

Each student will receive a copy of Thomsett’s book “Radical Project Management”.

ROB THOMSETT
He joined computing in 1968 and has been consulting and educating in the area of Project Management, teams and quality since 1974. In 1981, he was contracted by YOURDON Inc. in New York to present seminars in the U.S. and U.K. based on his book “People and Project Management”. Mr. Thomsett is also a member of the Editorial Board of the prestigious Cutter Journal with Ed Yourdon, Tom DeMarco, Bill Curtis, Capers Jones, Kent Beck. His second book is “Third Wave Project Management”. He is also on the Industry Advisory Board of the I.E.E.E. and the Strategic Advisory Panel for the University of Sydney’s Graduate Project Management Program with experts such as Sandy Hollway, Sydney Olympics and Peter Scott, CEO, MLC. His latest book is “Radical Project Management”.

Official Website: http://www.technologytransfer.eu/event/967/Extreme_Project_Management_Workshop.html