A Project Saga

On 1/2/2007, I started my first day at BMC software as a Senior PM, reporting to the PMO. The next morning, I was informed that I would be responsible for the change in Daylight Savings Time (DST) for all computer systems and a weekly tracking status meeting had already been set up for me – Fridays at 2 PM in their largest conference room.

Prior to 2007, DST began (clocks spring ahead one hour at 2:00 AM) on the first Sunday in April and ended (clocks fall back one hour at 2:00 AM) on the last Sunday in October. Starting in 2007, DST would begin three weeks earlier (second Sunday in March) and end one week later (first Sunday in November). I had my first weekly team meeting on that Friday afternoon – January 5. I introduced myself to a large group that included many IT managers and went over the goals of the project. How will all this impact us? Many of our computer operating systems were in the process of being updated to reflect this change. Microsoft, Apple, and Oracle were exceptionally good at doing this by using monthly security updates or patches, which included updating future time calendar meetings and scheduling systems.

I quickly learned having the weekly tracking status meetings on Friday afternoons was a terrible idea because people are winding down their work week! But being a new guy on the block trying to make a positive name for myself, I didn’t want to rock the boat by trying to change the day and/or the late time. Problems (e.g., concerns about potential disruptions to business operations due to the extended period of DST) came up at these meetings and I was the only one that was frustrated during the weekends because nothing was being done about it. I am sure that many of the attendees at these meetings were tired from their work week and/or were making mental plans for the weekends, which meant they were ill-prepared to add any value! Also, some thought it was an “optional” event, which it was not, and some took Friday off as a vacation day to have a long family weekend!

Fortunately, all the DST updates were successfully completed by the end of February, so we were ready for the first DST hour change on 3/11/07. The major lesson I learned was never to have weekly tracking status meetings on Friday afternoons and it’s best not to have these meetings on Mondays. Why? Because Mondays are needed to allow team members sufficient time (some might have worked over the past weekend) to gather status and updates for the project plan and/or status charts. So that leaves Tuesday – Thursday to have your weekly tracking status meetings. These meetings are best to have at mid-morning or right after lunch because most people are more alert (i.e., they had their morning coffee and cleared out their emails) and more available. I prefer to have these meetings mostly on Wednesdays because it’s in the middle of the work week and allows ample time to prepare for the meeting and to recover from its aftermath.

Tracking Status Agenda

The PM should have a weekly status meeting agenda that guides the discussion like the overview of project progress and its activities, clear action items, time allocation, roadblocks and risks, and project outlook. Having an agenda helps to drive ownership and accountability upon the people responsible for coming to the meeting fully prepared. A well-planned agenda should have a significant impact on the control maintained throughout the life of the project. “Meetings without an agenda are like a restaurant without a menu.” – Susan B. Wilson

Finally, selecting an appropriate tracking method for a project depends on several factors like the size of the project. If the project is small with thirty or less tasks, you can do it manually. Otherwise you would want to use project tracking software (e.g., Microsoft Project) that facilitates collaboration and communication among team members. Another factor to consider is what level of detail needs to be tracked for your project. Usually the needs of the project determine the level of detail (e.g., by task or at a higher level like summary tasks) at which a PM needs to track progress.

The Takeaway

These lessons from the DST project demonstrate that successful project tracking isn’t just about what you monitor, but how and when you bring your team together to discuss it. By following these guidelines, you can create more effective status meetings that drive project success.

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