Paper and Presentation 1 of 2: When to Say No: How to Avoid Being Assigned Failing Government Projects
Abstract: There are considerable differences between projects in private industry and those in Government. While projects in private industry all have the target of profit, Government does not have that same common goal. It should not, as Government is in the service of the people to assist and forward the United States economy. Service is a broad area of consideration that the federal employee is well advised to ask a series of questions before readily accepting the responsibilities of a project manager. There is a systematic method to determine if a project in civil service is viable, necessary, and funded. As technology changes, so does the needs to support the public as the public produces the products and services to supply and keep the United States the worlds’ major economic powerhouse. The wise project manager in Government is wise to investigate the viability and credibility of any assignment before accepting it to protect themselves and their reputation. This paper and presentation outline the process steps that any project manager solicited to take over or even start a project should consider first before accepting the challenge. The attendee will gain insights to a methodology where they will be able to scan a project and see if it aligns with agency goals. If the effort does not align with agency goals, it will fail before it starts. The attendee will also be provided with a shorthand method of determining if the project has funding, or is scheduled for funding. Without funding, or the plan for funding, any project is only a dream and will fail before it begins. Any new or mid-level aspiring project manager will be able to protect their reputation using the method provided and retain their reputation.
PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills
Paper and Presentation 2 of 2: Project Management and its Applicability to Systems Engineering and Technology Management in Government Efforts
Abstract: The subject of Project Management constantly comes up as a competitor to the disciplines of Systems Engineering and Technology Management. Nothing could be further from the truth. Project Management is a complement of these two technologies, and becomes a necessary tool to perform either discipline correctly. The lack of understanding how these disciplines all work with the concepts of Project Management has caused this misunderstanding to flourish. Discussed here is the method and practice to use Project Management, as it is designed, to provide the necessary reporting tools for Systems Engineering and Technology Management. Much of the misunderstanding comes from the lack of understanding of the two disciplines. From that misunderstanding, anything used to describe or report on them becomes misunderstood. To begin the associations, the reviewer needs to understand that Systems Engineering is about the conceptualization and development of products and services to market. The market represents the broad-based trading grounds where products and services, in the form of solutions, are exchanged for monetary gain. Technology Management is the purchase or trade of market-based solutions to adapt and modifications into a single or limited set of infrastructure or infrastructures. Once this is understood, it will be plain to see that Project Management is the uniform reporting tool that provides equalized data from both sides of the market on a given set of solutions. Without Project Management principles and practices, it will be highly difficult for Technology Managers to assess the quality, performance, and price points of market-based solutions. These data are essential for Government Project Managers to comply with various Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) clauses as well as specific agency and division requirements. The attendee will take away an awareness of the necessity of Project Management when choosing solutions and integrating those products and services into their own environments.
PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working
Biography: Dr. Thomas J Day is a Project Management Improvement and Accountability Act awardee at NOAA and a two time US Department of Commerce awardee for excellence in Program Management. He was a fellow at the Water Research Centre in the United Kingdom and the Water Environment Federation here in the United States. He currently has over 70 technical and academic papers published, along with three textbooks in the field of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management using Project Management overlays. He is currently Branch Chief of the Program Management Branch of NOAA’s National Weather Service with responsibilities for all programs and projects within the Surface and Upper Air Division.
