The Implementation Process:
Managing People
William Tibben
SITACS
University of Wollongong.
October 2002
Overview
What kind of skills do we require of the
manager during implementation?
The art of Conflict Management
Coping with diversity of people and
situations
Essential Question 1.
(Courtesy of Commworks, 2001)
What is the timeline for network
deployment?
Essential Question 2 - Does your budget
support the timeline?
Work package cost estimate
Cost
Direct Costs
Design engineers
Proto engineers
Materials
Equipment rental
Total direct costs
Low
Average
High
$ 80
130
25
25
$100
150
25
25
$150
280
25
30
$260
$300
$485
Gray & Larson, 2000, Figure 3-8
Essential Question 2 - Does your budget
support the timeline?
$6,000
5,000
Costs
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
Committed
Actual cost
Scheduled budget
Project Duration
Gray & Larson, 2000, Figure 3-9
Essential Question 3 - Have you accounted for
all tasks required to deploy the network?
1
Project
2
Deliverable
3
4
5
Subdeliverable
Lowest subdeliverable
Complete project
Major deliverables
Supporting deliverables
Lowest management
responsibility level
Cost account*
Grouping of work packages
for monitoring progress and
responsibility
Work package
Identifiable work activities
Gray & Larson, 2000, Figure 3-3
Personal computer
prototype
Level
1
More
items
1.0
1.3
1.2
2
Vendor,
software,
applications
~
3
1.1
Mouse,
keyboard,
voice
~ 1.1.1
Floppy
~
1.4
Microprocessor
unit
Disk
storage
units
1.1.2
Optical
1.4.1
1.1.3
Internal
memory
unit
Hard
~
1.4.1.1
4
5
Lowest manageable
subdeliverables
1.1.3.1
Motor
Production
Test
Purchasing
Software
Circuit
board
Cost
account
Cost
account
Cost
account
Design
Manufacturing
Organization
1.1.3.2
Cost
account
Cost
account
BIOS (basic
input/output
system)
1.4.1.2
1.4.2.1
1.4.2.2
ROM
RAM
I/O
File
~
~
~
~
1.1.3.3
Chassis
frame
1.4.2
1.4.2.3
Utilities
~
1.1.3.4
Read/write
head
1.1.3.4.1
Cost
account
Cost
account
Cost account
number
Work packages
WP1.1.3.4.2.1
WP1.1.3.4.2.2
WP1.1.3.4.2.3
Budget by
period
Gray & Larson, 2000, Figure 3-3
Essential Question 4 - Who will do the work
required to deploy the network?
Essential Question 5 - Do you have a strong
Project Manager in place to coordinate aspects
of deployment?
Essential Question 6 - Who will manage all of
the vendors needed for deployment?
Scenario
Project manager Jack was a degree qualified
engineer who demonstrated what not to do as a
project manager. On the surface he appeared as a
well organised manager who provided sufficient
amounts of documentation in terms of drawings,
project schedules, as well as very detailed
instructions what technicians and tradespeople
needed to do. Despite this, one feature of Jack’s
projects were the constant complaints from those
carrying out the tasks. It was not uncommon for
these problems to escalate to such a stage where
meetings had to be arranged with the section
manager where Jack and the other party were
unwilling to compromise. As a consequence his
projects went over schedule and budget.
What was the problem?
Who was at fault?
What strategies could Jack have
employed to avoid these problems?
Implementation Plan
Gene told you last week…
The implementation plan is the single
greatest point of failure of many
technology strategies
A successful plan should incorporate
various components and should be
highly detailed, controlled and
monitored
Definition (from lecture 4)
‘…Implementation Planning ensures the
compatibility of the planning and
budgeting processes to support
…[strategic goals]…It prescribes
commensurate milestones, resource
requirements, schedules and
performance criteria at both the
program and task levels…’ (NASA, 1996)
Implementation Planning is an
Information Intensive Process
Implementation Planning (Gray and Larson,
2002, p.89)

provides the basis of scheduling labour and
equipment;

determines how much money is required

becomes an instrument that melds managers
and groups together into meeting time, cost and
performance objectives

answers the question how long is it going to
take?
Implementation Plan
Documents
The most current state
of the work to be done
is represented by the
Implementation Plan
The Documents found
in prototypical
implementation plans
include:




Deliverables Document
Work Statements
Sign-Off Sheets
Schedule








Problem Log
Test Plan
Implementation
Management Teams
Problem Reports
Change Log
Change Request
Configuration
Management
Implementation Resource
Requirements
Implementation Planning is an
Information Intensive Process
There is a need to communicate both
1.
the detail
2.
the vision
Back to Project Manager
Jack…
Project manager Jack was a degree qualified
engineer who demonstrated what not to do as a
project manager. On the surface he appeared as a
well organised manager who provided sufficient
amounts of documentation in terms of drawings,
project schedules, as well as very detailed
instructions what technicians and tradespeople
needed to do. Despite this, one feature of Jack’s
projects were the constant complaints from those
carrying out the tasks. It was not uncommon for
these problems to escalate to such a stage where
meetings had to be arranged with the section
manager where Jack and the other party were
unwilling to compromise. As a consequence his
projects went over schedule and budget.
Conflict is inevitable and must
be managed correctly
‘…The ability to manage conflict is one of the
most important skills a project manager must
possess…’ (Verma, 1996, p. 113)
Conflict can become either


a positive force that will propel the project to
meetings its stated objectives or
A degenerative process of negative interaction
between team members that slows the project
down.
Styles of Conflict (Filley’s
Model)
Conflict
Resolution style
Personal Goals
Relationships
Win-lose
High
Low
Yield - lose
Low
High
Lose-leave
Low
Low
Medium
Medium
High
High
Compromise
Integrative
(Problem Solving)
(Verma, 1996, p123)
Styles of Conflict –Project
Failure/Success*
Conflict
Resolution style
Personal Goals
Relationships
Win-lose
High
Low
Yield - lose
Low
High
Lose-leave
Low
Low
Medium
Medium
High
High
Compromise*
Integrative*
(Problem Solving)
(Verma, 1996, p123)
In search of the ‘golden bullet’
Filley’s model tells us that relationship
maintenance is at the heart of long term
success in project management
On the other hand, Robbins tells us that if
you are surrounded by “yes” people and the
emphasis is too much on compromise and not
on project goals you may need to introduce
“conflict”.
Conflict as a positive force
Evidence of



Problem solving
Collaboration
Compromise
Conflict as a negative force
Evidence of




Disengagement
Poor communication
Poor coordination
Project milestones not achieved
Strategies for managing
conflict
Active listening – you must be in a
position of understanding all arguments

This has the potential of sapping the
emotional energy from the debate because
people feel that they have had their say
and have been understood.
Strategies for managing
conflict
Look for win-win solutions


Aim not to punish dissenters who have
high commitment to the project. There
may be room for both.
Separate warring individuals/groups by
 Having separate work areas
 Assigned to different aspects of the project
Strategies for managing
conflict
Structured conflict - build teams that
have complementary skills
Concrete Experience
Hans
Accommodator
Active
Experimentation
Converger
Ting
Mary
Diverger
Reflective
Observation
Xao
Assimilator
Will
Abstract Conceptualisation
Strategies for managing
conflict
Structured conflict – promote
competition between teams

E.g. Weekly competition to see who
accomplishes most milestones
Strategies for managing
conflict
Separate individuals from the problem
situation

Eg “If I had efficient staff the project would
be finished on time!” – The emphasis here
is on the person rather than the schedule
slippage
Strategies for managing
conflict
Build on strengths (allocate tasks that the
individual is good at)
Minimise impact of weaknesses – be realistic
about what the individual is able to achieve
Training - develop new understanding in the
minds of colleagues to enable them to better
work with available information
Leadership and Management
(revisited from Lecture 5)
Leaders focus on












Vision
Selling what and why
Longer range
People
Democracy
Enabling
Developing
Challenging
Originating
Innovating
Directing
Policy
Managers focus on












Objectives
Telling how and when
Shorter range
Organisation & structure
Autocracy
Restraining
Maintaining
Conforming
Imitating
Administering
Controlling
Procedures
Leadership and Management
cont’d
Leaders focus on



Flexibility
Risk (opportunity)
Top line
Managers focus on

Consistency
Risk (avoidance)
Bottom line

(Verma, 1996, p. 223)


How does one make sensible use of such a
list of attributes?
Is There Only One Good
Leadership Style?
 Opinion is divided between two types of a
leadership style:
 concern for Task and
 concern for People
 Concern for tasks is where leaders define
their role in terms of the goals of the
organisation
 Concern for people is where leaders
promoted mutual trust, respect and concern
for the feelings of others.
Is There Only One Good
Leadership Style?
Concern for People
X
Team Management
Concern for Task
Is There Only One Good
Leadership Style?
 The big draw back with concentrating on style
is that it takes no account of the situation
managers are working in





ie. kind of tasks,
the competency of staff
attitudes of staff,
the knowledge and attitudes of the manager
him/herself etc….
The approach that works best
for me…
In times of conflict you as the project
manager have two choices


1. Change the behaviour of individuals
2. Change the contingent circumstances
The emphasis is often on 1.
While 2. may be easier and more
effective.
1. Change individual
behaviour
Training
Counselling
Forcing (threaten dire consequences)
2. Change Contingent
Circumstances
leader-member relations – promoting
better informal relations with staff,
task structure – negotiate greater
responsibility for tasks – promote
ownership of the project
position power – delegating decision
making to subordinates
Summary
Conflict is inevitable
The skilful manager harnesses the
potential of conflict to promote project
goals.
The ‘win-at-all-costs’ manager is likely
to promote disengagement and poor
project outcomes
References
Gray, Clifford F and Larson, Erik W. 2000, Project management : the managerial process /
Irwin/McGraw-Hill, Boston.
NASA, 1996 ‘NASA Strategic Management Handbook’, NASA. Available at:
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codez/strahand/implemen.htm Accessed on: 12 August
2002
Karunaratne, Ishan 2002, ‘Callista Implementation Project’, Northern Territory
University, Available from:
http://mindil.ntu.edu.au/ntu/apps/callistaimp.nsf/vwURL/Implementation+Planni
ng?OpenDocument Accessed; on 12 August 2002
Commworks, 2001, ‘As you Implement: Planning for Deployment’. Commworks
Available from
http://www.commworks.com/Professional_Services/Implement/Planning_Deploy
ment/ Accessed on 12 August 2002.
GCRHCorporation 2002, ‘Implementation Planning: When its Got to be Appropriate, Now’,
GCRHCorporation, Midland Michigan. Available from
http://www.rightanswer.com/english/plan.html Access on 12 August 2002.