The AGILE PMO is All Speed.
Testing is a *required* phase of the project plan to ensure project success on delivery, right? So why does nearly every AGILE project manager skip it?
Quick show of hands: in the last 5 years, how many of your PMs ran through a decision table during project testing? How many know what a decision table even is? Don't worry. You're among friends. And you friends haven't heard of it either (and are hopefully googling it right now).
What do you mean they/we skip testing? No we don't!
Easy, 3-step test:
Network testing has been left out of project scopes for decades, because network testing was expensive - really expensive. Buying components, rebuilding existing physical networks, and adding infrastructure just to test for a single project was... cost prohibitive, to say the least. Few companies could afford it. Fewer still contracted engagement managers who could convince client CIOs or CFOs to effectively double (or triple) the project budget for the sake of such comprehensive testing. Bugs and debugging ensued.
Finding out a project fails network security, means either rework, patches – possibly insecure – which means more rework. A good PM knows skipping steps leads to rework, causes delays, and costs more money, but it's usually not the PM's call that leads down the road to error and frustration. PMs know the axiom of the iron triangle of project management: between quality, time and money, clients only get to choose two. For the sake of speed, quality gets left in the dust.
Quick show of hands: in the last 5 years, how many of your PMs ran through a decision table during project testing? How many know what a decision table even is? Don't worry. You're among friends. And you friends haven't heard of it either (and are hopefully googling it right now).
What do you mean they/we skip testing? No we don't!
Easy, 3-step test:
- Does your company rely on networking to do business? Mmhmm.
- Is network security on the top of your company's IT program requirements? We hope (and your investors trust) you answered in the affirmative.
- During your last project, did your PM create a testing environment specifically designed to test for how your project will affect your network? ...Hmm...
Network testing has been left out of project scopes for decades, because network testing was expensive - really expensive. Buying components, rebuilding existing physical networks, and adding infrastructure just to test for a single project was... cost prohibitive, to say the least. Few companies could afford it. Fewer still contracted engagement managers who could convince client CIOs or CFOs to effectively double (or triple) the project budget for the sake of such comprehensive testing. Bugs and debugging ensued.
Finding out a project fails network security, means either rework, patches – possibly insecure – which means more rework. A good PM knows skipping steps leads to rework, causes delays, and costs more money, but it's usually not the PM's call that leads down the road to error and frustration. PMs know the axiom of the iron triangle of project management: between quality, time and money, clients only get to choose two. For the sake of speed, quality gets left in the dust.
Makings of Best-in-Class Project Managers
Best-in-class PMs and PMO directors not only manage to keep up impossibly high project success rates, they're also the thought leaders in PMO standard operating procedures. They're the folks contributing to the Project Management Institute curriculum, and providing key insights for best practices in the field. For our network testing example above, they're the ones who will ensure an IT expert is present at the requirements gathering sessions, that will share with clients intel about a revolutionary new piece of tech Cisco recently came up with, which allows for the creation and testing of virtual network environments – effectively eliminating the need for all the CAPEX and OPEX associated with developing a test network, and thereby drastically altering cost/benefit analysis when it comes to evaluating comprehensive project testing.
The True Value of a Good Project Manager
1: Save money.
Testing is "free." Rework costs money. In a good economy, internal PMOs tend to be loose with purse strings, but peaking markets are setups for a fall. And some PMOs and CFOs are tighter with budgets because they've read Sun Tsu, and don't waiver in investment methodology based on fickle wind patterns.
2: Save time.
Testing in production is stressful compared to playing in a sandbox you can't break (and can restore whenever/ where ever). Production mistakes aren't just costly, they increase tensions in project teams, among stakeholders, and shareholders. Stress has been proven to decease focus – which results in increased mistakes. A good PM will measure three times, and cut once. A good PM will have a backup – a plan B. And a plan C, as SOP. And she'll have a test environment where nothing's at stake, which will allow the development teams be creative and enjoy their work. Short-term, she'll look like she's stalling. Mid-term, a good PM will deliver results faster, and your client will thank you for it.
3: Boost Rep.
Nothing's worse than getting the call after go-live, at 3 minutes past 2am on a Friday, that something doesn't work, and everyone is called into the office to work on it all weekend. With production down, it means client money lost, sure. Worse, it means the engagement team, in the eyes of the client, looks either incompetent or unreliable. Reputation is everything. Eliminating errors before go-live without touching the production environment is a forgotten skill that's earned a reputation of an art. Among good PMs, it's SOP. Good PMs ensure engagement teams can test implementations risk free. Good PMs not only protect your client's investment, but also your company's reputation.
4: Insurance.
Ensuring project success for conglomerates and governments is more than a matter or money or production down-time, it's a matter of protecting national safety and citizen welfare, including: access to water, food, electricity, transportation, communication, information privacy, and protection against terrorism.
Testing is "free." Rework costs money. In a good economy, internal PMOs tend to be loose with purse strings, but peaking markets are setups for a fall. And some PMOs and CFOs are tighter with budgets because they've read Sun Tsu, and don't waiver in investment methodology based on fickle wind patterns.
2: Save time.
Testing in production is stressful compared to playing in a sandbox you can't break (and can restore whenever/ where ever). Production mistakes aren't just costly, they increase tensions in project teams, among stakeholders, and shareholders. Stress has been proven to decease focus – which results in increased mistakes. A good PM will measure three times, and cut once. A good PM will have a backup – a plan B. And a plan C, as SOP. And she'll have a test environment where nothing's at stake, which will allow the development teams be creative and enjoy their work. Short-term, she'll look like she's stalling. Mid-term, a good PM will deliver results faster, and your client will thank you for it.
3: Boost Rep.
Nothing's worse than getting the call after go-live, at 3 minutes past 2am on a Friday, that something doesn't work, and everyone is called into the office to work on it all weekend. With production down, it means client money lost, sure. Worse, it means the engagement team, in the eyes of the client, looks either incompetent or unreliable. Reputation is everything. Eliminating errors before go-live without touching the production environment is a forgotten skill that's earned a reputation of an art. Among good PMs, it's SOP. Good PMs ensure engagement teams can test implementations risk free. Good PMs not only protect your client's investment, but also your company's reputation.
4: Insurance.
Ensuring project success for conglomerates and governments is more than a matter or money or production down-time, it's a matter of protecting national safety and citizen welfare, including: access to water, food, electricity, transportation, communication, information privacy, and protection against terrorism.
Conclusion
PMs used to tell clients that among price, quality and speed, they're allowed to only pick 2. Our position is that clients don't have to choose between 2 of the 3 corners of the PM iron triangle. Our position is that provided their PM is solid, they can have all three. We're excited about the project savings we will pass on to our clients. We're excited about how much more testing our clients will be able to do with zero risk. And we're really excited to be able to offer an unprecedented level of reputation to our engagement offering - and project delivery guarantee.