Software Production Management

I will do my best trying to include few tips on how to build and success with virtual teams. They have become very popular and now have a lot of acceptance as part of product research and development projects. However virtual teams could  be used in several projects in an cost efficient way. There are a couple of things that you have to know or ensure before you try to start your project with a virtual team -based on Jessica Lipnack video chat @Project Shrink.

The team should feel that they are doing something useful. That their work is needed and also appreciated by the team and the project itself. They should feel their value. Also,they should be happier doing their work in that way (as part of a virtual team) than doing it in another way. Remember, you need a team that feels comfortable doing their work, and comfortable about how the perform or execute their work.

On any project, and even more on those that depends on specific people knowledge -like research, product development and software development- communication is the key. When you have a few genius working for you, you must ensure that they can share and transfer their knowledge properly during meetings and reports (that should be a few and not a lot). So the magic key to success in any project is communication, communication and more communication -please, it doesn’t mean a lot of meetings or a lot of reports. It means effective communication.

How to achieve an effective communication? It’s really easy these days and that’s why (probably) virtual teams are working better now -i.e. faster and cheaper. Technology is critical. Technology means cheap communication channels with video or audio, and also cheap shared spaces for files, documents and products. The use of online collaboration tools,  organized reporting structure (i.e. status meetings, daily status reports or weekly checkpoints), well supported audio and video conference infrastructure, and of course a good plan (not a complete plan, but a good plan that could be adapted easily) will increase dramatically the chance to succeed.

By achieving a good communication infrastructure, team will focus on the work they have to do instead of logistics. And now, the only thing you have to do, as manager is to understand and validate that you are part of a virtual team too. Obviously as PM you will feel the necessity of full control, however mature teams -and mature team members of course- will handle it in a better way -remember, they feel part of a team and also they like to be part of one.

Inside big corporations, most of the people work at their desk without ever having met their big boss, however, they receive mails from them all the time. You got emails from people you may not know in real, but you work with them or for them. Got the point?

Virtual teams aren’t new at all. But with technology, now PMs can ping them everywhere, all the time -everything is about perception and how you name the things

Gracias a la acogida que tuvo la presentación sobre ¿Cómo empezar una oficina de gerencia de proyectos? que ofrecí en ACIS hace algunas semanas, mañana Jueves 20 de noviembre están todos cordialmente invitados a la versión 1.1 de la misma charla.

Asociación Colombiana de Ingenieros de Sistemas (ACIS)
Calle 93 No. 13 – 32
Jueves 20 de noviembre, 6:30pm

Más información e inscripciones en
http://www.acis.org.co/index.php?id=42

Ayer 23 de octubre de 2008, en las instalaciones de la Asociación Colombiana de Ingenieros de Sistemas (ACIS), dí una charla sobre cómo empezar una oficina de gerencia de proyectos. El tema, lo preparé y revisé más que mi propia certificación de PMP -obvio, iniciar una PMO es mucho más complejo que certificarse. Certificarse es, en gran medida, estudiar. Empezar una PMO es tan complejo que aún no puedo decir que he creado o liderado la creación de una verdadera oficina de gerencia de proyectos -he contribuido, apoyado, criticado y evangelizado su uso. He sufrido, trasnochado, discutido, y llorado durante el proceso de implementación.

Minutos antes de empezar mi presentación estaba nervioso, no lo oculto y se que más de uno lo notó. Poco a poco el lugar se llenaba de personas, no más de 40 en total, que para este tipo de charlas informales es “un reguero de gente”. Mi ansiedad aumento al sentirme el menor (más joven) de todos los asistentes, y tal vez era. Para mi grata sorpresa, pero en contra de mi gastritis hipocondríaca, había un profesor de postgrado y un coordinador de postgrado en gerencia de proyectos de una prestigiosa universidad -ahora si tocaba decir cosas serias.

Al final, no recordé la mitad de las anécdotas que tenía preparadas. La charla estaba programada para 90 minutos, incluida la introducción y la presentación de los asistentes. Empezamos tarde -con la excusa de esperar a mas asistentes que hubieran podido tener un retraso- y, duramos aproximadamente 110 minutos – será que así son todos mis proyectos :-S

Lo bueno, las personas participaron, preguntaron, acordaron y espero que hayan concluido lo mismo que yo. Que no hay verdades absolutas, que para mí como ingeniero, una ciencia en la que todo “depende” requiere de un gran esfuerzo y cambio de paradigma. Empezar una PMO no es una fórmula, pero si tiene algunas tácticas.

Agradezco a los asistentes, su atención y participación, y desde luego su experiencia y aporte.

Acá les dejo el enlace de descarga a la presentación. Comentarios y sugerencias son siempre bienvenidos.

  ¿Cómo empezar una oficina de gerencia de proyectos? (1,9 MiB, 3.692 hits)

La publicidad, es sin lugar a dudas uno de los negocios que mueve la mayor cantidad de dinero en el mundo. Y no hay que ser un erudito en el tema para entender que en un mundo dominado por la oferta y la demanda, todo producto ofrecido debe ser publicitado y anunciado de modo tal que: cree demanda -productos innovadores que satisfacen nuevas necesidades, o modifique las conductas de consumo y gane o amplíe su participación en el mercado -en castellano, se venda más.

La publicidad es a los productos, lo que los abogados a las personas. Son tristemente necesarios. Los consumidores en su mayoría “somos” ignorantes ante nuestras propias necesidades, es decir: necesito un iPhone 3G? CLARO, necesito un iMac de más de 20″? PERO POR SUPUESTO. Quiero un Ferrari y si es posible darle la vuelta al mundo en una visión romántica mediocre WildOn. Simple: La publicidad ha sido eficaz conmigo y lo ha sido con mis padres y con los padres de mis padres.

Si el mundo no tuviera publicidad seguramente Nike y Naik, Diesel y Dyesel, Sony y Coby serían lo mismo a la hora de ir a comprar en el almacén. Pero no!

La revolución de los consumidores

No todo es malo, los consumidores como humanos hacen parte inevitable de la evolución la especie y con la modernidad y el avance tecnológico han descubierto que Internet no es sólo para hacer la tarea, o saber si fulana esta buenísima, o para chismear a través de Carelibro (a.k.a Facebook).

Los consumidores han especializado sus consultas y perfilado sus intereses alrededor de grupos de consumidores y hoy en día la decisión de compra de un producto es alterada incluso por personas al otro lado del planeta.

Hace algunos años, un solo comercial de televisión impactaba directamente a los consumidores, hoy los consumidores ni siquiera vemos televisión, y si lo hacemos, vemos lo que queremos, no lo que nos presentan. El DVR, Apple TV y la televisión por demanda sobre Internet, han modificado radicalmente la percepción del consumidor y por lo tanto la pauta sobre el medio ha sufrido una transformación. James Bond  tomando Coke Zero -increíble, que pasó con el Martini agitado por no revuelto? Llegará el día en que los anuncios sucedan durante los programas como en “The Truman Show”.

Nuevos Medios

Algo deprimente y patético que ocurre en la industria de la publicidad y el mercadeo en Colombia -y por experiencia lo digo, en la región- es que una cosa es la estrategia publicitaria y otro la estrategia digital -vienen a mi mente algunas joyas dichas por directores creativos de agencias reconocidas: “hágame el favor, Internet es para hacer páginas, quién va a entrar a mirar eso… NADIE!”

Digital, es una evolución de medio, como sucedió con la televisión análoga y digital, y la publicidad sufre en nuestros días una transformación similar e IGUALMENTE acelerada. Digital no es algo externo o complementario, es parte intrínseca de la estrategia.

Digital no es Internet, es Internet, móviles, aplicaciones Stand-Alone para experiencias de inmersión, juegos de vídeo, contenidos sobre demanda, todo en nuestros días es digital! -es que tratar de explicar una diferencia cuando para mí no existe es difícil.

El problema de las Agencias

El problema de las Agencias es que si existe un antónimo para Creativo, ese es sin lugar a dudas “Coder” -y mis disculpas a los que se mueven en ambos mundos. Las Agencias, que se limitan a producir algo para excitar los sentidos -comerciales de TV y Radio, pancartas, promociones en PoP, buen lo básico sufren un gran dolor y una gran frustración al encontrar que en digital lo que más vende pero que menos importa en el mantenimiento a largo plazo es precisamente eso que excita a los sentidos.

Un comercial se produce y no tiene nada detrás, una vez ha sido filmado y producido, es almacenado y ejecutado las veces que sea necesario. Una pancarta es producida e instalada y no más fin de la historia.

Digital, supone el 90% de los casos un mantenimiento a largo plazo, control de versiones, bases de datos, servidores de aplicaciones, compilar, pruebas unitarias… en fin… un mundo de complicaciones y obscenidades que hacen felices a los obtusos ingenieros que, claro, como se la pasan en frente del computador y son tan aburridos y sin vida social.

Hace unos días presencié una discusión entre un Gerente de Cuenta de una empresa nacional muy importante y mi jefe donde decían: “es que este no es un cliente típico, tu sabes como son los ingenieros, todo lo quieren explicado, y con detalles, como si ya hubiéramos empezado el proyecto” -yo sólo pensaba, pero como quieren vender una idea si NO saben como la van a ejecutar? Tal vez esa pequeña situación que no duró más de cinco minutos puede explicar donde reside el problema general de la industria de la publicidad y el mercadeo digital.

I’ve been working on digital agencies since I got my B.Sc. degree. It has been a long way working with several people who has been using the Internet as a marketing place. I’ve heard a lot of cool and fancy terms: from B2B, B2C, relational marketing, e-marketing to Web 2.0, Project Management 2.0, Business 3.0. But it is time to use this BS (blog space) to promote my own perception.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I have been working for small, mid, a big companies in Latin America, so when I wrote “my own perception” I meant “my own perception of the Latin America digital agencies’ business”.

The fact

The whole advertising industry is living a change Era. The digital life is here, and the most of the agencies do not have the power to deliver what is needed. However all of them want a slice of the pie. You can see it everywhere: Most of the cases those are only fancy names for business units with no more than three or four guys, sharing resources between other units, or with unskilled resources, expensive managers but cheap developers and digital designers (designers who deliver quality digital outcomes).  Few names are: Wunderman Interactive, iLeo, JWT Digital, Ogilvy Interactive, and the list goes on. I will not say those companies do not deliver their work, I say those companies do no have what they said they have, and for production items, it is ok, but for strategy purposes… ? Would you give your money to a financial consultant who do not have any expertise?

Most of the agencies do not have digital strategist or believes that anyone with a little understanding of what Web is -because uses a Hotmail account and knows who to unblock the PC without calling IT-  or what has been successful projects in other regions will work here -the Copy&Paste model”.

Most of the companies do not have PMO’s -even the company I work for, what a shame! . For some companies, even project manager is not a role. – PLOP. Colombian expression for a big WHAT?

Most of the companies believes that digital is like traditional and also believes that everything can be done. I can say, I’m a innovator, I really do like to innovate, it is my passion, I need to innovate to keep me motivated. However, innovation should be -on digital agencies- a conjunction of two ideas, the creative and the technical. It is a shame when creative leaders have a great idea, client services sell the idea to the client, the client approves the idea and then the execution cannot be done due to technical limitation or the most common scenario: it cannot be done as the client wants, within the time and cost – how does triple restriction sounds to you?.

Technical team has become the pariahs -IT Crowd TV Series?- and creative team believes that they have the truth, and only real good developers and technical leads will solve the problems. Most of us vote for a president or governor with the same ideal!

My humble opinion

Digital Life is here, and agencies should keep doing what they do best, however digital cannot be the “another biz”, it should be an integrated part of the creative process that will deliver a whole new experience, brand perception, promotion or whatever. Digital is no more digital as itself, it is Physical and Digital as one. because people will demand more homogeneous solutions. Keep Facebook in your mind and compare the following questions: how many people in the world use Flickr? -include poor and developing countries. How many people use EventBrite? Or Google Sites? common people, parents, grandparents? Facebook put things together to deliver a simple solution. Now, my dad uses it, young people, old people. They can upload pictures, share videos, create events, invite people, ALL IN ONE, nobody taught them, there is no book to learn to use Facebook -ok probably there are a few, but did you own one?

There is a whole new world of opportunities for digital, however digital should be an integral part of the original idea conception -there is nothing more frustrating than see people thinking about big ideas, and then asking: “What we should do to include digital? Client demands digital!” – What? (PLOP again and again) Digital should be part of the main idea and not an additional piece.

Misunderstanding

Digital creative and SW development are not the same. I’m tired. I repeat this every day at work but nobody seems to listen. Digital creative is not software development. It looks like the same, BUT IT IS NOT. Development is a formal process -a real formal one, with architecture, design, development, testing, includes documentation, code review, OMG the list could be huge. How many times and agency delivers the documentation of the project? Documentation of their latest TV commercial? Post Mortem, Metrics? Iterations?. Development is a science like math, creative is an art. NOT THE SAME

Maintenance is not a project. As project manager I recognize what is a project, and what is not. Maintenance is not a project. Digital agencies fails delivering maintenance due to the resource management. Most of the time, digital development also include software products, software products has a different lifecycle. So do not ask why IBM got the job -they took GM away from our side few years ago, so keep it in mine from Digital Creative to pure IT and coding company. Creative conception will be an initial part, maintenance do NOT include creative conception, and probably will be related to code, integration and infrastructure subjects.

Traditional creative can be repeatable task for traditional agencies, but not for software. Software products could take years to deliver an initial release! -KEEP IN MIND YEARS AS 365 and little bit more days! So please stop requesting projects of 2 months that include SW development -like a CMS, a CMS customization, MMOG, MMOC or any other atrocity.

Software Architect and Software Designers are not coders. Coders are Coders. Are you assigning standard developers to deliver highly detailed interaction diagrams?. Please HAVE THE RIGHT PERSON TO DO THE JOB. If you persist in your idea to develop SW -oook it is your call-, but please assign real architects and designers. BTW: Wireframes sucks, wireframes are not technical documents, UML people LOL every time digital agencies say “our technical documentation includes wireframes” – PLOP!

Few TIPS

Keep doing your job. It is a good job, it is not a bad one, just be part of the solution, try not to be the problem.

Choose a model, you can be creative and use technical partners to deliver SW -again if you persist in your idea of developing software. However there are other options like “reuse” -do not reinvent the wheel! most of eMarketing software needs were developed already. However if you have a crushing new idea, do not treat the SW development as something that can be done by anyone. Good software products requires excellent teams and a LOT of time, so what if you want an excellent software product? You need the best -ask Google if you do not believe me.

Choose a side: It is like StarWars, you cannot be a creative-oriented company and a software development- oriented company, you should choose a side. The good thing is you can always have partners on the other side, there is not a war between sides.