Project Life Cycles and the Return Map

 I've enjoyed several meetings with Aidan McCullen now.   He "fell in love" with my semi-memoir PERMISSION DENIED a mere twelve years after it was published.

We have now conducted two in-depth interviews of the book material, with a third one scheduled for nest week.   I'll post some of the material later (these are 90 minute interviews, so they're not a 'quick look').

What has impressed both Aidan and me is that this material feels very relevant today, although some of the exmaples are ancient (1970's era, for crying out loud).   In particular, the segments about Project Life Cycle and the use of the Return Map (Harvard Biz Review only 35 years ago), coupled with what we now know about using multi-display comparative graphics in Situation Rooms (see AstroVirtual THIS YEAR, not 35 years ago), are incredibly powerful techniques.

Importantly, though, the segments about Program and Strategic Life Cycles are novel--he and I agree that this material is NOT KNOWN WIDELY, in fact is hardly known at all, and certainly is not taught in any college or university, nor hardly covered by any business consultant.  Why not?  And would it help?

So, I am toying with doing a 2nd edition.   Here's a snippet from the wrap-up for the current Section IV.

See what you think . . . . 

"The key message is that there is an important inter-relationship between the life cycle of a specific project, where it fits into a larger contemporaneous program, and where that program fits into an overall strategic plan.  Teams that understand this build much stronger long-term success rates for their company

"Some significant points arise regarding the Return Map

1. This sales and profitability forecast is compiled originally AT THE START OF THE PROJECT from input of every business department -- R&D, Marketing, Sales, Manufacturing, and Quality Assurance -- thus helping to build team cohesion

2. The Return Map is redrawn, adjusted in other words, at EVERY checkpoint along the way.  This means checkpoints during development, at product release to manufactuing, and to sales, and KEY, at the 6 month, 1 year, and 2 year sales anniversaries.   

3. Those intervening Maps are KEPT, archived, and put into a multi-display Situation Room for periodic reference and certainly for Post-Mortem assessment.   THIS IS ALMOST NEVER DONE, and this is the most significant team-building learning experience that any group can indulge in, IMHO.

AstroVirtual Inc. has both a White Paper about a major project for which this was done, as well as a White Paper about Situation Rooms and their utilization.   

Here's an incipient Return Map:

And here is the Updated one, at the next Checkpoint

 

Whoops, profitability is eroding.  Why?   First of all, R&D is late by 7 months.  And Sales are now predicted to slow dramatically, from 50,000 units total in 24 moths to 8,000 units in 17 months.  Profits? this activity will break-even at 41 months after sales release instead of 22 months originally estimated, and total profit at 42 months will be only $300K instead of $2M.   

Such a graph will generate lots of discussion, along with some finger-pointing and jousting.  But what it might also do is generate action on a possible new sales strategy or a cost-saving approach, or ???.  In other words, all departments might be able to help, instead of just blaming R&D for a bad schedule.

Done over the life of a project, these maps provide ample areas of debate and tuning of estimates, and in my experience, garnering a much more cohesive 'team' approach to the difficult question of project management and success.

Thoughts?