Project Perception Rant - Not Happy !!

[kaiser78]

So I have been beavering away on my project for the past 9 months (I am contract PM), which has not been issue free due to problems with the client co chosen software supplier delivering totally crap quality, defect ridden software and has taken my project near budget tolerance and pushing back go live date.

My direct reporting manager has taken a total back seat on the project since the start of the year and does not even attend the Project Board meetings any more leaving me to it (which has exposed me in many ways as he is still attends senior mgmet department meetings which affect the project but don't feedback to me - and I have told him this).

Anyway I hear today from an equivalent of mine (but permie) that the project is perceived by the Project Board/Executive as being out of contol and in a total mess !!

Hit the roof as this is the first time I have been made aware of this, although my boss is now out until next Monday, when I will certainly be picking this up from him. If the seniors knew the efforts the team and I are putting in and hurdles we are addressing, which admitedly can affect any project, I am sure they would have a different peception. This has also had an immediate de-motivational effect on the project team who have also found out about this.

Not sure what I want from this forum, other than to vent my annoyance and disappointment. If anything it has re-inforced my view point that they see this as 'Kaiser78 is just a contractor and we'll leave him to get on with it' and highlighted my intention to deliver the project, do what I need to do and then gone. Am I taking it too personally ?

[Evil Hangover]

Yes. Deliver the project and leave.

Your boss couldn't give two s**** about you. Do you care ?

[Halcyon]

Am I taking it too personally ?

Yes

[RichardCranium]

Go and track down one of the senior bods. Say "Do you agree it is time I did a presentation to you on my project?" Senior bod will agree. Send an email to the meeting organiser for the senior manager meetings saying senior bod has instructed you to do a short presentation and to add that to the agenda.

Write a presentation talking about the project benefits realisation and showing how you are inside tolerance for time, cost and quality. Make a point of having a slide saying "It's down to the guys on the team, they are working really hard for you to overcome the supplier's shortcomings."

Do NOT tell you line manager about any of this. With any luck, (s)he will not read the agenda when it goes out.

When you do get confronted by your winker of a boss, say "Senior Bod asked for the presentation while you were away".

Be prepared for your boss saying they want to vet the presentation, Take a big breath and say this:

"I will go in there and say the truth that MY project is going fine. If you interfere with my presentation, I will say you have not only not been providing support and refusing to attend project boards, but you have been deliberately telling falsehoods to make me look bad. Remember, when this project is a success and I move on, YOU get the credit anyway. If this project fails because of YOUR behaviour, I will move on blameless and YOU will get tarred as a bad manager. Now leave me alone to run MY project, just as you have been doing for months anyway."

Practise saying that, over and over and over.

[suityou01]

Go and track down one of the senior bods. Say "Do you agree it is time I did a presentation to you on my project?" Senior bod will agree. Send an email to the meeting organiser for the senior manager meetings saying senior bod has instructed you to do a short presentation and to add that to the agenda.

Write a presentation talking about the project benefits realisation and showing how you are inside tolerance for time, cost and quality. Make a point of having a slide saying "It's down to the guys on the team, they are working really hard for you to overcome the supplier's shortcomings."

Do NOT tell you line manager about any of this. With any luck, (s)he will not read the agenda when it goes out.

When you do get confronted by your winker of a boss, say "Senior Bod asked for the presentation while you were away".

Be prepared for your boss saying they want to vet the presentation, Take a big breath and say this:

"I will go in there and say the truth that MY project is going fine. If you interfere with my presentation, I will say you have not only not been providing support and refusing to attend project boards, but you have been deliberately telling falsehoods to make me look bad. Remember, when this project is a success and I move on, YOU get the credit anyway. If this project fails because of YOUR behaviour, I will move on blameless and YOU will get tarred as a bad manager. Now leave me alone to run MY project, just as you have been doing for months anyway."

Practise saying that, over and over and over.

Firstly, everything that Dick said. This is gold, please follow Dick's instructions to the letter with conviction.

My tuppence worth.

Firstly, your 'boss' is distancing himself because he believes your project is a failure. Classic permie trick. He sees your project going down the tubes, you are the patsie (who gives a **** as your a contractor, right?) and he is into damage limitation for himself.

This is an ok trick for him, unless you can get an ear on the board to show that this guy has provided you with zero help, and on your own you have kept the show on the road. Make sure you have examples to hand of genius 'Risk Mitigation' strategies you have used to keep things on track, and treat your air time at board level like another interview - it essentially is.

That said, the tack your boss has taken could backfire on him, especially if you give this presentation. Give him an escape route also, he was busy with such and such, you had things under control, yada yada. You only look better by giving him this. They will see you as less of a threat and a reasonable guy if you protect "one of their" own.

Completely retrievable situation. Breathe, then do what Dick says - and bear in mind what I just said.

Good luck. Reports please. If CUKers acutally help someone this will be a CUK first and deserves a piss up!

[RichardCranium]

More gold

At the risk of sounding like a mutual appreciation society, what suityou01 said is stop on too. And a damn site less confrontational!

And remember: the boss is a loser otherwise the boss would be running the project, not you.

[sweetandsour]

Not sure what I want from this forum, other than to vent my annoyance and disappointment. If anything it has re-inforced my view point that they see this as 'Kaiser78 is just a contractor and we'll leave him to get on with it' and highlighted my intention to deliver the project, do what I need to do and then gone. Am I taking it too personally ?

You do have a risk and an issue log don't you?

You do report these back to the project sponsor on a regular basis don't you?

These things should not be causing you any problems.

[doodab]

So I have been beavering away on my project for the past 9 months (I am contract PM), which has not been issue free due to problems with the client co chosen software supplier delivering totally crap quality, defect ridden software and has taken my project near budget tolerance and pushing back go live date.

My direct reporting manager has taken a total back seat on the project since the start of the year and does not even attend the Project Board meetings any more leaving me to it (which has exposed me in many ways as he is still attends senior mgmet department meetings which affect the project but don't feedback to me - and I have told him this).

Anyway I hear today from an equivalent of mine (but permie) that the project is perceived by the Project Board/Executive as being out of contol and in a total mess !!

Hit the roof as this is the first time I have been made aware of this, although my boss is now out until next Monday, when I will certainly be picking this up from him. If the seniors knew the efforts the team and I are putting in and hurdles we are addressing, which admitedly can affect any project, I am sure they would have a different peception. This has also had an immediate de-motivational effect on the project team who have also found out about this.

Not sure what I want from this forum, other than to vent my annoyance and disappointment. If anything it has re-inforced my view point that they see this as 'Kaiser78 is just a contractor and we'll leave him to get on with it' and highlighted my intention to deliver the project, do what I need to do and then gone. Am I taking it too personally ?

Supplier delivering buggy crap. Check. Project late. Check. Budget almost exhausted. Check. Sounds like the project is a bit of a mess.

Have you actually been reporting this situation to the manager who is taking a back seat? If you have, and he's failed to do his job, go over his head and finger him. Otherwise, I'd keep your head down and try and get the project back on track.

[Xenophon]

Get better at stakeholder / relationship management.

[Jeebo72]

Get better at stakeholder / relationship management.

Yes, as project manager, you shouldn't be relying on anyone telling people how the project is going, you should be doing that yourself.