“The Long & Winding Road” ... Watch out for those Potholes!

“The long & winding road” ... Watch out for those Potholes!

John A. Middlestead
Manager, Data Integrity & Technology
MichCon Gas, a subsidiary of DTE Energy
3200 Hobson St.
Detroit, Michigan 48201
Telephone: (313) 577-7172
FAX: (313) 557-7498
Email: middlesteadj@dteenergy.com

Abstract
When we think of project management and GIS we sometimes think of a long road to travel with many winding curves that we have to maneuver through. What are the challenges of the day? Is it new technology that our leader thinks is wonderful and wants to implement tomorrow? Is it some corporate mandate to cut costs in the fourth quarter? Is it the loss of the project champion? Are the business units working together for the common good or fighting the process and in turn your project? Have you just found out that the data that you thought was right isn’t? Has a business process and its organization dramatically changed impacting the existing GIS model? These are real situations that many GIS and IT projects face. One thing is certain, change is all around us and we must learn to cope with continuous uncertainty. MichCon Gas is no different. Human and technical dynamics are ever present and in addition, we are merging our enterprise and GIS systems to align with DTE Energy’s. A seemingly endless number of issues occur every day. This paper intends on giving a real life story showing the potholes along the way and how one might repair those holes and continue on one’s journey.

Introduction
MichCon Gas, a DTE Energy Company, has been in business since 1849. During this period we have witnessed a tremendous change from wood mains and city street lighting as the primary business focus to natural gas for vehicles, back-up electric generators for homes and co-generation plants. IT technology for all of us who have been in the business 30+ years have witnessed the transformation from punch cards to Palm Pilots. AM/FM/GIS has developed from a "nice to have" priority to a "must have" priority in twenty-five years. Conferences like GITA have been talking about enterprise-wide geospatial system solutions for several years now, not just the AM or AM/FM/GIS point solution anymore. Conversion use to be a major issue, now it is how do I use and integrate my geospatial data. Needless to say the road has been a long and winding one for both business and the technology we all use. Each year presents a new set of challenges for each of us and some say "if you thought this year was challenging wait until next year".

Just to give you a perspective on DTE Energy Gas / MichCon and our GIS I have provided some statistics below.
DTE Energy Gas / Michigan Consolidated Gas (MichCon)
Parent - DTE Energy
Headquarters: Detroit, Michigan
In Business Since: 1849
Customers: 1,200,000
Square Miles of Franchised Service Territory: 15,000
Miles of Main: 17,614
Number of Services: 1,200,000
Miles of Transmission Pipeline: 2,400
Gas Storage (in Billion Cubic Feet) 123

MichCon's GIS: Mapping & Automated Recordkeeping System (MARS)

5,196 square miles of mapped territory (where facilities are located today)
24,143 Map Facets @ 1" = 100' Scale plus 800 and 3,200 Scale Maps
4,200,000+ records
93,000,000+ feet of main
1,800,000+ service "sections"
1,000,000,000+ attributes
Feasibility Study through Pilot Timeframe: 1983-1989
Full Project Start Date: 1990
Planned Completion Date: December 31, 2004

I intend on driving you down the road that we have traveled and you will notice what a winding road it is. Sometimes we have had to swerve to avoid a pothole and there have been times when we have hit the pothole with full force requiring a repair before we could go on further. I hope that you can relate to many of the statements, questions and potential answers along the journey. I think the first order of business is to define where we are going.

"Where are we going?"
Another way to look at the question of "where are we going?" is to look at the project goals, or strategies. People tend to like to have some input to the direction and goals of the project. They like to know where they are going and that their efforts are going to make a difference. By the same token the project team needs to guard against their own desires because they indeed can contribute to the derided "scope creep" or can promise too much to their clients. Clients, as we will discuss later, many times do not know what they want and need to be educated as to what is feasible and what are realistic alternatives to their very real business issues. Thus, the challenge of the project manager is to continually manage the "Project Management Triad".

The Project Management Triad
Many of us in project management are familiar with the constraints of all projects i.e. dollars / resources (people), scope and time. There are not too many projects that have neither an unlimited budget nor people sitting around just waiting for this new project to come along. The scope of any project is in response to a business driver(s) that needs to be responded to however there are many ways to attack that set of requirements. Finally, there is the issue of time. We never seem to have enough of it.

The custom build days are difficult to justify especially in today's IT environment where delivering on the demands being placed on the business units is great. So how do we manage major or multiple projects? Much of it has to do with the elasticity of the Project Management Triad. Illustrated below you will see the normal "triad" when there is a balance of dollars / resources (people), scope and time. The project team may be on course for the first week or so.

What typically happens is scope creep occurs and/or the budget is cut or available resources are taken off the project because something else is "hot". So what does that do to the project that was so carefully constructed with Gantt Charts and reporting measures.

The key for a project to succeed is to manage client expectations. Easy to say ... hard to do! Based on personal experience I would conclude that you want to be a good project manager not a "popular" project manager. As one of my corporate champions once said to me ... "stay the course!" With all of the pulling and tugging going on with the Project Management Triad it is no wonder that many projects over the long haul get off track chasing a new GIS or "better mouse trap" answer. While difficult, it is always better to set goals and targets, communicate them over and over and stay the course. Other people including management, your peer group and even the project team will second-guess the Team's direction and/or course of action.

"What issues are there?"
Most GIS/IT Project's have plenty of issues. We have already named a few. Going into one of these projects' without checking out what can go wrong or at least identifying what the red flags are is not wise. GIS / IT mentors are out there to help show you the way. Listed below are a few "red flags" that we have encountered.

Not enough staff
Constantly having to resell the project to management and others
The budget has just been reduced / eliminated
The client "culture" and the ever changing technical environment
Where did the Project Champion(s) go?
Mergers & acquisitions - impacts on the project
"The Political Jungle"
Change management impacts of system getting little attention
Lack of overall enterprise system architecture
Islands of automation

Along our long journey there can inevitably be a wrong turn or without corrective actions your project can become out of control and stuck in a pothole. How one deals with the "issues" along the journey makes a huge difference in whether the Project benefits truly optimize the investment made.

"Which road?"
Several roads are available for us to travel. One is a "dirt" road like the ones you will sometimes drive in the country. Bumpy and full of potholes especially after a rain storm. Another is a well-worn paved road that suffers from weather and the frequency of travel. Major individual potholes can occur especially after a thaw in the winter. Still another is a brand new road where there is not a pothole in sight ... at least for now. Our journey takes us on many roads along the way ... some smooth and some that are filled with potholes. Just like a GPS navigation system we can pick the "shortest route", the route with the "most highways" and good roads or the route with the most "local roads". Each has its benefits and its disadvantages.

The Dirt Road
The "dirt road" is one that involves new everything. New software (a.k.a. Version 1.0), a new project team that is uneducated about the technology, unmanaged expectations by the clients, organizational issues regarding who is really in charge, a lack of "true" management support, and lack of strategies to integrate geospatial data with the rest of the enterprise. Needless to say this is high risk "road" to travel. There will be plenty of bumps and potholes along the way that will challenge the Project viability, the Manager and the Team.

The Well Worn Paved Road
While this road is paved it is well traveled and potholes do occur especially when there is a dramatic change in weather. This causes potholes to occur periodically where weak portions of the road exist. While not as bumpy as the dirt road there are significant issues that arise along the journey. This road may cause over confidence as to the speed at which one goes. All of a sudden a pothole appears and a showstopper may occur in the Projects' journey. Examples may include the loss of the Project Champion, a merger/acquisition, a budget crisis or a loss of key Project Team members.

The Brand New Road
Ah, the brand new road. Travel down this road and your project will be an instant success. Right? I do not think so! Even the best laid plans run into problems and obstacles. Politics, better known as whom has credibility and the decision-makers' ear, comes up even in small organizations. Change management analysis and quality training and involvement components may be overlooked. Who needs those things? After all, we have a great road to travel. Expect the unexpected!

The reader may ask "so what roads have you traveled down?" I would have to respond with "all three". Over the life of our project we have encountered all the previously mentioned hurdles and then some. One might say that we have faced all of "the good, the bad and the ugly"! I will discuss these in a later section.

"Who's along for the ride?"
So, who is along on this ride with us? No doubt a business case was prepared for not only the GIS but for all GIS applications and interfaces that require significant funds and resources. With significant resources involved comes sponsorship at the executive level. At many companies there is a steering committee that helps support the Project Team and sort out the many different priorities keeping overall IT strategies in mind. This is the ideal case. There is also the need for an oversight team that is more tactical in their charge. Members of both the affected business units and IT should represent the Project Team with a Business Unit Project Manager leading the project. The vendor(s) involved with the project need to ride with all the others because they are integral to the success of the project. I like to think of them as part of the "family". Finally there are the "clients". We sometimes forget that they are the reason we are doing this in the first place. They belong in the front seat.

The problem with most GIS projects is that they take a good deal of time to implement. In addition, many interface and application decisions revolve around the bigger picture i.e. the overall enterprise IT architecture, legacy system investment, different business drivers for new systems and major enhancements, return on investment priorities, etc. These issues tend to fragment the cohesive nature of the individuals in the vehicle travelling down the road. The champions leave, the steering committee feels that there is no need to continue, Project Team members change, priorities shift and a vendor may go out of business. These realities are ever present for all of us.

"Watch out for those potholes!"
So what have I, the author, learned over the eighteen years of being involved in AM/FM/GIS. Plenty! I have learned lessons about resources, the budget, scope creep, politics, change management including user acceptance, people issues, chasing technology and many more too numerous to discuss. Most project managers who are honest would do many things different if they had the chance.

Lessons Learned - Resources

Lesson #1 - "Part time means NO time!!!"

It is trilling when the Project Manager (PM) is told that a bunch of Subject Matter Experts (SME) will be assigned to the project on a part time basis. My experience with this phenomenon is that the PM gets some work done initially however the burden is eventually borne by the PM and full time staff. Over a short period of time the part timers become no timers. Real work (and other distractions) still needs to be done so one can understand this tendency of human behavior. Plus, unless there is some "buy-in" by the part-timer they may not contribute as much as if it was their full time job. Take a stand on this issue or you too may be picking up the slack. Lesson #2 - "You know what you know!"

Tunnel vision occurs many times with those within an organization. This is true of the Project Team as well. Those within the company will believe that they are the only ones and only company experiencing problems with a process or product. By expanding their knowledge base the Team can rid itself of the "I know what I know" condition and develop a newfound support network. Conferences, site visits to other companies, periodicals and Webcasts are all sources of information. Lesson #3 - "Consultants don't know any more than we do!"

Many would say that this statement is true. What we have found is that there is power with the consultant. Recall a time when you came across a consultant at your company. Did there tend to be a focus on the project at hand? Was there management support (should be if large amounts of dollars are involved)? Did the consultants bring a broader perspective and challenge the paradigms in the organization? Was there more objectivity? If any of the above was answered "yes" then a consultant may be worthwhile especially in areas where you do not have experience. While the consultant may not know your environment and specific job knowledge as well as you do there is value to having their partnership and involvement in the project. Lesson #4 - "Working with the Family helps lead to Project success!"

Do you view your vendors as partners or foes? Most company project teams are not perfect so why do they expect vendor teams to be perfect. We have found over the years that treating vendors as part of the Projects' "Family" will help in the long run. It costs time and money to keep running back to the contract, on both sides. Partnering is the key and flexibility in the caring out of the contract and work plan is critical. Lessons Learned - Budget Lesson #5 - "Does the plan drive the budget or does the budget drive the plan?"

The harsh reality of today is that the budget more times than not drives the plan. Wall Street expectations, business drivers, deregulation and the threat of mergers and acquisitions are all contributors to the squeezing of budgets. This leads to Lesson # 6. Lesson #6 - "Always have a Plan 'B' and 'C'!"

Most companies and in turn Project Managers are faced with at least quarterly updates to the budget. The monitoring of revenues, expenses and net income forecasts are another reality. There will also always be the unexpected corporate emergency, the new project for the "common good" and the uncooperative weather. My advice would be to always have a set of cost reduction back-up plans that can be brought to the front if required and work closely with your vendor family to see what flexibility they may have. Lessons Learned - Scope

Lesson #7 - “Spend quality time with system design”

Too often system design consists of replicating what employees do today. Why? Well the common answer is that “we have always done it that way”. The reality is that people do not like to change because they are comfortable with the routine and the job. The irony is that over the years people have also complained about the current methods, process and end products that now have the opportunity to be changed with the new and hopefully improved system. Facilitating a team with the charge of system design is part of the answer. Questioning the various team members on why they need things the same is another. Understanding what questions to ask is the key. In addition, getting the team to think long term as well as short term and understanding any defined enterprise system architecture fit is very important. When discussing enterprise system architecture, if it exists, it is important to define data ownership and owners, which system in the enterprise will capture what data based on best fit and having adequate change management efforts in place. Again, this is so your team understands its role in “the big picture”. Lesson #8 – Stay the course!”

You have worked hard to design the requirements and design of what the system selected will do. Plenty of individuals will form the naysayers or will discover a “better mouse trap”. The project manager will constantly be hit from different directions. Another reality is that the business will change during the course of the project. Do you incorporate the new requirements now or delay them? A debate often exists around converting only data to a GIS until finished or building applications now so benefits can be derived. When does one leverage the benefits? Again, make a business decision early on and stay the course. Lesson #9 – Clients … “I’ll know it when I see it!”

When it comes to clients they many times do not have a clue as to what they want. One might conclude that this is due to lack of education about the technology, the application or what it is capable of doing i.e. thinking out of the box. Prototyping is one method of to help with this problem. While the team may go through several iterations it sure is better than developing something that no one is pleased with. A recent technology is reviewing products as part of a Webcast. Some companies with extensive geography may consider this as a way to connect with a broader audience. Lessons Learned - Politics

Lesson #10 – “Working with the internal “Family” helps lead to success!”

Obtaining allies or “family” within your company will help lead you greater success and support. One way to gain the “family” is to periodically meet with them so they feel included. Another is to listen to their respective needs. Now one will not be able to meet everyone’s wants although sometimes just providing a listening ear and incorporating their ideas will gain their support from a corporate perspective. Finance can become the most important “family” member you can get. Given the fact that business cases usually go through Finance this can be a very important strategic move. It has with our Project Team, especially in the early stages of the project. Lesson # 11 – “I have my goals to meet!”

Within all facets of business and government the silo thinkers abound. “What is in it for me?” "It takes too long for Corporate answers". This can lead to the “center of the universe” problem where process ownership and their respective system(s) can become zealots for their cause. This may lead to success for a process or function however, the enterprise viewpoint is left out. A system can rarely be all things for all people. Most have boundaries where the system is outside of the tool's scope. In today's dynamic environment the flexibility of integrating systems and leveraging the strengths of each is the optimal answer. Strength in leadership is required for this to occur and avoid the problems of the "silo thinker". Lesson #12 - "Sell, sell, sell!

As a project manager in the geospatial arena we are constantly challenged regarding the previously mentioned "lessons". At least annually we are faced with reselling our project. The key to success is to show applications and evidence of results. In order to make the point that you are not a "silo" thinker it is important to show benefits across the company and help managers understand the geospatial component. The project manager must push interfaces and integration across the enterprise in order to achieve additional corporate benefits. This is not for the timid. Finally, real business benefits will yield additional funding. Conclusion
Project management is an "art". As we have pointed out people issues are much more difficult to deal with then technical issues and lead to many "potholes" during ones' journey down the winding road. Potholes are there for all of us to experience. Whether they are budget issues, resource constraints, scope creep, timing or political issues we all will encounter the pothole. How we deal with them is the test. Hopefully the "lessons learned" described in this paper will help you drive around the potholes in a proactive and educated fashion rather than hitting them straight on will assist you as you drive down your long and winding road.