Get to Know the Template
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Define the four constraints of project management.
- Explain the Salesforce Adaptive Methodology.
Juggle the Four Constraints of Project Management
A project management plan helps the stakeholders and teams get the project done while balancing four constraints. These constraints include scope, time, cost, and quality. There are key questions to discuss with your customer to identify how they think about each constraint. Let’s do a quick review of each constraint.
| Constraint | Definition |
|---|---|
| Scope |
What’s driving scope? How flexible is your scope? |
| Time |
Are there compelling events that impact the project? |
| Cost |
How flexible is your budget if changes to scope come up? |
| Quality |
How is the quality of the project impacted by a change to scope, time, or cost constraints? |
These four constraints are interconnected and interdependent. If any of them change, the others can be impacted.
As the project manager, you’re responsible for explaining and giving the customer the choice of how to adapt to changes to the constraints.
Let’s move on to project management methodologies. There are two popular methodologies that include waterfall and agile. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Let’s delve deeper into each of these methodologies to understand their benefits and limitations. Then, let’s learn about the Salesforce methodology.
Waterfall and Agile
Here’s a breakdown of the waterfall and agile methodologies.
| Methodology | What It Is | Use Cases | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterfall |
A project is planned in detail and completed in distinct stages. |
Simple and predictable projects for which everyone can determine how to complete the work. It’s also good for complicated work that’s predictable and requires expertise. |
The course of the project is difficult to change once it’s in the testing stage. It takes longer to deliver a basic version of the solution. |
| Agile |
Teams use small and short sequences, commonly known as sprints, to complete the work and respond to unpredictable situations. |
Complex projects where the work is based on consistent feedback, risk, and innovation. |
May not include documentation for solution maintenance. It requires end-user involvement, and the quality depends on the developers’ skills. |
At Salesforce, we use a combination of waterfall and agile methodologies. We call it the Salesforce Adaptive Methodology.
Salesforce Adaptive Methodology
The Salesforce Adaptive methodology meets our customers’ requests for high-value features and maintains the ability to adapt with the project’s needs. This approach:
- Uses the waterfall methodology to confirm that the customer understands and approves of the solution’s scope and design.
- Uses the agile methodology for software development teams, so they select the most important work first, finish it, then move on to the next task.
| Methodology | What It Is | Use Case | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salesforce Adaptive |
Partners set expectations with the customer at the start of the project and revisit them at the start of each sprint. The customer can reprioritize development of functionality based on what provides the most value to their business. |
Salesforce implementations |
It requires training on the methodology. |
The Salesforce Adaptive Methodology encourages partners and customers to communicate about and revisit the customer’s top priorities so both groups have a successful project. Each project is unique. Some are predictable, like the waterfall approach. Others are agile, and adapt to the customer’s changing needs. Either way, the project manager leads the process through the following stages of the Salesforce Adaptive Methodology.
| Project Stage | Key Tasks and Activities | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
|
Prepare |
Transfer knowledge. |
Share information gathered during the sales process. |
| Complete a RACI (a matrix that outlines who is responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed). |
Introduce team roles and responsibilities. |
|
| Create the project management plan. |
Explain how the project is going to be managed. |
|
| Conduct a project kickoff meeting with the stakeholders. |
Ensure everyone is aware of their role and the details of the project. |
|
|
Plan and Architect |
Establish functional requirements. |
Identify what the solution does. |
| Determine technical architecture. |
Plan how the solution is built. |
|
| Create design. |
Document how the solution looks and feels. |
|
| Acquire customer sign-off. |
Gain agreement from the customer on the previous steps. |
|
| Establish a product backlog. |
Identify the potential activities required to deliver the project. |
|
|
Construct, Validate, Deploy, and Support |
Create sprint deliverables. |
Construct and release prioritized activities from the product backlog. |
| Conduct sprint review or user acceptance testing. |
Gather feedback and adjust the solution based on input. |
|
| Provide post go-live support. |
Provide support for a defined time period. |
|
|
Monitor and Control |
Report progress. |
Track, review, regulate, and communicate the progress and performance of the project. |
| Manage scope. |
Identify any areas to which changes to the scope are required. |
|
| Execute change management. |
Initiate the agreed-upon scope changes. |
Let’s illustrate these stages with a story.
Naomi is a project manager for Get Cloudy Consultants, which just closed a deal with Ursa Major Solar on a small project. Naomi starts the first stage as outlined in the table: prepare. She reviews the statement of work (SOW) and meets with the sales team for a knowledge transfer from Maria, the project manager for Ursa Major Solar.
Next, Naomi and Maria meet to complete the second phase: plan and architect. Together with their project delivery teams, they validate the goals for the project, how the solution will be built, and how the solution will look and feel. They fill out the project management plan lite template with all these details. Maria agrees to all the steps in the plan, and they both sign the document.
Now it’s time to start building the project by moving into the construct, validate, deploy, and support stage. Through this process, Naomi updates Maria about how the project is going. In this case, Ursa Major Solar’s project is expected to take 10 weeks during the construction phase, or five 2-week sprints. Let’s assume 20 percent of the work is completed in each sprint. If things go smoothly, Naomi tells Maria that they expect the project to finish on time. If more or less work gets completed, Naomi will revisit the project plan with Maria.
The monitor and control stage happens throughout the project. The project management plan lite includes information to resolve issues as they arise.
By following these steps and adjusting as needed, Naomi helps Maria and Ursa Major Solar complete a successful project.
The Definitions of Success
So far in this module, we’ve talked about getting a project to success. What does success mean? We define three levels of success.
| Level of Success | Answers These Questions |
|---|---|
| Project management success |
Did the solution and project meet scope, timeliness, and budget goals? Is the customer satisfied? |
| Project success |
Did the project meet the business objectives? Did the solution meet usability requirements? |
| Project portfolio success |
Are the projects supporting the business’s goals and strategies providing the desired results? |
The project management plan helps you answer yes to all these questions. It’s a guide for partners and their customers to juggle the constraints of scope, quality, and time for every project. Ready to learn how to use this fantastic document? Great!. That’s up next.