Project managers and project teams are facing unprecedented pressure to accelerate their projects – to do more with less. But traditional PM tools and techniques may actually hinder attempts to accelerate projects. Furthermore, accelerated projects amplify the role of the project manager as a leader – out front leadership that clears the path for the project team and serves as the linchpin for keeping tightly coupled tasks working in harmony. The charts in this deck are a subset of the charts from a presentation titled “Leading Accelerated Projects” by Dr. Lon Roberts. They speak to the project leader’s responsibilities and also provide an overview of the Eight Acceleration Opportunity Levers (tm) that the author has used in his consulting practice to help clients achieve order-of-magnitude improvement in project cycle time. Leading Accelerated Projects is also the title of his forthcoming book. Dr. Roberts is available to deliver engaging presentations on this timely topic. Executive briefings and 1- and 2-day workshops are also available. Contact information is provided on the charts if you wish to obtain a quote for fees or to book Dr. Roberts for a presentation, workshop, or executive briefing.

1. These are abridged notes from a conference presentation on 8/13/10 and an
introduction to the author’s seminar by the same title.
For information on training or consultation, contact the author.
Leading
Accelerated Projects ™
Roberts & Roberts
Associates
www.R2assoc.com
Presented by
Lon Roberts, Ph.D.
Roberts & Roberts
Associates
© Copyright 2010 Leading Accelerated Projects™ Phone: 972.596.2956
All Rights Reserved Email: info@R2assoc.com

2. Leading Accelerated Projects™
Roberts & Roberts
Associates
“Without changing our patterns of
thought, we will not be able to
solve the problems we created with
our current patterns of thought.”
— Albert Einstein
… nor can projects be accelerated by ‘amping up’
existing methods of planning and execution.
© Copyright 2010 Roberts & Roberts Associates
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3. Leading Accelerated Projects™
Roberts & Roberts
Associates
Seven Realities Shaping the AP Philosophy
1. Project delays are more often due to human factors than
technical factors.
2. Process-oriented methodologies have little to say about
human factors, except those that can be easily codified.
3. Project leadership is the common denominator in virtually
every list of critical project success (or failure) factors.
4. Human factors are amplified in accelerated projects,
making the need project leadership especially acute.
5. Traditional project management methods and tools have
little to say about project leadership.
6. Since a project is a complex system that’s part of a larger
system, any attempt to fast-track a project that doesn’t
account for this reality can offer partial results . . . at best.
7. Every accelerated project is unique.
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4. Leading Accelerated Projects™
Roberts & Roberts
Associates
What is a Project Leader?
Each
Each
Accelerated
Accelerated
Project is
Project is
Unique
Unique
A project leader is
A project leader is
what a project leader
what a project leader
does!
does!
Match Traits
Match Traits
& Abilities to
& Abilities to
the Job
the Job
© Copyright 2010 Roberts & Roberts Associates
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5. Leading Accelerated Projects™
Roberts & Roberts
Associates
10 Interventions of an AP Project Leader
1. Runs interference for the project team
2. Finds and utilizes workarounds when necessary
3. Follows the project plan, but readily adapts to
circumstances
4. Removes barriers and roadblocks for the project team
5. Secures external support and resources for project team
6. Serves as Chief Communicator for the project
7. Ensures there are no disconnects in task handoffs
8. Manages changing requirements and developer gold
plating
9. Doesn’t wait to be told what’s going on … few surprises
10. Intervenes when conflict arises or priorities veer off track
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All Rights Reserved 5

6. Leading Accelerated Projects™
Roberts & Roberts
Associates
Eight Acceleration Opportunity Levers™
Process Lever
• Alter the project structure and the relationship of the elements to
minimize process cycle time
• Leader Issues: Political sensitivities; turf issues; task handoffs
Planning Lever
• Incorporate means for project efficiencies to offset delays and
inefficiencies; Also, account for special risks that accompany APs
• Leader Issues: Fairness issues; setting expectations
Policy Lever
• Removing (or working around) policies that inhibit accelerated
projects
• Leader Issues: Political sensitivities; overcoming inertia
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7. Leading Accelerated Projects™
Roberts & Roberts
Associates
Eight Acceleration Opportunity Levers™
People Lever
• Improving communication, coordination, and cooperation between
project team members; also setting team performance expectations
• Leader Issues: Conflict intervention; conflicting priorities
Psychology Lever
• Improving performance, productivity, and work habits of individuals
• Leader Issues: Energy management; task orientation styles
Requirements Lever
• Defining requirements and avoiding Type-III errors
• Leader Issues: Dealing w/ internal customers; avoiding scope creep
© Copyright 2010 Roberts & Roberts Associates
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8. Leading Accelerated Projects™
Roberts & Roberts
Associates
Eight Acceleration Opportunity Levers™
Technology Lever
• Taking advantage of technology tools to expedite planning and
executing the project, especially tools that facilitate
communications, coordination, and collaboration
• Leader Issues: Reconciling strong differences of opinion between
technical experts; avoiding analysis paralysis
Leadership Lever
• Providing the motivating force behind the other 7 levers; executing
the leader actions and interventions for accelerating the project;
selecting the right leader for the job
• Leader Issues: Executing the plan but adapting to circumstances;
avoiding finger pointing; quick and decisive action
© Copyright 2010 Roberts & Roberts Associates
All Rights Reserved 8

9. Leading Accelerated Projects™
Roberts & Roberts
Associates
Uncovering Opportunities – The MAP Critical Issues Survey™
A proprietary tool for surveying project stakeholders:
• Identifies “issues” that have bearing on the ability to accelerate a
particular project … issues are related to one or more of the Eight
Acceleration Opportunity Levers™
• Identifies specific incidents from the history of an organization that
provide palpable evidence of a particular issue
• Uses descriptive statistics to identify the perceived magnitude of the
issue and the degree that the stakeholders agree on the issue
• Identifies links between “issues” that suggest a theme or pattern
N N = the survey item #
33
Critical Factors
9 23 18 15 Risk Management
Multitasking
Inefficient Execution
2 14 8 20
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10. Leading Accelerated Projects™
Roberts & Roberts
Associates
References and Recommended Reading
Process Reengineering: The Key to Achieving Breakthrough Success, Lon Roberts, Quality Press, 1995.
SPC for Right-Brain Thinkers, Lon Roberts, Quality Press, 2005
Organizational Communications Imperatives: Lessons of the Space Program, Phillip K. Thompkins, Roxbury
Publishing Co., 1993
Re-Creating the Organization: A Design of Organizations for the 21st Century, Russell K. Ackoff, Oxford
University Press, 1999
Dirty Rotten Strategies, Ian I. Mitroff and Abraham Silvers, Stanford Business Books, 2009
PMBOK Guide® – Fourth Edition Changes, Cyndi Snyder Stackpole, January 29, 2009
Training Courses Roberts & Roberts
• Leading Accelerated Projects Associates
• Gleaning Facts From Figures Lon Roberts, Ph.D.
• SPC Workshop for Users
• Quantitative Tools for Project Managers
www.R2assoc.com
• Analytical Skills for Admin. Professionals
info@R2assoc.com
See descriptions at
www.R2assoc.com/Trainp.htm 972.596.2956
© Copyright 2010 Roberts & Roberts Associates
All Rights Reserved 10