"I am doing a survey on the topic "Project Success Factors and Failure Causes". This survey tries to gather information about the individual perceptions of Project Managers with respect to project success factors and project failure causes. More precisely, I try to find out, according to 'real life' experience of Project Managers, how often occur several failure causes and how important are several success factors frequently listed in the PM avaliable literature worldwide, and therefore to stablish if they are useful in practice as guidelines or if they are just plain words.

Because I think this subject could be of interest to you as Project Manager, I would hereby like to ask you to participate in the survey. Completing it will only take about 10-15 minutes. Your participation will be anonymous and your answers will be treated strictly confidential. Also please feel free to forward this request to other PM colleagues.

You can access the survey at:
https://spreadsheets0.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEd0ZjNPdXJtUGdfTjczTEQza1lJelE6MQ "

La conférence IHM 2010 (Interaction Homme Machine) organisée cette année à Luxembourg fait la part belle à l'agilité avec quatre publications en relation avec l'agilité :

• Intégrer une approche de conception centrée utilisateurs à une approche agile de développement logiciel
  Proulx Jean-François, Robert Jean-Marc
• Méthode centrée utilisateurs et développement agile : une perspective gagnant-gagnant au service des projets de R&D
  Deuff Dominique, Cosquer Mathilde, Foucault Béatrice
• Méthodes et outils de conception participative avec des utilisateurs non-voyants
  Brock Anke, Vinot Jean-Luc, Oriola Bernard, Kammoun Slim, Truillet Philippe, Jouffrais Christophe
• Navigation multi-vues dans les résultats d'une recherche multi-critères
  Rekik Yassin Aziz, Rizzotti Aïcha, Schlaeppy Jean-Daniel
  

Par ailleurs, nous vous rappelons l'intervention de FLUPA lors de l'Agile Tour organisé le 27 octobre par l'Agile Interest Group Luxembourg, sur ce thème "Agilité et Conception Centrée Utilisateurs".

Conférence IHM 2010 :

L'Université du Luxembourg, le CRP Henri Tudor et l'AFIHM vous donnent rendez-vous à IHM'10, la 22ème Conférence Francophone sur l'Interaction Homme-Machine.

Cette année la dimension francophone de la conférence IHM s'exprimera notamment via sa position géographique : le Luxembourg, pays situé au carrefour de l'Europe entre la France, la Belgique et l'Allemagne. Cet événement sera dès lors l'occasion de découvrir une capitale européenne très facile d'accès depuis la France et l'Europe.

Quel est le programme ?

La première journée de la conférence (lundi 20 septembre) sera consacrée aux cours, atelier et rencontres doctorales.

Ensuite, durant deux jours et demi, vous pourrez assister aux sessions de présentations d'articles ainsi qu'aux présentations de nos conférenciers invités Luciënne Blessing, Stéphane Natkin, Patrice Terrier et Alfred Kobsa.

La Nuit des Démos organisée le mardi 21 septembre sera également un temps fort d'échanges et de découvertes avec la présentation d'une vingtaine de démonstrations, d'une dizaine de posters et d'une dizaine d'exposants.

Lean and Agile in the Public Sector: Helping to meet financial targets and today’s challenges

See http://www.unicom.co.uk/product_detail.asp?prdid=1806,

In the current drive for cost reduction and efficiency improvement, many public sector organisations are taking a fresh look at the application of Agile and Lean methods in their cost cutting and efficiency initiatives.

Both these approaches have been around for a while, but new applications, tools and research are leading to new and innovative ways of working which could potentially improve the productivity and reduce costs in many parts of the public sector.

Following on from the 2009 Agile in the Public Sector Forum, this event focuses specifically on helping public sector organisations (central and local government) to implement Agile and/or Lean.  It provides these organisations with practical guidance and enables them to meet with the companies best placed to assist them with relevant consultancy, guidance and solutions.

Agile approaches can achieve extensive and measurable business benefit and the truly “Agile” organisation is adaptive and able to react quickly to change.  Its emphasis on the team and on incremental project management fit well with Lean.

Lean is a customer-focused business approach which strives for continuous improvement, the removal of barriers disrupting work flow and to minimise, if not eradicate, waste.  Lean is not a quick fix, but it has demonstrated some remarkably quick gains in some parts of the public sector.

With its roots in the manufacturing/automotive sector, and the negative connotations of “Lean & Mean” there has been some resistance to the concept of lean in the public sector, but a special kind of Lean is emerging that works well in the public sector and has the potential to transform the employee experience for the better.  Similarly, Agile can support the flexible and adaptive style of working which is being increasingly demanded of the public sector.

Both business models, if adapted properly, can help employees to discover more efficient ways of organising their time and workloads which in turn sees targets being met, sometimes even surpassed.

Building on the success of last year’s Forum “Agile in the Public Sector”, this event presents real-life case studies along with review talks to give participants the facts that will enable them to make informed decisions and discover how Agile and Lean really do bring the benefits of greater efficiencies and reduced costs.

The forum presents real-life case studies from organisations along with review talks to give participants the facts that will enable them to make informed decisions and discover how Lean and Agile really does bring the benefits of shortened delivery times and lower costs.

It is relevant for all public sector organisations considering ‘going Agile’ and to those that have already started using Agile but who need additional help and guidance.

The is Europe’s first major independent event to focus entirely on Lean and Agile within the public sector – the event is run in partnership with a number of partners including professional / industry bodies and providers of Agile solutions and services - among them the DSDM Consortium; RADTAC; SPA; Zuhlke; Keith Richards Consulting.

In order to keep the attendance fee very low for attendees from the public sector, some of these organisations have provided sponsorship.

If you are within a public sector organisation and interested to find out more about Lean and Agile or are already implementing it – this event will definitely help you!

TOPICS COVERED INCLUDE:

• How Public Sector can benefit from Lean and Agile
• Clarification of Lean and Agile and how they complement each other
• Do Public Sector Agile projects differ from private sector projects?
• What are the barriers to using Lean and Agile methods in the Public Sector?
• What is the best way to sell Lean or Agile to your team?
• Which projects benefit most from Agile methods?
• Appreciation and comparison of the main Agile methodologies (Scrum; XP; DSDM)
• Key Lean tools and techniques
• How does Agile work with PRINCE2 and ITIL
• Agile Testing
• Real life case studies of Lean and  Agile in public sector organisations
• Agile Project Management
• Deploying Lean and Agile Effectively
• Cultural issues surrounding Lean and Agile

TARGET AUDIENCE:

This conference is relevant to all public sector and not for profit organisations for example:

• Armed Forces organisations
• Central Government Departments
• Charities and not-for-profit Organisations.
• Education authorities
• Executive Agencies
• Housing Associations 
• Local Authorities
• NHS organisations
• Non-Departmental Public Bodies
• Police, Fire and Rescue Services
• Universities and colleges

Some of the job functions that will benefit from attending include:

• Applications Development Managers
• Board Members
• Change Directors and Change Managers
• Chief Executives
• Development Managers
• Directors
• Elected Officials
• Head of Business Planning and Performance
• Head of Change
• Head of IS
• Head of IT
• Head of Quality
• ICT Directors
• IT Director
• IT Manager
• IT Partnership Manager
• Policy Heads
• Process Improvement Managers
• Programme Managers
• Project Directors
• Project Managers
• Project Support Office Managers
• Testing Managers

PARTNERS:

RADTAC

www.radtac.co.uk

Zuhlke

www.zuhlke.com

Keith Richards Consulting

www.keithrichardsconsulting.co.uk 

DSDM Consortium

www.dsdm.org

Software Practice Advancement (SPA) Specialist Group

www.bcs-spa.org

ATTENDANCE FEES:

[  ] Individual registration £99 +VAT

[  ] £400+VAT for a team of five

This event focuses specifically on Lean and Agile within the financial sector  - including financial services, banking and insurance.

See : http://www.unicom.co.uk/product_detail.asp?prdid=1807#

Lean thinking is a widely adopted improvement approach that can greatly simplify processes and improve performance; it is a customer-focused business approach that strives for continuous improvement, the removal of barriers disrupting workflow and to minimise, if not eradicate, waste.

Agile focuses on delivering solutions in incremental chunks selected for the value each provides to the business. Agile approaches can achieve extensive and measurable business benefit and the truly “Agile” organisation is adaptive and able to react quickly to change.  Its emphasis on the team and on incremental project management fit well with Lean.

Both these concepts are particularly attractive and suited to finance sector environments where customer demands are frequently changing and reaction time is critical. They support flexibility and can foster an adaptive style of working which is suited to this dynamic sector.

If adapted properly, both can help employees to discover more efficient ways of organising their time and workloads which in turn sees targets being met, sometimes even surpassed.

A strong barometer of the interest level in this sector is the sheer number of finance sector organisations who have been investing in attending Lean and Agile related conferences, seminars and training during the past four years. The Lean and Agile in the Finance Sector Forum goes one step further by providing guidance and advice tailored to this sector and introduces participants to providers of consultancy, software and other services that can help them achieve their ambitions and goals.

Building on the success of a long line of conferences and forums from UNICOM, this event presents real-life case studies along with review talks to give participants the facts that will enable them to make informed decisions and discover how Agile and Lean really can bring the benefit.

TOPICS COVERED INCLUDE:

• How the finance sector can benefit from Lean and Agile
• Clarification of Lean and Agile and how they compliment each other
• How do finance sector projects differ from other sectors?
• Unique issues facing the finance sector
• What are the barriers to introducing Lean and Agile in financial organisations?
• What is the best way to sell Lean or Agile to your team?
• What projects benefit most from Agile methods?
• Lean principles
• Appreciation and comparison of the main Agile methodologies (Scrum; XP; DSDM)
• How do Lean and Agile work with methodologies such as PRINCE2, COBIT and ITIL
• Agile Testing
• Key Lean tools and techniques
• Real life case studies of Lean and Agile in finance sector organisations
• Agile Project Management
• Deploying Lean and Agile Effectively
• Cultural issues surrounding Lean and Agile

TARGET AUDIENCE:

This is event is relevant to all finance sector organisations for example:

• Building societies
• Clearing houses
• FOREX
• Hedge funds
• Insurance
• Investment banks
• Ratings agencies
• Regulatory bodies
• Reinsurance
• Retail banks
• Pension funds

Typical job titles include:

• Applications Development Managers
• Business Improvement heads
• Change Directors and Change Managers
• CEOs
• CTOs
• Delivery managers
• Development Managers
• Directors
• Enterprise architecture heads
• Head of Business Planning and Performance
• Head of Change
• Head of delivery
• Head of IS
• Head of IT
• Head of Quality
• Head of Systems Analysis
• ICT Directors
• Infrastructure heads
• IT Directors and Mangers
• IT Partnership Manager
• Lifecycle managers
• Policy Heads
• Process Improvement Managers
• Programme Directors Managers
• Project Directors and Managers
• Project Office Managers
• Testing Managers

PARTNERS:

RADTAC

www.radtac.co.uk

Zuhlke

www.zuhlke.com

Keith Richards Consulting

www.keithrichardsconsulting.co.uk 

DSDM Consortium

www.dsdm.org

Rally Software

Software Practice Advancement (SPA) Specialist Group

SPIN London

OptiRisk

ATTENDANCE FEES:

[  ] Individual registration £99 +VAT

[  ] £400+VAT for a team of five

The formal launch will take place at the Agile Business Conference on 5th October.   

This new Certification is a major step forward for both the Project Management and Agile Communities, and for the DSDM Consortium, and provides the ability to deliver Agile Projects in organisations requiring standards, rigour and visibility around Project Management, while at the same time enabling the fast pace, change and empowerment provided by Agile. http://www.agileconference.org/

Unicom Event
Unicom Seminars are kindly offering 10 places free to DSDM members at each of these two events this month and additional places at a 25% discount:

Lean and Agile in the Public Sector
22 September, Novotel Hammersmith, London
www.unicom.co.uk/leanagilepublicsector

Lean and Agile in the Finance Sector
23 September, Novotel Hammersmith, London
www.unicom.co.uk/leanagilefinancesector

DSDM Examiner and Trainer Master Class
The next Master Class is scheduled for 4th October in London.  If you would like more information or to attend please contact mary@dsdm.org

Foundation Exams
The next Agile Foundation and DSDM Atern Foundation examinations will be on 24 September in London and you can book your place online.  Please note that bookings will close at midday on 21 September :

• Atern Foundation: http://www.dsdm.org/events/atern_foundation_certification_registration.asp
• Agile Foundation: http://www.dsdm.org/events/agile_foundation_certification_registration.asp

Information about these exams can be found here:

• Agile Foundation: http://www.dsdm.org/certification/agile_foundation.asp
• Atern Foundation: http://www.dsdm.org/certification/foundation.asp