Project Completion – Judging Value Delivered
Things have changed considerably in the world of project management over the years. At one point, inputs were the most important considerations, but today most projects are guided by value delivered on completion. Value-driven has become the mantra of project management, and as a project manager, you must understand how to ensure that the utmost value is delivered (and that the value is positive, rather than negative).
Negative Factors
A number of factors can transform a project’s value from positive to negative. For instance, if cost overruns occur that significantly detract from a deliverable monetary value, a loss is realized. Cost overruns can occur virtually anywhere in the project, from almost any source, including vendors, team members and changing goals based on feedback from stakeholders.
Another negative factor would be not meeting the planned deliverable value, even without the presence of cost overruns. In the old method of judging project success, as long as the project concluded on time, on budget and within scope, it could be considered a success (technically speaking). However, a project that produces results that are below expectations (regardless of why this is so) can no longer be considered successful.
You must also understand the your definition of value and the client’s definition of value (or upper management in the case of an in-house project) may differ. This is why it’s vital that every team member, management member and stakeholder be on the same page in regards to project deliverables and value prior to the project moving past the inception stage. If there are disparities here, you might feel that the project achieved its goals admirably, while the client will be nonplussed by the lack of value delivered.
Alignment of Goals and Value
From the very beginning, it’s important that project objectives are aligned correctly between all parties. This requires very clear, precise communication. All goals should be laid out clearly in a step-by-step formation, with one goal leading to the next, and ultimately culminating in the completion of the project with a predefined project value delivered to the client. Additionally, during alignment, any activities or goals that do not add to the project’s value or actively take away from that value must be eliminated.
Is It Achievable?
Achievability is another immense consideration here, and it’s a factor that must be evaluated throughout the entirety of the project. To ensure the utmost in terms of project value delivery, it’s important that all resources (human and otherwise) be constantly focused on achieving optimum value at the right time. With constant assessment of a project’s achievability at all steps along the way, an accurate assessment of the total value can be determined.
Project value can seem subjective, but if you, your team and all stakeholders remain on the same page from day one, it can be simple to ensure that the projected return is realized. It’s also important that the right tools are used and the correct team is assembled before the project commences.
The Best Job In The World?
1999 was probably the worst year of my professional life. Unsatisfying office jobs followed by long periods of unemployment and claiming benefits. I’d also missed out on an opportunity to train as a Microsoft certified programmer because I was unable to find a placement. The dream of making my way into the world of employment had turned into an absolute nightmare, at times I felt like a total failure.
Towards the end of 1999 an opportunity arose for me to work in a casino. I’d always loved card games after seeing the glitz and glamour of casinos in James Bond movies. Dissatisfied with life in Northern Ireland, at the age of just 20, I packed a couple of suitcases and ended up going to the Isle of Man to train as a croupier (casino dealer) in January 2000. 18 months later I was working on my first cruise ship, and 18 months after that I was boarding the QE2 (the most famous ship of them all) to do a world cruise.
For a young man from a housing estate in Antrim, Northern Ireland this was beyond even my wildest dreams. On a ferry from Belfast to Liverpool in 1997, I’d once seen a pontoon table and croupier and dreamt what it may be to work as a casino dealer on the high seas.
Everything aboard the QE2 was as you would expect, starting with Captain Ron Warwick, who looked exactly what the captain of the QE2 should look like (Google the name if you don’t believe me). Passenger facing crew were immaculate in their appearance. I could probably have shaved with the crease on my pressed tuxedo shirts, and on a number of occassions when I had been sunburnt in port, I could feel the creases cutting into my tender skin as I dealt the cards that evening in the casino.
The great thing for croupiers on cruise ships is that they only work when the ship is in international waters, in port, the casino must close, and casino staff are free to do pretty much whatever they want. Casino staff have a cabin steward who cleans their cabin and takes away their dirty laundry and brings it back fresh each day. We did a 103 day world cruise which included stops in places like Hong Kong, Sydney, Cape Town, Hawaii, Mauritius, Nagasaki, Tahiti and Singapore to name a few. I managed to do some amazing excursions like diving in the great barrier reef, quad biking in the Namibian desert, and dining in all sorts of fine restaurants, trying delicacies like Springbok, Kangaroo, Crocodile and Kobe beef. We made stops in 5 continents, crossed the equator and even experienced living a Tuesday in consequetive days when we crossed the world timeline. Imagine that, you go to bed on Tuesday night, wake up the following morning and its Tuesday again, but this was far from groundhog day.
The role in the casino was not about taking passengers’ money like in a land-based casino, it was about providing them with fun and entertainment. The passengers were friendly and pleasant, many of them being extremely successful people (I understand the lowest cabin cost for a world cruise on the QE2 was about $50,000 in 2003). A lot of the passengers had never played in a casino and were fascinated to learn and experience the one onboard. Just getting to know some of these people was an experience in itself, and a large part of the role in the casino was simply to entertain them whilst they were in the casino.
There were also celebrity passengers. We would finish work and go to the crew/members bar where we would have guest entertainers like the late Des O’Connor and the magician, the late Paul Daniels down to have a drink. God bless them both.
Was my job the best job in the world? Maybe not for everyone, but it was beyond even my wildest dreams and the 6 month experience, as well as the amazing people I met will be something I treasure forever. I was very lucky to have lived this experience and will always be incredibly grateful for it.
Many years have passed since then and I’ve always missed the buzz of casinos which is how Fun 21 Casino Hire was created in 2021. My celebrities now are anyone who hires the No Money Fun Casino that I provide for parties and celebrations, and I aim to give the same experience that you would expect onboard the QE2.