Visual Project Management - War Rooms - Revision history

S184404: /* How to set up a war room in a minute */

2023-04-07T09:01:32Z

How to set up a war room in a minute

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	# Maintaining and frequently using the war room is essential. If you have a physical room, where your project and sticky notes are safe – lucky you. If you don’t, put up large printing paper sheets, where you can stick your sticky notes. Mark the sheets with numbers, and take them with you when your meeting is over. You can then go straight back in the war room zone at your next meeting by putting the sheets back up on the walls.		# Maintaining and frequently using the war room is essential. If you have a physical room, where your project and sticky notes are safe – lucky you. If you don’t, put up large printing paper sheets, where you can stick your sticky notes. Mark the sheets with numbers, and take them with you when your meeting is over. You can then go straight back in the war room zone at your next meeting by putting the sheets back up on the walls.
	# As your project progresses, changes will happen. Your sticky notes should change too, to cope with the new challenges.		# As your project progresses, changes will happen. Your sticky notes should change too, to cope with the new challenges.


	===How to set up a (fancy) stationary war room===		===How to set up a (fancy) stationary war room===

S184404: /* How to set up a (fancy) stationary war room */

2023-03-13T15:09:44Z

How to set up a (fancy) stationary war room

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:09, 13 March 2023
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	# '''Walls'''. Use white walls where attention is needed, for example a whole wall with whiteboard material, and darker colors where screens are fixated. This will draw the attention to turned on-screens, and draw attention elsewhere when off.		# '''Walls'''. Use white walls where attention is needed, for example a whole wall with whiteboard material, and darker colors where screens are fixated. This will draw the attention to turned on-screens, and draw attention elsewhere when off.
	# '''Furnishing'''. Make the war room as flexible as possible. What might be a good idea now, might not be it for the next project or idea pitching. Have tables on wheels, whiteboards on wheels and light – yet comfortable – chairs or couches. If the war room is used for idea pitches, keep an informal atmosphere with couches etc., and for large projects, where time is a key criterion, keep the furnishing to a minimal in order to maximize the space. When people are standing, they are paying more attention, which is ideal if the team is only in the room for information meetings.		# '''Furnishing'''. Make the war room as flexible as possible. What might be a good idea now, might not be it for the next project or idea pitching. Have tables on wheels, whiteboards on wheels and light – yet comfortable – chairs or couches. If the war room is used for idea pitches, keep an informal atmosphere with couches etc., and for large projects, where time is a key criterion, keep the furnishing to a minimal in order to maximize the space. When people are standing, they are paying more attention, which is ideal if the team is only in the room for information meetings.


	== Limitations ==		== Limitations ==

S184404: /* Overview */

2023-02-12T14:21:17Z

Overview

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	*Establish concepts quickly <ref name="Enterprise">Enterprise Project Governance: A Guide to the Successful Management of projects across the organization, Paul C. DInsmose and Luiz Rocha (2012)</ref>		*Establish concepts quickly <ref name="Enterprise">Enterprise Project Governance: A Guide to the Successful Management of projects across the organization, Paul C. DInsmose and Luiz Rocha (2012)</ref>



	== Types of analog war rooms ==		== Types of analog war rooms ==

S184404: /* Types of analog war rooms */

2023-02-12T12:02:12Z

Types of analog war rooms

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	When information on the overall process and project is not delivered or understood by the team members, they start to work in silos. This can become dangerous to any project, as employee A can work towards a completely different goal than employee B. According to Mark Woeppel <ref name="Woeppel">Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget, Mark Woeppel (2015)</ref>, the primary problem in project execution is that the teams do not have any situational visibility. They don’t know where they are in the process, and they can’t see clearly what to do. They need a map to guide them. This is where the war room comes in handy.		When information on the overall process and project is not delivered or understood by the team members, they start to work in silos. This can become dangerous to any project, as employee A can work towards a completely different goal than employee B. According to Mark Woeppel <ref name="Woeppel">Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget, Mark Woeppel (2015)</ref>, the primary problem in project execution is that the teams do not have any situational visibility. They don’t know where they are in the process, and they can’t see clearly what to do. They need a map to guide them. This is where the war room comes in handy.


	==Why is it effective? ==		==Why is it effective? ==

Tkokotas at 14:06, 18 December 2018

2018-12-18T14:06:35Z

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	''There are many kinds of war rooms - they can be analog, digital, virtual or hybrid. This article will focus on analog war rooms and its practical use in workshops or as a stationary gathering place for project teams and clients.''		''Developed by Signe Skovmand Jakobsen''


			There are many kinds of war rooms - they can be analog, digital, virtual or hybrid. This article will focus on analog war rooms and its practical use in workshops or as a stationary gathering place for project teams and clients.

	== Overview ==		== Overview ==

Tkokotas at 15:32, 27 November 2018

2018-11-27T15:32:42Z

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	== Overview ==		== Overview ==
	~~[[File:WarRoomPhoto.jpg\|400px\|thumb\|right\|Figure 1. An example of a war room. ]]~~
	A war room is a 3 dimensional information and storytelling framework, where a project team can visually show, share and connect their ideas and knowledge across areas of expertise. The room is sort of a shared think box, in which the project team can develop projects and strategies, organize complex programs and layout expected time schedules. Thoughts, information and data can be visualized, which forms the foundation of finding linkages with interdisciplinary impacts and multidimensional information <ref name="Lessons_Learned">Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, Steven M. Shaker (2002), Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium (http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA467523)</ref>. The concept is very useful in larger projects, where many people must work together and understand each other's needs and timeframes in order to have a successful cooperation and deliver on time.		A war room is a 3 dimensional information and storytelling framework, where a project team can visually show, share and connect their ideas and knowledge across areas of expertise. The room is sort of a shared think box, in which the project team can develop projects and strategies, organize complex programs and layout expected time schedules. Thoughts, information and data can be visualized, which forms the foundation of finding linkages with interdisciplinary impacts and multidimensional information <ref name="Lessons_Learned">Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, Steven M. Shaker (2002), Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium (http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA467523)</ref>. The concept is very useful in larger projects, where many people must work together and understand each other's needs and timeframes in order to have a successful cooperation and deliver on time.

Tkokotas at 18:54, 23 October 2018

2018-10-23T18:54:00Z

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	[[Category:''Visual ~~Project Management''~~]]		[[Category:Visual tools‏]]

SSJ at 08:50, 11 October 2016

2016-10-11T08:50:26Z

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	''Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget by Mark Woeppel''		''Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget by Mark Woeppel''

	This book has a practical approach on how to do project management, and the reader is guided through different phases in project management and how the author would perform and manage in these situations. The book seems more like a sales trick for the author's own system than a guidance manual, but if the reader can condone this part, it is an interesting read with some good ideas. The book combines elements from the PMBOK®, Agile, Lean and the Theory of Constraints and it is super well written with the author's own experiences as a savvy project manager.		This book has a practical approach on how to do project management, and the reader is guided through different phases in project management and how the author would perform and manage in these situations. The book seems more like a sales trick for the author's own system than a guidance manual, but if the reader can condone this part, it is an interesting and fun read with some good ideas. The author writes in first-person, which makes it almost personal with some hilarious management anecdotes. The book combines elements from the PMBOK®, Agile, Lean and the Theory of Constraints and it is super well written with the author's own experiences as a savvy project manager.


			''Why your team needs a war room — and how to set one up by Jake Knapp''

			Even if this is reference is only a blog post, I think it is great. The blog post gives a contemporary image of how war rooms are used in real life, and it seems more lifelike and realistic than all the heavy literature available. The post is straight to the point, on why war rooms are valuable for Google Ventures in their design sprints, and how regular people can set up a war room. Very practical approach and no beating around the bush.

SSJ at 08:43, 11 October 2016

2016-10-11T08:43:10Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:43, 11 October 2016
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	Large projects contain an enormous amount of information, where the most is often very complex. It is therefore of great importance to ensure the project team members understand this information, in order to secure an as straight-line process as possible during the project. Time wasted on miscommunication benefits no one, and can in worst case lead to great financial loss, delays and even failures. Miscommunications should therefore be minimized. The war room is a communication tool, where everyone should get a clear overview of the project and the current situation, just by turning 360 degrees in the room. The war room may therefore not only be a communication tool for the project team, but also for the stakeholders and in particular the clients. Often, the clients are eager to follow the project closely, even if they do not have an idea of project management. The war room can create this bond, that even if they do not follow the jargon, they can still get a sense of the progress just by seeing it visually.		Large projects contain an enormous amount of information, where the most is often very complex. It is therefore of great importance to ensure the project team members understand this information, in order to secure an as straight-line process as possible during the project. Time wasted on miscommunication benefits no one, and can in worst case lead to great financial loss, delays and even failures. Miscommunications should therefore be minimized. The war room is a communication tool, where everyone should get a clear overview of the project and the current situation, just by turning 360 degrees in the room. The war room may therefore not only be a communication tool for the project team, but also for the stakeholders and in particular the clients. Often, the clients are eager to follow the project closely, even if they do not have an idea of project management. The war room can create this bond, that even if they do not follow the jargon, they can still get a sense of the progress just by seeing it visually.

	When information on the overall process and project is not delivered or understood by the team members, they start to work in silos. This can become dangerous to any project, as employee A can work towards a completely different goal than employee B. According to Mark Woeppel <ref name="Woeppel">Visual Project Management, Mark Woeppel (2015)</ref>, the primary problem in project execution is that the teams do not have any situational visibility. They don’t know where they are in the process, and they can’t see clearly what to do. They need a map to guide them. This is where the war room comes in handy.		When information on the overall process and project is not delivered or understood by the team members, they start to work in silos. This can become dangerous to any project, as employee A can work towards a completely different goal than employee B. According to Mark Woeppel <ref name="Woeppel">Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget, Mark Woeppel (2015)</ref>, the primary problem in project execution is that the teams do not have any situational visibility. They don’t know where they are in the process, and they can’t see clearly what to do. They need a map to guide them. This is where the war room comes in handy.


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	== Key references ==		== Key references ==
	''(to ~~be continued~~....) ''		''Visuals Matter! Designing and using effective visual representations to support project and portfolio decisions by Joana Gerald and Mario Arlt''

			This book focuses on the indirect and subconscious effects of visuals in project portfolio decisions. It covers important aspects for project managers in general, and how they could use more graphs, images and visuals in general to generate clearer statements, as visuals are not straight line of information, contrary to text, just like a project is not a monologue. The book shows examples of how to present heavy information, and how simple things like colors and graph sizes, which most engineers do not think twice about when plotting graphs in Excel, have great influence on the way it is perceived. Important questions such as whether visuals are simplifying or "dumbifying" are asked, and it is an interesting read.


			''Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget by Mark Woeppel''

			This book has a practical approach on how to do project management, and the reader is guided through different phases in project management and how the author would perform and manage in these situations. The book seems more like a sales trick for the author's own system than a guidance manual, but if the reader can condone this part, it is an interesting read with some good ideas. The book combines elements from the PMBOK®, Agile, Lean and the Theory of Constraints and it is super well written with the author's own experiences as a savvy project manager.




	== Annotated Bibliography ==		== Annotated Bibliography ==

SSJ: /* Key references */

2016-10-11T08:20:44Z

Key references

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	== Key references ==		== Key references ==
	''(to be continued....) ''		''(to be continued....) ''


	== Annotated Bibliography ==		== Annotated Bibliography ==