Careers: Interviews
Dennis McPeak: Technical Architect, RBC Financial Group
This week, Stephen Ibaraki, I.S.P., DF/NPA, CNP, MVP has an exclusive interview with Dennis McPeak.
Dennis McPeak graduated with a BSC in
Applied Mathematics and is currently a Project Manager and Technical Specialist
with 20 years experience in Financial Information Systems application
development and maintenance. Dennis is currently with the Finance Solutions
team at the RBC Financial Group. In 2005, Dennis and his team were the
recipients of the 2005 Computing Canada IT Leadership Awards: Project Team of
the Year Award. This is a significant achievement as the Computing Canada IT
Leadership Awards represent the highest of honours for the industry with an
estimated size of 500,000 to 800,000 professionals:
http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=37899&cid=12
Dennis can be reached at dennis.mcpeak@rbc.com
The latest blog on the interview can be found the week of May 22-26, 2006 in the Canadian IT Managers (CIM) forum where you can provide your comments in an interactive dialogue.
http://blogs.technet.com/cdnitmanagers/
Discussion:
Q: Dennis, congratulations on your fine
achievement and that of your team for your Computing Canada, Project Team of
the Year Award! We thank you for taking time out of your demanding schedule to
do this interview.
A: Stephen, thank you for your kind words
and may I also extend my congratulations on your lifetime achievement award.
Q1: When working on projects, how do you
address a resistance to change?
A: Resistance to change presents itself in
many forms; two come to mind immediately. One is the inherent resistance to
changing a process that is perceived to be working well and the players are
familiar with the procedures. In this case, what is required is a presentation
and, (if possible), a demonstration to the players involved of the increased
value the new process will provide. Two, is the personal resistance to change
in terms of �how will my mandate change with the implementation of the new
project� � it borders on job security. In this case, a level of trust is
required. Trust needs to be fostered among the project participants; that the
players are a valuable part of the new project and most likely the new
processes. Publicize that training on any new processes will be provided and an
open line of communication is always available to address any ongoing concerns.
I speak from experience on this second example � after the completion of the
Enterprise General Ledger project my role changed from Technical Architect to
PeopleSoft Programmer/Analyst and Project Manager.
Q2: What are your top five recommendations
for keeping a lid on scope creep?
A: For any reader not yet familiar with
scope creep � beware! In my estimation, this is the death knell for all large
projects. Born out of my experience on this recent project, my recommendations
for keeping a lid on scope creep (or change requests) are as follows:
- Capture important information related to the impact on:
- Business Cases
- Functional Designs
- Technical Designs
- Plans and Schedules
- Create a formal process to manage scope creep that includes the following step-wise approach to the change
requests:
- Initiation
- Analysis
- Review
- Approval
- Implementation
- Determine the impact of each change
request to the requirements in terms of design, cost and schedule. Review the impact among a representative counsel of project participants. Broad
representation is important as a significant change request may affect multiple or all participants and sponsors.
- For significant deferrable change requests, consider a Phase 2 and Phase 3 approach. As each phase will
require a separate design, cost and schedule, it will keep the original project on track.
- Make the process very public. A public process compels any individual that makes a change request to champion
the change, defend its impact and take responsibility for the impact on the overall project.
Q3: When a project occupies a significant
time period, how do you handle the natural transitioning of team members to
other duties?
A: Large projects typically start with a
small core development team, builds up to a critical mass including a
significant number of consultants, and then scales down to an operational and/or
maintenance team. The eGL project started with approximately 20 individuals
(myself included), scaled up to 180 individuals with a large number of
developers, and then scaled down to about 30 individuals (myself included) that
represent the operational and maintenance teams. In order to retain the project
knowledge that resides in all that cranium space, mandate the transition task
to each project leader and project manager on the project. Create a project
specific template to capture the project knowledge that will otherwise walk out
the door. Formally allocate time to each individual so that they may record the
project knowledge that will be needed by the operational and maintenance teams.
Have the project leader or project manager sign off on the project knowledge
document.
Q4: As a leading front-line technical
architect and project manager, can you profile three challenges, how you solved
them, and lessons learned that you want to share?
A:
Challenge one: Significantly complex
designs that needed to be built in a relatively short period of time.
Solution: Break up the design. Isolate the
core pieces from the non-core or deferrable pieces and identify any reusable
components that may already be available, or can be built to be re-usable by
other parts of the project; for example, a report module or a data access
module.
Lessons: Apply this solution to all of the
individual project designs in order to standardize the use of any re-usable
modules.
Challenge two: Assigning team members
to various project tasks.
Solution: Match individual skill sets to
the skills required for a given task, weigh your choice in favor of those team
members with previous successes on similar tasks, and as required, consider the
need for interpersonal skills for a given task and the suitability of the
chosen candidate in that regard.
Lessons: When the chosen candidate does not
work out, cut your losses. Take your medicine, (figuratively speaking), and
start the selection process over. In general, continuously work to assign the
most suitable people to each task.
Challenge three: Saying no to the
seemingly endless change requests.
Solution: Create a formal structure to
process the requests.
Lessons: It�s not a personal �no� it�s a
project �no�. As we all know there is only so much allocated time, money and
resources for this project. The �no� may be reincarnated into a Phase 2 project.
Q5: What are the five biggest issues facing
the banking industry in 2006 and in 2007? How can they be addressed?
A: This question is best put to one of the
big accounting firms as they specialize in the analysis of trends affecting
various industries including the banking industry. Nonetheless, I will say from
my vantage point the following challenges stand out (in no particular order):
- Staying current with the best
industry practices, such as the Capability Maturity Model (CMM).
- Maintaining an evolving company
specific Project Life Cycle and when appropriate a central Project Office.
- Retaining talented individuals
- Managing aging software
solutions
- As an industry, the financial
community needs to continue to show itself relevant to the local communities
they serve.
In terms of addressing these issues there
is no point in time solution as the solutions to each of these issues exist on
a continuum. Here are some behaviors that will assist in addressing these
issues.
- Periodically apply for certification and assessments to gauge one�s position with respect to the best
industry practices.
- Periodically revisit the Project Life Cycle processes, including gathering input from all stake holders.
- Keep an eye on the intangible rewards as they make a lasting impression.
- Create an inventory of software
solutions and label each with a best before date.
- Give back to the community
whenever possible though sponsorships, donations of money, equipment and employees�
time on behalf of the organization. Create a respectful public awareness of the
industry�s commitment to the community.�
Q6: What are the five biggest issues facing
corporations today and what are your recommendations for meeting these
challenges?
A: In light of the recent accounting
scandals, the number one issue facing all corporations today dwarfs all the
others � namely accountability and corporate governance. This really boils down
to trust � that is the marketplace�s trust in the corporation. By marketplace I
mean all the consumers, entrepreneurs, business owners and corporations, each
doing business with a corporation in one form or another. Whereas in the past
it was expected but not necessarily demonstrated that the great majority of business
dealings were honest, respectable and certainly within the letter of the law,
now this trust is broken and we are all stating �show me the proof�: publish the
records, the processes, the owners, the dealings, the conflicts of interest, and
the insider information. The trust is most certainly broken and corporations
will need to work hard to regain some level of trust in the marketplace.
Q7: How would you define your job as a
technical architect? What do you see as the critical skills required by
technical architects?
A: The technical architect has the
responsibility to define solutions that are broadly encompassing and then
supervise the solution such that it is implemented as defined.
Successful technical architects are able to
switch between the big picture solution and the finer technical details with
little effort; they often hold the �blue sky� ideas and understand the nuts and
bolts of the technical assembly.
Q8: How do you see your work evolving into
the future and why?
A: As my role has changed with the completion of the recent project, I am no longer a technical architect. This is
a normal course of business, as large projects come and go.
Q9: Provide your five predictions of future trends, their implications and business opportunities?
A:
Trend 1: Internet Everywhere
Implication: With the
pervasiveness of the internet there are more connections being made every day.
Not only connections between people, but connections between processes, systems
and monitoring devices are proliferating by leaps and bounds.
Business Opportunity: This connectivity or connectiveness will be the catalyst for
unlimited new ideas and growth in business, education and communities at large.
Trend 2: Planned Escapism
Implication: As a result of the �Internet
Everywhere� phenomenon a segment of the population will seek to periodically escape
and be disconnected.
Business Opportunity: The travel
industry may be able to capitalize on people�s desire to escape, albeit for a
brief period, from one�s connection to technology.
Trend 3: A realization that each resource of our planet has a consumable limit
Implication: With this trend, there will be
a greater focus on waste. That is, a greater focus will be placed on waste of
all kinds, human waste, consumer waste, manufacturing waste and resource waste
to name but a few.
Business Opportunity: If this trend (or
realization) takes hold, it will be imperative for businesses to demonstrate
that they are successfully managing all forms of waste.
Trend 4: An obvious and continuing trend is
the greening of the planet
Implication: Consumers will insist on
�greener� choices in their purchases.
Business Opportunity: Business will need
to monitor this trend and be ready to step in with greener choices, or remain
at a competitive disadvantage. Business leaders have an opportunity to lead in
this trend by proposing �greener� choices in the marketplace. By �greener�
choices I mean products that are environmentally friendly in all aspects of
their creation, consumption and final disposal or preferable reuse.
Trend 5: Environmental Fashion
Implication: With the slow but steady
greening of the planet and its businesses, people will make personal, political,
and environmental statements through the fashions they consume. For example,
wearing biodegradable man-made garments, driving eco-friendly cars and participating
in sustainable consumerism will become a fashion statement.
Business Opportunity: The business
opportunity is very broad as it touches all aspects of the consumer society and
the business built to support and feed each consumer. Those businesses that
re-invent themselves according to the sustainable model will benefit
significantly. This change will require long term thinking and less focus on
quarterly results.
Q10: For the future, which specific new
internet technologies do you find will have the greatest impact on history?
A: It is not the internet technologies
themselves, but the connections that the internet technologies provide that
will have the greatest impact on history. For instance, the ability to
communicate from the smallest village in the Australian outback to the smallest
village in the Darfur region of Africa � now that is powerful.
Q11: What are your views on IT Governance?
A: IT governance is best formulated at the
same table as corporate governance. IT holds the enabling tools and processes
to provide the agreed upon Corporate Governance. The Corporate Governance model
should extend to the IT practices and procedures used to deliver products and
services to the business. In the case of the RBC Enterprise General Ledger
project, it was broken down into a number of smaller projects or sub projects.
I led one of those sub projects and co-managed another. The project leadership
role was established with a strong governance model. The project�s Steering
Committee and the project�s Business Advisory Board, consisting of
representatives from all areas affected, guided the project. They met weekly to
review the project status and facilitate staying on track. A weekly executive
status summary was their key communication tool to all project members.
Q12: Can you talk about the challenges around
compliance?
A: Compliance appears to be straight forward � read the business rules � create the practices and procedures to
follow the rules � train the people in the practices and procedures � create a
mechanism to self-monitor the process � periodically report to the governing
body. The challenge is cost. Do what was previously outlined for as little
cost, both initial cost and on-going cost, as possible.
Q13: What are the critical issues facing IT managers today?
A: The critical issues vary depending on
the maturity of the given IT shop. But for a relatively mature IT shop that has
put in place an IT model and structure with the necessary practices and
procedures to support its business model and structure, (often accomplished
through iterative attempts), the critical issue is sticking to your model and
fine tuning the details.
Q14: Which are your top five recommended resources?
A:
- A good online dictionary - you can
make your own choice as there are many to choose from. This is indispensable for
clear, effective written communications.
- A link to your most used software �
whatever it may be, as any small improvement in the use of that software will
be compounded in value given its repeated use.
- A link to your second most used
software. If it worked for the most used software it will surely work for the
second most used software.
- A good professional network as they are
a source of knowledge and inspiration.
- A passion for something other than IT as
it will be a source of distraction; a means to cross-train in terms of
creativity and a place of refection for those eureka moments we all require.
Q15: Provide commentary on three topics of your choosing.
A:
Topic 1: On leading large projects: large projects are inherently difficult to manage; thus, strive to break them
down into smaller, more manageable components.
Topic 2: On technology solutions: better
technical solutions are always just around the corner; thus, spend more time on
the design and delay your build until as late as reasonably possible.
Topic 3: On having fun: always remember
there appears to be no greater motivator then the possibility of having fun;
thus, make your project experience as fun as possible.
Q16: Now for some lighter questions: What is
your favorite passion?
A) I love skiing as it gets me away from IT and out of doors into the fresh air. It also allows for some reflective moments
and I get to spend some fun time with my family.
What is your favorite gadget?
A) My laptop. In my most recent project I was inseparable from my laptop as it was the well-spring of project knowledge
that I constantly needed.
Q: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. We wish you continued success for the future.
A: You are welcome and thank you for requesting this interview as I am honored to be able to provide some insight
into this successful project and share some of our lessons learned and best practices. |