Streamlining Project Management for a Software Development Firm

• How would you describe Ubik’s portfolio of products and services? What do they do?
• Who are their target customers? What are their needs and how does Ubik meet those needs?
• How would you describe the organizational structure?
  • What are they key functional areas and activities central to operations
  • How would you map out the key positions, their roles and responsibilities, and their routine interactions?
• What are the company’s goals for scaling their products and services? How is the success measured and assessed?  How will the successful completion of this project support the company’s goals?

• What are the different functional areas?
  • How do they interact with each other? What are their routines? Channels? Communication tools?
  • How do they interact with external stakeholders? What are their routines? Channels? Communication tools?
• What suite of program management tools is the company currently using?
  • How well are these tools integrated with one another?
  • Are there tools that the company currently has access to but is under-utilizing?
• How could these tools be optimized to improve communication, decision-making, and productivity?
• Would automating certain processes to improve productivity? 

What does a deeper dive into Ubik’s portfolio of products and services reveal about each type of project they undertake? For instance:

• What are the required deliverables?
• What are the time frames for projects, and how are these estimated and managed?
• What key objectives or milestones are required to achieve the deliverables?
• What motions and tasks are required to achieve the objectives or milestones?
• What resources (comprehensive) are required to efficiently and effectively complete those motions and tasks?
• What are the metrics and benchmarks used to measure efficiency and success? How are current operations performing in relation to these benchmarks?
• How would you comprehensively define the following?

• • Who is and should (real/ideal) be responsible?
  • Who is and should be accountable?
  • Who is and should be consulted?
  • Who is and should be informed? 

• What are your recommendations for improving project management structures and processes?
• Considering the gaps realized from the above analysis, what technologies, staffing, or other solutions would most effectively close the gaps to bring about greater efficiency and success?
  • What changes can be made to reduce ambiguity, balance workload, and increase efficiency?
  • Do you have recommendations for building automation, or suggest a step-by-step process of how automation can accomplish the desired business objective?
• What metrics would you use to draw these conclusions, and why? 
• Can you design roadmaps for the type of projects the business commonly undertakes?
• How would your recommendations save money and/or time for the business? What impact will these likely have on consumer outcomes?