People - Love'em or Hate'em?

Are you the type of person that comments on a regular basis, “you know, I really can’t stand people!” Perhaps you should consider whether or not this view impacts your success as a project manager and/or leader. I argue that it does.

I was just checking out Pete DeYoe’s blog and he has two recent entries that led me to this post. In his entry titled “Flock or Fleece”, he quotes:

Effective leaders are those interested in the flock – the people they are leading. They see their role as that of a giver – to get behind their people and support them in ways that bring out their best.

Ineffective leaders are interested only in the fleece and couldn’t care less about their flock – they’re takers…

The lesson here is to be a giver and show an interest in your flock. If you do, your flock will respond in ways that will guarantee your success as a leader.

Instant Turnaround, by Harry Paul and Ross Reck

The other article is called "Why Being a 'Good' Manager is 'Great'", which he posted after reading the book, “Lead Well and Prosper” by Nick McCormick.

I believe that being a good project manager who cares about people IS great. We all know that projects are hard and often involve strange hours and/or time away from what we really care about. If you are in a job where you aren’t sure you are doing as much for the world as you had hoped, look around. If you are genuinely interested in and care about people and their success and do everything you can to help them be successful while simultaneously understanding that sometimes people actually have lives outside of work, you are doing a GREAT thing for the world! You are doing your part to help to create a healthy work environment for people. When they feel good about coming to work, it truly is a gift that keeps on giving - for them, for you, for the project, for the company, for the world.

Do your team members feel good about working for and/or with you? What even slight change can you make right now, to bring out the best in people even more? Let me give you a hint…it’s not by “sheering“ them when they walk into your office…

Robert Cooper to Keynote at PMI Global Congress 2007 North America

Robert Cooper, the author of Get Out of Your Own Way: Five Keys to Exceeding Everyone’s Expectations and The Other 90%: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential for Leadership and Life will be the keynote speaker at this year's PMI Global Congress North America.

Cooper, touted by Stephen Covey and Ken Blanchard for his unique insights, is best known for his inspiring works on achievement, practical use of emotional intelligence, and the neuroscience of leadership.

With project management being mostly about people, this should be an exciting and valuable presentation for anyone attending. Project managers will no doubt come away with some fresh perspectives.

A Lesson in People Skills

Play this at your next meeting for an ice-breaker...

Leadership Wisdom : Pig Style

I recently came across an excellent leadership blog site called PigWisdom. It's run by Jack Hayhow, author of The Wisdom of the Flying Pig, and it's full of brief little stories and tips that can energize and enlighten any leader.

I noticed one of the chapters in Hayhow's book borrows it's title from the old adage, "Don't try to teach a pig to sing---it wastes your time and annoys the pig."

It's a cute saying, but many leaders try to do just that by having employees work out of their natural area of strength. As gurus from Peter Drucker to Marcus Buckingham have preached, this is not a wise use of our resources. Plus, it annoys the human.

Meanwhile, here's the PigWisdom blog site. Enjoy.

PigWisdom.com

Effective Use of Office Politics

Guy gleans some simple truths from Penelope Trunk. Need to influence the organization on your project. Try this. ...

... "Office politics is about helping people to get what they want. This means you have to take the time to figure out what someone cares about, and then think about how you can help him or her to get it. " ...

Via Guy Kawasaki at How to Change the World: Myths of the Workplace by Penelope Trunk

Real World Project Management

There's a good interview on Projects@Work with Susan Snedaker, author of How to Cheat at IT Project Management.

Some key points (paraphrased):

• At status meetings, focus on outcomes instead of endless discussions on issues.
• To insure risks aren't overlooked, appoint a "risk management" person on your project team and/or specify checkpoint milestones on your project.
• To control scope, use past lessons to remind stakeholders of the potential impact of scope creep.
• If you don't like dealing with people ---- well, get out of project management (or at least take a more specialized role on projects).

All good points! Here's the interview...

http://www.projectsatwork.com/content/Articles/236152.cfm

The Enemy of Simplicity: The Thud Factor

We've all heard about the benefits of simplicity, whether in our processes, our communication, or in our objectives. In all its forms, simplicity is a way to reduce confusion, boost morale, and encourage speed and flexibility. In fact, simplicity, speed, and flexibility are three of the "Six Winning Principles" I wrote about in Napoleon on Project Management (the other three being exactitude, character, and moral force).

But there's a lurking enemy of simplicity, and it often goes unnoticed. It can be found in the motives of individuals creating the processes, communications, or objectives. I'm talking about job protection. I don't mean the blatant kind that results from grandiose thinking, egotism or turf wars. It's much more subtle than that.

It can happen if an individual or department is placed in charge of creating a process or devising a plan. Or it can happen if a consulting company is brought in to do a study or offer advice. Common sense says that these people, while not necessarily devious, will hesitate to come up with anything too simple, lest they feel they're not doing their job. The result is often something that is way more detailed, complex, and expensive than it needs to be.

What can we do about it? We need to be very aware of motives and rewards, and make sure we don't consiously or unconciously reward people for complexity. We need to send a message that the shortest, simplest way to meet the goal wins (even offering incentives if possible). This can avoid what many consultants jokingly refer to as "the thud factor"----the customer's perception of the value of the service as judged by how much of a noise the report makes when it's dropped on their desk.

Whether it's a consulting company, a PMO, an internal process center, or a project team, we need to find a way to head off the thud factor and insure simplicity. We can do this by understanding motives; sending the right message; insisting on brief, simple reports; and creating the right reward system.

Project Execution

Tom Peters and crew on strategy implementation through execution ... here's a chance for the project manager to shine ... Get the leadership support. Break the plan into chunks. Schedule the first chunk and resource the team. Start driving. ... Sounds simple. ...

... "Great execution happens in small manageable chunks by taking large plans and breaking them into manageable parts. Otherwise, the path to execution can seem so overwhelming, people can't conjure up the energy. " ...

Via tompeters!: Execution through Projects

Management Truths: Can You Handle It?

Jack says you can't handle the truth. But if you're ready, I highly recommend Stephen Robbins' excellent book, The Truth About Managing People... And Nothing But the Truth.

Robbins has sold over 2 million copies, and I can see why. In plain, simple language, Robbins outlines 63 truths, supported by evidence, stories, and examples. Each truth is only a few pages, so you can open the book up at almost any page and find a gem. The whole book is under 200 pages in a small paperpack format.

The 63 common-sense truths span the areas of hiring, motivation, leadership, communication, team building, conflict management, job design, performance evaluation, coping with change, and managing behavior.

A few good lessons (paraphrased):

1) Productivity usually breeds satisfaction, rather than the other way around.

2) When interviewing, don't go on traits. Instead probe about past behaviors (i.e. "Tell me about a time when you ....")

3) Put people in jobs that match their personalities.

4) Out of all the traits people have, conscientiousness is the most frequent predictor of success.

5) Specific stretch goals produce higher output than generalized goals like "do your best."

6) Not everyone wants to participate in setting their goals. It depends on their nature, ability, time available, and other factors.

7) Judge behaviors, not people.

8) There's something to be said for "looking the part of the leader."

9) Expect the best and people will deliver. Expect the worst, and people won't dissapoint.

10) Experience isn't always a good indicator of success.

11) There's no ideal leadership style. Directive or supportive styles can work in different situations.

12) Teams often create negative synergy. Beware of loafers. Be sure to identify and measure individual efforts as well as team efforts.

13) Honor the work-life balance. Give flexibility and options.

14) Beware of the quick fix. What works for one company or problem doesn't always work for another.

For many more, and further explanations and examples, read the book!

Project Management Imperatives: Ten Keys to Success

Someone recently asked me what I felt the critical success factors were for any project (i.e. what were the top "must do's"). Although I can think of many more, here were what I felt were the top ten:

1) Get the roles right. (Insure accountability; use a RACI chart or Responsibility Matrix so roles are clearly defined. Insuring people understand their commitments up front will avoid problems later.)

2) Get the goals right. (Make sure all the key stakeholders agree on the goals. I've seen more projects go wrong for this reason than any other. Time spent here will pay dividends later.)

3) Get the current scope right. (I say "current scope," because change should be expected. Projects by default contain change because they are unique in nature. It's not whether you'll experience change, it's how you analyze the potential impacts and manage the approval of the change that counts. Agreed-upon and approved scope changes are perfectly acceptable, with one caveat: It's often wise to set a limit to the number of times scope can be changed for the current product release, and defer some changes to a subsequent release, else value gets delayed.).

4) Obtain commitment from the business, customers, and other stakeholders as to their part in the success of the project. (Many projects derail because the customer doesn't live up to their side of the bargain, doesn't understand their side of the bargain, or some other necessary constituent isn't cooperating for various reasons. Obtain the right commitment up front, starting with senior management.)

5) Determine the critical success factors and risks. (Critical success factors and risks go hand in hand. Many people ignore this or sweep it under the rug, and accept any related risks as a given. The critical success factors will identify related risks and help set expectations).

6) Set expectations. (This is frequently overlooked and is a key cause of failure. The sponsor, customers, and anyone impacted by the project must be given realistic expectations for what is needed from them, how long the project will take, how much it will cost, what the uncertainty factor is, what the available resources are, and anything else necessary to avoid surprises and/or an under-equipped effort.)

7) Beware of conflicting directives. (I call this the "Robocop Syndrome." In the film, Robocop, the titular robotic policeman goes on full tilt when he encounters directives that conflict with his primary directive. I see this happen often in organizations where a project sponsor demands something that is in conflict with other key stakeholders' wishes and/or top organizational directives. This could be covered under "goals" or "expectations," but it's so important that it warrants its own point. The project manager must head this off at the pass before the project goes down a rat hole it won't recover from.)

8) Plan Collaboratively. (The act of planning is not an isolated exercise. It's a collaborative exercise and should be done with the project core team and subject matter experts via some sort of facilitated brainstorming session---possibly with sticky labels on a wall.)

9) Beware of unilateral and granular "one-size-fits-all" solutions. (This is often ineffective, both as a project management methodology and a process implementation policy. Look at the big picture, and the potential variations. Keeping a framework high-level can allow for greatest flexibility and adaptability. Aim for principles over rules wherever possible. Use rules when safety is involved, regulatory requirements exist, or exact accuracy is needed---per Marcus Buckingham's guidelines from "First Break All the Rules.")

10) Don't let rank set you off course. (Often, a senior manager pulls rank and makes requests that are either detrimental, unwise, or in direct conflict with organizational goals. When this happens, see rules 6 and 7. It is the project manager's responsibility to set the right expectations, warn of potential risks, and head off potential conflicting directives at the pass.)

There it is. My list of "must do's." Project management isn't rocket science. In fact it's not a science at all. It's more of an art. Hopefully, the guidelines above can serve as a useful palette.

Event Map: Mind Map Technique

Nifty approach to mapping events using mind-map model ... Inputs are converging factors and outputs are diverging consequences. Think project go-live events, product launch, etc. ...

... "Many business people are primarily concerned with events that change the status quo. This could be launching a product or service, commissioning a process, solving a problem, delivering a physical event (such as a seminar), or establishing a new behaviour. " ...

Via Beyond Crayons: Template for Visualising Events

Tom Peters on Action

There's an interesting new site called Slideshare, where people can upload and share powerpoint presentations (we just KNOW everyone loves Powerpoint presentations!).

I always enjoy Tom Peters' presentations, and lo and behold his presentation on Action is there.

My favorite slide is a quote from Peter Drucker:

"Ninety percent of what we call "management" consists of making it difficult for people to get things done."

Oh, and check out slide #64. It contains a nice Napoleon quote on simplicity from a book by yours truly.

http://www.slideshare.net/ddebowczyk/tom-peters-on-action

Influencing People: The Project Manager's Secret Weapon

I recently attended a presentation on self-awareness and influence by Dr. Charles Dwyer, Academic Director of the Aresty Institute’s Leading and Managing People program in the Wharton School. I was so impressed with the presentation that I bought his book, The Shifting Sources of Power and Influence.

This book was a real eye-opener, and a jewel for anyone in project management. In the book, Dwyer states three major challenges we all face:

• Dissonant Value Systems (i.e. people’s conflicting value systems, made even more visible by the advent of the media, internet, etc.)
• Diffused Power (i.e. power being spread around in a matrix fashion, with more and more decentralization and special interest groups, etc.)
• Limited Resources (We all face a limited set of resources, made even more challenging by our lack of a mindset geared towards accepting tradeoffs, or a good mechanism to guide operational priorities)

Sound like any projects you know?

Dwyer goes on to caution that public statements, such as vision, mission, organizational values, etc. may be useful for articulating the values of the leadership or giving people a sense of structure, but do not in themselves change anyone’s value systems. Many leaders assume they can use these statements to change people’s value systems to match organizational values, but this is a myth.

What is needed instead is the ability to influence others by getting them to change their behavior to match your values. To do this, have a clear picture of what you want the unit to look like; set specific, measurable objectives; and insure that people have a way of achieving those objectives.

According to Dwyer, some tried and true methods include asking people for help, offering or implying something in return, or influencing indirectly (i.e. working through someone else who’s in a better position to influence).

Dwyer points out five guidelines for influencing people (I’ve paraphrased them):

1. Insure they have adequate capability (Do they know what to do, have the competence and self-confidence to carry it out?)
2. Address their perception of “Potential Value Satisfaction” (WIIFM or “what’s in it for me”)
3. Address their perception of the probability of value satisfaction (i.e. Do they trust you? You must build trust through visible examples.)
4. Address their perception of cost (Do this by giving them alternatives or a sense of options, and helping them understand the costs and implications.)
5. Address their perception of risk (Try to assume or distribute some of the risk. Don’t ignore it.)

These are the five things everyone weighs in their mind when someone attempts to influence them. In essence, the five elements (four of which are perceptions) make up an equation for behavior. We can influence people’s behavior by addressing this equation (I’ve paraphrased for simplicity):

Behavior=Capability + (Perceived Value * Trust factor) – (Perceived cost and risk)

These are just some of the gems of wisdom in Dwyer's book. He offers reams of memorable examples, often with a humorous style. With 90% of a project manager's job being communication (including influence), I highly recommend Dwyer’s book for project managers, or anyone in a leadership position for that matter.

Market Disruption: Venice Project

Skype founders aim to disrupt the television market with the power of the internet and rapid implementation of new capabilities. ...

... "The Venice Project is a new venture that combines the best elements of the TV experience with the most powerful internet technologies, in a way that will redefine the way people think about television. " ...

About The Venice Project

Data Security Breach: High Impact Public Event

UCLA deals with painful security event in open, transparent way. The security investigation shows that the security breach was exploited to seek Social Security numbers and started as early as October 2005. The university has established a website specifically to handle this event. ...

... "UCLA is alerting approximately 800,000 people that their names and certain personal information are contained in a restricted database that was illegally and fraudulently accessed by a sophisticated computer hacker. " ...

Via UCLA: UCLA Warns of Unauthorized Access to Restricted Database

Olympic IT Project: Risk Management Challenge

Atos project team will manage the Olympics IT project for Vancouver games. It manages risks by leveraging accumulated knowledge and experience forward. Lesson learned, knowledge transfer, sustaining core team members, and scaling high-performance teams are all ingredients of successful Olympic technology events. ...

... "In June 2006, only months after completion of the Torino 2006 Winter Games, Atos Origin dispatched IT managers and engineers to already start working on the Vancouver project. Currently the size of the Atos Origin IT team in Vancouver is around 15 but the team will grow rapidly over the next couple of years. During the 2010 Winter Games, Atos Origin will manage the technology consortium team estimated at 2,000 staff, including 400 Atos Origin experts, made up of locally hired staff, local volunteers and overseas Olympic Games technology experts.

The complex, massive IT infrastructure of the Olympic Games is deployed by large teams of people into different cities in different countries every other year. Such a major task is all about risk management capitalizing on the knowledge gained from previous Games Operations. This knowledge and experience transfer is critical in keeping costs down and in lowering the risk of future Olympic Games. " ...

Via Atos Origin: Atos Origin IT Team already in place for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

Managing from the Bottom Up

Yesterday I entered a post about Best Buy's new Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE), and how allowing employees total freedom as to where and how they work, focusing instead on results, has shown a 35% productivity improvement. Granted, this may not apply in every environment, but the premise of focusing on results over rules is sound.

What I failed to mention is that this initiative didn't come from the top. In fact, CEO Brad Anderson didn't even know about it untill it was well under way and showing tangible benefits. And that's just the way he likes it.

Kudos to Anderson for allowing the flexibility in his organization for innovation from within, and the courage to try new things. That is what a learning organization is all about.

Anyone who ever brought about major transformation (think Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Jesus), usually did it in a bottom-up approach, not by first convincing "management."

One other thing I failed to mention. While it's uncertain to what extent it played in encouraging this particular situation, a primary consultant to the Best Buy organization is Marcus Buckingham, the talent management guru and author of three of the most enlightening management books I've read (First Break All the Rules, Now Discover Your Strengths, and The One Thing You Need to Know). I'd venture to say that his influence has at least indirectly encouraged this people-focused mentality.

Focus on Results, not Time: Best Buy Breaks New Ground

The other day, I posted a blog about the traffic anarchy experiment going on in Europe, where seven cities eliminated all traffic signs and the result was a reduction in accidents. My point was that if we focus on accountability and results, people will surprise us.

Well, Best Buy has taken that a step further. In the latest Business Week magazine, the feature story highlights Best Buy's daring new Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) program. As part of the program, they have eliminated all work schedules in their participating areas and have practically eliminated meetings.

If someone wants to come in at 10:00am, fine. If they go to a movie in the afternoon, no problem. The key isn't how many hours they work, or even where they work (most workers are virtual most of the time). It's how well they achieve results.

Sound like chaos? Sound like people will just slack off? Well, once again the results say it all. For the divisions testing this method, voluntary turnover dropped dramatically (-90% for the Dot.Com division, -52% for the Logistics Division, and -75% for the Sourcing Division).

Sure, the turnover rate went down, but what about productivity? That too was greatly improved. The average rise in productivity for the participating divisions was +35% since the ROWE system was introduced in 2005.

Of course, what's important to making this work is to have the right metrics (i.e. customer retention, reduction in turnover, etc.). Many business mistakes happen because the wrong incentives are in place, leading workers to strive to meet a goal that sacrifices quality or is not in the best interest of the company as a whole.

The bottom line is that evidence is growing that we are better served by focusing on results over rules and policies wherever possible, something I've been saying for years. Now I'm glad to see some tangible evidence from those brave enough to try it.

Here's the Business Week article. Be sure to check the sidebar article about how to kill meetings!

Smashing The Clock

Control vs. Accountability: Are We Our Own Worst Enemy?

In our never-ending struggle to gain more control over the chaos in our organizations, and with more and more focus on change management, who would think of going in the opposite direction and allowing more freedom?

Let's take a look at a story with some surprising results (sent courtesy of my old friend, Larry Beane).

Thanks to a project initiated by the European Union, seven sities and regions in Europe have completely done away with traffic signs. The originators of this idea must have been on to something. Contrary to the normal expectation that this would result in pandemonium, the accident rate went down!

Now arguably, this may or may not work in a congested city, but it got me thinking about the need for accountability. Perhaps the more rules we inflict, what we're really doing is relieving people of accountability---the paradox being that we need to give people freedom to make them fully accountable. Otherwise, we claim ownership of the problem instead of delegating it.

This is not unlike Toyota's policy of trusting their work teams to solve problems independently, and trusting that if their solutions are wrong, they'll work to correct it and learn from the experience. This is what a learning organization is all about.

This isn't to say we should just abandon all change management processes. On the contrary, providing people with effective processes can lead to successful outcomes. But for each rule we devise, we should consider an alternate approach of holding people accountable for outcomes, and insuring they have the capacity to succeed. Yes, provide processes, training, principles, guidelines, etc. But then focus on outcomes and accountability. And allow for learning-based corrections.

It's a radical thought, but a little anarchy may just bring the control that we need.

Here's the article about the successes of traffic anarchy...

Controlled Chaos: European Cities Do Away with Traffic Signs - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News

Right Brain Project Management

I recently re-read Daniel Pink's book, A Whole New Mind. I noticed now that it's out on paperback, the subtitle changed from "Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age" to "Why Right-Brainers will Rule the Future."

The latter is probably more accessible and gets to the heart of the book. The premise is that with more technical jobs being eliminated due to automation and offshore outsourcing, we're left clinging to the one thing that computers and offshore resources can't replace---the soft skills. It's not that offshore people don't have the capacity to do this, it's just not effective from a remote location.

The books specifically outlines Six Senses that are now required to compete in today's market (I'd add that these were always needed for effectiveness, but now it's a necessity for career survival). The Six Senses we need to build are:

1) Not just function, but DESIGN (the WOW factor)
2) Not just argument, but STORY (i.e. we need to be storytellers to make a good case)
3) Not just focus, but SYMPHONY (i.e. synthesis of complex relationships vs. heads-down analysis)
4) Not just logic, but EMPATHY (incidentally, the key trait in Daniel Goleman's Emotional Intelligence)
5) Not just seriousness, buy PLAY (fun leads to employee satisfaction, which leads to customer satisfaction and profits. Therefore, Fun=$ !)
6) Not just accumulation, but MEANING

FACT (not from the book, but relevant nonetheless): Per a recent management forum of 70 business schools, many of them are requiring less quantitative courses and more leadership courses. Also, a number of organizations are now recruiting design students instead of MBAs.

The key is that the logical, sequential left-brain stuff is still necessary, but we need to compliment it with the more contextual and feeling right-brain skills. With communication being 90% of a project manager's job, I'd say this directly applies to project managers as well.

Below is a link to Pink's book on Amazon...

Amazon.com: A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future: Books: Daniel Pink

Managing the Grey Areas: Lessons from the Leadership Quadrant Seminar

On November 15th and 16th, I conducted a seminar with productivity consultant Jerome Jewell called The Leadership Quadrant: 4 Ps for Organizational Excellence. The 4 Ps are Principles, People, Productivity, and Process. It was held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, and we incorporated the museum’s rousing multi-media show, Freedom Rising, into the seminar.

The seminar participants came from the healthcare, criminal intelligence, and manufacturing sectors, which led to some fascinating discussion and dynamics. With any seminar, the value to all in attendance is magnified by the contributions of the participants, and this was no exception.

In the seminar, which included sections on principles, emotional intelligence, systemic thinking, talent management, innovation, project management, and more, the collective group highlighted a number of “grey areas” that a manager must frequently weigh when making decisions.

Some questions arose, such as:

"What if someone no longer likes a role they excel at and prefers a role they're poor at?"

"Do people always need to see the big picture?"

"Should one person be expected to serve the role of a manager, leader, and administrator? A strategist and tactician? A generalist?"

"How do you strike a balance between effective time management and remaining available to your staff?"

"Are recurring meetings effective or are they time wasters?"

In line with these questions, below are some of the factors that managers must consider:

• People’s individual needs vs. organizational goals
• Big picture inclusiveness vs. security (or the desire to give people narrow focus)
• Using generalists vs. specialists (and where the specialty should focus – on a functional area or on a particular skill)
• Effective time management vs. flexibility and being available to your staff’s needs
• Recurring meetings vs. consideration for people’s time
• Informing vs. influencing (for deciding whether to email or meet; even then, the decision is not always straightforward)
• Innovation vs. execution (knowing when to move from ideation to “getting things done”)
• Systemic (whole view) thinking vs. systematic thinking (routine, repeatable process)
• Vigilance vs. delegation (how much is safe to delegate, and to whom?)
• Firm principles vs. ethical dilemmas (should a firm principle ever be bypassed?)

In all of these cases, the group determined that the answer isn’t always black and white, and that each situation requires weighing these items. The trick is to observe, orient, decide and act quickly (referencing Colonel John Boyd’s OODA principle).

On the item of firm principles vs. ethical dilemmas, the group applied lessons from various cases throughout history where the US Constitution was challenged. It was obvious that there was no “one size fits all” answer.

With more recent events, consider OJ Simpson’s book. If you manage a bookstore with a principle of defending freedom of speech, do you carry O.J. Simpson’s new book, even though it is "ethically challenged," to say the least? Most large-chain bookstores creatively tried to satisfy both sides of the equation by donating all of the proceeds to the victims’ families. Of course, in the end, the book was canceled, but for a while, this was a real challenge to bookstores.

All of this reaffirms that management is abstract, not concrete. Managers cannot have all the answers; but they can and must insure that the right questions are considered, and they must have the courage to make decisions.

The Customer Experience: Advancing the Brand If Done Right

Aspect launches interesting campaign that reemphasizes a focus on the customer experience at the call center, where strong opinions are formed about companies that rely on that channel for sales or service. With today's technology, the power has shifted to the consumer. ...

... "Independent research demonstrates that each unhappy customer will tell 13 to 15 people about their bad experience with a company – far more people than they will tell of a good experience. When factoring in the power and reach of the Internet, one bad experience could have a significant impact on a company's brand, and ultimately, the bottom line. Aspect Software has coined this age of the activist consumer that uses emerging web technologies -- blogs, chat rooms, and wikis -- to air both their praises and their grievances about their experiences with corporate brands, Power Shift 2.0. " ...

Via Aspect Software: Aspect Software Unveils Global Campaign to Address Phenomenon of Power Shift 2.0 ...

Brainstorming Power: Apples and Ideas

George Bernard Shaw once said:

"If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples, then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas."

This illustrates the power of using brainstorming techiques to generate ideas. For example, using the "Crawford Slip" technique, let's say we had ten people in a room and asked each to take one minute to answer, "What are the top three risks on our project?" Then we ask the same people to take another minute to answer the same question, except they can't reuse the same answers.

Let's say we did this for ten full minutes. We'd generate 300 potential ideas in ten minutes! Sure, there'd be some overlap and sure people might run out of ideas after a few rounds, but still there'd be well over 100 ideas in ten minutes.

Now imagine the magnitude of power when each person in the group learns about all the group's collective ideas for potential risks and then considers them on future projects. The power of brainstorming is exponential.

Lean IT Strategy: Virgin America

Virgin America needs a cost-effective, yet differentiated strategy, in the US market and its IT strategy must be based on a low-cost model. Its CIO plans to run an efficient data center, negotiate smart contracts, and leverage open-source platforms. ...

... "And their IT strategy will be, of course, lean and mean. " ...

Via CIO: Link ...

Company Info: A U.S. majority owned and controlled company, Virgin America intends to launch domestic U.S. scheduled airline service utilizing new Airbus A320 family aircraft beginning in 2006. The company has announced agreements to take firm deliveries of 34 A320 family aircraft including 19 purchased aircraft from Airbus and 15 leased aircraft from GE Capital Aviation Services. Virgin America's corporate headquarters is in the San Francisco Bay Area, and its principal base of operations is at the San Francisco International Airport. Virgin America's goal is to build an innovative, creative travel brand based on safe and efficient operations, low costs, outstanding guest service, and a unique level of engagement by its team. Its mission is to create an airline people love.

PMI Project of the Year: From Wasteland to Wildlife

I was recently in Seattle for a PMI leadership meeting as part of the core team for the Program and Portfolio Management Standards program. First, I was impressed by the beauty and cleanliness of the city, and the friendliness of the people. And of course I had to grab a coffee at the first Starbucks and see the guys at the famous Pike Place Fish Market throwing fish to each other. But I digress.

What really floored me was being at the PMI Awards presentation and seeing the short film on the project of the year---the Rocky Flats Closure project. This was a former nuclear weapons facility (and wasteland) that had to undergo an immense cleanup, including nuclear deactivation and material removal. Except the result wasn't a mere cleanup---the site was turned into a beautiful wildlife refuge, and will soon have a public space for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.

It demonstrates what can be achieved when you blend passionate leadership and sound project management. The project's website is below...

Welcome Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (Main)

Critical Chain fever chart example

This Critical Chain case study link includes some interesting tracking information. Anyone who has suffered as a result of a client’s internal politics and delays will sympathise with the tale of frustration. Assembling and temporarily disbanding the project team – sticking to the dictum ‘No multi-tasking’ – makes this case a more extreme example but very believable. CCPM is credited with being the project management approach that allowed this project to succeed. The fever chart is a graphic representation of how the Safety Buffer was used. A possible shock for people used to finishing a project in the green, the goal here was to finish in the yellow! The rationale of course is that staying in the green means that your estimates are too conservative!

Via Case Study: A Typical Critical Chain (CCPM) Implementation

Blanchard Touts People over Profit: Profit is the Ends, Not the Means

I've been reading Ken Blanchard's latest book, Leading at a Higher Level, and it's perhaps his best. In fact, he has a virtual seminar on November 14th, delivered via satellite, based on the book. Quite a lineup for the seminar. In addition to Blanchard, it includes Jack Welch, Marcus Buckingham, and Stephen Covey.

My favorite quote from the book:

"Profit is the applause you get for taking care of your customers and creating a motivating environment for your people."

Inspiring stuff.

Unconsulting: Common Sense Lessons for Project Managers

At someone's recommendation, I just finished reading Unconsulting, by David Newman. Fascinating and energizing book for anyone in business.

His book is partly inspired by Peter Drucker's statement, "Only marketing and innovation produce revenue. All other business functions produce costs." To this end, Newman offers that "the bottom line is meaningless if the top line is weak." He points out that, according to studies, "Companies with the same earnings per share that got there from SALES were worth about 30% more than companies who got there with COST CUTTING."

Newman, who, according to the book's back cover, has been called "a younger version of Tom Peters with less hair," offers 95 common-sense "in your face" tips.

A few more key points, paraphrased from the book:

• When consulting, talk to people (especially the impact points such as customers, suppliers, etc.) to gain anecdotal data to gain texture, context, and perspective.
• 95 percent of problems can be addressed by making significant changes to 5 percent of the processes, people, or technology.
• Simplicity defined: Find the shortest way to the best answer.
• Be with the client, not of the client. Rock the boat. You're there preceisely for that reason and to give advice. You're there to do your thing for them, not be a "yes" man (or woman).
• There is no cookie-cutter. Don't sell canned solutions. Listen to the client and look at unique angles to each engagement.
• Bill Cosby says, "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."
• Don't isolate talent management and organizational development to one department. Institutionalize it in all your management.
• The unconsultant handles an engagement in this way:
  
  "I'll ask some questions, do some research, guide the discussion, help set clear and specific objectives for the work, offer options, tools and answers each step of the way, and then we'll do the work together."
  
  All in all, very refreshing stuff. And a good model for project managers as well. I highly recommend this book. It's not available on Amazon.com, only on Newman's site, but well worth getting. Also, see the wealth of free white papers on his site, as well as his blog...
  
  David Newman: Professional Speaker Motivational Speaker and Keynote Speaker and Business Consultant

Leadership Seminar: Announcing The Leadership Quadrant

For project managers looking to expand their horizons in the leadership arena, I'd like to invite PMThink readers attend an exciting two-day workshop at The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA on November 15th and 16th, 2006.

The seminar, which I'm co-facilitating with Jerome Jewell of Jewell Consulting Group, is titled: The Leadership Quadrant: 4 Ps for Organizational Excellence. We're offering a $100 discount to select groups, and PMThink readers certainly qualify (plus group rates are available for parties of 3 or more).

In case you're wondering what the 4 Ps are, they are: Principles, People, Productivity, and Process. In the seminar, we'll explore topics such as Napoleon's Six Winning Principles, Systemic Thinking, Emotional Intelligence, Setting Better Priorities, Asking Better Questions, and more.

Best of all, we're incorporating Freedom Rising, the museum's acclaimed multimedia presentation, into the workshop. For details and a seminar brochure, visit the Marengo Group training web page.

Talent Management: Readiness Survey Results ...

Interesting results of recent talent survey ...

Knowledge Infusion performed the 2010 Talent Readiness Survey in the early summer of 2006 to understand the talent gap to be left by retiring Baby Boomers. The study evaluates when people will leave the workforce, if there will be talent shortages that impact business outcomes, the steps organzations can take to find, develop, and retain the critical skills required for success. ...

The survey validates these findings:

Larger organizations are likely to impacted the most by the retiring workforce.

By 2010, a significant portion of the eligible workforce will retire.

To get ready: You must understand the impact on your organization. What percentage of your workforce could retire in four years? If succession planning at your company is focused more on the executive ranks, now is the time to apply succession modeling to your critical skills. Take a skills inventory. Understand the skills across the workforce demographics. Develop a plan to attract and retain the critical skills for your organization.

And, of course, digitizing your talent data enables your organization to provide visibility to this critical workforce information. Cornerstone OnDemand provides integrated on-demand solutions for talent management.

Via Cornerstone OnDemand : Managing Talent in the Face of Workforce Retirement ...

Thriving in Dark Times; The Ultimate Case Study

Think you have it bad? Twelve years ago Software Engineer Mike Jetter had life-threatening leukemia and didn't know how long he had to live. Instead of giving up and going into a shell, he did the opposite. He found inspiration to make a difference.

He decided he wanted to leave behind a legacy, so he developed a software package that mimicked the way people think. You might know his product as MindManager, which kicked off the mind-mapping craze.

I've used MindManager on numerous projects, and can vouch for its usefulness for brainstorming, WBS development, meeting facilitation, project storyboarding, and a whole host of other items. It's like the Swiss Army Knife of project management.

Oh yes...Jetter and his company MindJet are doing just fine. I'm not a doctor, but I'd venture to say that his inspired endeavor just may have been what caused his recovery. There's an uplifting book about his journey called The Cancer Code. The link is below. If you decide to purchase it, a portion of the proceeds go to support the fight against leukemia.

How a journey through leukemia led to software that changed the way people work

Einstein Project Management Tip #7: Focus on Strengths

Marcus Buckingham said it in all three of his books. Peter Drucker said it. Warren Bennis said it. Dennis Littky said it. And Albert Einstein said it.

Specifically, Einstein said:

"Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them."

I think all the great thinkers agree that it's better to focus on strengths (yours and the individuals on your team) than it is to endure the futility of trying to correct weaknesses.

If we accept our limits and those of the people on our team (after all, as Marcus Buckingham points out, people's nature doesn't change all that much), then paradoxically we can rise beyond those limits.

If so many experts agree, then why do organizations persist in trying to develop people's weak areas to make "perfectly rounded people" instead of building on their strengths? If we instead worked around people's weaknesses, either with complementary partners, more fitting assignments, or support systems, we'd see much more productivity. Perhaps Peter Drucker said it best: "Make weaknesses irrelevant."

PM Lessons from Einstein: Summary

Here's a summary our project management lessons from Einstein (with links to the original posts) ...

1) Goals Rule ("Confusion of goals and perfection of means seems, in my opinion, to characterize our age.")

2) Think Flexible ("As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality.")

3) Silence is Golden ("If A=Success, then the formula is A=X+Y+Z. X is work. Y is play. Z is keeping your mouth shut.")

4) Think Value ("Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.")

5) Imagination Counts ("To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advances in science.")

6) People Matter ("Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.")

7) Focus on Strengths ("Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.")

8) Think Simple ("Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius---and a lot of courage---to move in the opposite direction." BUT... ""Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.")

Einstein Project Management Tip #6: People Matter

Here's another installment in our series on project management lessons from Albert Einstein. With the recent news about Radio Shack's "mass termination (ooops, planned cutbacks) via e-mail" I couldn't help but think of this statement from Einstein:

"Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations."

It should serve as a constant reminder that we need to maintain 360-degree responsibility---to the organization, its customers, its employees, and the community. Call it mindful management or what you will. It's just common decency.

Soldiers and Heroes: The Right Mix is Key

Derry Simmel, who runs a compelling blog site called About PMOs (and is on the board of PMI's PMO SIG), has an interesting post about heroes and soldiers.

Soldiers, Simmel says, color within the lines and can be expected to be reliable, dedicated, and even anal at times. Heroes break the rules and tend to go their own way---they're about getting it done and getting it done fast. Damn the torpedoes.

But, as Simmell points out, an organization needs both to thrive. True, a team of all heroes can be chaotic, but a team of all soldiers will probably not bring about dramatic change.

It's all about synergy, and putting the right people in the right roles. It's also about the fine balance between exactitude, speed and flexibility (ironically three of Napoleon's six winning principles).

Building a team that capitalizes on the complementary personalities and skills of heroes and soldiers is a good recipe for success.

Here's the blog post...

All about Project Management Offices: Soldiers

Sage Advice for New Project Managers

Mark Mullaly has a great editorial in Projects@Work, titled "What I Wish I'd Known." It's an honest, heartfelt answer to an inquiry from a reader asking what he wished he'd known before entering project management.

Mullaly makes some great points, especially around the importance of asking questions. A career project manager, he learned the ropes the hard way, through trial and error, and discovered what worked and what didn't.

As Albert Einstein said, "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."

I recommend that those new to project management read the article, if for no other reason than to understand what the real paths to success are, such as communication, business acumen, and a true understanding of people and what makes them tick.

http://www.projectsatwork.com/content/Articles/232486.cfm

Innovation Moto Style ...

Motorola CEO, Ed Zander, discusses his approach to innovation, while leveraging Moto's strengths. ...

... "try to get in a sense of urgency, speed, winning customers first, innovation. We don't care about our titles, we don't care about our offices, we don't care about entitlements, we just care about winning. We laugh, we kid, we have fun, and the people below us have fun and there are no secrets here. " ...

Via The Observer: Motorola's cutting edge ...

Talent and Project Management

I received the latest PM Network magazine from PMI the other day, and several things jumped out at me, especially following my last blog post on the winds of project management changing.

First, Neal Whitten had a great article about how a project analyst (what I've often called a "project control specialist") can be a valuable aid to a project manager by taking on the responsibilities of: project tools management, plan development, sub-plan collection, project support, supporting project tracking meetings, filling in for the project manager at times, and other areas that can free a project manager up to actually lead the project.

It got me thinking about the talents needed for the project manager role, the project analyst/specialist role, and any other roles needed on the project. But more than that, it got me thinking about talent management in general, and what it means to the project management industry.

Just look at these headlines, all from this month's issue:

• Attracting--and Keeping--top talent
• Executive Identity: Project managers should learn to think like executives
• A People Person: Succeeding in project management---and getting what you need from thise around you---requires a well-honed set of people skills
• Virtual Reality: Dispersed project teams are sparking shifts in management and leadership styles

Clearly, the talents needed to manage projects go way beyond schedule, budget, and cost control. Notice I said "talents" as opposed to skills or knowledge. As Marcus Buckingham points out in his excellent book, First Break All the Rules, there is a huge difference between skills, knowledge, and talent. The first two can be taught. The last one--talent--is innate, and cannot be taught.

This becomes clear when you apply Buckingham's definition of talent as "ANY recurring patterns of behavior that can be productively applied." Everyone has talent. It's just a matter of discovering it and matching them to the right role. The key point is that a person's nature cannot change that much, so it's important to select someone with the right talents (i.e. innate traits). Once that's done, you need to set clear expectations, motivate the person (through praise and recognition of their strengths), and ultimately develop the person (building on the strengths that already exist instead of fruitlessly trying to fix weaknesses).

So what does this mean to the project management field? Everything. It means we need to begin thinking about these innate talents when we hire and assign project managers, when we staff the project, and when we consider how to motivate the team. The talents needed for each role will be different. And, based on the nature of the project and the stakeholders involved, the talent required to manage each project may be different. There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to talent selection.

It's not that skills and knowledge aren't important, but these two items without the correct talents will not bring about success.

What I like about Buckingham's book is that it's based on facts---years of research with the Gallup organization. Anyone who selects and manages people should read this book. And when you do, think about the diverse talents needed for each person on your team, and for the project manager role for each individual project.

Project Management Winds Are Changing

There's an excellent article by Betsy Morris in the current issue of Fortune Magazine about how the Jack Welch way of winning is---dare we say---a thing of the past.

How is this relevant to the project management field? Well, for one, it means recognizing the winds of change in the industry, and how projects are selected, promoted, and managed. Above all, this impacts program and portfolio management. Particularly, note four trends in management thinking:

Innovation:

Let's take Welch's old rule of being number 1 or 2 in your market (or else fixing, selling, or closing the business). The new rule is to find a niche and create something new. The article uses CocaCola as an example of a company that was basking in their glory as number 1, but eventually realized (although it took a while) that energy drinks and bottled water were about to pass them. As the article points out, energy drinks "are now expected to outearn every other category of soft drink within three years." Parhaps marketing guru Harry Beckwith said it best in Selling the Invisible when he said that it's fine to do something 10% better until someone else comes along and does it 110% different.

Customer-Centric Management:

Welch started a whole movement of focus on the shareholder, which led many organizations to ignore the future amid pressure to appease shareholders and "make the numbers." Now, organizations realize that the customer is king. The article references several companies that have made this realization, and the trend is heading in that direction. After all, statistics show that even a minor improvement in customer retention leads to a major increase in profitability. The days of short-term thinking may be finally coming to an end.

Reinvention vs. Incremental Change:

Since it seemed Jack Welch could do no wrong, everyone imitated whatever Jack did---and Six Sigma was no exception. The problem is that, according to the article, of the 58 large companies that announced Six Sigma programs, 91% have trailed the S&P 500 since. As the article points out, that's mostly because Six Sigma is intended to "fix an existing process," whereas innovative companies that developed new and unique products (or reinvented their business) took the lead.

Stop Ranking Your Players; Inspire Passion:

Once of Welch's most controversial systems was to constantly rank his employees and regularly weed out the "C" players. But companies have had difficulty getting productivity and innovation out of "increasingly disenfranchised employees." In the article, Christopher Bartlett of Harvard Business School put it best:

"People don't come to work to be No. 1 or No. 2 or to get a 20% net return on assets. They want a sense of purpose. They come to work to get meaning from their lives."

Side editorial: For the "enlightened" approach of finding the hidden strength in everyone (something Peter Drucker always suggested), read Marcus Buckingham's Now Discover Your Strengths (or any of his books for that matter). Or read Dennis Littky's The Big Picture: Education is Everyone's Business. I assure you, you'll never be the same.

Meanwhile, I highly recommend the article (the link is below) for those looking for the latest trends in management thinking, and who want to remain one step ahead.

From a project management perspective, the handwriting is clearly on the wall. The traditional "execute to a set of deliverables" approach won't cut it. Today's project manager needs to be thinking about things like innovation, customer focus, business transformation, business acumen, change leadership, and team passion. Those focused on merely schedule, budget, and scope will soon be dinosaurs.

Fortune: The new rules - Jul. 11, 2006

Agile Project Leadership ...

Agile network sustains mission with election of new board members. I like the relentless focus on value and all of the core principles. Worth a quick check. It's valuable to anchor back to principles periodically. ...

... "Agile Project Leadership Network (APLN) New Officers and Board Members: The Agile Project Leadership Network (APLN), a partner non-profit organization focused on making people great project leaders by focusing on value, teams, context, customers, individuals and uncertainty also named several new officers to its roster. APLN was founded in 2004 by individuals active in writing about, practicing and evangelizing the movement toward fast, flexible, customer value-driven approaches to leading projects of many types. Although the organization is separate from the Agile Alliance, the group's aim is to work closely with the Agile Alliance to help them become better Project Leaders. " ...

Via Yahoo Finance: Agile Alliance and The Agile Project Leadership Network Announce New Board Members and Officers for 2006-2007 ...

Project Management Tools and Techniques Survey: Your Help is Needed

Here's your chance to find out what tools and techniques people are using in the project management arena.

PM Forum has posted a link to a survey being conducted by the Business School of the University of Quebec at Montreal.

By responding to the survey, you'll have immediate access to the data as it accumulates, you'll receive a summary report by summer 2006, and you'll be able to access the summary report from an earlier survey done in 2004.

Here's the link....

PMFORUM, Connecting the World of Project Management PMFORUM Breaking News: PMFORUM.ORG VISITORS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN PROJECT TOOLS SURVEY

Elusive IT Project Value: Book Tells How To Achieve It

I've just finished reading an excellent book on achieving value from IT projects, The Information Paradox: Realizing the Business Benefits of Information Technology, by John Thorp and the Fujitsu Consulting's Center for Strategic Leadership.

Thorp and company claim that today's IT projects are evolving more and more from simple automation efforts to complex "information" initiatives, and even further---to complete business transformation initiatives. This calls for a different approach and requires IT and Business collaboration.

As the book points out, the classic "let's buy a product and assume it comes with automatic benefits" approach doesn't work in today's more complex arena (and in fact it probably never did). In a complex business transformation initiative, trying to assume that an IT project in isolation will deliver value is wishful thinking.

The book also points out the four critical dimensions of complexity, which it says are blind spots in traditional thinking:

1) Linkage - to other related initiatives and to business strategy
2) Reach - those areas of organizational structure or supply chain processes that may be impacted by the change, or that need revisiting in order to bring about the benefits
3) People- those affected by the change and/or that need to be engaged (i.e. proactive change leadership and stakeholder analysis)
4) Time - the time it takes to manage the overall initiative, including the above dimensions, to fully realize the benefits (most companies grossly underestimate this)

Unfortunately, many IT projects just focus on on-time and on-budget delivery (resulting in a situation that the book describes as, "the operation was successful but the patient died"). Thorp and company refer to this as "investment myopia."

Instead, a committment to business value, ongoing process improvements, frequent iterations of delivery, and better project selection techniques are key. Most of all, we need to be aware of the blind spots mentioned above.

The book goes on to describe how a system of program management, portfolio management, and governance, with a focus on benefits realization, can bring about results. It also cautions about the dangers of treating selections as a one-time annual event, making selections in isolation (instead of in the context of investment programs), and not looking at all aspects of value (i.e. going beyond simple financial measures).

I highly recommend the book for those struggling with determining the value of IT, or trying to bring about collaborative change in their organizations. If you look at any major successful transformation, it was brought about by a marriage of technology, business process, and organizational change, and with full backing from senior management. This book can go a long way toward helping make this happen.

Project Management Lessons from Mars

Brian Muirhead, the project manager for the Mars Pathfinder program, had some good tips to share with Projects@Work this week.

Some key learnings, extrapolated from the interview:

• Innovation and bold ideas are often necessary to meet what often seems like an impossible challenge. The trick is to balance the cost and time savings with the risks.
• A diverse team is key. It's better to have people that are different, with complementary skills, than have a bunch of people who think and act the same way.
• A small core team that can share issues, problems, and resolutions, with one person at the helm, is an effective way to run a project.
• Trust, honesty, and personal committment are traits that need to be prevalent throughout the team.
• Test, test, and then test again. Don't rely on luck. If you can't test using the exact situation, then simulate it as best you can, testing as much as is possible.
• A team is only as good as it's weakest link. It's up to the project leader to identify those people that aren't up to the task and remove them or find an area that suits them better.
• Ensure team members have opportunities to make personal connections and grow.
• A project manager must simultaneously provide the glue (keeping the team cohesive and focused) and the grease (removing barriers).
  
  Here's the full interview...
  
  http://www.projectsatwork.com/content/Articles/232113.cfm

Change Management: Aim for the Heart

Christopher Koch runs a great blog on CIO.com. His latest post explores the challenges of change management, and recommends generating ways for people to get that "aha moment" for themselves. This "makes it stick" as opposed to being told that they have to change, or being shown metrics or even logical cases.

I couldn't agree more. He also offers some good examples, such as the open book approach, where people will see the numbers and hopefully deduce the need for change. A method I recommend (and which I discuss in my response to this week's puzzler on the AllPM forum), is to use stories or examples that can serve to generate an emotion such as a deep-seated need or fear. This, too, can lead to that "aha moment."

Here's Koch's full post on CIO.com...

CIO Blogs - The Primordial Factors in Change Management

Globalization of Research and Development: IBM Build Russia Presence ...

IBM boosts research and development talent in Russia to support geographic growth. This is a trend that is accelerating, especially where high-growth rates are expected. ...

... "IBM will invest $40 million over the next three years in the Russian Systems & Technology Laboratory, which will employ up to 200 people by the end of 2008. The lab will focus on mainframe technology development and continues IBM's emphasis on utilizing skills and expertise around the globe, especially in high-growth countries such as Russia, Brazil, China and India. The lab is the fourth major development operation announced by IBM in recent months. Other new facilities include a Linux Technology Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil; a Solutions & Technology Center in Bangalore, India; and a mainframe development lab in Shanghai, China. " ...

Globalization of Research and Development: IBM Build Russia Presence: Via IBM: IBM Chairman & CEO Opens IBM's First Development Laboratory in Russia ...

ITIL Service Management Acceleration ...

Many leading IT vendors have launched some type of ITIL accelerator. CA introduces its approach to ITIL acceleration, including a configuration management database, CMDB, and visual process maps. ...

... "This new solution, the CA Service Management Accelerator, will empower IT organizations to reduce costs, improve service levels, and more closely align IT and business by unifying and simplifying activities across ITIL processes. Manual ITIL implementations are costly and time-consuming, and they can compromise the uniformity of critical management processes. The CA Service Management Accelerator enables customers to unify people, processes and technology while automating all ITIL processes across both Service Support and Service Delivery—enabling low-cost delivery of superior service.



The CA Service Management Accelerator offers unique three-dimensional visual maps for ITIL processes based upon an underground transit system or subway system metaphor. ITIL Service Support and Service Delivery processes are presented as "tracks" and "subway stations," providing IT executives, strategists and implementers alike with a common reference point for viewing and prioritizing ITIL processes for automation. " ...

ITIL Service Management Acceleration: Via CA: CA Accelerates Mainstream Adoption of ITIL ...

Strategic Value: Measuring the Human Resource Function ...

Craig Schneider, CFO Mag, explores the tactics needed to create differentiation in the human resource function. Metrics are needed to establish a foundation of value. Partnering with the finance function is seen as a way to accelerate the measurement initiative. A quantitative approach should be balanced with the art of "resources human", since people and talent should not always be boiled down to a number. ...

... "The human-resources department is in survival mode. As outsourcing the function becomes a more-prevalent option for companies, HR managers know that if they are going to endure, they have to deliver strategic value, and that value has to be measurable. " ...

Strategic Value: Measuring the Human Resource Function: The New Human-Capital Metrics: Via CFO

Earned Value EVM Adoption Growing?

Earned value management is seeing adoption outside of traditional user base, through mandates and associated success stories. ...

... "So EVM tells you — by planning and setting the milestones — whether you got the value for what you're paying for. I think people are starting to understand that. " ...

Earned Value EVM Adoption Growing?: Via FCW: Making EVM matter ...

5 Lessons in Leadership

The following Lessons in Leadership were originally presented at a recent CIO Leadership Conference but are also applicable to PM's:

10. Failure is not an option (as per Apollo 13's project leader Gene Krantz)

9. The kind of organization you are in determines the kind of leader you need to be (I'd also add that WHERE the project is in its lifecycle and the level of project experience your team and stakeholders have also matters)

8. A good leader has integrity (e.g., accountable, truthful (including in how you report project status and metrics!), a team player and tough when needed)

7. Don't be lazy. (push beyond your natural abilities - get into the details, get out of your office and talk to people, etc.)

6. Make sure that everyone in your organization can articulate what it is you're trying to accomplish (I've also heard this called "the hymn" (i.e., make sure everyone's singing the same tune, from the same book); if you have a more PC, one-word term, let me know!).

You'll have to wait until later for the next 5...this was plenty to digest in one sitting.

Thanks to Abbie Lundberg, the Editor in Chief of CIO Magazine for the info and insights that she shared in the June 15, 2006 edition. They formed the basis for this blog.

The Making of a PMI Standard; Behind the Scenes

For those who wondered what goes on behind the scenes of creating a PMI global standard, there's a nice writeup in the latest PMI Community Post, which gets sent to all certified PMPs.

In the article, titled Evolution of a PMI Global Standard, PMI reveals the standards creation process, from the project approval and charter through the team selection, standard development, and exposure draft process.

Having served on the leadership team for PMI's new Standard for Program Management and Standard for Portfolio Management, I can say that volunteering on a standards creation project is very rewarding.

It's an opportunity to work with the best in the business and get involved in a large virtual project with people from all over the world. I definitely recommend the experience. Plus you get to earn PDUs if you're a certified PMP.

For those interested in volunteering, here's PMI's Volunteer Opportunity website, which has a link to the Opportunity Page. Tell ' em PMThink sent you.

Management vs. Leadership - Revisited

From Bold Vision Business comes a great article on management vs. leadership.

I've written several times here on that topic, where I often say "there's no difference if either is done right." I mean that facetiously of course. Management and leadership are indeed two separate disciplines---but they need each other.

My point is that in order to manage well (assuming one is managing people), leadership skills are essential. And in order to lead well, knowlege of project management techniques (or at least the assistance of someone with that knowledge) is critical if those bold visions are to be realized safely.

In that sense, leadership and management are two-halves that make up a whole.

For an excellent writeup of the need for leadership, not just management, read on ...

Bold Vision Business!

IT Strategy: Customer Focus SOPM ...

Marc Puich discusses the opportunity for information technology in the biopharmaceutical industry, advocating a simplified enterprise application architecture and a gradual, disciplined approach to operations excellence. I especially like his thoughts on customer focus and feel this spirit should be reflected in the principles of the service-oriented project management methodology that we are developing. SOPM should be customer-centric and its critical path should focus on the essential deliverables for customer success. ...

... "Begin with the customer. Developing an IT strategy should begin with an external focus. This process requires taking a critical look at what functionality is truly necessary to support your customer, versus what would be nice to have. The goal of a system is not to remove people from a process, but to provide the customers with what they need. " ...

Via BioPharm International: Operations Excellence: Perfecting IT Management System Selection for Biopharmaceutical Organizations - Proper application of an IT system can be a critical component to driving efficiency and reducing waste ...

Project Management Book - An easy, worthwhile summer read

Just started reading Napoleon on Project Management by our own PMThink co-founder, Jerry Manas.

I am one of those people who generally falls asleep within 10 seconds of watching the history channel, and so far, even I love this book. (And believe me, I would tell Jerry if I didn't!)

Why? It is an easy read - I started reading it on my commute home, which involves 2 subway rides, and was actually able to recall the key points over dinner with my husband (who is a PMP and MBA and appreciates books on leadership like this one).

Jerry - thank you for an interesting and worthwhile summer read. I'll hand it off to my hubby when I'm done.

PMThinkers, go to manasbooks.com to learn more about the book or simply click on the ad on this page to order it. Enjoy!

Best,
FemPM

Software Selection Process; Everything You Need to Know

There's a good writeup on ProjectPerfect offering guidelines and principles for selecting software---from the gathering of internal support through the evaluation and selection process itself.

It's definitely a valuable read for anyone involved in the software selection process.

Here's just a sampling of some of the great tips in the article...

• Tell the vendors at the start what the process for selection will be. They will appreciate knowing what the path is, and how you will reach a decision. It assists their planning as well. You will get far better service if they know when you are going to make a decision.
• Consider an external person to do the negotiation. If negotiations are tough and the vendor feels they have been squeezed dry, it is better for the person who did the squeezing to be gone so that there are less lingering traces of animosity.
• It is a bit like herding cats but you need to keep a single point of contact with each vendor. If vendors can see a chance to influence people at different levels you will soon find all sorts of pressures being applied to you.
• Treat it as a team selection decision, and make sure your team know the process. If you set the path and the criteria from the start, it will help manage expectations internally.
• It is useful to get written agreement from each vendor to comply with the process as a condition to being considered.
• Beware the trap of having their top technical person available all through the sales cycle only to be replaced at the point of implementation by someone who has been with the company for a week. If the vendor is also involved as an implementer, have the implementation team named in the contract.
• The purchase process should be costed into the budget just as the cost of the software and implementation are costed. There can often be many man months of effort required to manage the process and, if not done effectively, will cause major cost blowouts when the wrong software is purchased.
• Another factor touched on a number of times is that much of the work is sequential. There will be gaps in the process – for example between requesting a demonstration, and organising the people to participate. During that lull in proceedings, other work can be done that will contribute to later activities. A software purchase can result in a very complicated schedule.

Here's the full article...

A Software Purchase Process

Join the Project Management Revolution; The SOPM Model Takes Shape

OK, I've been fleshing out the Service-Oriented Project Management (SOPM)™ model, and have come up with a more memorable and catchy representation of the four steps, although the actual content is pretty much the same.

The acronym for the four phases is UP-IT (which can symbolize "upping" the level of customer service, saying "up yours" to old ways of doing things, or "upping" the success rates of IT projects---in which case the "it" stands for "IT").

Ready??? Drum roll please......

The four phases are:

• Understand
• Prepare
• Iterate
• Transform

Here's a revision of my previous post on the topic...

1) UNDERSTAND ... Develop an understanding of the problem being addressed, the goals, constraints, the internal environment, the external market, benchmarks, the people and subject matter involved, potential solutions, risks, benefits/justification, and any other knowledge necessary for success. Most of all, understand the customer and what they need to be successful.

2) PREPARE ... After helping the customer obtain approvals if needed, prepare the project organization (resources, roles & responsibilities), operating principles, the infrastructure and tools needed to run the project, organizational alignment, preliminary training needed, communication, and anything else needed for a smooth road ahead.

3) ITERATE... Using the axiom, "Think bold, implement safely," plan, design, build, test and pilot the solution before attempting a full scale implementation. Encourage innovation. Implement in phases to achieve quick wins, earlier benefits, and greater customer satisfaction. Consider iterative prototypes during the design phase. Don't forget additional training needed.

4) TRANSFORM... After each project phase and at the end of the project, evaluate and document lessons learned, customer satisfaction, and benefits achieved (vs expected) for the purpose of transforming yourself and the customer for the better. This includes guiding the customer to help them achieve maximum results with the product or service delivered, and laying the groundwork for their continued success.

Now that I have the framework locked in, I'll complete the model around these four phases. I am absolutely convinced that this model can help increase customer satisfaction and the general success rates of projects.

Are PMOs Too Complex For Their Own Good?

There's an excellent editorial on PM Forum about the increasing view of PMOs as "unnecessary bureaucracy" by many senior managers. Unfortunately, many PMOs have created this situation for themselves.

The trick is to focus on streamlining schedules and reducing overhead costs, but in reality the "lets' make our process fit the most complex project we can imagine" approach often results in the reverse---according to the article---as people on normal size projects don't know which items are optional and which are mandatory.

If done right, a PMO can be an excellent way to institute repeatable lean processes, upskill the organization, and remove barriers for project teams. If done wrong, it can appear as a bureacratic burden on the organization.

This editorial is well worth reading for those starting a PMO and looking to avoid being a statistic ...

PMFORUM, Connecting the World of Project Management - Editorials

Project Management vs. Leadership: Is there Really a Difference?

Occasionally, I'm asked the question, "What is the difference between project management and leadership?" My answer is always the same, "Nothing, if they're both done right."

At their core, both project management and leadership are about leading people to achieve objectives.

Formal project management offers some tools for effective scope management, planning, scheduling, monitoring, and risk management, that increases the likelihood that the objectives will actually be met.

Likewise, general leadership is about setting strategy, communicating a vision, and inspiring people to do their best.

In other words, a project management approach can help leaders achieve their vision, and leadership skills can help project managers insure the success of their projects.

Neither one is fully effective without the other. Good leadership requires a deliberate approach, and good project management requires strong leadership. I'd venture to say that if one is failing, it's probably lacking the other.

Just some food for thought. It may seem like common sense, but there are those who think that the two are mutually exclusive.

SOPM; A New Project Management Methodology

Service Oriented Project Management (SOPM) is taking shape as a methodology that fills the gaps in traditional project management, namely a RELENTLESS customer focus and the all-important analysis and benefits evaluation after the project has "completed."

As I fine tune the model, I'll post the iterations here, as a methodology in progress.

The four high-level steps in SOPM are as follows:

1) UNDERSTAND ... Develop an understanding of the problem being addressed, the goals, constraints, the internal environment, the external market, benchmarks, the people and subject matter involved, potential solutions, risks, benefits/justification, and any other knowledge necessary for success. Most of all, understand the customer.

2) ENABLE ... After helping the customer obtain approvals, prepare the project organization (resources, roles & responsibilities), operating principles, the infrastructure and tools needed to run the project, organizational alignment, preliminary training needed, communication, and anything else needed for a smooth road ahead.

3) ITERATE... Plan, design, build, test and pilot the solution before attempting a full scale implementation. Implement in phases to achieve quick wins, earlier benefits, and greater customer satisfaction. Consider iterative prototypes during the design phase. Don't forget additional training needed.

4) EVALUATE... After each project phase and at the end of the project, evaluate and document lessons learned, customer satisfaction, and benefits achieved (vs expected). This includes evaluating how the customer can achieve maximum results with the product of the project, and laying the groundwork for their continued success.

By using an UNDERSTAND, ENABLE, ITERATE, and EVALUATE process, with COMMUNICATE as an overarching activity that extends across all four steps, we adopt a much more holistic and customer-centered approach to project management.

A few key points... Customer satisfaction should be measured at milestones throughout the project, not just at the end. It's as important as monitoring cost and schedule (i.e. Earned Value performance).

Imagine seeing an S-Curve showing Planned Value, Earned Value, Actual Cost, and Customer Satisfaction. Maybe your project is on schedule and on budget, but the customer isn't satisfied with the results (or with the project communication, or a whole host of other issues).

A narrow focus on cost and schedule takes too much of an inward view. Besides, measuring customer satisfaction throughout a project allows for corrective action instead of managing in the rear view mirror.

More to come.

NOTE: I have since revised this model. See my updated entry.