Under one roof

It's not a new thought. But it does drive home the point that very different industries have similar issues when it comes to project management processes. The thought is that when you have a project where the schedule is being squeezed, it's good to have your project team working as efficiently as possible.

At a client recently, the question came up - how to recover some lost time and to prepare for expected mandated scope additions? It is a traditional multi-national organisation with distributed departments. Project team organisation follows a medium to strong matrix model. The program comprises several linked projects with distributed teams and the program has very high priority within the organisation.

The response of one project team is to co-locate the team in one space to improve the team communication and efficiency. In justifying the cost of co-locating to management, examples from a drug company, a car manaufacturer and information technology were cited. These examples are interesting because they do underline the similarity of issues in organisations where you would not normally look for them.
Bringing IT under one roof

Glaxo Mimics Carmaker to Speed Vaccine

Quality is Job One

Who said that? ... What is the right balance of quality, schedule, and budget on an IT project? It's situational. Just know which one is most important and plan accordingly. ...

... "Quality happens only when careful planning is done, when the entire project team maintains a quality-conscious approach every step of the way, and when problems don't escape from the phase in which they were introduced. " ...

Via CIO: Software Quality Control

Project Influence: Check Your Ceiling

Need to focus your project team on getting work done: lower the ceiling. Need to get your team in a creative mood: raise the roof. ...

... " These researchers feel people under high ceilings are primed to think broadly because of the sense of freedom associated with the space, while the containment of a lower ceiling encourages people to think small and focused." ...

Via Good Morning Thinkers: The Roof

Don't Do This To Your Project Team Member

Project Controller: The Project Manager's Best Friend

Halleluyah! Finally, there's an article saying what I've been saying for years. With projects becoming more and more complex, and leadership and stakeholder management requiring more attention than project managers have time for, there's a need for another role to manage the "control" aspects of the project.

This article by Robert Wourms on Projects@Work details how organizations such as State Farm have had success doing just that. Bring on the Project Controller. As a member of the leadership team for PMI's new standards for program management and portfolio management, I witnessed first hand how valuable this role was, as it freed the program manager up to actually lead the program.

The article shows how the project controller's role can include tasks such as:

1) Educating the team on processes
2) Facilitating Planning and Control sessions
3) Developing the project schedule
4) Controlling progress
5) Tracking and analyzing costs
6) Managing Issues, Risks, and Changes
7) Documenting and delivering status information

So what's left for the project manager to do? Plenty. Supporting this, the article offers a valuable table outlining the role of the project manager vs. the program controller. Read on...

http://www.projectsatwork.com/content/Articles/221443.cfm

Project Team Sizing Heuristics

Nice heuristic --- rule of five for project team sizing. Its good to have a starting framework of roles for projects and modify to the situation. ...

... "When building your next project team think in terms of five and you'll be able to maximize your business and technical capability to deliver a solution on time and on budget. " ...

Via POWERBUILDER DEVELOPER'S JOURNAL: Project Team

Is Project Management Relevant?

Over the years, I've had discussions with software developers who question the need for project management. I've heard everything from "The developers are the only ones who really know what's needed anyway!" to "All the project managers do is slow things down and add unnecessary bureaucracy!" to "Why can't the the developers just work with the customer to give them what they need and avoid the middleman?"

The fact is, given the right developer and a fairly isolated project, all of these are valid statements. But many projects are much more complex than that. They involve multiple stakeholders with conflicting needs, offshore resources, multiple vendors, complex interrelationships with other activities and departments, and more. They frequently involve managing all of this against budget and schedule constraints.

Leading, facilitating, and managing all of these elements is where a good project manager can help. An effective project manager removes barriers for a team rather than adding barriers. Any activities that may appear like "nuisance work" to technicians, such as reporting time or percent complete against milestones, are often necessary to meet the project's schedule or budget constraints.

A good project manager will work with developers to determine the appropriate project approach, depending on the constraints and the level of uncertainty involved. Perhaps an agile approach is warranted, with learnings applied incrementally. Perhaps piecemeal deliverables can be achieved for quick wins and earlier value. A good project manager will also prepare management reports, conduct presentations, and deal with vendor issues.

Most of all, a good project manager will communicate to all parties throughout the project. Although some developers do indeed have the expertise to do all this, it distracts from the work they need to do.

This is not just a nuance of the software industry. The same holds true in any industry where technical or subject matter experts question the need for project management. Project management is a completely different skill set, necessarily so. It's geared toward leading people to achieve objectives. An organization can of course put the project manager in a better position to be successful by providing adequate tools, general principles, and minimal bureaucracy.

The article below offers clear and simple evidence of the importance of project management. It begins with the results of a 1999 study that showed that the number one reason companies stopped working with Internet design firms was not about their lack of creativity or high costs---it was about their inability to effectively manage a project.

Here's the article...

MB Journal Article Archives

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.

Project Teams: BioTeaming

Interview of Ken Thompson, architect of the BioTeaming methodology, which studies animal behaviors in order to apply these techniques to better enable human teams. ...

... "finding ways for humans to work together better, too - he calls the methodology BioTeaming. " ...

Via ScobleShow at PodTech: BioTeams Video Interview

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

Project Management Training: Foundation For Success

With federal IT investment slated to increase, info technology professionals in government would be well-served by training in a foundation of project management basics. ...

... "officials interviewed for the study said their teams lacked or may lack sufficient training to effectively estimate costs, identify risks and develop baselines from which to plan project costs, schedules and technical requirements. " ...

Via Federal Times: Link

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

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

The Ten Commandments of Project Management

And James Kerr issued a list of the Ten Commandments of Project Management in Computerworld. And it was good.

I Thou Shalt Narrow Project Scope
II Thou Shalt Not Suffer a Fat Team
III Thou Shalt Require Full-Time Business Participation
IV Thou Shalt Establish Project Review Panels
V Thou Shalt Not Provoke Burnout
VI Thou Shalt Seek Outside Assistance as Needed
VII Thou Shalt Empower Project Teams
VIII Thou Shalt Use Project Management Tools
IX Thou Shalt Reward Success
X Thou Shalt Not Tolerate Quick-and-Dirty Work Efforts

So it is written. So it shall be done. Thou canst revieweth the full list below...

The Ten Commandments of Project Management

Project Effectiveness: Intermingling ...

Tom shares good advice on using easy, controllable factors, such as co-location of project team members to increase productivity. He cites interesting data on the decrease in collaboration as distance increases (measured in feet). ...

... "There's a ton of evidence, including my own research, that demonstrates, for instance, that intermingling project teammates from various functions is an astonishingly potent device for increasing project effectiveness. " ...

Via Tom Peters: The Simple Tools of Behavior Modification ...

Project Management System: Stakeholder Visibility

Transportation industry project management system enables visibility through the project lifecycle to stakeholders. NJIT research team collaborates with users in Houston to customize the system to its needs. A number of installations have been completed across the country. ...

... "The Houston program provides detailed and easily accessible information on transportation projects in the region for TIPs and regional transportation plans. With TELUS, the process is open to citizens and stakeholder groups, not only for project selection, but for tracking project schedules, funding commitments, and related issues. " ...

Via NJIT: NJIT Researchers Help Texans Employ Transportation Technology ...

Leading and Influencing: The Project Manager's Secret Weapon

There's an excellent article by Frank Saladis on allPM about how to lead and influence others. Topics such as boosting your credibility, practicing empathy, and maintaining organizational awareness are discussed, as well as some good tips for engaging team members and obtaining buy-in.

From my experience, these are the things a project manager needs to get right. The rest is just details.

Here's the article. Well worth reading.

Positive Leadership in Project Management – Team Building, Influencing and Leadership By Frank P. Saladis, PMP :: ALLPM Project Management :: Project Manager - Project Management - Information - Forum Manager- PM Tools - Articles -PMI

21 Success Secrets of The Beatles

One thing I enjoy doing is studying excellence. There's something about unique, extraordinary human achievement that I find fascinating.

I love studying it, dissecting it, and extracting lessons from it. It's what attracted me to write about Napoleon. It's what led me to explore lessons from Einstein. And it's what leads me to dive into lessons from The Beatles.

Like them or not, nobody can argue that The Beatles didn't achieve amazing feats. I doubt there will ever be another musical group that could rival them for sheer impact on the music scene and the world.

They were the first pop artists to record in stereo. They were the first band to experiment in the studio. They were the first band to list lyrics on their album. The list goes on and on.

But what made them so successful? And are the lessons applicable to building successful and innovative individuals and teams in business? Here are 21 lessons that answer definitively "yes."

1) Focus on Strengths - They focused on their strengths, doing what they do best (songwriting and performing).

2) Engage a partner - They got help (from Brian Epstein, their manager, and George Martin, their producer). They couldn't have achieved such heights on their own.

3) Differentiate! - They dared to be different, whether it was their suits, their hair, the instruments they experimented with, their neverending search for new chords, and so on.

4) Have key values - They stuck to principle themes, such as love, peace, and the search for truth.

5) Adopt a cause - In the band and in their solo careers, they always had a cause that they were passionate about, whether peace, vegetarianism, eastern philosophy, or some other passion.

6) Worship change - They weren't afraid to change, even in the midst of success. At the top of the moptop craze, they changed their style, then they changed again with Sergeant Pepper, which was a virtual celebration of change.

7) Broaden your horizons - They continuously sought self-growth, learning new philosophies, new chords and instruments, etc.

8) Be passionate about everything you do. They treated each deliverable (i.e. song) as THE hit, which is why their "B-sides" did better than most people's A-sides.

9) Embrace conflict - They readily embraced creative conflict and friendly competition. It was precisely the conflict and competition between Lennon and McCartney that made each of them strive for new heights.

10) Keep moving - Fast! - They recorded constantly, always looking for some new and unique angle. They recorded first and asked questions later.

11) RMF (Risk Magnificent Failures) - They experimented with new chords, new concepts, and had some celebrated failures (Revolution #9-although some liked it; the Magical Mystery Tour Movie, in which they filmed everyone on a bus in the hopes that something neat would happen--nothing did). In a sense, each album was also an experiment in some way.

12) Aim for the Skies - They thought big ("To the toppermost!" they used to say) and they believed it! Similar to Napoleon Hill's principles in Think and Grow Rich, they aimed high and got there.

13) Talent matters - When all is said and done, they had the right talent. All the other elements wouldn't have helped if they didn't have a natural talent for music. Luck helps, but if you have the right talent in the right job, the luckier you get.

14) Use your whole brain - They used the left and right sides of their brain---using the right side when freeflowing creativity and innovation were needed, and the left side when the proper structure was important.

15) Have Fun!!! - Above all, they had plenty of fun, and even stressed the importance in the song "She's Leaving Home" (about a girl who left home to explore "something inside that was always denied for so many years---She's having fun, bye bye.")

16) Never Conform - They didn't conform to standard education, which led to their unorthodox style. In fact, I've noticed most great pop musicians hold their instruments "the wrong way." Tom Peters pointed the same thing out about great Tennis players and their rackets.

17) Field the right team - They were built for synergy -- each were different but shared the same values. The whole was truly greater than the sum of its parts.

18) Get noticed! - They wouldn't have gotten anywhere if they didn't get noticed in the first place. How did they get noticed? By playing in public, where they could get noticed. This should stress the importance of networking. Be seen.

19) Prototype and Test! - They prototyped and tested zillions of versions of their songs. For each hit, there were about 20 alternate takes in different styles and genres. And they practiced each version over and over.

20) Study the greats, Then forget them. - They didn't begin in a vacuum. They studied their idols, such as Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Fats Domino, and others. If you want to succeed at something, a good place to begin is studying those who have succeeded before. But then make your own way, just like The Beatles did. Carve your own niche.

21) Be Authentic - They were authentic to who they were - British lads from Liverpool.They could sing colorful lyrics about places like Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields, and could talk about TV shows like "Meet the Wife" ("It's time for tea and Meet the Wife" from "Good Morning"). They could sing about these things because it's who they were, not because they were trying to be cute or clever. It's important to be true to who you are, not who you'd rather be.

Process Change Management: The Challenge ...

Chris Koch shares insights on the challenge associated with changing processes, such as a data center's adoption of ITIL practices. The carrot and stick approach is outdated. The new science of change must create the spark that engages the workforce in the change by making their jobs more interesting, creating an appealing environment, and strengthening team relationships. ...

... "The change is part of a larger effort to implement the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) process framework to improve overall productivity. " ...

Via CIO: The New Science of Change ...

Project Management Texas Style ...

The plan is made. The team is resourced. The baseline is set. ... Help the team have fun and focus. ... Project management inspiration from a great coach.

... "The game planning is over and I don't need to motivate this team. My job now is to settle them down so they can relax, have fun and focus when we need to focus. They can laugh and dance in the locker room but to win we need to balance being confident and focused. " ...

Via Every Game Counts: Texas Coach Mack Brown Blogs about the 3 Things that will Determine a Longhorns Win against the Buckeyes ...

Project Risk Management

Oil production company, Venture Production PLC, uses risk management software to model project scenarios to select optimum schedule while balancing risks, costs, and time performance. This seems a worthwhile approach, when large investment is at stake and time to value is critical. ...

... "Using Pertmaster, Venture's project management team was able to add a risk dimension to plans built in its Primavera P3 scheduling solution. Venture then analysed the schedule-risk of multiple scenario options to look at the most probable outcomes of each, in terms of both timescales and costs. This enabled the best options to be highlighted when considered from both likelihood of risk occurrence and degree of impact and enabled management to take well-informed decisions. " ...

Pertmaster Helps Bring Venture's New Oil Field On Stream ...

Venture Operated Goosander Field On Stream: "Goosander has been developed as a sub-sea tieback to the Venture operated Kittiwake platform utilising two subsea flowline bundles totalling 12 kilometres in length. The bundles were manufactured and installed by Subsea7 from their construction site in Wick and have been designed and engineered to accommodate future production and water injection wells and the potential for re-use on future subsea tie-backs. "

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."

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

Einstein Project Management Tip #5: Imagination Counts

Our next project management tip from our Einstein series regards the need to challenge the status quo----to think out of the box. Consider this quote:

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

Of course, Einstein also famously said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." To a project manager, who's typically focused on things like scheduling, monitoring, reporting, and driving the team to completion, this can be a particular challenge. But it's important nonetheless.

Imagination is required in many situations, including (but not limited to):

• Achieving success when the odds are against you
• Conceptualizing ways to achieve the objectives more effectively
• Brainstorming solution ideas and possible risks
• Overcoming barriers, whether political, technical, or physical
• Improving the cusotmer experience

For some practical advice on building the right team for innovation, see my blog series on Tom Kelley's The Ten Faces of Innovation.

More to come.

ITIL Six Sigma: Future IT Operations ...

The convergence of ITIL and Six Sigma is expected to be the future framework for IT operations. New book explores the use of Six Sigma in the information technology organization. ...

... "Lead Author of the book, Sven den Boer of Getronics said: This long-awaited book on aligning ITIL and Six Sigma is a good start for professionals who want to appreciate how these two approaches can be combined. Proxima Technology played a key role in the book by providing some practical examples to help make it easier for readers to understand. We were pleased to have Linh Ho on the team. itSMF-NL Chief Editor, Jan van Bon was very pleased with the results and added: We have succeeded in finding a great team of authors internationally, experts in both ITIL and Six Sigma. Today, the need for Six Sigma is continuously heard from the IT management field, and we hope to fulfill the fast growing demand with this great best practice. " ...

Proxima Technology's Marketing Director Co-Authors Six Sigma for IT Management Book

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.