This week's entry is a continuation of my previous posting regarding what Dr. Stephen Covey calls the "4 Disciplines of Execution". This text is taken directly from FranklinCovey's "The 4 Disciplines of Execution Quick Reference".
Discipline 2 - Create a Compelling Scorecard
Measures and a scoreboard ensure that people have the same understanding of goals. Turn your measures into a compelling scoreboard that is accessible, visual, engaging, doable, and concise.
Key Things to Remember
Types of Measures
* Lagging - provide an historical look at past performance
* Leading - provide measures that are predictive of future results.
* Real-time - show where things are right now. They allow corrective action to be taken immediately to affect the outcome.
Measurement Credibility Checklist
* Accurately tracks progress toward the goal
* Inputs cannot be easily manipulated
* Can be influenced by the team
* Drives the right behaviors
* Tracks outcomes as well as activities
* Is truly achievable
* Has no unintended consequences
* Value of measuring exceeds cost of measuring
For more information on the "4 Disciplines of Execution", click here.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Thursday, July 06, 2006
The 4 Disciplines of Execution
Dr. Stephen Covey is one of my favorite authors. His books, writing, lectures, and course offerings are well worth reviewing. As I was looking through my bookshelf I came across a CD and short brochure around what Dr. Covey calls the 4 Disciplines of Execution.
Over the next few weeks I will go through each Discipline. Today, I will talk about Discipline 1.
As taken from the "4 Disciplines of Execution" brochure:
Discipline 1 - Focus on the Wildly Important
To achieve results with excellence, you must focus on a few wildly important goals and set aside the merely important. Choose to do a few things with excellence rather than many things with mediocrity.
Key Things to Remember
Too many goals, conflicting or not, lead to confusion, burnout, decline in quality, and loss of focus".
Align your goals with those of your organization as well as the key teams you work with".
Use the Importance Screen (reference to CD) to help identify your wildly important goals
Click here to view Importance Screen
Create Sell-Crafted Goals
* Specific and clear
* Explicitly linked to corporate strategy
* Plain language
* Bite-size chunks
* measurable
* Deadline-driven
For more information click here to go to Franklin Covey's website.
Over the next few weeks I will go through each Discipline. Today, I will talk about Discipline 1.
As taken from the "4 Disciplines of Execution" brochure:
Discipline 1 - Focus on the Wildly Important
To achieve results with excellence, you must focus on a few wildly important goals and set aside the merely important. Choose to do a few things with excellence rather than many things with mediocrity.
Key Things to Remember
Too many goals, conflicting or not, lead to confusion, burnout, decline in quality, and loss of focus".
Align your goals with those of your organization as well as the key teams you work with".
Use the Importance Screen (reference to CD) to help identify your wildly important goals
Click here to view Importance Screen
Create Sell-Crafted Goals
* Specific and clear
* Explicitly linked to corporate strategy
* Plain language
* Bite-size chunks
* measurable
* Deadline-driven
For more information click here to go to Franklin Covey's website.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
New PMI Standards
The Project Management Institute has released two new standards. They are:
The Standard for Program Management
The Standard for Portfolio Management
As stated in the Standard for Program Management, "The Standard for Program Management aims to provide a detailed understanding of program management and promote efficient and effective communication and coordination among various groups. With its ability to help assess the variety of factors linking projects under one program and provide the best allotment of resources between those projects, this standard is an invaluable tool for program and project managers alike."
In the introduction the Program Management Standard states: "The Standard for Program Management provides guidelines for managing programs within and organization. It defines program management and related concepts, describes the program management life cycle and outlines related processes. This standard is an expansion of information provided in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge."
It appears on first glance that both Standards will be an excellent resource for all project managers. You can purchase them both at the PMI website
Your comments are always welcome
The Standard for Program Management
The Standard for Portfolio Management
As stated in the Standard for Program Management, "The Standard for Program Management aims to provide a detailed understanding of program management and promote efficient and effective communication and coordination among various groups. With its ability to help assess the variety of factors linking projects under one program and provide the best allotment of resources between those projects, this standard is an invaluable tool for program and project managers alike."
In the introduction the Program Management Standard states: "The Standard for Program Management provides guidelines for managing programs within and organization. It defines program management and related concepts, describes the program management life cycle and outlines related processes. This standard is an expansion of information provided in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge."
It appears on first glance that both Standards will be an excellent resource for all project managers. You can purchase them both at the PMI website
Your comments are always welcome
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Vacation is Over, but what a Ride!
Some photos from my vacation are included below. I rode the Harley to Cartersville, GA, Fontana Dam, NC, up and around the Blue Ridge Parkway, on to Asheville, NC, then back home. The weather was great, the scenery incredible, and the break from work much needed. Hopefully the photos will tell part of the story.
Mountain View
Flowers in the Mountains
Devils Courthouse - Blue Ridge Parkway
Another View
Motorcycle Project Dude
Mountain View
Flowers in the Mountains
Devils Courthouse - Blue Ridge Parkway
Another View
Motorcycle Project Dude
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Vacations are Projects Too!
Well I'm off for vacation on Saturday. I'm riding my Harley-Davidson to Atlanta and staying for a couple of days with a friend, then moving on to the Road King Riders Rendevouz in Fontana, NC. After a couple of days of riding in the Smokey Mountains I will ride to Asheville, NC for my sister-in-laws wedding.
In order to make sure the trip is as uneventful as possible, I have created a checklist of things to do and take, as well as pre-planning my route. Additionally, as part of the pre-trip process I have completed a maintenance and safety check on the motorcycle, and ensured I have my insurance, registration, and other paperwork required for the trip.
While taking the time to plan the trip won't guarentee success, it should reduce the chances of problems while on the road.
What out for Motorcyles, they are Everywhere!
Monday, June 05, 2006
Quotes from Tom Peters
As many of you know I'm a big fan of Tom Peters. I own a couple of his books, and I like to review materials on his website from time to time. Below you will find several quotes and bits of wisdom that I have gleamed from Tom's writings. Hopefully you will enjoy them as much as I have.
In any public-sector business, you must become an avid student of "the politics," the incentives and constraints, mostly non-economic, facing all of the players. Politicians are usually incredibly logical if you (deeply!) understand the matrix in which they exist.
Risk Assessment & Risk Management is more about stories than advanced math i.e., brilliant scenario construction.
Don't waste your time on jerks, it'll rarely work out in the mid- to long-term.
Under promise (i.e., don't over-promise; i.e., cut yourself a little slack) even if it costs you business; winning is a long-term affair. Over-promising is Sign #1 of a lack of integrity. You will pay the piper.
There is such a thing as a "good loss", if you have tested something new and developed good relationships. A half-dozen honorable, ingenious losses over a two-year period can pave the way for a Big Victory in a New Space in year 3.
Keep it simple! (Damn it!) No matter how "sophisticated" the product. If you can't explain it in a phrase, a page, or to your 14-year-old ... you haven't got it right yet.
Don't hold grudges. (It is the ultimate in small mindedness, and incredibly wasteful and ineffective. There is always tomorrow.)
Little People often have Big Friends!
Work hard beats work smart. (Mostly)
Phones beat email.
Obsess on ROIR (Return On Investment In Relationships).
Scoring off other people is stupid. Winners are always in the business of creating the maximum # of winners among adversaries at least as much as among partners.
Your colleagues' successes are your successes. Period.
Lend a helping hand, especially when you don't have the time.
Don't get too hung up on "systems integration", first & foremost, the individual bits have got to work.
For Gods sake don't over promise on systems integration it's nigh on impossible to deliver.
It's Relationships, Stupid; Deep and from multiple functions.
Don't over-schedule. Running late is inexcusable at any level of seniority; it is the ultimate mark of self-importance mixed with contempt.
"Preparing the soil" is the first 98 percent. (Or more.)
Be kind. It works.
Opportunism (with a little forethought) mostly wins.
"Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes."
Integrity. Credibility. Humanity. Grace.
Strategic planning is the last refuge of scoundrels
Focus groups are counter-productive
All information making it to the top is filtered to the point of danger and hilarity
"Success stories are the illusions of egomaniacs (and "gurus")
If you believe the "cause & effect" memoirs of CEOs, you should be institutionalized
"Top teams" are "Dittoheads"
"Expert" prediction is rarely better than rolling the dice
Statistically, CEOs have little effect on performance
Success kills
In any public-sector business, you must become an avid student of "the politics," the incentives and constraints, mostly non-economic, facing all of the players. Politicians are usually incredibly logical if you (deeply!) understand the matrix in which they exist.
Risk Assessment & Risk Management is more about stories than advanced math i.e., brilliant scenario construction.
Don't waste your time on jerks, it'll rarely work out in the mid- to long-term.
Under promise (i.e., don't over-promise; i.e., cut yourself a little slack) even if it costs you business; winning is a long-term affair. Over-promising is Sign #1 of a lack of integrity. You will pay the piper.
There is such a thing as a "good loss", if you have tested something new and developed good relationships. A half-dozen honorable, ingenious losses over a two-year period can pave the way for a Big Victory in a New Space in year 3.
Keep it simple! (Damn it!) No matter how "sophisticated" the product. If you can't explain it in a phrase, a page, or to your 14-year-old ... you haven't got it right yet.
Don't hold grudges. (It is the ultimate in small mindedness, and incredibly wasteful and ineffective. There is always tomorrow.)
Little People often have Big Friends!
Work hard beats work smart. (Mostly)
Phones beat email.
Obsess on ROIR (Return On Investment In Relationships).
Scoring off other people is stupid. Winners are always in the business of creating the maximum # of winners among adversaries at least as much as among partners.
Your colleagues' successes are your successes. Period.
Lend a helping hand, especially when you don't have the time.
Don't get too hung up on "systems integration", first & foremost, the individual bits have got to work.
For Gods sake don't over promise on systems integration it's nigh on impossible to deliver.
It's Relationships, Stupid; Deep and from multiple functions.
Don't over-schedule. Running late is inexcusable at any level of seniority; it is the ultimate mark of self-importance mixed with contempt.
"Preparing the soil" is the first 98 percent. (Or more.)
Be kind. It works.
Opportunism (with a little forethought) mostly wins.
"Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes."
Integrity. Credibility. Humanity. Grace.
Strategic planning is the last refuge of scoundrels
Focus groups are counter-productive
All information making it to the top is filtered to the point of danger and hilarity
"Success stories are the illusions of egomaniacs (and "gurus")
If you believe the "cause & effect" memoirs of CEOs, you should be institutionalized
"Top teams" are "Dittoheads"
"Expert" prediction is rarely better than rolling the dice
Statistically, CEOs have little effect on performance
Success kills
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
The Water is Full of Sharks
In the past, I enjoyed reading the book, "Power and Politics in Project Management" by Jeffrey K. Pinto (and still review it periodically). One section of the book has had special significance for me of late. I have to admit that I'm not a very good politician. I have learned over the years that playing politics is a skill set I need to work on. As mentioned in the book, we need to be aware of all political behaviors (Naive, Sensible, and Shark) and react to them appropriately if we are to keep ourselves from getting in to trouble.
One behavior I have had the unfortunate experience of witnessing lately is that of the Political Shark. These types of people have certain character traits that if not recognized can negatively impact our careers. These sharks know how to play the self-serving political "game" and don't mind leaving blood in the water. They are experts at manipulating the system to get their way and have no interest in serving anything but their own desires. They have loyalty only to themselves and their own goals.
SHARKS ARE PREDATORS, AND ARE INDISCRIMINATE WHEN FEEDING!
To quote from the book, "work with them (sharks), and one is likely to be used and manipulated; get between them and their goal and their behavior becomes utterly amoral." "The only cause these individuals espouse is their own."
The author goes on to make an important point; Sharks "enter organizations with the express purpose of using politics and aggressive manipulation to reach the top."
As summarized in the book, Sharks are:
* Opportunistic
* Self-serving and predatory
* Manipulators that will use fraud and deceit when necessary
* Bullies that will misuse information and use others to service their own means
Do you know or work with or for a shark? What can a project manager do to ensure these types of individuals don't negatively impact their projects?
Here are some things to keep in mind:
* Be aware that sharks exist in your organization
* Know who the sharks are and avoid them whenever possible
* When working with sharks, be very careful not to become their prey
* Learn to be politically "Sensible"
* Be a good negotiator
* Expand your network and be fair and honest in all of your dealings
* Be comforted in the fact that Sharks will eventually move on to new feeding grounds
It is unfortunate that political sharks are so prevalent in organizations. They offer little value to the organization other than to serve their own means. Occasionally sharks do good things, but the cost of their behavior will always be a disruption to the organization. The benefit is rarely worth the cost.
Don't trust a shark. Don't turn your back on them and don't take them lightly. Remember they are self-serving and will stop at nothing to satisfy their appetite. I have seen the damage they can do first hand and I know they are indiscriminate in the way the feed. Even though we have to swim with the sharks, we don't have to become their victims.
Keep your friends close, but the sharks closer.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Project Challenges
I just received the latest addition to my project management library. The book, The Wiley Guide to Managing Projects is big (over 1400 pages), comprehensive, expensive, and has more information than I could absorb in a lifetime. While I wouldn't recommend the book for everyone, I would say that it covers just about every aspect of project management in enough detail to make it a book you should consider having on your desk.
I have been very busy with a large enterprise project that has been a real challenge. As project managers we have all been in the same boat regarding managing projects that have taken on a life of their own. We have the knowledge, experience, and lessons learned from past projects to manage these projects effectively, yet our current project(s) aren't going as planned. Are you managing "change"?
Project change and the associated problems/opportunities they create are all part of the project management game. Changes to project scope can improve project results, however it helps if we can anticipate these changes so we can manage them more effectively.
Project change requires that we communicate and anticipate. Failure to manage change can result in project failure and cost overruns. Additionally, relationships can be damaged and careers ruined. Needless to say, these things happen to project managers everyday.
So what do we do when faced with the big project challenges? My advice is to keep plugging away and rely on your experience, knowledge, perseverance, and project management fundamentals to get your projects back on track.
Any war stories you have can be added to the comments section.
Thanks,
Stephen F. Seay, PMP
Keep fighting the good fight.
I have been very busy with a large enterprise project that has been a real challenge. As project managers we have all been in the same boat regarding managing projects that have taken on a life of their own. We have the knowledge, experience, and lessons learned from past projects to manage these projects effectively, yet our current project(s) aren't going as planned. Are you managing "change"?
Project change and the associated problems/opportunities they create are all part of the project management game. Changes to project scope can improve project results, however it helps if we can anticipate these changes so we can manage them more effectively.
Project change requires that we communicate and anticipate. Failure to manage change can result in project failure and cost overruns. Additionally, relationships can be damaged and careers ruined. Needless to say, these things happen to project managers everyday.
So what do we do when faced with the big project challenges? My advice is to keep plugging away and rely on your experience, knowledge, perseverance, and project management fundamentals to get your projects back on track.
Any war stories you have can be added to the comments section.
Thanks,
Stephen F. Seay, PMP
Keep fighting the good fight.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Good Project Management Websites
The list of useful Project Management links was found on the forums over at http://forums.pmforum.org/
REPOST - Cleaned up Links and Formatting
The new eProject eLounge (A great source of blogs, forums, download, and other info)
http://elounge.eproject.com/
100 Rules for Project Managers (Some great gems of project management wisdom from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.)
http://www.altisinc.com/Links/100_Rules.html
12Manage – Management method, models and theories
http://www.12manage.com/
4PM – Free project management knowledge library
http://www.4pm.com/
AllPM - Project Manager's Resource Center
http://www.allpm.com/
ASAPM (American Society for the Advancement of Project Management)
http://asapm.org/
CapacityPlanning.Com
http://www.capacityplanning.com/
CIO Magazine (Good information for a variety of subjects including project management.)
http://www.cio.com/
CM Today - Configuration Management News
http://www.cmtoday.com/
Cutter IT Journal
http://www.cutter.com/itjournal/
Defense Acquisition University 4 PMs
http://www.dau.mil/pubs/pmtoc.asp
Earned Value Management
http://www.acq.osd.mil/pm/
Effective Meetings
http://www.effectivemeetings.com/
e-Programme - Portfolio Management Web Site
http://www.e-programme.com/
GanttHead - Developed for PMs by PMs
http://www.gantthead.com/
HrGopher - Good HR information for everyone
http://www.hrgopher.com/
Information Systems Specific Interest Group (PMI)
http://www.pmi-issig.org/
IT-Director.Com, information for the IT Director
http://www.it-director.com/
itmWEB, IT Management information
http://www.itmweb.com/
ITtoolKit for Managing Technology, PM Toolkits and information
http://www.ittoolkit.com/index.shtml
The wisdom of Max Wideman
http://www.maxwideman.com/
Methodology.Org
http://www.methodology.org/
MIT's Project Management Resources
http://web.mit.edu/pm/
NewGrange - Center for Project Management
http://www.newgrange.org/
PM Boulevard
http://www.pmboulevard.com/home.jsp
PMI (Project Management Institute)
http://www.pmi.org/
Portfolio Management Forum
http://www.portfoliomgt.org/
PowerPointers - Creating Effective Presentations
http://www.powerpointers.com/
Product Development & Management Association
http://www.pdma.org/
Project Development Disciplines from Paul Allen
http://members.aol.com/AllenWeb/index.htm
ProjectHero - Real World War Stories
http://www.projecthero.com/
Project Magazine - Free Online Resource
http://www.projectmagazine.com/
Project Management Forum
http://www.pmforum.org/
Project Management W3 Site
http://www.projectmanagement.com/
Project Manager Today
http://www.projectnet.com/
Project Smart Resource Centre
http://www.projectsmart.fsnet.co.uk/
Projects @ Work Magazine
http://www.projectsatwork.com/
Service Level Management
http://www.nextslm.org/
The Software Engineering Laboratory (NASA)
http://sel.gsfc.nasa.gov/website/index.htm
Software Program Manager's Network
http://www.spmn.com/
Software Project Management Sites
http://huxley.baz.com/kjordan/swse625/sites.html
SoftwareDioxide - Ecosystem 4 Software
http://www.softwaredioxide.com/
StickyMinds - Resource 4 Building Better Software
http://www.stickyminds.com/
TechGuide - Practical Guidance for IT Pros (BNET)
http://www.techguide.com/
University of Washington Project Management Guidelines
http://www.washington.edu/computing/pm/
Virtual Project Management & Teams
http://www.vrtprj.com/
Workaholic International Network
http://www.workaholic.org/
Software Projects Org
http://www.softwareprojects.org/
IPMA (International PM Association)
http://www.ipma.ch/
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
In Project Management, Criticism is Inevitable
Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing. Aristotle, Greek philosopher and scientist
Many of you probably know that every now and then I can be critical of a situation or type of person. Evidence of this fact can be seen in last week's posting or others regarding teams, executive apathy, etc. One thing we can all learn about criticism from others - "if you expect criticism, you will seldom be disappointed when you receive it" - Author unknown.
We know that not all criticism is constructive. Many types of criticism are destructive and that is what I want to talk about. Destructive criticism is something you receive that offers virtually no value, and comes from people that don't have your best interests at heart. Sometimes the criticism may have some merit, however when speaking about destructive criticism, the presentation wasn't communicated effectively or was only meant to do harm.
Remember, criticism is just an opinion, but if offered constructively it may be valid and helpful.
Keep an open mind when being criticized. Don't let the criticism control you or change what you think about yourself. Ask yourself, can I learn anything from the criticism? Can I change anything? Should I change?
I don't take criticism well, and I tend to discount those people around me that criticize others too much. I need to take my own advice and learn to be more accepting of criticism, especially when it is constructive.
Some rules we should follow regarding criticism:
Never criticize another behind their back. Keep in mind what Stephen Covey says and have "respect for the absent".
If there is nothing to be learned when you are criticized it is best to ignore it and move on with your life.
Responding to criticism that has no value will only reduce you to the level of the person doing the criticizing.
Don't let deceivers deceive YOU!
Many of you probably know that every now and then I can be critical of a situation or type of person. Evidence of this fact can be seen in last week's posting or others regarding teams, executive apathy, etc. One thing we can all learn about criticism from others - "if you expect criticism, you will seldom be disappointed when you receive it" - Author unknown.
We know that not all criticism is constructive. Many types of criticism are destructive and that is what I want to talk about. Destructive criticism is something you receive that offers virtually no value, and comes from people that don't have your best interests at heart. Sometimes the criticism may have some merit, however when speaking about destructive criticism, the presentation wasn't communicated effectively or was only meant to do harm.
Remember, criticism is just an opinion, but if offered constructively it may be valid and helpful.
Keep an open mind when being criticized. Don't let the criticism control you or change what you think about yourself. Ask yourself, can I learn anything from the criticism? Can I change anything? Should I change?
I don't take criticism well, and I tend to discount those people around me that criticize others too much. I need to take my own advice and learn to be more accepting of criticism, especially when it is constructive.
Some rules we should follow regarding criticism:
Never criticize another behind their back. Keep in mind what Stephen Covey says and have "respect for the absent".
If there is nothing to be learned when you are criticized it is best to ignore it and move on with your life.
Responding to criticism that has no value will only reduce you to the level of the person doing the criticizing.
Don't let deceivers deceive YOU!
Monday, April 24, 2006
E-mail + Blackberrys = Frustration
Have you ever been in a meeting and watched people take their attention from what is being discussed to respond to a message on their Blackberry ? Does anybody else find this to be distracting and just plain rude? Are the people using Blackberrys and the messages they receive so important that they must take their attention away from you or others to respond instantly to their e-mail? I think not. These users will claim that they are listening to you and paying attention; however, that has proven not to be the case.
The overwhelming majority (99%) of people can't read and effectively listen simultaneously. The ones that say they can are the ones you need to worry about. They aren’t listening and that can hurt your project.
A recent research report out of King's College, London, claims that e-mail use has addictive aspects and that it causes a temporary IQ drop of up to 10 points-—a bigger drop than that caused by inveterate pot-smoking! Add to the e-mail mix an addictive, on-the-hip, always on device like a Blackberry, and this lapse in intelligence can affect meetings, projects, and your ability to effectively do your job.
Some Blackberry users I know are addicts. Just like a smoker, when the urge strikes out comes the Blackberry. They don't see the harm. They are being productive, responsive, accountable, saving time, money, etc... In meetings or conversations they are a distraction, an annoyance, and not giving you and others their full attention. They are out of touch and oblivious to what is important.
You have seen the scenario; whenever the device buzzes, chirps, or rings everything around them ceases to be important except the message on their device. They must respond and must respond now. Is this behavior acceptable now? If we were having a conversation and you picked up a book and started reading, or turned on a nearby television and started watching and changing channels wouldn't that be a sign that what I was saying wasn't important?
Hopefully one person (besides me) will read this message and change their behavior. When I see senior management or leaders exhibit this type of behavior it makes me wonder how they would feel if I exhibited this behavior when they were talking.
Turn off the Blackberry during meetings or leave them at your desk. . You aren’t that important and neither are the messages you are reading!
End of rant...
Comments welcome
The overwhelming majority (99%) of people can't read and effectively listen simultaneously. The ones that say they can are the ones you need to worry about. They aren’t listening and that can hurt your project.
A recent research report out of King's College, London, claims that e-mail use has addictive aspects and that it causes a temporary IQ drop of up to 10 points-—a bigger drop than that caused by inveterate pot-smoking! Add to the e-mail mix an addictive, on-the-hip, always on device like a Blackberry, and this lapse in intelligence can affect meetings, projects, and your ability to effectively do your job.
Some Blackberry users I know are addicts. Just like a smoker, when the urge strikes out comes the Blackberry. They don't see the harm. They are being productive, responsive, accountable, saving time, money, etc... In meetings or conversations they are a distraction, an annoyance, and not giving you and others their full attention. They are out of touch and oblivious to what is important.
You have seen the scenario; whenever the device buzzes, chirps, or rings everything around them ceases to be important except the message on their device. They must respond and must respond now. Is this behavior acceptable now? If we were having a conversation and you picked up a book and started reading, or turned on a nearby television and started watching and changing channels wouldn't that be a sign that what I was saying wasn't important?
Hopefully one person (besides me) will read this message and change their behavior. When I see senior management or leaders exhibit this type of behavior it makes me wonder how they would feel if I exhibited this behavior when they were talking.
Turn off the Blackberry during meetings or leave them at your desk. . You aren’t that important and neither are the messages you are reading!
End of rant...
Comments welcome
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Leadership Lessons from General Colin Powell - Last in Series
Lesson 13
"Powell's Rules for Picking People:” Look for intelligence and judgment, and most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego, and the drive to get things done.
How often do our recruitment and hiring processes tap into these attributes? More often than not, we ignore them in favor of length of resume, degrees and prior titles. A string of job descriptions a recruit held yesterday seem to be more important than who one is today, what they can contribute tomorrow, or
how well their values mesh with those of the organization. You can train a bright, willing novice in the fundamentals of your business fairly readily, but it's a lot harder to train someone to have integrity, judgment, energy, balance, and the drive to get things done. Good leaders stack the deck in their favor
right in the recruitment phase.
Lesson 14
"Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt,
to offer a solution everybody can understand."
Effective leaders understand the KISS principle, Keep It Simple, Stupid. They articulate vivid, over-arching goals and values, which they use to drive daily behaviors and choices among competing alternatives. Their visions and priorities are lean and compelling, not cluttered and buzzword-laden. Their decisions are crisp and clear, not tentative and ambiguous. They convey an unwavering firmness and consistency in their actions, aligned with the picture of the future they paint. The result: clarity of purpose, credibility of leadership, and integrity in organization.
Lesson 15
Part I: "Use the formula P=40 to 70, in which P stands for the probability of success and the numbers indicate the percentage of information acquired.” Part II: "Once the information is in the 40 to 70 range, go with your gut."
Don't take action if you have only enough information to give you less than a 40 percent chance of being right, but don't wait until you have enough facts to be 100 percent sure, because by then it is almost always too late. Today, excessive delays in the name of information-gathering breeds "analysis paralysis." Procrastination in the name of reducing risk actually increases risk.
Lesson 16
"The commander in the field is always right and the rear echelon is wrong, unless proved otherwise."
Too often, the reverse defines corporate culture. This is one of the main reasons why leaders like Ken Iverson of Nucor Steel, Percy Barnevik of Asea Brown Boveri, and Richard Branson of Virgin have kept their corporate staffs to a bare-bones minimum - how about fewer than 100 central corporate staffers for global $30 billion-plus ABB? Or around 25 and 3 for multi-billion Nucor and Virgin, respectively? Shift the power and the financial accountability to the folks who are bringing in the beans, not the ones who are counting
or analyzing them.
Lesson 17
"Have fun in your command. Don't always run at a breakneck pace. Take leave when you've earned it:
Spend time with your families. Corollary: surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard."
Herb Kelleher of Southwest Air and Anita Roddick of The Body Shop would agree: seek people who have some balance in their lives, who are fun to hang out with, who like to laugh (at themselves, too) and who have some non-job priorities which they approach with the same passion that they do their work. Spare me the grim workaholic or the pompous pretentious "professional;” I'll help them find jobs with my competitor.
Lesson 18
"Command is lonely."
Harry Truman was right. Whether you're a CEO or the temporary head of a project team, the buck stops here. You can encourage participative management and bottom-up employee involvement, but ultimately the
essence of leadership is the willingness to make the tough, unambiguous choices that will have an impact on the fate of the organization. I've seen too many non-leaders flinch from this responsibility. Even as you create an informal, open, collaborative corporate culture, prepare to be lonely.
“Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.”
"Powell's Rules for Picking People:” Look for intelligence and judgment, and most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego, and the drive to get things done.
How often do our recruitment and hiring processes tap into these attributes? More often than not, we ignore them in favor of length of resume, degrees and prior titles. A string of job descriptions a recruit held yesterday seem to be more important than who one is today, what they can contribute tomorrow, or
how well their values mesh with those of the organization. You can train a bright, willing novice in the fundamentals of your business fairly readily, but it's a lot harder to train someone to have integrity, judgment, energy, balance, and the drive to get things done. Good leaders stack the deck in their favor
right in the recruitment phase.
Lesson 14
"Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt,
to offer a solution everybody can understand."
Effective leaders understand the KISS principle, Keep It Simple, Stupid. They articulate vivid, over-arching goals and values, which they use to drive daily behaviors and choices among competing alternatives. Their visions and priorities are lean and compelling, not cluttered and buzzword-laden. Their decisions are crisp and clear, not tentative and ambiguous. They convey an unwavering firmness and consistency in their actions, aligned with the picture of the future they paint. The result: clarity of purpose, credibility of leadership, and integrity in organization.
Lesson 15
Part I: "Use the formula P=40 to 70, in which P stands for the probability of success and the numbers indicate the percentage of information acquired.” Part II: "Once the information is in the 40 to 70 range, go with your gut."
Don't take action if you have only enough information to give you less than a 40 percent chance of being right, but don't wait until you have enough facts to be 100 percent sure, because by then it is almost always too late. Today, excessive delays in the name of information-gathering breeds "analysis paralysis." Procrastination in the name of reducing risk actually increases risk.
Lesson 16
"The commander in the field is always right and the rear echelon is wrong, unless proved otherwise."
Too often, the reverse defines corporate culture. This is one of the main reasons why leaders like Ken Iverson of Nucor Steel, Percy Barnevik of Asea Brown Boveri, and Richard Branson of Virgin have kept their corporate staffs to a bare-bones minimum - how about fewer than 100 central corporate staffers for global $30 billion-plus ABB? Or around 25 and 3 for multi-billion Nucor and Virgin, respectively? Shift the power and the financial accountability to the folks who are bringing in the beans, not the ones who are counting
or analyzing them.
Lesson 17
"Have fun in your command. Don't always run at a breakneck pace. Take leave when you've earned it:
Spend time with your families. Corollary: surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard."
Herb Kelleher of Southwest Air and Anita Roddick of The Body Shop would agree: seek people who have some balance in their lives, who are fun to hang out with, who like to laugh (at themselves, too) and who have some non-job priorities which they approach with the same passion that they do their work. Spare me the grim workaholic or the pompous pretentious "professional;” I'll help them find jobs with my competitor.
Lesson 18
"Command is lonely."
Harry Truman was right. Whether you're a CEO or the temporary head of a project team, the buck stops here. You can encourage participative management and bottom-up employee involvement, but ultimately the
essence of leadership is the willingness to make the tough, unambiguous choices that will have an impact on the fate of the organization. I've seen too many non-leaders flinch from this responsibility. Even as you create an informal, open, collaborative corporate culture, prepare to be lonely.
“Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.”
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Leadership Lessons from General Colin Powell Continued...
Lesson 7
"Keep looking below surface appearances. Don't shrink from doing so (just) because you
might not like what you find."
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant or the scared. It's an excuse for inaction, a call to non-arms. It's a mind-set that assumes (or hopes) that today's realities will continue tomorrow in a tidy, linear and predictable fashion. Pure fantasy. In this sort of culture, you won't find
people who pro-actively take steps to solve problems as they emerge. Here's a little tip: don't invest in these companies.
Lesson 8
"Organization doesn't really accomplish anything. Plans don't accomplish anything, either. Theories of management don't much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds."
In a brain-based economy, your best assets are people. We've heard this expression so often that it's become trite. But how many leaders really "walk the talk" with this stuff? Too often, people are assumed to be empty chess pieces to be moved around by grand viziers, which may explain why so many top managers immerse their calendar time in deal making, restructuring and the latest management fad. How many immerse themselves in the goal of creating an environment where the best, the brightest, the most creative are
attracted, retained and, most importantly, unleashed?
Lesson 9
"Organization charts and fancy titles count for next to nothing."
Organization charts are frozen, anachronistic photos in a work place that ought
to be as dynamic as the external environment around you. If people really
followed organization charts, companies would collapse. In well-run
organizations, titles are also pretty meaningless. At best, they advertise
some authority, an official status conferring the ability to give orders and
induce obedience. But titles mean little in terms of real power, which is the
capacity to influence and inspire. Have you ever noticed that people will
personally commit to certain individuals who on paper (or on the organization
chart) possess little authority, but instead possess pizzazz, drive, expertise,
and genuine caring for teammates and products? On the flip side, non-leaders
in management may be formally anointed with all the perks and frills
associated with high positions, but they have little influence on others, apart
from their ability to extract minimal compliance to minimal standards.
Lesson 10
"Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position goes, your ego goes with it."
Too often, change is stifled by people who cling to familiar turfs and job descriptions. One reason that even large organizations wither is that managers won't challenge old, comfortable ways of doing things. But
real leaders understand that, nowadays, every one of our jobs is becoming obsolete. The proper response is to obsolete our activities before someone else does. Effective leaders create a climate where people’s worth is determined by their willingness to learn new skills and grab new responsibilities, thus perpetually reinventing their jobs. The most important question in performance evaluation becomes not, "How well did you perform your job since the last time we met?" but, "How much did you change it?"
Lesson 11
"Fit no stereotypes. Don't chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best
accomplishes the team's mission."
Flitting from fad to fad creates team confusion, reduces the leader's credibility, and drains organizational coffers. Blindly following a particular fad generates rigidity in thought and action. Sometimes speed to market is more important than total quality. Sometimes an unapologetic directive is more appropriate
than participatory discussion. Some situations require the leader to hover closely; others require long, loose leashes. Leaders honor their core values, but they are flexible in how they execute them. They understand that management techniques are not magic mantras but simply tools to be reached for at the right times.
Lesson 12
"Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier."
The ripple effect of a leader's enthusiasm and optimism is awesome. So is the impact of cynicism and pessimism. Leaders who whine and blame engender those same behaviors among their colleagues. I am not talking about stoically accepting organizational stupidity and performance incompetence with a "what,
me worry?" smile. I am talking about a gung-ho attitude that says "we can change things here, we can achieve awesome goals, we can be the best." Spare me the grim litany of the "realist," give me the unrealistic aspirations of the optimist any day.
Next time I will publish the last of General Powell's Leadership Lessons
Monday, April 03, 2006
More Leadership Lessons from General Colin Powell
All the lessons below were taken taken from a presentation by General Colin Powell. I will publish more of them here in the coming days and weeks.
Lesson 4
"Don't be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard."
Learn from the pros, observe them, seek them out as mentors and partners. But remember that even the pros may have leveled out in terms of their learning and skills. Sometimes even the pros can become complacent and lazy. Leadership does not emerge from blind obedience to anyone. Xerox's Barry Rand was right on target when he warned his people that if you have a yes-man working for you, one of you is redundant. Good leadership encourages everyone's evolution.
Lesson 5
"Never neglect details. When everyone's mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant."
Strategy equals execution. All the great ideas and visions in the world are worthless if they can't be implemented rapidly and efficiently. Good leaders delegate and empower others liberally, but they pay attention to details, every day. (Think about supreme athletic coaches like Jimmy Johnson, Pat Riley
and Tony La Russa). Bad ones, even those who fancy themselves as progressive "visionaries," think they're somehow "above" operational details. Paradoxically, good leaders understand something else: an obsessive routine in carrying out the details begets conformity and complacency, which in turn dulls everyone's mind. That is why even as they pay attention to details, they continually encourage people to challenge the process. They implicitly understand the sentiment of CEO leaders like Quad Graphic's Harry Quadracchi, Oticon's Lars Kolind and the late Bill McGowan of MCI, who all independently asserted that the Job of a leader is not to be the chief organizer, but the chief dis-organizer.
Lesson 6
"You don't know what you can get away with until you try."
You know the expression, "it's easier to get forgiveness than permission." Well, it's true. Good leaders don't wait for official blessing to try things out. They're prudent, not reckless. But they also realize a fact of life in most organizations: if you ask enough people for permission, you'll inevitably come up against
someone who believes his job is to say "no." So the moral is, don't ask. Less effective middle managers endorsed the sentiment, "If I haven't explicitly been told 'yes,' I can't do it," whereas the good ones believed, "If I haven't explicitly been told 'no,' I can." There's a world of difference between these two points
of view.
Lesson 4
"Don't be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard."
Learn from the pros, observe them, seek them out as mentors and partners. But remember that even the pros may have leveled out in terms of their learning and skills. Sometimes even the pros can become complacent and lazy. Leadership does not emerge from blind obedience to anyone. Xerox's Barry Rand was right on target when he warned his people that if you have a yes-man working for you, one of you is redundant. Good leadership encourages everyone's evolution.
Lesson 5
"Never neglect details. When everyone's mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant."
Strategy equals execution. All the great ideas and visions in the world are worthless if they can't be implemented rapidly and efficiently. Good leaders delegate and empower others liberally, but they pay attention to details, every day. (Think about supreme athletic coaches like Jimmy Johnson, Pat Riley
and Tony La Russa). Bad ones, even those who fancy themselves as progressive "visionaries," think they're somehow "above" operational details. Paradoxically, good leaders understand something else: an obsessive routine in carrying out the details begets conformity and complacency, which in turn dulls everyone's mind. That is why even as they pay attention to details, they continually encourage people to challenge the process. They implicitly understand the sentiment of CEO leaders like Quad Graphic's Harry Quadracchi, Oticon's Lars Kolind and the late Bill McGowan of MCI, who all independently asserted that the Job of a leader is not to be the chief organizer, but the chief dis-organizer.
Lesson 6
"You don't know what you can get away with until you try."
You know the expression, "it's easier to get forgiveness than permission." Well, it's true. Good leaders don't wait for official blessing to try things out. They're prudent, not reckless. But they also realize a fact of life in most organizations: if you ask enough people for permission, you'll inevitably come up against
someone who believes his job is to say "no." So the moral is, don't ask. Less effective middle managers endorsed the sentiment, "If I haven't explicitly been told 'yes,' I can't do it," whereas the good ones believed, "If I haven't explicitly been told 'no,' I can." There's a world of difference between these two points
of view.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Leadership Lessons from General Colin Powell
All the lessons below were taken taken from a presentation by General Colin Powell. I like them all, and will publish them here over the coming days.
Lesson 1
"Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off."
Good leadership involves responsibility to the welfare of the group, which means that some people will get angry at your actions and decisions. It's inevitable, if you're honorable. Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity: you'll avoid the tough decisions, you'll avoid confronting the people who need to be confronted, and you'll avoid offering differential rewards based on differential performance because some people might get upset.
Ironically, by procrastinating on the difficult choices, by trying not to get anyone mad, and by treating everyone equally "nicely" regardless of their contributions, you'll simply ensure that the only people you'll wind up angering are the most creative and productive people in the organization.
Lesson 2
"The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership."
If this were a litmus test, the majority of CEOs would fail. One, they build so many barriers to upward communication that the very idea of someone lower in the hierarchy looking up to the leader for help is ludicrous. Two, the corporate culture they foster often defines asking for help as weakness or failure, so people cover up their gaps, and the organization suffers accordingly. Real leaders make themselves accessible and available. They show concern for the efforts and challenges faced by underlings, even as they demand high standards. Accordingly, they are more likely to create an environment where problem analysis replaces blame.
Lesson 3
"Don't be buffaloed by experts and elites. Experts often possess more data than judgment. Elites can become so inbred that they produce hemophiliacs who bleed to death as soon as they are nicked by the real world."
Small companies and start-ups don't have the time for analytically detached experts. They don't have the money to subsidize lofty elites, either. The president answers the phone and drives the truck when necessary; everyone on the payroll visibly produces and contributes to bottom-line results or they're history. But as companies get bigger, they often forget who "brought them to the dance": things like all-hands involvement, egalitarianism, informality, market intimacy, daring, risk, speed, agility. Policies that emanate from ivory towers often have an adverse impact on the people out in the field who are fighting the wars or bringing in the revenues. Real leaders are vigilant, and combative, in the face of these trends.
Lesson 1
"Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off."
Good leadership involves responsibility to the welfare of the group, which means that some people will get angry at your actions and decisions. It's inevitable, if you're honorable. Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity: you'll avoid the tough decisions, you'll avoid confronting the people who need to be confronted, and you'll avoid offering differential rewards based on differential performance because some people might get upset.
Ironically, by procrastinating on the difficult choices, by trying not to get anyone mad, and by treating everyone equally "nicely" regardless of their contributions, you'll simply ensure that the only people you'll wind up angering are the most creative and productive people in the organization.
Lesson 2
"The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership."
If this were a litmus test, the majority of CEOs would fail. One, they build so many barriers to upward communication that the very idea of someone lower in the hierarchy looking up to the leader for help is ludicrous. Two, the corporate culture they foster often defines asking for help as weakness or failure, so people cover up their gaps, and the organization suffers accordingly. Real leaders make themselves accessible and available. They show concern for the efforts and challenges faced by underlings, even as they demand high standards. Accordingly, they are more likely to create an environment where problem analysis replaces blame.
Lesson 3
"Don't be buffaloed by experts and elites. Experts often possess more data than judgment. Elites can become so inbred that they produce hemophiliacs who bleed to death as soon as they are nicked by the real world."
Small companies and start-ups don't have the time for analytically detached experts. They don't have the money to subsidize lofty elites, either. The president answers the phone and drives the truck when necessary; everyone on the payroll visibly produces and contributes to bottom-line results or they're history. But as companies get bigger, they often forget who "brought them to the dance": things like all-hands involvement, egalitarianism, informality, market intimacy, daring, risk, speed, agility. Policies that emanate from ivory towers often have an adverse impact on the people out in the field who are fighting the wars or bringing in the revenues. Real leaders are vigilant, and combative, in the face of these trends.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Project Managment Culture
Moving your organization to embrace a “project management culture” takes time and patience. A great first step an organization can take is to ensure that their project leaders are trained and fluent in the discipline of Project Management. Also, and most importantly, senior management must understand and embrace the value of project management, and commit to support the process of implementing project management throughout all levels of the organization.
To help change the organizational culture to one that embraces and values project management, it should fund and support the development of a project office, which can help facilitate rolling out this “project management culture”.
Some first steps that should be taken:
To learn more, you can review the book entitled “Advanced Project Portfolio Management and the PMO” on Amazon.com. There is a link to purchase the book on the left hand side of the blog.
Until next time…
To help change the organizational culture to one that embraces and values project management, it should fund and support the development of a project office, which can help facilitate rolling out this “project management culture”.
Some first steps that should be taken:
- Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of existing project managers and project support personnel
- Develop a basic project management training plan for the entire organization to familiarize all with the project management verbiage and practices
- Identify and provide specialized advanced training for all project leaders and functional managers
- Develop a project management office (PMO) to provide enterprise coaching, and to develop and manage your organization’s project management methodology
- In addition to the methodology, the PMO should develop and maintain standard project management templates for the organization to use
- Ensure that existing projects are audited and meet your organization’s minimum project management standards
- Setup a program where your PMO provides coaching to less experienced project managers and oversight of all enterprise projects
- Ensure all projects have Lessons Learned captured
To learn more, you can review the book entitled “Advanced Project Portfolio Management and the PMO” on Amazon.com. There is a link to purchase the book on the left hand side of the blog.
Until next time…
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Twenty Good Life Tips
Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
Do not believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
When you say, "I love you", mean it.
When you say, "I'm sorry", look the person in the eye.
Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
Believe in love at first sight.
Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who do not have dreams do not have much.
Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it is the only way to live life completely.
In disagreements, fight fairly. No name-calling.
Do not judge people by their relatives.
Talk slowly but think quickly.
When someone asks you a question you do not want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
Say, "Bless You" when you hear someone sneeze.
When you lose, do not lose the lesson.
Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.
Do not let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
When you realize you have made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
Spend some time alone.
Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
Do not believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
When you say, "I love you", mean it.
When you say, "I'm sorry", look the person in the eye.
Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
Believe in love at first sight.
Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who do not have dreams do not have much.
Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it is the only way to live life completely.
In disagreements, fight fairly. No name-calling.
Do not judge people by their relatives.
Talk slowly but think quickly.
When someone asks you a question you do not want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
Say, "Bless You" when you hear someone sneeze.
When you lose, do not lose the lesson.
Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.
Do not let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
When you realize you have made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
Spend some time alone.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Does Your Project Still have Value?
Are you working on a project that has diminished in value? Does your project seem like it would have been a good idea if it was implemented two years ago, two years from now? If you are questioning the value of your project think about these things.
What would happen in your company if the project were cancelled?
Does the project link to your organizations strategic goals and/or objectives?
Does the project have visible support from senior management?
Does the project generate excitement?
Is your organization going to gain efficiencies or be more competitive as a result of successfully completing the project?
Is there lots of negative "buzz" about the project?
I'm sure there are lots of other questions that could be asked when it comes to questioning the value of projects. We need to keep in mind that all projects eventually end. Some end when they are completed successfully, and others are terminated early for a variety of reasons.
The important thing to keep in mind is that you must continually communicate across, up, and down the organization to find out what others are thinking about your project.
If the project manager is the only person in the organization that thinks his or her project has value, then the project manager isn't really thinking.
Does your project still have value? A tough question for certain projects, but one that must be answered on a regular basis.
What would happen in your company if the project were cancelled?
Does the project link to your organizations strategic goals and/or objectives?
Does the project have visible support from senior management?
Does the project generate excitement?
Is your organization going to gain efficiencies or be more competitive as a result of successfully completing the project?
Is there lots of negative "buzz" about the project?
I'm sure there are lots of other questions that could be asked when it comes to questioning the value of projects. We need to keep in mind that all projects eventually end. Some end when they are completed successfully, and others are terminated early for a variety of reasons.
The important thing to keep in mind is that you must continually communicate across, up, and down the organization to find out what others are thinking about your project.
If the project manager is the only person in the organization that thinks his or her project has value, then the project manager isn't really thinking.
Does your project still have value? A tough question for certain projects, but one that must be answered on a regular basis.
Monday, March 13, 2006
More Project Management Sayings
It takes one woman nine months to have a baby. It cannot be done in one month by impregnating nine women (although it is more fun trying).
The same work under the same conditions will be estimated differently by ten different estimators or by one estimator at ten different times.
Any project can be estimated accurately (once it's completed).
The most valuable and least used WORD in a project manager's vocabulary is "NO".
The most valuable and least used PHRASE in a project manager's vocabulary is "I don't know".
Nothing is impossible for the person who doesn't have to do it.
You can con a sucker into committing to an impossible deadline, but you cannot con him into meeting it.
At the heart of every large project is a small project trying to get out.
If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.
The more desperate the situation the more optimistic the situatee.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck.
Too few people on a project can't solve the problems - too many create more problems than they solve.
A problem shared is a buck passed.
A change freeze is like the abominable snowman: it is a myth and would anyway melt when heat is applied.
A user will tell you anything you ask about, but nothing more.
A user is somebody who tells you what they want the day you give them what they asked for.
Of several possible interpretations of a communication, the least convenient is the correct one.
What you don't know hurts you.
The conditions attached to a promise are forgotten, only the promise is remembered.
There's never enough time to do it right first time but there's always enough time to go back and do it again.
The bitterness of poor quality last long after the sweetness of making a date is forgotten.
I know that you believe that you understand what you think I said but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
Estimators do it in groups - bottom up and top down.
If you're 6 months late on a milestone due next week but really believe you can make it, you're a project manager.
No project has ever finished on time, within budget, to requirement - yours won't be the first to.
Activity is not achievement.
The first myth of management is that it exists.
Managing IT people is like herding cats.
If you don't know how to do a task, start it, then ten people who know less than you will tell you how to do it.
A minute saved at the start is just as effective as one saved at the end.
People under pressure do not think faster.
If an IT project works the first time, it is wrong.
If you don't plan, it doesn't work. If you do plan, it doesn't work either. Why plan!
Planning without action is futile, action without planning is fatal.
The person who says it will take the longest and cost the most is the only one with a clue how to do the job.
Planning is an unnatural process, doing something is much more fun.
The nice thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression.
Projects happen in two ways: a) Planned and then executed or b) Executed, stopped, planned and then executed.
It's not the hours that count, it's what you do in those hours.
Good control reveals problems early - which only means you'll have longer to worry about them.
If there is anything to do, do it!
If it can go wrong it will - Murphy's law.
If it can't possibly go wrong, it will - O'Malley's corollary to Murphy's law.
It will go wrong in the worst possible way - Sod's law.
Work expands to fill the time available for its completion - Parkinson's law.
Finely chopped cabbage in mayonnaise - Coleslaw.
A two year project will take three years, a three year project will never finish - (anyone know who's law this is?)
Murphy, O'Malley, Sod and Parkinson are alive and well - and working on your project.
The same work under the same conditions will be estimated differently by ten different estimators or by one estimator at ten different times.
Any project can be estimated accurately (once it's completed).
The most valuable and least used WORD in a project manager's vocabulary is "NO".
The most valuable and least used PHRASE in a project manager's vocabulary is "I don't know".
Nothing is impossible for the person who doesn't have to do it.
You can con a sucker into committing to an impossible deadline, but you cannot con him into meeting it.
At the heart of every large project is a small project trying to get out.
If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.
The more desperate the situation the more optimistic the situatee.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck.
Too few people on a project can't solve the problems - too many create more problems than they solve.
A problem shared is a buck passed.
A change freeze is like the abominable snowman: it is a myth and would anyway melt when heat is applied.
A user will tell you anything you ask about, but nothing more.
A user is somebody who tells you what they want the day you give them what they asked for.
Of several possible interpretations of a communication, the least convenient is the correct one.
What you don't know hurts you.
The conditions attached to a promise are forgotten, only the promise is remembered.
There's never enough time to do it right first time but there's always enough time to go back and do it again.
The bitterness of poor quality last long after the sweetness of making a date is forgotten.
I know that you believe that you understand what you think I said but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
Estimators do it in groups - bottom up and top down.
If you're 6 months late on a milestone due next week but really believe you can make it, you're a project manager.
No project has ever finished on time, within budget, to requirement - yours won't be the first to.
Activity is not achievement.
The first myth of management is that it exists.
Managing IT people is like herding cats.
If you don't know how to do a task, start it, then ten people who know less than you will tell you how to do it.
A minute saved at the start is just as effective as one saved at the end.
People under pressure do not think faster.
If an IT project works the first time, it is wrong.
If you don't plan, it doesn't work. If you do plan, it doesn't work either. Why plan!
Planning without action is futile, action without planning is fatal.
The person who says it will take the longest and cost the most is the only one with a clue how to do the job.
Planning is an unnatural process, doing something is much more fun.
The nice thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression.
Projects happen in two ways: a) Planned and then executed or b) Executed, stopped, planned and then executed.
It's not the hours that count, it's what you do in those hours.
Good control reveals problems early - which only means you'll have longer to worry about them.
If there is anything to do, do it!
If it can go wrong it will - Murphy's law.
If it can't possibly go wrong, it will - O'Malley's corollary to Murphy's law.
It will go wrong in the worst possible way - Sod's law.
Work expands to fill the time available for its completion - Parkinson's law.
Finely chopped cabbage in mayonnaise - Coleslaw.
A two year project will take three years, a three year project will never finish - (anyone know who's law this is?)
Murphy, O'Malley, Sod and Parkinson are alive and well - and working on your project.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
A Collection of Project Management Sayings
I thought the statements below made a lot of sense, or were humorous. I have many more that I will pass along soon.
Good estimators aren't modest: if it's huge they say so.
The sooner you begin coding the later you finish.
A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on.
What is not on paper has not been said.
If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.
If you fail to plan you are planning to fail.
If you don't attack the risks, the risks will attack you.
A little risk management saves a lot of fan cleaning.
The sooner you get behind schedule, the more time you have to make it up.
A badly planned project will take three times longer than expected - a well-planned project only twice as long as expected.
If you can keep your head while all about you are losing theirs, you haven't understood the plan.
When all's said and done a lot more is said than done.
If at first you don't succeed, remove all evidence you ever tried.
Feather and down are padding - changes and contingencies will be real events.
There are no good project managers - only lucky ones.
The more you plan the luckier you get.
A project is one small step for the project sponsor, one giant leap for the project manager.
Good project management is not so much knowing what to do and when, as knowing what excuses to give and when.
If everything is going exactly to plan, something somewhere is going massively wrong.
Everyone asks for a strong project manager - when they get him they don't want him.
Overtime is a figment of the naïve project manager's imagination.
Quantitative project management is for predicting cost and schedule overruns well in advance.
Good project managers know when not to manage a project.
Metrics are learned men's excuses.
For a project manager overruns are as certain as death and taxes.
If there were no problem people there'd be no need for people who solve problems.
Some projects finish on time in spite of project management best practices.
Good project managers admit mistakes: that's why you so rarely meet a good project manager.
Fast - cheap - good: you can have any two.
There is such a thing as an unrealistic timescale.
The more ridiculous the deadline the more money will be wasted trying to meet it.
The first 90% of a project takes 90% of the time the last 10% takes the other 90%.
The project would not have been started if the truth had been told about the cost and timescale.
To estimate a project, work out how long it would take one person to do it then multiply that by the number of people on the project.
Never underestimate the ability of senior management to buy a bad idea and fail to buy a good idea.
The most successful project managers have perfected the skill of being comfortable being uncomfortable.
When the weight of the project paperwork equals the weight of the project itself, the project can be considered complete.
If it wasn't for the 'last minute', nothing would get done.
Nothing gets done till nothing gets done.
Warning: dates in the calendar are closer than you think.
There is no such thing as scope creep, only scope gallop.
Anything that can be changed will be changed until there is no time left to change anything.
If project content is allowed to change freely the rate of change will exceed the rate of progress.
If you can interpret project status data in several different ways, only the most painful interpretation will be correct.
A project gets a year late one day at a time.
A project isn’t over until the fat check is cashed.
Powerful project managers don't solve problems, they get rid of them.
Good estimators aren't modest: if it's huge they say so.
The sooner you begin coding the later you finish.
A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on.
What is not on paper has not been said.
If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.
If you fail to plan you are planning to fail.
If you don't attack the risks, the risks will attack you.
A little risk management saves a lot of fan cleaning.
The sooner you get behind schedule, the more time you have to make it up.
A badly planned project will take three times longer than expected - a well-planned project only twice as long as expected.
If you can keep your head while all about you are losing theirs, you haven't understood the plan.
When all's said and done a lot more is said than done.
If at first you don't succeed, remove all evidence you ever tried.
Feather and down are padding - changes and contingencies will be real events.
There are no good project managers - only lucky ones.
The more you plan the luckier you get.
A project is one small step for the project sponsor, one giant leap for the project manager.
Good project management is not so much knowing what to do and when, as knowing what excuses to give and when.
If everything is going exactly to plan, something somewhere is going massively wrong.
Everyone asks for a strong project manager - when they get him they don't want him.
Overtime is a figment of the naïve project manager's imagination.
Quantitative project management is for predicting cost and schedule overruns well in advance.
Good project managers know when not to manage a project.
Metrics are learned men's excuses.
For a project manager overruns are as certain as death and taxes.
If there were no problem people there'd be no need for people who solve problems.
Some projects finish on time in spite of project management best practices.
Good project managers admit mistakes: that's why you so rarely meet a good project manager.
Fast - cheap - good: you can have any two.
There is such a thing as an unrealistic timescale.
The more ridiculous the deadline the more money will be wasted trying to meet it.
The first 90% of a project takes 90% of the time the last 10% takes the other 90%.
The project would not have been started if the truth had been told about the cost and timescale.
To estimate a project, work out how long it would take one person to do it then multiply that by the number of people on the project.
Never underestimate the ability of senior management to buy a bad idea and fail to buy a good idea.
The most successful project managers have perfected the skill of being comfortable being uncomfortable.
When the weight of the project paperwork equals the weight of the project itself, the project can be considered complete.
If it wasn't for the 'last minute', nothing would get done.
Nothing gets done till nothing gets done.
Warning: dates in the calendar are closer than you think.
There is no such thing as scope creep, only scope gallop.
Anything that can be changed will be changed until there is no time left to change anything.
If project content is allowed to change freely the rate of change will exceed the rate of progress.
If you can interpret project status data in several different ways, only the most painful interpretation will be correct.
A project gets a year late one day at a time.
A project isn’t over until the fat check is cashed.
Powerful project managers don't solve problems, they get rid of them.