I found this document on line and found it very inspiring. I think it is an important message for Project managers since they must constanly get their project teams to agree to a shared vision and be willing to be flexible as conditions change.
Author Unknown
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The Best-laid Plans
Climbing the world's highest mountain under normal circumstances requires months, sometimes years, of preparation. In May 1996, Breashears and his team faced a special challenge: making an IMAX film about their journey. Carrying and maintaining hundreds of pounds of filming equipment meant that planning was even more meticulous than usual. "We went to that mountain with a great plan, an elegant plan," said Breashears. For one, it was flexible. "A good plan makes you nimble, not stuck. Ours gave us options ... wiggle room." By rehearsing extensive "what if" scenarios long before they got to the mountain, the team was ready for the unexpected. So when a freak storm hit the day they were to approach the summit, Breashears' team turned back while other teams kept climbing. With the summit just within reach, the temptation to go on was enormous, Breashears recalled, especially since the team had already spent weeks on the mountain, passing through all four base camps and acclimatizing their lungs to the thin air. Yet, as Breashears noted, "We had to climb on the mountain's schedule, not ours," an acknowledgment that probably saved his life.
As Breashears' team went back down, they passed several other teams on their way up. By nightfall, eight people had perished, including Rob Hall, a world-renowned climber and friend of Breashears. Hall was leading a group of individuals who had paid him a substantial fee to lead them to the top. Jon Krakauer, a writer and outdoorsman who was on Hall's team, would eventually write the best-selling book Into Thin Air, chronicling in heartbreaking detail what had gone wrong.
Among the tragedies of that day was one event that many later described as a miracle. The storm that had hit as Hall's ill-fated team made its ascent caused many of the climbers to become separated. One small group was in desperate trouble: They had lost their way in the blinding snow and had run out of oxygen. In an attempt to save their own lives, they made the difficult decision to leave behind one of their team members, Beck Weathers, a doctor from Texas. By all accounts, Weathers was already close to death. He had no pulse and appeared to be frozen in the ground.
The next morning, however, as Breashears and his team helped with the rescue efforts for those teams still on the mountain, word came on the walkie-talkie that "the dead guy is alive." Weathers had spent the night in sub-zero temperatures fully exposed to the elements. The next morning, as the sun hit the mountain, he awoke from a hypothermic coma and, despite snow blindness and severe frostbite on his hands and feet, managed to stumble into camp. He was eventually flown off the mountain in a helicopter rescue that had its own share of danger and drama.
Having reached the summit of Mt. Everest five times, Breashears knows what he wants in a team. Surprisingly, he's not necessarily looking for the best climbers. "I look for talented people who believe in their craft, not those who are looking for praise," he said. "The most important quality is selflessness. I knew that no matter what, no one would leave me behind," he joked.
Sharing a common goal and vision is critical, and no one's ego can take precedence. "People who say 'me first' can be dangerous on Everest." Indeed, in Breashears' experience, the teams that operate best have a higher objective than themselves. Humility makes a great leader. "The kind of leader I want wakes up and asks, 'What did I do wrong yesterday, and how can I fix it today?' Your team doesn't need to like you, but they have to trust and respect you," he said. "A leader who puts his interests first is a highly demoralizing force."
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
More Ways to Reduce Stress
Get control of your stress before it controls you.
Do something everyday that you enjoy
Record your thoughts in writing (in a journal or blog) This can help you gain a new perspective on events
Do something nice for another person
Try a simple exercise to relieve stress. Inhale through your nose until you reach a count of seven, then exhale very slowly through your mouth to the count of 16, or for as long as you can. Repeat 10 times.
Turn off your phone(s). You can't relax if the phone is constantly ringing.
Tomorrow is another day. Learn when to let go of today.
Teach yourself to become the changes you want to see in others.
Seek first to understand, then be understood.
Make time for yourself! Schedule some quiet time, and relax.
Learn the art of compromise. No one likes a person that is always rigid.
Get up from behind your desk and take a short break several times a day.
Don’t take yourself too seriously or nobody else will either.
Don’t let pessimistic or negative people bring you down. Be positive.
Get past your fears and try something new.
Do something everyday that you enjoy
Record your thoughts in writing (in a journal or blog) This can help you gain a new perspective on events
Do something nice for another person
Try a simple exercise to relieve stress. Inhale through your nose until you reach a count of seven, then exhale very slowly through your mouth to the count of 16, or for as long as you can. Repeat 10 times.
Turn off your phone(s). You can't relax if the phone is constantly ringing.
Tomorrow is another day. Learn when to let go of today.
Teach yourself to become the changes you want to see in others.
Seek first to understand, then be understood.
Make time for yourself! Schedule some quiet time, and relax.
Learn the art of compromise. No one likes a person that is always rigid.
Get up from behind your desk and take a short break several times a day.
Don’t take yourself too seriously or nobody else will either.
Don’t let pessimistic or negative people bring you down. Be positive.
Get past your fears and try something new.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Stress Busters
With two teenage daughters at home I know stress. In order to be effective and productive we all need to manage stress so that it doesn't control our actions (think road rage).
I think we all can agree that project management can be stressful, however we need to manage stress or it will manage us.
Here are some great ways to reduce stress.
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Schedule your day to avoid back to back appointments; allow time between appointments to gather your thoughts.
Reduce your intake of caffeine
Don’t depend on your memory. Write things down.
Learn to enjoy waiting. Take an iPod or book to read while you wait.
Don't procrastinate. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
Don't be Rigid. It isn't the end of the world if the yard doesn't get mowed this weekend.
Get enough sleep.
Learn to say "No"! Sometimes it is hard, but necessary to keep your sanity.
Don't be negative. Stop saying things like, "I'm not smart enough", or "I'm too old".
Learn the difference between "need" and "want”. We need food, water, and sleep. Most everything else is a "want". Don’t let life's "wants" take control of your time and resources.
Do the tasks you don't want to do early in the day.
Have a forgiving spirit. Accept that people aren't perfect, and they will make mistakes.
Be optimistic. Believe that most people are doing the best they can.
More to come next time.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Project Scorecard
I found this document in my inventory of Project Management templates. I apologize that I can't credit the original author. If someone knows who created this template let me know and I will edit this post and include the author's name.
Project Scorecard Overview
1. Identify criteria for success. Review the objectives and deliverables in the Project Definition, as well as any other existing information that is relevant to the project. Based on this existing documentation, define what information is needed to show that the project was successful. This can be from two perspectives:
• Internal – These characteristics indicate that the project was managed and executed effectively and efficiently. This might include having deliverables approved with no more than two review iterations, hitting major internal milestone dates on time and having a minimum amount of errors uncovered in user acceptance testing.
• External – These characteristics indicate that your project objectives were completed successfully. Examples here include completing the project within approved budget and timeline, ensuring your deliverables meet approved quality criteria and customer satisfaction surveys.
2. Assign potential metrics. Identify potential metrics for each success criteria that provide an indication whether or not the criteria is being achieved. These can be direct, quantifiable metrics, or indirect metrics that give a sense for success criteria For each metric, briefly determine how you would collect the information, what the effort and cost of collection would be, and what value would be obtained.
3. Look for a balance. The potential list of metrics should be placed into categories to make sure that they provide a balanced view of the project. For instance, you do not want to end up with only a set of financial metrics, even though they might be easiest to obtain. In general, look for metrics that provide information in the areas such as:
• Cost
• Effort
• Duration
• Productivity
• Quality of deliverables
• Customer satisfaction with the deliverables produced
• Project team performance
• Business value delivered
4. Prioritize the balanced list of metrics: Depending on how many metrics you have identified, prioritize the list to include only those that have the least cost to collect and provide the most value to the project. There can certainly be as many metrics collected as make sense for the project, but there may end up being no more than one or two per category. In general, look to provide the most information with the least amount of work.
5. Set targets: The raw metric may be of some interest, but the measure of success comes from comparing your actuals against a predefined target. The target may be a single value you are trying to achieve, or it may be a range. For instance, you may need to complete your project by a certain fixed date, but your actual cost might need to be +/- 10% of approved budget.
6. Add workplan detail: For each metric that remains, determine the specific information necessary to add the appropriate activities to the project workplan. This will include:
• What specific data is needed for the metrics?
• Who is responsible for collecting the metric?
• When will the metric be collected and reported?
• How will the metrics be reported (status reports, quarterly meetings, metrics reports)?
Note: Define your success criteria upfront and get project sponsor sign-off.
Project Scorecard Overview
1. Identify criteria for success. Review the objectives and deliverables in the Project Definition, as well as any other existing information that is relevant to the project. Based on this existing documentation, define what information is needed to show that the project was successful. This can be from two perspectives:
• Internal – These characteristics indicate that the project was managed and executed effectively and efficiently. This might include having deliverables approved with no more than two review iterations, hitting major internal milestone dates on time and having a minimum amount of errors uncovered in user acceptance testing.
• External – These characteristics indicate that your project objectives were completed successfully. Examples here include completing the project within approved budget and timeline, ensuring your deliverables meet approved quality criteria and customer satisfaction surveys.
2. Assign potential metrics. Identify potential metrics for each success criteria that provide an indication whether or not the criteria is being achieved. These can be direct, quantifiable metrics, or indirect metrics that give a sense for success criteria For each metric, briefly determine how you would collect the information, what the effort and cost of collection would be, and what value would be obtained.
3. Look for a balance. The potential list of metrics should be placed into categories to make sure that they provide a balanced view of the project. For instance, you do not want to end up with only a set of financial metrics, even though they might be easiest to obtain. In general, look for metrics that provide information in the areas such as:
• Cost
• Effort
• Duration
• Productivity
• Quality of deliverables
• Customer satisfaction with the deliverables produced
• Project team performance
• Business value delivered
4. Prioritize the balanced list of metrics: Depending on how many metrics you have identified, prioritize the list to include only those that have the least cost to collect and provide the most value to the project. There can certainly be as many metrics collected as make sense for the project, but there may end up being no more than one or two per category. In general, look to provide the most information with the least amount of work.
5. Set targets: The raw metric may be of some interest, but the measure of success comes from comparing your actuals against a predefined target. The target may be a single value you are trying to achieve, or it may be a range. For instance, you may need to complete your project by a certain fixed date, but your actual cost might need to be +/- 10% of approved budget.
6. Add workplan detail: For each metric that remains, determine the specific information necessary to add the appropriate activities to the project workplan. This will include:
• What specific data is needed for the metrics?
• Who is responsible for collecting the metric?
• When will the metric be collected and reported?
• How will the metrics be reported (status reports, quarterly meetings, metrics reports)?
Note: Define your success criteria upfront and get project sponsor sign-off.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Why Is My Project Late?
Design Changes – Design changes during project execution almost always cause delays and impacts to your budget. Once the Scope document has been signed, any changes to the design need to go through your Scope Change Request Process.
Skill Sets – When planning, assumptions are made regarding people's skills. Sometimes these assumptions turn out to be wrong. Also, you will usually have people on your team who are new or are less experienced. These new or lower skilled workers won't be as productive or effective as higher skilled workers. Make sure your project plan has accounted for skill levels.
Unplanned Work or Workarounds – Many times changes must be made to the sequence of planned work. These changes can impact time, cost, budget, and quality. Think about these risks up front and discuss what if any workarounds will be used.
Rework – Rework happens; it is part of project management. Ensure your project plan accounts for rework.
Team Morale – Turnover, project conflict, sick time, vacations all can wreak havoc with your schedule and budget; plan for these things. A happy team is a productive team. Ensure your team is working towards a common goal and not working against each other. Remove disruptive team members from your project if their behavior can't be changed.
Schedules – Trying to do too much in too little time will result in delays. Once you get behind it is very difficult to catch up. Your project will have delays. You need to have contingency plans to get back on track quickly.
Work Environment – Ensure that your team has a proper workspace. Cramming people into poorly designed work spaces will lower productivity.
Tools – Ensure your team has the right tools to do the job. Having the right tool, but not getting into the teams hands at the right time will cause delays in your schedule.
Project Manager Overload – Too many people on a project team without the proper management oversight can cause major problems for the project manager.
Overtime – Adding hours to people's schedules in order to make a deadline will usually do nothing but increase your budget. Adding overtime rarely results in getting a late project back on track.
Executive – Executive apathy can kill your project. People are usually not going to make your project a priority if their boss isn't willing to tell them it is important.
Plan for the above "risks" and you will start to bring your projects in faster, cheaper, with higher quality.
Skill Sets – When planning, assumptions are made regarding people's skills. Sometimes these assumptions turn out to be wrong. Also, you will usually have people on your team who are new or are less experienced. These new or lower skilled workers won't be as productive or effective as higher skilled workers. Make sure your project plan has accounted for skill levels.
Unplanned Work or Workarounds – Many times changes must be made to the sequence of planned work. These changes can impact time, cost, budget, and quality. Think about these risks up front and discuss what if any workarounds will be used.
Rework – Rework happens; it is part of project management. Ensure your project plan accounts for rework.
Team Morale – Turnover, project conflict, sick time, vacations all can wreak havoc with your schedule and budget; plan for these things. A happy team is a productive team. Ensure your team is working towards a common goal and not working against each other. Remove disruptive team members from your project if their behavior can't be changed.
Schedules – Trying to do too much in too little time will result in delays. Once you get behind it is very difficult to catch up. Your project will have delays. You need to have contingency plans to get back on track quickly.
Work Environment – Ensure that your team has a proper workspace. Cramming people into poorly designed work spaces will lower productivity.
Tools – Ensure your team has the right tools to do the job. Having the right tool, but not getting into the teams hands at the right time will cause delays in your schedule.
Project Manager Overload – Too many people on a project team without the proper management oversight can cause major problems for the project manager.
Overtime – Adding hours to people's schedules in order to make a deadline will usually do nothing but increase your budget. Adding overtime rarely results in getting a late project back on track.
Executive – Executive apathy can kill your project. People are usually not going to make your project a priority if their boss isn't willing to tell them it is important.
Plan for the above "risks" and you will start to bring your projects in faster, cheaper, with higher quality.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Leadership Principles That Transform
The organization I work for came up with a set of principles to guide the organization in the area of leadership. We all know that successful project managers are effective leaders.
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Leaders are charged with transforming our organization into a more flexible, responsive and efficient high performing organization by fostering a climate which will encourage active involvement by all:
a. Instill the culture of high performance through all in our community. (Accountability)
b. Share my understanding and assist others to elevate their understanding of our commonly held leadership philosophy. (Cooperation and Teamwork)
c. Continually seek and remain open to new possibilities (Innovation)
d. Work to improve the quality of life of our community through collaboration. (Trust and Integrity)
e. Actively pursue the realization of our collective vision and be held accountable for our actions and leadership in shaping our future. (Clarity of Direction)
f. Embrace confronting the unsaid in our conversations. While maintaining a bias for action, we acknowledge the need for patience as we work to improve our performance (Honesty and Integrity)
g. Value a sense of urgency and maintain a focus on achieving results at the pace possible rather than the pace expected. (Effectiveness)
h. Encourage the celebration of our results. (Rewards and Recognition)
i. Support and create talent networks that value and celebrate diversity with a holistic view that leads us to results. (Cooperation and Teamwork)
j. Empower and mentor all to be innovative and take risks. (Inspiration and Empowerment)
k. Be fearless in the pursuit of our vision. (Clarity of Direction)
Teamwork, Common Goals, and Leadership at all levels will result in success.
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Leaders are charged with transforming our organization into a more flexible, responsive and efficient high performing organization by fostering a climate which will encourage active involvement by all:
a. Instill the culture of high performance through all in our community. (Accountability)
b. Share my understanding and assist others to elevate their understanding of our commonly held leadership philosophy. (Cooperation and Teamwork)
c. Continually seek and remain open to new possibilities (Innovation)
d. Work to improve the quality of life of our community through collaboration. (Trust and Integrity)
e. Actively pursue the realization of our collective vision and be held accountable for our actions and leadership in shaping our future. (Clarity of Direction)
f. Embrace confronting the unsaid in our conversations. While maintaining a bias for action, we acknowledge the need for patience as we work to improve our performance (Honesty and Integrity)
g. Value a sense of urgency and maintain a focus on achieving results at the pace possible rather than the pace expected. (Effectiveness)
h. Encourage the celebration of our results. (Rewards and Recognition)
i. Support and create talent networks that value and celebrate diversity with a holistic view that leads us to results. (Cooperation and Teamwork)
j. Empower and mentor all to be innovative and take risks. (Inspiration and Empowerment)
k. Be fearless in the pursuit of our vision. (Clarity of Direction)
Teamwork, Common Goals, and Leadership at all levels will result in success.
Monday, April 09, 2007
What Skills Does a Project Manager Need to Master?
Project Managers need to master the following skills and traits in order to be successful:
Have Recognized Leadership Skills
Posses Good Decision Making Skills
Posses Good Communication Skills
Have a Sense of Humor
Have Integrity
Possess a Driven Desire to Succeed
Have Demonstrated Project Management Skills
Have Self-Discipline
Have Vision
Posses Active Listening Skills
Be Compassionate
Utilize a Proven yet Flexible Project Management Methodology
The question we need to ask ourselves is how we master the above skills? My quick answer is a blend of education, experience, on-the-job training, mentoring, and a continuous feedback loop.
I'm grateful that in my career I've had mentors to help me improve my skills while helping me learn to drop bad habits. In order to move from good to great we must work to improve our skills and focus on our strengths; however, we must also identify and minimize or eliminate our weaknesses.
Finally, great project managers like working with people. They like challenges, they have an even temperament, and they are a motivating influence to those around them. They don’t just plan and delegate, they get involved and become part of the team. They have to respect others and be shown respect in return. They are congenial, they are approachable, and they have integrity. A project manager that is lacking in any of the above areas won't be successful over the long haul.
Have Recognized Leadership Skills
Posses Good Decision Making Skills
Posses Good Communication Skills
Have a Sense of Humor
Have Integrity
Possess a Driven Desire to Succeed
Have Demonstrated Project Management Skills
Have Self-Discipline
Have Vision
Posses Active Listening Skills
Be Compassionate
Utilize a Proven yet Flexible Project Management Methodology
The question we need to ask ourselves is how we master the above skills? My quick answer is a blend of education, experience, on-the-job training, mentoring, and a continuous feedback loop.
I'm grateful that in my career I've had mentors to help me improve my skills while helping me learn to drop bad habits. In order to move from good to great we must work to improve our skills and focus on our strengths; however, we must also identify and minimize or eliminate our weaknesses.
Finally, great project managers like working with people. They like challenges, they have an even temperament, and they are a motivating influence to those around them. They don’t just plan and delegate, they get involved and become part of the team. They have to respect others and be shown respect in return. They are congenial, they are approachable, and they have integrity. A project manager that is lacking in any of the above areas won't be successful over the long haul.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Work Jerks and your Project (Revisited)
A book was written not long back entitled "The No A**holes Rule". In it, the author - Robert Sutton -discusses how "A**holes" a.k.a. "work jerks" can cause major disruptions in the workplace. The author defines work jerks as "people who pick on those beneath them and leave others feeling belittled and sapped of energy. They use their power to schmooze those above them and beat down those beneath them. Much of the rest of their time can be spent bullying their peers".
My takeaway from the book is that jerks at work have a negative impact on the bottom line. They always cost organizations more than they are worth, and they cause upheaval that is harmful to individuals as well as the organization they work for.
What can we do when confronted with jerks on our projects? When possible we should avoid and ignore them. We can also look for ways to work around their influence and create partnerships with others that are willing to help. If somebody believes falsely that being a jerk will get them to the top quicker, there isn't much you and I can do about it. One thing is certain, we don't ever want to emulate their behavior. Jerks are poisonous, they are detrimental to project progress, and the value they sometimes create is erased by the disruption they cause.
Jerks almost always know they are jerks. They don't believe in Win/Win, they believe in Win/Lose (they must win, others must lose). Jerks are self centered, have large egos, and we aren't going to change them.
Project Management Rule: Project managers have to get the job done in spite of work jerks.
As project managers, we must learn to work with all types of people and get our projects completed on time and on budget in spite of them and their behaviors.
Remember, when confronted by a jerk be patient and respectful. Kill them with kindness. Don't forget that jerks can have influence over your project and career, and they occasionally have good ideas. There biggest flaw is they lack good character.
Project Management Rule: Work jerks don't subscribe to lofty ideas like fairness, cooperation, self-discipline, or integrity. They are reactive, many times "enemy-centered", and concerned about defending their desires and rights.
The bottom line is that work jerks lack emotional maturity. One definition of maturity is the balance between courage and consideration. Companies and organizations need to do a better job of screening for jerks during the hiring process. They need to know that studies have shown work jerks cost them more then they produce. Organizations don't need people in a leadership or any position for that matter that have questionable character, a win/lose work ethic, and a Scarcity Mentality.
Project managers need to have conduct that is based upon principles, high ethical standards, and show integrity in everything they do. If we practice these things we will ensure that we are focused on building and maintaining Win/Win relationships, which is what is required to be a successful project manager.
Work jerks rarely have staying power. They will be here today and gone tomorrow because eventually their conduct will catch up with them. Take heart and fight the good fight. It will pay off in the end.
My takeaway from the book is that jerks at work have a negative impact on the bottom line. They always cost organizations more than they are worth, and they cause upheaval that is harmful to individuals as well as the organization they work for.
What can we do when confronted with jerks on our projects? When possible we should avoid and ignore them. We can also look for ways to work around their influence and create partnerships with others that are willing to help. If somebody believes falsely that being a jerk will get them to the top quicker, there isn't much you and I can do about it. One thing is certain, we don't ever want to emulate their behavior. Jerks are poisonous, they are detrimental to project progress, and the value they sometimes create is erased by the disruption they cause.
Jerks almost always know they are jerks. They don't believe in Win/Win, they believe in Win/Lose (they must win, others must lose). Jerks are self centered, have large egos, and we aren't going to change them.
Project Management Rule: Project managers have to get the job done in spite of work jerks.
As project managers, we must learn to work with all types of people and get our projects completed on time and on budget in spite of them and their behaviors.
Remember, when confronted by a jerk be patient and respectful. Kill them with kindness. Don't forget that jerks can have influence over your project and career, and they occasionally have good ideas. There biggest flaw is they lack good character.
Project Management Rule: Work jerks don't subscribe to lofty ideas like fairness, cooperation, self-discipline, or integrity. They are reactive, many times "enemy-centered", and concerned about defending their desires and rights.
The bottom line is that work jerks lack emotional maturity. One definition of maturity is the balance between courage and consideration. Companies and organizations need to do a better job of screening for jerks during the hiring process. They need to know that studies have shown work jerks cost them more then they produce. Organizations don't need people in a leadership or any position for that matter that have questionable character, a win/lose work ethic, and a Scarcity Mentality.
Project managers need to have conduct that is based upon principles, high ethical standards, and show integrity in everything they do. If we practice these things we will ensure that we are focused on building and maintaining Win/Win relationships, which is what is required to be a successful project manager.
Work jerks rarely have staying power. They will be here today and gone tomorrow because eventually their conduct will catch up with them. Take heart and fight the good fight. It will pay off in the end.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Traits and Attributes of a Good Leader
I found this article in my archive of documents and thought it was important to post it now. If you have been following this blog for any length of time you know I focus a lot of time and energy on leadership and project management. My favorite authors are Dr. Stephen Covey and Tom Peters. Both have a lot to say on the subject of leadership.
I believe the text below is solely attributable to the Santa Clara University and the Tom Peters Group.
Hopefully someone that is leadership challenged will receive value from reading this.
Traits of a Good Leader
• Honesty - Display sincerity, integrity, and candor in all your actions. Deceptive behavior will not inspire trust.
• Competent - Your actions should be based on reason and moral principles. Do not make decisions based on childlike emotional desires or feelings.
• Forward-looking Set goals and have a vision of the future. The vision must be owned throughout the organization. Effective leaders envision what they want and how to get it. They habitually pick priorities stemming from their basic values.
• Inspiring - Display confidence in all that you do. By showing endurance in mental, physical, and spiritual stamina, you will inspire others to reach for new heights. Take charge when necessary.
• Intelligent - Read, study, and seek challenging assignments.
• Fair-minded - Show fair treatment to all people. Prejudice is the enemy of justice. Display empathy by being sensitive to the feelings, values, interests, and well-being of others.
• Broad-minded - Seek out diversity.
• Courageous - Have the perseverance to accomplish a goal, regardless of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Display a confident calmness when under stress.
• Straightforward - Use sound judgment to make a good decisions at the right time.
• Imaginative - Make timely and appropriate changes in your thinking, plans, and methods. Show creativity by thinking of new and better goals, ideas, and solutions to problems. Be innovative!
Attributes
Attributes establish what leaders are, and every leader needs at least three of them:
Standard Bearers
Establish the ethical framework within an organization. This demands a commitment to live and defend the climate and culture that you want to permeate your organization. What you set as an example will soon become the rule as unlike knowledge, ethical behavior is learned more by observing that by listening. And in fast moving situations, examples become certainty. Being a standard bearer creates trust and openness in your employees, who in turn, fulfill your visions.
Developers
Help others learn through teaching, training, and coaching. This creates an exciting place to work and learn. Never miss an opportunity to teach or learn something new yourself. Coaching suggests someone who cares enough to get involved by encouraging and developing others who are less experienced. Employees who work for developers know that they can take risks, learn by making mistakes, and winning in the end.
Integrators
Orchestrate the many activities that take place throughout an organization by providing a view of the future and the ability to obtain it. Success can only be achieved when there is a unity of effort. Integrators have a sixth sense about where problems will occur and make their presence felt during critical times. They know that their employees do their best when they are left to work within a vision-based framework.
I believe the text below is solely attributable to the Santa Clara University and the Tom Peters Group.
Hopefully someone that is leadership challenged will receive value from reading this.
Traits of a Good Leader
• Honesty - Display sincerity, integrity, and candor in all your actions. Deceptive behavior will not inspire trust.
• Competent - Your actions should be based on reason and moral principles. Do not make decisions based on childlike emotional desires or feelings.
• Forward-looking Set goals and have a vision of the future. The vision must be owned throughout the organization. Effective leaders envision what they want and how to get it. They habitually pick priorities stemming from their basic values.
• Inspiring - Display confidence in all that you do. By showing endurance in mental, physical, and spiritual stamina, you will inspire others to reach for new heights. Take charge when necessary.
• Intelligent - Read, study, and seek challenging assignments.
• Fair-minded - Show fair treatment to all people. Prejudice is the enemy of justice. Display empathy by being sensitive to the feelings, values, interests, and well-being of others.
• Broad-minded - Seek out diversity.
• Courageous - Have the perseverance to accomplish a goal, regardless of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Display a confident calmness when under stress.
• Straightforward - Use sound judgment to make a good decisions at the right time.
• Imaginative - Make timely and appropriate changes in your thinking, plans, and methods. Show creativity by thinking of new and better goals, ideas, and solutions to problems. Be innovative!
Attributes
Attributes establish what leaders are, and every leader needs at least three of them:
Standard Bearers
Establish the ethical framework within an organization. This demands a commitment to live and defend the climate and culture that you want to permeate your organization. What you set as an example will soon become the rule as unlike knowledge, ethical behavior is learned more by observing that by listening. And in fast moving situations, examples become certainty. Being a standard bearer creates trust and openness in your employees, who in turn, fulfill your visions.
Developers
Help others learn through teaching, training, and coaching. This creates an exciting place to work and learn. Never miss an opportunity to teach or learn something new yourself. Coaching suggests someone who cares enough to get involved by encouraging and developing others who are less experienced. Employees who work for developers know that they can take risks, learn by making mistakes, and winning in the end.
Integrators
Orchestrate the many activities that take place throughout an organization by providing a view of the future and the ability to obtain it. Success can only be achieved when there is a unity of effort. Integrators have a sixth sense about where problems will occur and make their presence felt during critical times. They know that their employees do their best when they are left to work within a vision-based framework.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Organizational Project Management Best Practices
The term "best practice" is thrown around a lot these days. Many times there is no documented evidence for a practice to be recognized as "best". In the world of project management best practices can be difficult to quantify, and because of this, it makes it difficult to determine which of these practices might work in your organization. Project management best practices exist, however you need to look at the data closely to determine what is best for your organization.
Proven practices that can help an organization improve project management results are:
Establish a formal project management structure
Create measurable, repeatable processes created to form a project management methodology tailored to the organizations needs that is aligned with the Guide to the PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge).
Identify best of breed project management tools and technology
Get buy-in and executive involvement in project management
Hire experienced project management practitioners
Develop a formal project management training program
Develop a process to ensure alignment of projects to organizational strategy
Develop a clear strategy for oversight, ownership, and prioritization of projects, programs, and portfolios
If one of the practices above is missing or neglected an organization won't have an effective or efficient project management program. It is clear from readily available data that most organizations do a poor job of ensuring that strategic goals and objectives are aligned with the operational work, programs, and projects. To bridge this gap a Program Management Office, Project Support office, or a similar named organization is required. A properly run project management office can ensure that project management processes and projects/programs are aligned with organizational strategies.
Some areas that organizations need the most help with regarding enterprise project management are:
Organizational project reporting
Project coordination among various groups, departments, and divisions
Resource alignment among various departments and projects
Project process development and management
Project management training
Management of project management tools, templates and processes
To build organizational project management maturity your organization will need to determine:
The current project management maturity level (an assessment)
Determine how and what a new project management organization will function and be measured
Develop or refine project, program and portfolio/strategic management processes
In closing, to develop a high-performing enterprise project management office, an organization requires courageous leadership at the highest levels of the organization. It requires leaders with vision, not personal agendas of building empires.
Finally, don't follow the proven failed strategy of having a Project Management office report to a particular functional group. This model has been tried and has failed to many times, especially in the IT environment. Studies and surveys have shown that the most effective project management groups are independent of functional groups.
Proven practices that can help an organization improve project management results are:
Establish a formal project management structure
Create measurable, repeatable processes created to form a project management methodology tailored to the organizations needs that is aligned with the Guide to the PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge).
Identify best of breed project management tools and technology
Get buy-in and executive involvement in project management
Hire experienced project management practitioners
Develop a formal project management training program
Develop a process to ensure alignment of projects to organizational strategy
Develop a clear strategy for oversight, ownership, and prioritization of projects, programs, and portfolios
If one of the practices above is missing or neglected an organization won't have an effective or efficient project management program. It is clear from readily available data that most organizations do a poor job of ensuring that strategic goals and objectives are aligned with the operational work, programs, and projects. To bridge this gap a Program Management Office, Project Support office, or a similar named organization is required. A properly run project management office can ensure that project management processes and projects/programs are aligned with organizational strategies.
Some areas that organizations need the most help with regarding enterprise project management are:
Organizational project reporting
Project coordination among various groups, departments, and divisions
Resource alignment among various departments and projects
Project process development and management
Project management training
Management of project management tools, templates and processes
To build organizational project management maturity your organization will need to determine:
The current project management maturity level (an assessment)
Determine how and what a new project management organization will function and be measured
Develop or refine project, program and portfolio/strategic management processes
In closing, to develop a high-performing enterprise project management office, an organization requires courageous leadership at the highest levels of the organization. It requires leaders with vision, not personal agendas of building empires.
Finally, don't follow the proven failed strategy of having a Project Management office report to a particular functional group. This model has been tried and has failed to many times, especially in the IT environment. Studies and surveys have shown that the most effective project management groups are independent of functional groups.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Are You Adding Value and Making a Positive Impact at Work?
How are you conducting yourself at work? Personal conduct flows directly from your character. Your character is radiated to others by what you say and do. What you say and do, and more importantly, what you have said and done in the past forms the basis of how others perceive you. Have you lied or used your power or influence to the detriment of others? Have you put personal relationships or interests above the interests of the organization? Have you used your position to get your way by means that were perceived by others to be unprofessional or unethical? If you answered yes, to any of the above, then you are damaged goods in your organization.
Quote: Unless you have deep roots, you won't bear much fruit – Author Unknown
The workplace demands responsible behaviors from all employees, but especially from its leaders. Leaders must be held accountable to what I call the Leadership Accountability Triangle. The three legs of the triangle are: Process, Communications, and Results. When measuring a leader's performance the three legs should be weighted equally.
One of the legs I will focus on today is Communications. It is irresponsible behavior for project managers and organizational leaders to communicate important topics exclusively using e-mail. When this happens, what they are saying is you and/or your group isn't worth their time.
EMOTIONAL OUTBURST: E-mail is a poor choice to use when relaying important project and/or critical organizational communications. Using e-mail exclusively to relay vital information shows a true lack of leadership and poor management skills.
My opinion is, ditch the e-mail when you need to communicate something important. You aren't so important that you can't take the time to pick up the phone or make a personal visit to communicate an important message. To put this in a real-world light, I have seen multiple situations where departments/divisions were radically reorganized and the leader(s) decided to communicate the change via e-mail. This was a cowardly act, and a horrible example of leadership. I call it Absentee Management by Design.
PERSONAL RANT #1: If you have something important to convey, make a personal visit, or at a minimum pick up the phone. Also, if it isn't worth your time to visit or call, then it probably wasn't that important. If I'm not worth some of your time, your message isn't worth much to me.
Organizations that are successful find ways to communicate effectively and inspire their staff. One way to do this is to create and live by Win/Win Agreements and relationships.
To have a Win/Win relationship you must have:
Desired Results: what will be done and when will it be done (negotiated)
Resources: people, money, organizational
Accountability: performance standards, measures
Consequences: good and bad
Win/Win agreements are about mutual understanding. If you want to understand others, you must listen to them. Not hear them, but listen to them. We can't communicate effectively unless we are listening to each other. If you dictate to me, I stop listening to you. Acknowledge me and validate my feelings, and I will listen to you.
PERSONAL RANT #2: E-mail isn't an effective two-way communication tool. I can't "hear" you and you can't "hear" me because were not talking.
Win/Win agreements require mutual respect. Organizational and personal wisdom are also an important part of crafting effective Win/Win agreements.
I'm sure we can agree (or maybe not) there are lots of "smart" people in our organizations; however smart people don't usually do the hard work. In fact, my experience has been that intelligence rarely equals wisdom. Wisdom is what we must seek when crafting Win/Win agreements. Wise people are your organization's greatest assets; because they are great listeners and are open to new ideas. To quote from Wikipedia.com, "wisdom is the ability, developed through experience, insight and reflection, to discern truth and exercise good judgment. Wisdom is sometimes conceptualized as an especially well developed form of common sense".
In closing, be wary of what I will call the e-mail preacher. E-mail preachers use the computer as their pulpit to preach their sermons. Remember an effective preacher is a great teacher. Effective teaching doesn't come from a keyboard. It comes from human interaction, a shared learning experience, where there is a feedback loop and an opportunity for face-to-fact dialogue and debate.
PERSONAL NOTE #3: I'm not impressed by the e-mail preachers. If I want to hear a speech (one way conversation) I will attend a political rally.
A visible leader that inspires by example and is available, engaged, and is aligned with the organization's mission and interested in the well-being of his/her subordinates is a rare commodity, but is still sorely needed in today's organizations.
As Stephen Covey says "If you can't inspire others than you are an impediment to progress. Satisfied needs do no motivate. It's only the unsatisfied need that motivates. Next to physical survival, the greatest need of a human being is psychological survival – to be understood, to be affirmed, to validated, to be appreciated".
PERSONAL RANT #4: You can't get validation or inspiration from leaders that communicate important messages via e-mail. Those that aren't seen aren't relevant.
FREE ADVICE TIP # 1: Ensure your behavior is driven by principles not expanding your powerbase. Make commitments, make promises, and then keep them. Acknowledge mistakes quickly and make amends. These are the signs of a true leader. Once done, you can effectively enter into Win/Win agreements.
Lastly, weak leaders, whiners, blame agents, and chronic complainers are commonplace in today's organizations. However, you can choose to take a higher road and make a difference. You can always find something wrong with something or someone; instead, reward somebody for doing something right.
Be an inspiration, not an empty suit or just another talking head.
Quote: Unless you have deep roots, you won't bear much fruit – Author Unknown
The workplace demands responsible behaviors from all employees, but especially from its leaders. Leaders must be held accountable to what I call the Leadership Accountability Triangle. The three legs of the triangle are: Process, Communications, and Results. When measuring a leader's performance the three legs should be weighted equally.
One of the legs I will focus on today is Communications. It is irresponsible behavior for project managers and organizational leaders to communicate important topics exclusively using e-mail. When this happens, what they are saying is you and/or your group isn't worth their time.
EMOTIONAL OUTBURST: E-mail is a poor choice to use when relaying important project and/or critical organizational communications. Using e-mail exclusively to relay vital information shows a true lack of leadership and poor management skills.
My opinion is, ditch the e-mail when you need to communicate something important. You aren't so important that you can't take the time to pick up the phone or make a personal visit to communicate an important message. To put this in a real-world light, I have seen multiple situations where departments/divisions were radically reorganized and the leader(s) decided to communicate the change via e-mail. This was a cowardly act, and a horrible example of leadership. I call it Absentee Management by Design.
PERSONAL RANT #1: If you have something important to convey, make a personal visit, or at a minimum pick up the phone. Also, if it isn't worth your time to visit or call, then it probably wasn't that important. If I'm not worth some of your time, your message isn't worth much to me.
Organizations that are successful find ways to communicate effectively and inspire their staff. One way to do this is to create and live by Win/Win Agreements and relationships.
To have a Win/Win relationship you must have:
Desired Results: what will be done and when will it be done (negotiated)
Resources: people, money, organizational
Accountability: performance standards, measures
Consequences: good and bad
Win/Win agreements are about mutual understanding. If you want to understand others, you must listen to them. Not hear them, but listen to them. We can't communicate effectively unless we are listening to each other. If you dictate to me, I stop listening to you. Acknowledge me and validate my feelings, and I will listen to you.
PERSONAL RANT #2: E-mail isn't an effective two-way communication tool. I can't "hear" you and you can't "hear" me because were not talking.
Win/Win agreements require mutual respect. Organizational and personal wisdom are also an important part of crafting effective Win/Win agreements.
I'm sure we can agree (or maybe not) there are lots of "smart" people in our organizations; however smart people don't usually do the hard work. In fact, my experience has been that intelligence rarely equals wisdom. Wisdom is what we must seek when crafting Win/Win agreements. Wise people are your organization's greatest assets; because they are great listeners and are open to new ideas. To quote from Wikipedia.com, "wisdom is the ability, developed through experience, insight and reflection, to discern truth and exercise good judgment. Wisdom is sometimes conceptualized as an especially well developed form of common sense".
In closing, be wary of what I will call the e-mail preacher. E-mail preachers use the computer as their pulpit to preach their sermons. Remember an effective preacher is a great teacher. Effective teaching doesn't come from a keyboard. It comes from human interaction, a shared learning experience, where there is a feedback loop and an opportunity for face-to-fact dialogue and debate.
PERSONAL NOTE #3: I'm not impressed by the e-mail preachers. If I want to hear a speech (one way conversation) I will attend a political rally.
A visible leader that inspires by example and is available, engaged, and is aligned with the organization's mission and interested in the well-being of his/her subordinates is a rare commodity, but is still sorely needed in today's organizations.
As Stephen Covey says "If you can't inspire others than you are an impediment to progress. Satisfied needs do no motivate. It's only the unsatisfied need that motivates. Next to physical survival, the greatest need of a human being is psychological survival – to be understood, to be affirmed, to validated, to be appreciated".
PERSONAL RANT #4: You can't get validation or inspiration from leaders that communicate important messages via e-mail. Those that aren't seen aren't relevant.
FREE ADVICE TIP # 1: Ensure your behavior is driven by principles not expanding your powerbase. Make commitments, make promises, and then keep them. Acknowledge mistakes quickly and make amends. These are the signs of a true leader. Once done, you can effectively enter into Win/Win agreements.
Lastly, weak leaders, whiners, blame agents, and chronic complainers are commonplace in today's organizations. However, you can choose to take a higher road and make a difference. You can always find something wrong with something or someone; instead, reward somebody for doing something right.
Be an inspiration, not an empty suit or just another talking head.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Wimps are Killing Your Large Project!
Do your organization's senior managers and executives understand the benefits of project management? How do you know?
Do your organization's senior managers and executives have formal training in project management?
Are large projects sponsored by and continually reviewed by senior management and /or executives? What is reviewed, and how often?
Do your senior managers and executives have their business processes mapped for their areas of responsibility?
It is a fact that good, proven, measurable business processes are critical to running an efficient organization, and also assist the project manager to deliver beneficial project results. It is also a sad fact that most senior managers and executives don't want to deal with things like business processes, yet it is the business processes that make or break organizations and projects, and bad business processes can cause an organization to waste time and money.
EMOTIONAL OUTBURST - If senior management isn't involved in reviewing their business processes to ensure they are delivering efficient results then they are either lazy or incompetent.
END OF EMOTIONAL OUTBURST
We can all agree that if senior managers and executives aren't regularly reviewing the performance of their organization (including the effectiveness of their business processes) they are not acting as responsible leaders. We have all heard them say that they just want somebody to figure out the problems and fix them, but many times that is where their participation ends. There is often no follow-up and no personal accountability for results. While problems need to be found and fixed, the "find them and fix them" mentality doesn't work for large projects. In fact, it can prove disastrous.
Project management is about delivering change. Executives and senior management have to drive the change, monitor the change, and ensure the change takes place. Change that isn't driven and monitored by senior management won't be accepted by the organization.
Don't get me wrong, we all need to have a "get it done" mindset, however on its own a get it done attitude isn't effective when dealing with today's enterprise problems and projects. Large projects create large change. Many times change creates, fear, panic, and chaos. Project managers can't implement change or change organizations alone. In fact, I would argue that for the most part they can't change organizations at all.
If you want organizational change and you want large project results at the same time then your organization's executives and senior management must be involved from the start, they must be continuously engaged, and the must be out front and visibly leading the change. Additionally, they need to be able to clearly and effectively communicate the value of the enterprise project's deliverables to their organizations. If they are unwilling to do these things, then your large project may need to be altered, deferred, or killed.
PERSONAL RANT: It is unacceptable for an organization to spend large sums of money on a project if senior management isn't prepared to roll up their sleeves and understand what is being delivered, understand the benefits of the deliverables, willing to hold others accountable for results, have an enthusiastic attitude, and have personal accountability tied to the project's success.
Project managers and team members can't afford to work on projects where ignorance and indifference is prevalent. Also, project teams can't afford to have "Teflon" managers" managing resources on the external resource teams, or in the positions of power or influence over their projects. Teflon" managers are never personally accountable for any project results because they choose ignorance over engagement. Shame on them, and guess what, the project manager and the project team pays the price of failure.
END OF PERSONAL RANT
What happens when senior management isn't involved with projects from the beginning to the end? Things like those below, which if left unchecked will ensure you project is a failure or delivers less than desirable results.
There is no organizational commitment to the project's objectives (you have project objectives that were created by senior management, right?)
Project teams are left with the job of trying to change the organization's bad habits and culture (not possible without senior management buy-in and support)
Divisions and departments fight the change the project is creating
Mid-level managers, supervisors, and line workers refuse to get involved and often work to sabotage the project
To summarize, large projects require senior management commitment, involvement, and follow through. Without senior management involvement your large project is almost certain to fail. Project managers and project teams can't be successful, nor will project management deliver results in organizations where fear is pervasive. Senior management can do more to create fear and remove fear than any project manager ever could.
Finally, I will say what most of us know, many senior managers and executives are wimps, however, this doesn't need to be the case when it comes to large projects. They can speak out up front while the project is being initiated and demand to see a business case. They can and must be involved in setting the project's measurable objectives. Once they have bought-in to the project they can and must insist that their direct reports support the project and keep them appraised of project progress. Finally, they can and must hold their staff accountable for project results.
When it comes to large projects senior managers and executives can be engaged, involved, and act as leaders, or they can be wimps.
Do your organization's senior managers and executives have formal training in project management?
Are large projects sponsored by and continually reviewed by senior management and /or executives? What is reviewed, and how often?
Do your senior managers and executives have their business processes mapped for their areas of responsibility?
It is a fact that good, proven, measurable business processes are critical to running an efficient organization, and also assist the project manager to deliver beneficial project results. It is also a sad fact that most senior managers and executives don't want to deal with things like business processes, yet it is the business processes that make or break organizations and projects, and bad business processes can cause an organization to waste time and money.
EMOTIONAL OUTBURST - If senior management isn't involved in reviewing their business processes to ensure they are delivering efficient results then they are either lazy or incompetent.
END OF EMOTIONAL OUTBURST
We can all agree that if senior managers and executives aren't regularly reviewing the performance of their organization (including the effectiveness of their business processes) they are not acting as responsible leaders. We have all heard them say that they just want somebody to figure out the problems and fix them, but many times that is where their participation ends. There is often no follow-up and no personal accountability for results. While problems need to be found and fixed, the "find them and fix them" mentality doesn't work for large projects. In fact, it can prove disastrous.
Project management is about delivering change. Executives and senior management have to drive the change, monitor the change, and ensure the change takes place. Change that isn't driven and monitored by senior management won't be accepted by the organization.
Don't get me wrong, we all need to have a "get it done" mindset, however on its own a get it done attitude isn't effective when dealing with today's enterprise problems and projects. Large projects create large change. Many times change creates, fear, panic, and chaos. Project managers can't implement change or change organizations alone. In fact, I would argue that for the most part they can't change organizations at all.
If you want organizational change and you want large project results at the same time then your organization's executives and senior management must be involved from the start, they must be continuously engaged, and the must be out front and visibly leading the change. Additionally, they need to be able to clearly and effectively communicate the value of the enterprise project's deliverables to their organizations. If they are unwilling to do these things, then your large project may need to be altered, deferred, or killed.
PERSONAL RANT: It is unacceptable for an organization to spend large sums of money on a project if senior management isn't prepared to roll up their sleeves and understand what is being delivered, understand the benefits of the deliverables, willing to hold others accountable for results, have an enthusiastic attitude, and have personal accountability tied to the project's success.
Project managers and team members can't afford to work on projects where ignorance and indifference is prevalent. Also, project teams can't afford to have "Teflon" managers" managing resources on the external resource teams, or in the positions of power or influence over their projects. Teflon" managers are never personally accountable for any project results because they choose ignorance over engagement. Shame on them, and guess what, the project manager and the project team pays the price of failure.
END OF PERSONAL RANT
What happens when senior management isn't involved with projects from the beginning to the end? Things like those below, which if left unchecked will ensure you project is a failure or delivers less than desirable results.
There is no organizational commitment to the project's objectives (you have project objectives that were created by senior management, right?)
Project teams are left with the job of trying to change the organization's bad habits and culture (not possible without senior management buy-in and support)
Divisions and departments fight the change the project is creating
Mid-level managers, supervisors, and line workers refuse to get involved and often work to sabotage the project
To summarize, large projects require senior management commitment, involvement, and follow through. Without senior management involvement your large project is almost certain to fail. Project managers and project teams can't be successful, nor will project management deliver results in organizations where fear is pervasive. Senior management can do more to create fear and remove fear than any project manager ever could.
Finally, I will say what most of us know, many senior managers and executives are wimps, however, this doesn't need to be the case when it comes to large projects. They can speak out up front while the project is being initiated and demand to see a business case. They can and must be involved in setting the project's measurable objectives. Once they have bought-in to the project they can and must insist that their direct reports support the project and keep them appraised of project progress. Finally, they can and must hold their staff accountable for project results.
When it comes to large projects senior managers and executives can be engaged, involved, and act as leaders, or they can be wimps.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Executive Apathy and Project Failure
Ever had a project that begins with strong executive/senior management support and over time that support fades?
The symptoms are:
Executives/senior management remain silent during status meetings
Executives/senior management stop coming to status meetings and don't ask for meeting minutes
Executives/senior management lack a sense of urgency regarding "your" project
Executives/senior management become more confused and less supportive over time regarding project goals and objectives
Executives/senior management begin to focus on what has been "installed" vs. what business results have been realized
The project sponsor(s) becomes detached and less available for project updates
Executives, sponsors, and stakeholders start to forget the culture and try to force solutions to meet deadlines
I know first hand that executives/senior management will tell you they support your project, and then turnaround and encourage resistance in their departments, and allow or ignore passive-aggressive behaviors of key staff members regarding the project's goals and objectives. What can be done? Here are some ideas; however you must realize that your project is in serious trouble if you have observed the behaviors listed above.
Calculate the costs of the project so far. Consider scaling back the project or killing it all together. I know from experience that this is much easier said than done.
Identify key executives and stakeholders and meet with them personally and restate the projects benefits. If they still aren't sold or supportive, move on to the next group. Ensure you create a Scope Change and de-scope portions of the project that aren't getting support.
Reevaluate the project team. Do you need new people? Are they really focused on meeting the project's objectives and scope? Are the project's objectives and scope still realistic, attainable and relevant?
Reevaluate the organization's culture and re-plan the project if needed. Reset expectations, and identify sources of resistance. If the culture can't be changed quickly, perhaps the project's objectives, goals, and/or scope need to be adjusted.
Remember, project failure rests on the project manager's shoulders. Sometimes senior management is too busy to get or stay involved, however that doesn't release them from their responsibility to support your project. Determine if they are too busy or just too lazy to support your project. Not easy to do, but absolutely necessary.
Remember what Dr. Stephen Covey says is the 4th Discipline (The 4 Disciplines of Execution) - "Hold Each Other Accountable - All of the Time". If you are a project manager it is your job to hold all levels of the organization accountable for project success. Having said that, you must proceed with caution if you plan to do this with executives. Be tactful and respectful; however, don't let them off the hook.
A recent survey found that only 39 percent of workers feel highly energized and committed to their organization's most important goals. This survey includes executives and senior managers. Just because they have the title doesn't mean they will behave responsibly or be focused on doing the right things right!
Executives, senior management, and your project sponsor(s) may say they support you and your project, but it is up to you to figure out if they really are being supportive. Silence is not acceptance when it comes to dealing with the decision makers. When they stop asking questions, you are in deep trouble.
No Involvement = No Commitment.
The symptoms are:
Executives/senior management remain silent during status meetings
Executives/senior management stop coming to status meetings and don't ask for meeting minutes
Executives/senior management lack a sense of urgency regarding "your" project
Executives/senior management become more confused and less supportive over time regarding project goals and objectives
Executives/senior management begin to focus on what has been "installed" vs. what business results have been realized
The project sponsor(s) becomes detached and less available for project updates
Executives, sponsors, and stakeholders start to forget the culture and try to force solutions to meet deadlines
I know first hand that executives/senior management will tell you they support your project, and then turnaround and encourage resistance in their departments, and allow or ignore passive-aggressive behaviors of key staff members regarding the project's goals and objectives. What can be done? Here are some ideas; however you must realize that your project is in serious trouble if you have observed the behaviors listed above.
Calculate the costs of the project so far. Consider scaling back the project or killing it all together. I know from experience that this is much easier said than done.
Identify key executives and stakeholders and meet with them personally and restate the projects benefits. If they still aren't sold or supportive, move on to the next group. Ensure you create a Scope Change and de-scope portions of the project that aren't getting support.
Reevaluate the project team. Do you need new people? Are they really focused on meeting the project's objectives and scope? Are the project's objectives and scope still realistic, attainable and relevant?
Reevaluate the organization's culture and re-plan the project if needed. Reset expectations, and identify sources of resistance. If the culture can't be changed quickly, perhaps the project's objectives, goals, and/or scope need to be adjusted.
Remember, project failure rests on the project manager's shoulders. Sometimes senior management is too busy to get or stay involved, however that doesn't release them from their responsibility to support your project. Determine if they are too busy or just too lazy to support your project. Not easy to do, but absolutely necessary.
Remember what Dr. Stephen Covey says is the 4th Discipline (The 4 Disciplines of Execution) - "Hold Each Other Accountable - All of the Time". If you are a project manager it is your job to hold all levels of the organization accountable for project success. Having said that, you must proceed with caution if you plan to do this with executives. Be tactful and respectful; however, don't let them off the hook.
A recent survey found that only 39 percent of workers feel highly energized and committed to their organization's most important goals. This survey includes executives and senior managers. Just because they have the title doesn't mean they will behave responsibly or be focused on doing the right things right!
Executives, senior management, and your project sponsor(s) may say they support you and your project, but it is up to you to figure out if they really are being supportive. Silence is not acceptance when it comes to dealing with the decision makers. When they stop asking questions, you are in deep trouble.
No Involvement = No Commitment.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
One Tough Project!
Like millions of others, I began the year with a resolution to lose weight and "get in shape" by years end. I took this resolution and determined that a "project" was required.
As everybody knows, weight loss projects have a high probability of failure. These types of projects are full of risks and obstacles. Thankfully, there lots of people that have had "project" success in regards to losing weight and getting into better physical condition. The success of others gives us historical data, which is the best kind of data to use when planning a project.
As with any project, we need ways to measure progress. If we don't measure progress we don't know if we are doing the right things. Measures and objectives are normally set in the Project Initiation phase.
Some measures of project progress that I'm using are:
Weight Loss
Losing Inches
Losing Fat – Body Mass Index
Lower Cholesterol
A project must have measurable objectives (goals) so we know at the end of the project if we were successful. The objectives I set for the project are:
Lose twenty pounds (minimum)
Lower Cholesterol by 20%
Lose three inches off waist
Run a 5K and a 10K by years end
Run 300 miles or more during the year
Ride bike over 1000 miles
Again, all objectives are measurable, so they will be used at end of the year to help determine project success or failure.
After the objectives and measures were set, planning began. Some equipment was required like new running shoes, and some equipment was just cool to have like a Nike+ iPod kit to wirelessly connect the new Nike running shoes to my existing iPod Nano.
Briefly, a Nike+ iPod kit helps a runner measure a number of items like distance traveled (miles), calories burned, pace, time spent running/walking, and additionally uploads exercise data to the nikeplus.com website to help you track your goals and visually see your progress over time. The information on the nikeplus website can be shared with others, and you can setup your personal goals and issue challenges to other nikeplus users. I think this is all very cool, and in the end is a very usable tool. One last note on this subject, since you are carrying an iPod when you run/walk you can bring along your favorite music for additional motivation and inspiration. Who can resist running while listening to the likes of Green Day, Big & Rich, or Skillet!
Remember, measuring progress helps us to see our accomplishments, and the historical data we collected from other weight loss projects tells us that tools like the Nike+ iPod product can motivate us by giving us feedback of our progress. One disclaimer is needed, I'm not endorsing any products here, I'm just sharing what works for me.
While planning my project I also determined I should purchase a heart rate monitor. While not a required item, it is an important project monitoring tool since I am turning 50 (ouch) this year and want to monitor (Project Controlling) my heart rate to ensure I don't overdo my workouts. The heart rate monitor has an additional benefit of helping to ensure I stay in the best fat burning target zone during my workouts. Again, we can't manage what we don't measure.
Once the objectives were set and procurement was complete, it was time to begin the hard work of getting started (Project Execution). While getting started is important, it is also important that the scope of the project doesn't exceed the capabilities of your resources (heart, lungs, legs, willpower). To mitigate the issue of exceeding my resources and quitting after a few weeks or months because of injury or burnout, which happens to the majority of folks starting this type of project, I have made sure that I start slow and have small measurable goals.
One final thing I did to help achieve success was I downloaded a running plan from the internet entitled "From Couch Potato to Runner in Nine Weeks". I did modify the plan because I think it was designed for someone younger than I who was also in better shape; however it is a written plan that again helps me to measure progress.
ProjectSteps Rule: A plan that isn't in writing isn't a plan.
As far as a interim status report goes, I set a goal to run twenty miles in January and made the goal. Overall, I am pleased with my progress so far. Since January 3rd, I have lost 11 pounds. I have also changed my eating habits, walked more during the day, and generally feel better.
The bottom line, using project management techniques in your personal life can help you achieve your goals.
If you have experiences or tips let me know by sending a comment and I will publish them here.
As everybody knows, weight loss projects have a high probability of failure. These types of projects are full of risks and obstacles. Thankfully, there lots of people that have had "project" success in regards to losing weight and getting into better physical condition. The success of others gives us historical data, which is the best kind of data to use when planning a project.
As with any project, we need ways to measure progress. If we don't measure progress we don't know if we are doing the right things. Measures and objectives are normally set in the Project Initiation phase.
Some measures of project progress that I'm using are:
Weight Loss
Losing Inches
Losing Fat – Body Mass Index
Lower Cholesterol
A project must have measurable objectives (goals) so we know at the end of the project if we were successful. The objectives I set for the project are:
Lose twenty pounds (minimum)
Lower Cholesterol by 20%
Lose three inches off waist
Run a 5K and a 10K by years end
Run 300 miles or more during the year
Ride bike over 1000 miles
Again, all objectives are measurable, so they will be used at end of the year to help determine project success or failure.
After the objectives and measures were set, planning began. Some equipment was required like new running shoes, and some equipment was just cool to have like a Nike+ iPod kit to wirelessly connect the new Nike running shoes to my existing iPod Nano.
Briefly, a Nike+ iPod kit helps a runner measure a number of items like distance traveled (miles), calories burned, pace, time spent running/walking, and additionally uploads exercise data to the nikeplus.com website to help you track your goals and visually see your progress over time. The information on the nikeplus website can be shared with others, and you can setup your personal goals and issue challenges to other nikeplus users. I think this is all very cool, and in the end is a very usable tool. One last note on this subject, since you are carrying an iPod when you run/walk you can bring along your favorite music for additional motivation and inspiration. Who can resist running while listening to the likes of Green Day, Big & Rich, or Skillet!
Remember, measuring progress helps us to see our accomplishments, and the historical data we collected from other weight loss projects tells us that tools like the Nike+ iPod product can motivate us by giving us feedback of our progress. One disclaimer is needed, I'm not endorsing any products here, I'm just sharing what works for me.
While planning my project I also determined I should purchase a heart rate monitor. While not a required item, it is an important project monitoring tool since I am turning 50 (ouch) this year and want to monitor (Project Controlling) my heart rate to ensure I don't overdo my workouts. The heart rate monitor has an additional benefit of helping to ensure I stay in the best fat burning target zone during my workouts. Again, we can't manage what we don't measure.
Once the objectives were set and procurement was complete, it was time to begin the hard work of getting started (Project Execution). While getting started is important, it is also important that the scope of the project doesn't exceed the capabilities of your resources (heart, lungs, legs, willpower). To mitigate the issue of exceeding my resources and quitting after a few weeks or months because of injury or burnout, which happens to the majority of folks starting this type of project, I have made sure that I start slow and have small measurable goals.
One final thing I did to help achieve success was I downloaded a running plan from the internet entitled "From Couch Potato to Runner in Nine Weeks". I did modify the plan because I think it was designed for someone younger than I who was also in better shape; however it is a written plan that again helps me to measure progress.
ProjectSteps Rule: A plan that isn't in writing isn't a plan.
As far as a interim status report goes, I set a goal to run twenty miles in January and made the goal. Overall, I am pleased with my progress so far. Since January 3rd, I have lost 11 pounds. I have also changed my eating habits, walked more during the day, and generally feel better.
The bottom line, using project management techniques in your personal life can help you achieve your goals.
If you have experiences or tips let me know by sending a comment and I will publish them here.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
What is your Project Management Process?
Over the next few weeks I will discuss several Project Management product offerings available to help the Project Manager get their projects or programs organized. Most of these products are referred to as project management frameworks. A project management framework is a set of processes, tools and templates designed to be used together to manage a project through its lifecycle. It is important to know that a process isn't a framework, however a framework does include one or more processes.
The first set of products I will cover are from TenStep.com
There are several highly polished Project Management process offerings available from this vendor. The ones I either own and use or have reviewed are TenStep, PortfolioStep, PMOStep, SupportStep, and LifeCycleStep.
TenStep.com has been around for several years and I was an early adopter of the TenStep process. Over the years the TenStep process has grown into a sophisticated framework that contains dozens and dozens of templates, support documents and clear steps on how to manage a project effectively. From the original TenStep process the vendor has added many new process/frameworks to assist the project manager to manage and support programs, portfolios, project management offices, etc. To summarize, the processes are clearly written using plain English (not jargon), include plenty of useful templates, and each process include many helpful hints to help you use each of the process steps effectively. What more could you ask for?
The TenStep web site has free templates and examples of each process for you to review prior to making a purchase decision, and additionally each of TenSteps processes are updated on a regular basis throughout the year. Take a look and form your own opinion by visiting their website.
As taken from the TenStep.com website, the TenStep Project Management Process is a methodology for managing work as a project. It is designed to be as flexible as you need to manage your project."
"For instance, it may not make sense to spend a lot of time on risk management for a project that requires 500 hours of effort and is similar to many projects that were done before. That does not imply that you ignore potential risks - just that you do not spend as much time as you might on another project (for instance, one where you were implementing new technology). This flexible and scalable approach is visible throughout the TenStep process and is one area that differentiates this methodology from others."
I personally own and use TenStep, PMOStep, and SupportStep. I highly recommend them all. Tom Mochal the owner of TenStep and his staff do a great job of regularly updating each Framework and the accompanying templates. I have been using TenStep processes for almost four years and their products have always exceeded my expectations.
Bottom line: an outstanding suite of products used by over 5000 companies and individuals. Highly recommended.
The first set of products I will cover are from TenStep.com
There are several highly polished Project Management process offerings available from this vendor. The ones I either own and use or have reviewed are TenStep, PortfolioStep, PMOStep, SupportStep, and LifeCycleStep.
TenStep.com has been around for several years and I was an early adopter of the TenStep process. Over the years the TenStep process has grown into a sophisticated framework that contains dozens and dozens of templates, support documents and clear steps on how to manage a project effectively. From the original TenStep process the vendor has added many new process/frameworks to assist the project manager to manage and support programs, portfolios, project management offices, etc. To summarize, the processes are clearly written using plain English (not jargon), include plenty of useful templates, and each process include many helpful hints to help you use each of the process steps effectively. What more could you ask for?
The TenStep web site has free templates and examples of each process for you to review prior to making a purchase decision, and additionally each of TenSteps processes are updated on a regular basis throughout the year. Take a look and form your own opinion by visiting their website.
As taken from the TenStep.com website, the TenStep Project Management Process is a methodology for managing work as a project. It is designed to be as flexible as you need to manage your project."
"For instance, it may not make sense to spend a lot of time on risk management for a project that requires 500 hours of effort and is similar to many projects that were done before. That does not imply that you ignore potential risks - just that you do not spend as much time as you might on another project (for instance, one where you were implementing new technology). This flexible and scalable approach is visible throughout the TenStep process and is one area that differentiates this methodology from others."
I personally own and use TenStep, PMOStep, and SupportStep. I highly recommend them all. Tom Mochal the owner of TenStep and his staff do a great job of regularly updating each Framework and the accompanying templates. I have been using TenStep processes for almost four years and their products have always exceeded my expectations.
Bottom line: an outstanding suite of products used by over 5000 companies and individuals. Highly recommended.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Emotional Bank Accounts and Projects
Dr Stephen Covey talks about "The Emotional Bank Account" in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
. The emotional bank account is simply a metaphor for defining the amount of trust that has been built up in a relationship. Project managers need to be trusted in order to be effective.
An emotional bank account works just like a regular bank account. There are deposits and withdrawals. Deposits are made through acts of kindness, keeping your word, meeting commitments, being truthful, trustworthy, etc. When the emotional bank account has a positive balance, communication is much easier because trust is high. If on the other hand you show negative behaviors like disrespect, threatening words, being judgmental, harsh, or distant and detached the trust level (account balance) becomes overdrawn. This overdrawn account severely limits your options to communicate effectively.
If a positive balance isn't maintained in your emotional bank accounts your relationships will deteriorate. Remember, you have many different emotional bank accounts. One for everyone you deal with. Do you know which accounts are overdrawn?
Some quick concepts from Dr. Covey's book when talking about major deposits to the emotional bank account are:
Understand the Individual
Really seek to understand. What is important to them? Make that thing important to you.
Attend to the Little Things
Perform small acts of courtesy and kindness.
Keeping Commitments
Keeping them is a major deposit. Breaking them is a major withdrawal. People put hope in promises.
Clarifying Expectations
Ensure understanding takes place when dealing with expectations. This takes time and good listening skills to accomplish.
Show Personal Integrity
This generates trust. Trust is the basis of good relations. Having integrity doesn't just mean telling the truth, it means keeping our promises and meeting expectations. It also means "respect for the absent". Defend the absent and gain the respect of those present.
Apologize Sincerely When You Make a Withdrawal
Apologize from the heart. Be sincere and let the other person know how bad you feel.
. The emotional bank account is simply a metaphor for defining the amount of trust that has been built up in a relationship. Project managers need to be trusted in order to be effective. An emotional bank account works just like a regular bank account. There are deposits and withdrawals. Deposits are made through acts of kindness, keeping your word, meeting commitments, being truthful, trustworthy, etc. When the emotional bank account has a positive balance, communication is much easier because trust is high. If on the other hand you show negative behaviors like disrespect, threatening words, being judgmental, harsh, or distant and detached the trust level (account balance) becomes overdrawn. This overdrawn account severely limits your options to communicate effectively.
If a positive balance isn't maintained in your emotional bank accounts your relationships will deteriorate. Remember, you have many different emotional bank accounts. One for everyone you deal with. Do you know which accounts are overdrawn?
Some quick concepts from Dr. Covey's book when talking about major deposits to the emotional bank account are:
Understand the Individual
Really seek to understand. What is important to them? Make that thing important to you.
Attend to the Little Things
Perform small acts of courtesy and kindness.
Keeping Commitments
Keeping them is a major deposit. Breaking them is a major withdrawal. People put hope in promises.
Clarifying Expectations
Ensure understanding takes place when dealing with expectations. This takes time and good listening skills to accomplish.
Show Personal Integrity
This generates trust. Trust is the basis of good relations. Having integrity doesn't just mean telling the truth, it means keeping our promises and meeting expectations. It also means "respect for the absent". Defend the absent and gain the respect of those present.
Apologize Sincerely When You Make a Withdrawal
Apologize from the heart. Be sincere and let the other person know how bad you feel.
Monday, January 22, 2007
What are you saying?
As project managers, it is important that we communicate in a way that inspires and motivates others. What you say, and more importantly how you say it through your body language can help or hurt you in ways you may not fully understand.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Project managers will fail if they can not communicate effectively.
Some questions to consider are:
How are our words and especially our body language interpreted by others?
How will we know if our message is accepted?
What are the things we need to be aware of in regards to our body language when communicating with others?
It is said that there are eight subconscious impressions that people make about you within the first ten seconds of meeting you. They are:
How smart you are
Your education level
Your trustworthiness
Your personality style
Your self-confidence
Your work ethic
How dependability
Your level of income
How can somebody do that? Isn't this unfair? You do it, but may not realize it. Just think about someone you have met recently and see if you have formulated opinions around the eight statements listed above.
To help you avoid some negative sterotypes when meeting others, here are some tips:
Stand up straight and hold your head up high – You will look and feel confident
Walk confidently and with a purpose
Keep your hands where people can see them (not in your pockets)
Shake hands confidently, but with sincerity
Have enthusiasm
Smile strategically – Try smiling slowly as you shake their hand
Most importantly, maintain eye contact for 3-5 seconds
When meeting people show a genuine interest in them, and remember over half your communication is sent via your body language. Also, project managers need to instill confidence and inspire others in order to be effective.
What does your body language say about you?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Project managers will fail if they can not communicate effectively.
Some questions to consider are:
How are our words and especially our body language interpreted by others?
How will we know if our message is accepted?
What are the things we need to be aware of in regards to our body language when communicating with others?
It is said that there are eight subconscious impressions that people make about you within the first ten seconds of meeting you. They are:
How smart you are
Your education level
Your trustworthiness
Your personality style
Your self-confidence
Your work ethic
How dependability
Your level of income
How can somebody do that? Isn't this unfair? You do it, but may not realize it. Just think about someone you have met recently and see if you have formulated opinions around the eight statements listed above.
To help you avoid some negative sterotypes when meeting others, here are some tips:
Stand up straight and hold your head up high – You will look and feel confident
Walk confidently and with a purpose
Keep your hands where people can see them (not in your pockets)
Shake hands confidently, but with sincerity
Have enthusiasm
Smile strategically – Try smiling slowly as you shake their hand
Most importantly, maintain eye contact for 3-5 seconds
When meeting people show a genuine interest in them, and remember over half your communication is sent via your body language. Also, project managers need to instill confidence and inspire others in order to be effective.
What does your body language say about you?
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Project Management and the Circle of Concern
Project managers make mistakes. If you are a project manager and don't make mistakes then you are either lying to yourself or you are totally ineffective. Dr. Covey talks about two things we need to consider regarding what he calls our "Circle of Concern". As project managers it is critical that we embrace and understand these concepts which are, consequences and mistakes.
As Dr. Covey states, "While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequence of those actions. Consequences are governed by natural law. They are out in the Circle of Concern. We can decide to step in front of a fast-moving train (project selection), be we cannot decide what will happen when the train hits us".
To take this further, Dr. Covey says, "We can decide to be dishonest in our business dealings. While the social consequences of that decision may vary depending on whether or not we are found out, the natural consequences to our basic character are a fixed result."
"Our behavior is governed by principles. Living in harmony with them brings positive consequences: violating them brings negative consequences. We are free to choose our response in any situation, but in doing so we choose the attendant consequence. When we pick up one in of the stick, we pick up the other".
What does this mean? As project managers we have the capability to motivate and empower members of our team by being honest and ethical. We also can send our projects quickly off-track if we are dishonest in our dealings.
To quote Dr. Covey again, "Our response to mistakes affects the quality of our next moment. It is important to immediately admit and correct our mistakes so that they have no power over that next moment and we are empowered again. It is not what others do or even our mistakes that hurt us the most; it is our response to those things".
We all make mistakes. We must atone for and make amends for those mistakes quickly. In my opinion, our unwillingness to admit our mistakes is the biggest obstacle to personal growth and strong relationships. The Circle of Influence is all about our capability to make and keep our promises. Keeping our promises and commitments is a core value of integrity.
As Dr. Convey says, "By making and keeping promises to ourselves and others, little by little, our honor becomes greater then our moods.
Have high integrity and make and keep promises, and your projects (and your life) will be the better for it.
As Dr. Covey states, "While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequence of those actions. Consequences are governed by natural law. They are out in the Circle of Concern. We can decide to step in front of a fast-moving train (project selection), be we cannot decide what will happen when the train hits us".
To take this further, Dr. Covey says, "We can decide to be dishonest in our business dealings. While the social consequences of that decision may vary depending on whether or not we are found out, the natural consequences to our basic character are a fixed result."
"Our behavior is governed by principles. Living in harmony with them brings positive consequences: violating them brings negative consequences. We are free to choose our response in any situation, but in doing so we choose the attendant consequence. When we pick up one in of the stick, we pick up the other".
What does this mean? As project managers we have the capability to motivate and empower members of our team by being honest and ethical. We also can send our projects quickly off-track if we are dishonest in our dealings.
To quote Dr. Covey again, "Our response to mistakes affects the quality of our next moment. It is important to immediately admit and correct our mistakes so that they have no power over that next moment and we are empowered again. It is not what others do or even our mistakes that hurt us the most; it is our response to those things".
We all make mistakes. We must atone for and make amends for those mistakes quickly. In my opinion, our unwillingness to admit our mistakes is the biggest obstacle to personal growth and strong relationships. The Circle of Influence is all about our capability to make and keep our promises. Keeping our promises and commitments is a core value of integrity.
As Dr. Convey says, "By making and keeping promises to ourselves and others, little by little, our honor becomes greater then our moods.
Have high integrity and make and keep promises, and your projects (and your life) will be the better for it.
Friday, January 05, 2007
The Circle of Influence and the Project Manager
(Exerpts from Habit 1: Be Proactive, in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey)
I'm a big fan of Dr. Stephen Covey. His book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
is a must read for anyone seeking to be highly effective. One of the concepts Dr. Covey talks about in his books is the "Circle of Concern" and the "Circle of Influence". The basic concept is that we need to focus our time and energy on the important things that we can control. Inside the Circle of Concern there is a smaller circle in the middle called the Circle of Influence. We should spend most of our time and efforts focused on the things in this Circle of Influence.As Dr. Covey states "proactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Influence. They work on the things they can do something about. The nature of their energy is positive, enlarging and magnifying, causing their Circle of Influence to increase." "Reactive people on the other hand, focus their efforts in the "Circle of Concern. They focus on the weakness of other people, the problems in the environment, and circumstances over which they have no control. Their focus results in blaming and accusing attitudes, reactive language, and increased feelings of victimization. The negative energy generated by that focus, combined with neglect in areas they could do something about, causes their Circle of Influence to shrink."
Key point – Focus on important things that you can control. Work to enlarge your Circle of Influence and you will automatically reduce the Circle of Concerns area.
Dr. Covey goes on to say:
One way to notice where our energy and focus is located is to distinguish between the have's and the be's. The Circle of Concern is filled with the have's:
· 'I'll be happy when I have my house paid off.'
· 'If only I had a more patient spouse...'
· 'If only I had better employees/co-workers...'
· 'If only I had a boss who wasn't so demanding...'
The Circle of Influence is filled with the be's:
· 'I can be more patient...'
· 'I can be a better employee...'
· 'I can be more wise...'
It's a character focus. Any time we think the problem is 'out there,' that thought is the problem. We empower what's out there to control us. The change paradigm is 'outside-in'--what's out there has to change before we can change.
The proactive approach is to change from the inside-out; to be different, and by being different to effect positive change in what's out there--I can be more resourceful, I can be more diligent, I can be a better listener, I can be a better leader.
Buy Dr. Stephen Covey's book or check it out from your local library. It is one of the best books you will ever read.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Project Roles and Responsibilities
Happy New Year!
Hopefully, you can use this list to educate your team members about the various roles on a project team.
Executive Steering Committee
Sets the strategic vision and objectives for a given program or project. The team leads efforts to build consensus through the organization to support the project or program’s objectives.
Governance Board
Formal team of executives from across the organization that ensure projects will meet/are meeting enterprise goals.
Project Sponsor
Provides clarity of the project vision, and directs the activities of the project team. Allocates funding and resources to the project. Provides executive authority necessary to overcome organizational obstacles and barriers. The guardian of the business case, and ultimately responsible for project success.
Performing Organization
The organization whose personnel are most directly involved in doing the work of the project. This organization usually provides sponsorship for the project.
Project Management Office
An organizational body or entity assigned various responsibilities related to the centralized and coordinated management of those programs/projects under its domain.
Project Stakeholders
Persons or organizations (customers, sponsors, performers, public) that are actively involved in the project or whose interests may be positively or negatively impacted by executing or implementation of the project.
Program Manager
Person responsible for the centralized, coordinated management of a program (group of related projects) to achieve the program’s strategic objectives and benefits.
Project Manager
The person assigned by the performing organization to achieve the project objectives. The project manager is responsible for coordinating and integrating activities across multiple functional lines, and managing stakeholder communications. The project manager accomplishes the above by managing project scope, time, cost, and quality. Finally, the project manager applies project management, general management and technical skills, as well as team management, negotiation, financial and business acumen, combined with an understanding of organizational politics to meet project objectives and to meet or exceed stakeholder expectations.
Project Team
All the project team members, including the project management team, the project manager, and for some projects, the project sponsor.
Functional Manager
On projects, the person responsible for ensuring agreed-upon project tasks are completed using pre-defined resources under the manager’s control within scope, time, budget and quality constraints.
Project Team Leader
Responsible for ensuring that agreed-upon project tasks and assignments are completed on time, on budget, and within quality standards for personnel under their realm of control or influence. The team leader should be knowledgeable of the principles and practices of project management and understand the business unit’s strategic and operational issues.
Technical Manager/Liaison
Responsible for the technical implementation of the project as measured against the project requirements, quality targets, and budgetary constraints, and timelines. Ensures technical deliverables are consistent with the overall technical strategy of the enterprise.
Business Analyst
Primary interface between projects and business partners. Responsible for understanding current and future processes, including processes for the entire enterprise. Documents business requirements, generate business cases, assists in defining project benefits/ costs, and participates in project reviews