Arrogance and Leadership Don't Mix

Arrogant leaders are by nature self centered. They believe their success is because of their own abilities and qualities. They are quick to point out the mistakes of others and rarely take the blame for anything that goes wrong. They are project killers because of their poor listening skills and their inability to see beyond themselves and their narrow views. They know best, and find it burdensome to give others the stage. Challenge them or try to draw them into a debate and watch out! You will be quickly labeled as inflexible and unwilling to accept “what is best”.

In Jim Collins’ book “Good to Great” he found through surveys that humble leadership (opposite of arrogance) was one of the many leadership traits that contributed to the long-term success of organizations. Humble leaders get involved, are willing to listen to opposing viewpoints, and have high self-esteem. They have high moral values, which causes them to be centered on doing things right for the right reasons. They energize others, and believe their talents are a gift to be kept in perspective both in the work place and in their personal lives.

Note: This doesn’t always apply, but you would be surprised. Look at what the arrogant leader and the humble leader drive to work. That can tell you a lot about who they are and the image they are trying to portray.

One of the things we know is that leaders can’t effectively lead if they don’t know what is going on. A telltale sign of the arrogant leader is they don’t care about the details. That is because details are beneath them. They also believe that execution is beneath them. They are the grand strategist and don’t have time to get involved in the details. They are interested in headlines, not deadlines. Serving the greater good takes a back seat to serving their own self interests.

Another trait you might see is that arrogant leaders are threatened by the “good” leaders. They fear the good leader’s success and often view them as weak and ineffective (envy is a four letter word). In fact, many arrogant leaders see humility and attentiveness in others as a character flaw. We know by observation that the arrogant leaders are the ones with the weak character, the ones with the poor communication skills, and are the ones with the low self esteem. The arrogant leader’s weaknesses are easy to spot. They don’t fool anybody but themselves. Remember the CEOs of Enron, MCI/WorldCom? At one time they were arrogant, now they are in prison.

Emotional Outburst #1 - Arrogant leaders are organizational pariahs, and are terrible project managers.

A leader that motivates and inspires has to be visible, informed, and respected. Like any good engineer knows, you sometimes have to get your hands dirty to solve problems and gain the respect of the people doing the work.

An arrogant leader is the opposite of a servant leader. Whether they wear a skirt or a suit they are inhibitors to organizational excellence and their thirst for power destroys team synergy and employee morale.

We can sum up this type of behavior in one word...Arrogance -

As taken from the Inner Frontier

"ARROGANCE - Those to whom much has been given sometimes suffer from arrogance; or rather the people around them suffer. Arrogance is doubly a pity, because the talents of the arrogant serve primarily themselves. The arrogant assumes his views and opinions are The Truth. In arrogance, natural confidence goes sadly awry. Rather than the self-assurance born of knowing his own strengths and limitations, arrogance admits no limits. The arrogant brooks no weakness in himself and may even secretly rejoice to find flaws in others. But imperfections are inherent in being human, so the arrogant, like everyone else, always has feet of clay, however well hidden they may be. Fearing exposure, haughtiness forms a hard shell masking inner emptiness."

Use Constructive Behavior

Many of us deal with difficult people using the age-old adage of an "eye for an eye". If we are snubbed, we ignore the other person. If we are disrespected, we in turn show disrespect. This mentality is not only self-destructive, but is damaging to the career of a project manager.

When we reciprocate with bad behavior against another, nothing is resolved. By reverting to negative behavior we have fallen into a lose/lose relationship where nobody wins, and we do as much damage to ourselves as we perceive we do to others. What can we do when we feel bombarded by the negative attacks? There are several things we can do to avoid the trap of a reciprocating fire with fire.

I suggest that you read a couple of books I have found to be enlightening. The first is Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" and the other is "Love is the Killer App" by Tim Sanders. Both books offer powerful insight into the human condition, and more importantly offer critical advice you can use everyday.

Some things to be aware of when dealing with others:

Be aware of the perceptions others hold about you

Keep a balance between your emotions and your ctions

Seek first to Understand, then be Understood (Stephen Covey Habit)

Be an Active Listener

Diagnose before prescribing

Consult with others you trust before making important decisions

Be Trustworthy

Don't Coerce, but Persuade

Accept the fact that some people will just be Unreasonable

Be the Solution, not the Problem

The best times in life and the worst times are usually tied to our relationships. Do not be a victim of your relationships, but an example of how others should act.

New Rules of Money

Old Video with Robert Kiyosaki -Applicable to today's economy

Don't Be a Victim of Politics (Rewind)

Politics and projects go hand in hand. Team conflict, competing agendas, stakeholder dysfunction, resource constraints, and a myriad of other challenges exist and will send your project careening out of control if not managed properly.

What is a project manager to do? Here is a list of things to keep in mind when managing projects in a highly politicized environment:

Learn to negotiate from a position of strength.

Do everything you can to educate those around you about Project Management. Stress the benefits and overcome the objections by pointing to your successes.

Master the art of influence.

Understand that masterful politicians are sometimes helpful to you and your project, but can also be detriment to your project's success.

An effective executive sponsor can help minimize political time wasting events that slow project progress and increase project budgets.

Recognize that conflict on your project is inevitable and necessary. How you respond to conflict will determine how successful you are.

Mastering the art of negotiation is a critical skill for project managers.

Negotiate up front how much power you will have as project manager, how and where it can be used, and when it applies to securing needed resources for your project.

Realize that for the most part internal politics wastes time and is usually not something that people enjoy.
Team commitment and loyalty will help to minimize project politics.

Don't fight a political system you don't understand and can't influence. Leave that to the experts. (Hint: get these experts to support your project if possible).

A good communications plan will help to lessen the politics on your project.

Every project usually has at least one "politician" in the organization that is out to either sabotage it, or will try to ensure that it isn't fully implemented.

Recognize that change (which is what projects are all about) scares some people and your project's deliverables can lead to a loss of power or influence for certain individuals or departments. Anticipate this and have a plan to deal with the behaviors that will surface.

Successful project managers need to learn to "swim with the sharks" and not get bitten. They need to be determined, focused, and act professionally and ethically. Project managers must know how to relate to people and manage relationships by being effective leaders and by applying the right balance of negotiating skills, motivational techniques, team building, and optimized communications.

Accepting Criticism (Rewind)

The other day while talking with one of my bosses I was told that I can come off sometimes as being pessimistic. I wasn't expecting this remark and had to think for a moment about my response. Basically my response was that yes, at times I can be pessimistic. After the meeting I started to think about my behavior over the past year, which led me to remember something I learned long ago. If we expect criticism we will seldom be disappointed when we receive it.

There are many types of criticism, and usually none of it is welcome. Destructive criticism seldom offers any value to the person receiving it and can cause them to be close-minded regarding any future criticism. While the criticism I received was presented in a constructive way, it still didn't make it easier to take. And for what it is worth, we must remember that criticism is just one person's opinion.

What is my point regarding all of this? Constructive criticism can help make us better by forcing us to stop and think about how we act, and interact with others. We need to remember that a positive, optimistic attitude will help us to build strong relationships and obtain the trust and respect of others.

Criticism is something we can avoid easily - by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing - Aristotle

Weekend Break - 30 Seconds of Golf

Weekend Trip - Kayaking

Leadership Defined. Period.

“Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.” - Colin Powell

Project Success

It has been said, you are only as successful as your last project. In my organization a project was recently implemented that was deemed a great success by the project manager while many excluded stakeholders deemed the project a failure. How could this happen? To summarize, the project was poorly planned, poorly documented, and communications were severely lacking. Also, the project was initiated in such a way that it purposely excluded key stakeholders so as to avoid a potential conflict.

Unfortunately, this project perfectly displays project management immaturity and inflexibility. It reinforces my stance to never allow weak project managers that have a history of poor communications and a "go it alone" mentality to manage a project. Past bad behavior can often be an indicator of future behavior.

Weekend Fun - Water Slide Jump - Real or Fake?

To the Idiot Mobile! (Rewind)

Here we go on another project journey. You have met with your stakeholders and all of them are in agreement as to where the project is going (objectives), what the journey will look like to get to the project’s destination (plan), and what can be expected when the project is complete (deliverables). But wait, your project (like a journey in a car) has been taken over by somebody else and is now out of your control. You have just found yourself in the back seat (no longer driving and in control) of the Project Idiot Mobile. You discover quickly that it is careening out of control and you are on a white-knuckle ride to who knows where. What do you do?

I have taken a ride in the Idiot Mobile more than once and here are some tips you can use to avoid this mind-numbing ride.

Be the Leader of the Team From the Start. Control the keys of the Idiot Mobile and don’t let anyone drive it and make sure you always leave it in the garage. Don’t assume anything unless it is documented in your project charter’s assumptions section. Don't allow stakeholders to take over your project and direct it onto a path that wasn't agreed upon in the Project Charter.

Understand Politics is a Way of Life on Your Project. Understand you will have to deal with people who don't want you to succeed. As Tom Peters said be aware that your project can fail because of "...people that are envious, people who feel their turf is being invaded, people who have a b-i-g stake in the status quo, people who are just plain afraid of change. Therefore, you will need ... Herculean (Clintonian) political skills to ... neutralize ... finesse...and in some cases just plain outsmart-surround-co opt ... these naysayers".

Have Thick Skin. Be smart up front and try to recognize who will be unsupportive of your efforts. Be prepared with a response. Be able to accept criticism and bounce back quickly. Know when you are on the wrong path and get on the right path quickly.

Make Strong Allies with Those that Have the Power. Remember that those with the power make the decisions. A good project manager is a good politician, and also keep in mind that Politics is The Art of Getting Things Done.

The Project Sponsor - Good and Bad (Rewind)

Most projects cross departmental or enterprise lines of authority, and many projects get funding from more than one source. We all should know that projects are temporary endeavors undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. It is the temporary nature and uniqueness of projects that make the job of the project manager so difficult. Project managers must work with different groups of people (stakeholders) to meet project objectives, and usually don't have any much authority to get stakeholders to perform the project work. A strong project sponsor can help the project manager address the people issues (and many more project issues that will arise).

A project sponsor's role is to help make project decisions (formal authority), and he or she is ultimately responsible for the project's success. The sponsor comes from the executive or senior management ranks (depending on the size of the project) and should be influential, a respected politician, and have a track record for getting things done. You don't want a "Political Shark" for a sponsor.

The sponsors authority and stature should be such that they are independent as much as possible of the project's goals and objectives so they can cut through the political landscape to get critical project decisions made.

Sponsors don't just support projects; they support the project manager and project team. They are the project champion and won't allow others to sabotage the project manager, the project team, or the project's goals. They have authority that comes from their title and position within the organization. In order for sponsors to be effective they must have organizational respect, proven leadership qualities, and be honest in their dealings. As mentioned before, they aren't political sharks, they are adept at rallying the troops (project team and stakeholders), presenting a clear message, and are supportive of the project manager.

Ideal Sponsor Responsibilities

Writes the Project Charter

Help to define project team roles and responsibilities

Acts as an advisor to the project manager

Removes obstacles

Has control of project funding

Reviews and Approves any Statements of Work/Contracts and Planning Documents

Bad Sponsor Characteristics

Always too busy to meet with the project manager and project team

Doesn't have time to write a project charter

Won't get involved in assigning project roles and responsibilities

Doesn't have time to approve documents, or delegates all sponsor responsibility to others.

Blames others when things go wrong, and/or won't work to resolve project issues

Always takes credit for any project success

Is surprised when the project's deliverables aren't what they expected

A bad sponsor is a project manager's worst nightmare. Avoid them at all costs if possible.

Hubble Ultra Deep Field in 3D - Awesome

Dysfunction Junction

I have worked in, around and for IT organizations for most of my career, and it still amazes me how poorly these groups communicate. Why do IT departments believe they aren’t accountable? Why won’t they communicate and form real partnerships (not pretend relationships). Why doesn’t IT management realize that in regards to IT tools and services many times perception is reality? Look at just about any survey, most IT tools and services are rated poorly by those that pay for them. Why? My answer is poor project management practices delivered through a dysfunctional organization.

What Does Dysfunction Look Like?

When you go to meetings, pretend to listen then walk away and criticize those you just met with, that is dysfunction

When you pretend to trust others, but look for ways to poke holes in their beliefs, that is dysfunction

When you reward mediocrity…dysfunction

When you create something that has questionable value yet hold it up as something awesome….hyper-dysfunction

When you support and encourage weak "leaders" that cause upheaval and mayhem …you have dysfunction

When enterprise standards and processes are ignored…you guessed it…dysfunction

When commitments are made than ignored…yep…more dysfunction

When the people in ivory towers refuse to sit down with the commoners... dysfunction

When you reward your team for winning the silent “us vs. them” war… dysfunction is the winner (guess who is the loser)

When you allow a rogue manager to steamroll others inside and outside your department…you have dysfunction

When you treat your staff like mushrooms (in the dark)…you again have dysfunction

In closing…be real, be relevant, be a team player, and most of all be trustworthy. Nobody respects a talking head. You have to be visible, engaged and respected to be effective and relevant.

Remember, if you aren't visibile you aren't relevant and if you aren't relevant you aren't needed.

No Democracy for America!

In America we don't live in a Democracy, we live in a Republic!

Good Video explaining the difference.

Thoughts on Talking

"Small minds talk about people, moderate minds talk about events and great minds talk about ideas" - Author Unknown. I could do a better job at this. It is very true statement.

Weekend Break - Monolith on Mars!

THIS mysterious monument could be proof there was once life on Mars.

The rectangular structure — measuring five metres across — was photographed by a super high resolution camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The giant monolith juts out of the planet’s surface casting a huge shadow below. Its emergence on website Lunar Explorer Italia has got space buffs speculating if it could have been constructed by creatures once living on the red planet. The monument resembles the black monolith seen in Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

In the movie the structure is believed to be a key to man’s evolution. And astonishingly Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon, revealed a similar monolith was detected on Mars’ moon Phobos. Speaking last week, he insisted: “We should visit the moons of Mars. “There’s a monolith there – a very unusual structure on this little potato shaped object that goes around Mars once every seven hours.

“When people find out about that they are going to say, ‘Who put that there? Who put that there?’”

Bad Project Theater

In earlier posts I have written about project failure and poor project management practices. In the IT world we all know that just because a project is seen as a failure doesn't mean that parts (or all) of that project aren't implemented. Many times egos in IT won't admit to project (product) failure, and end-users are stuck with crap systems that don't deliver anything approaching value. Sometimes these systems linger for years. Yikes, Help!

Project value can’t be dictated; it must be planned, agreed upon, and is easily recognized. We can't be told something has value. We must be shown and form our own opinions.

I have been a project manager in an IT/Telecomm environment for over twenty years. Failed IT projects aren't unique to any one industry or business segment. They are often a result of a mentality that says we know best, and we believe we are smarter than everybody else.

We can sum up this type of behavior in one word...Arrogance -

As taken from the Inner Frontier

ARROGANCE - "Those to whom much has been given sometimes suffer from arrogance; or rather the people around them suffer. Arrogance is doubly a pity, because the talents of the arrogant serve primarily themselves. The arrogant assumes his views and opinions are The Truth. In arrogance, natural confidence goes sadly awry. Rather than the self-assurance born of knowing his own strengths and limitations, arrogance admits no limits. The arrogant brooks no weakness in himself and may even secretly rejoice to find flaws in others. But imperfections are inherent in being human, so the arrogant, like everyone else, always has feet of clay, however well hidden they may be. Fearing exposure, haughtiness forms a hard shell masking inner emptiness."

Professional project managers are always honest, open, and ethical. They realize that project success is in large part determinded by the stakeholders and sponsor, not the project manager.

My advice is to (hopefully not arrogant) leave the drama, back door deals, and shady practices to others and be a valuable asset to your customers and sponsor.

I'm Worse for Having Known Them

I have recently been reminded that arrogance mixed with a little power can be destructive and divisive to an organization.

A good project manager must always rise above the this type of petty political partisanship and keeps fighting for what is right and best for the organization.

*** WARNING - FREE ADVICE BELOW ***

Never use fabrications, slander, and distortions to sell the value of your project/product

Never tear down another organization ( or person) to build yours (yourself) up

If you aren't visible you aren't relevant. If you aren't relevant you aren't needed

Never pretend to be something that you are not. You can only fool another fool

Never be so cocky as to believe you have nothing to learn from others

If you haven’t learned from the mistakes of the past you are probably already repeating them

If you are not honest, ethical, and trustworthy you can’t be effective at anything except politics

Taking others people's ideas and repackaging them as your own is pathetic, dishonest, and just plain sad

The value of your project’s product can only be judged by end-users, not you

Your reputation is determined by others, not you

Product bells and whistles rarely add value. They usually end up in a product because the designer was lazy and without imagination.

Surround and marginalize your critics. Don't let them define who you are.

Beware of Project Snakes and Sharks. They can wear pants or skirts.

Ambiguous Project Goals

Conflict and problems on projects often arise because of ambiguous project goals. You can’t achieve the goals on your project if they are not clear, agreed-upon, and communicated to all stakeholders. Ambiguous goals result in confusion and conflict.

Make sure that your project's goals are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time constrained)

Weekend Break - Wedding Dance

We Are In Trouble!

Jon Stewart? This is scary!

Successful Projects Bring No Recognition

When projects are successful, often nobody notices. Possibly the best measure of project success is that the project manager implements without fanfare or notoriety.

Success is the reward for lots of practice






Click Photo to Enlarge

Apollo 11 Lauch Video - I was there!

40 years ago today, as a member of my local Boy Scout troop, I was at Cape Kennedy (Canaveral) in Florida to witness the launch of Apollo 11.

What a project that must have been to work on!

Collaborate = Conflict?

When people collaborate there will sometimes be disagreement. Disagreement doesn't have to be a bad thing, and in many instances constructive disagreement can lead to a better solution. With that in mind, it is important for all participants in the conversation to recoginize when productive disagreement becomes destructive. When collaborating with others, a project manager has to be an expert negotiator to ensure that project communications are kept open, civil, and productive. While comprimising isn't the right answer when collaboarting, sometimes it is the only answer when consensus can't be reached.

Don't allow your project communications to deteriorate into pitty bickering and fighting. As the project manager it is up to you to keep project communications civil and productive. Be respectful of others and demand respect in return.

When managing conflict remember to:

Understand when a conflict is out of hand

Help to defuse emotions

Focus on questions that ask why, how, and what

Search for solutions together

Evalutate solutions that make sense and are agreeable

Weekend Break - Train vs. Tornado

Vacation Update - Photos from the Road

More photos here

Weekend Break - Cools Sounds

My Project is Late Again!

Is is late because of...

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. Deadbeat executives kill team morale and project momentum.

Plan for the above "risks" and you will start to bring your projects in faster, cheaper, and with higher quality.

What Is Not in Writing Has Not Been Said

While the title of this message may seem extreme, there are many times when it is relevant in project management. One example is in the area of requirements. Project requirements are always in written form. In the field of project management there is no such thing as a verbal project requirement.

The following text was taken from Chapter Twenty in the “Field Guide to Project Management”. The authors Francis M Webster, Jr. and Stephen D. Owens state, "the written document provides instructions, restates previous instructions, conveys importance to the message, and helps the project manager to cover their tracks".

The authors also make the point that that "e-mail isn't always enough and can get you in trouble faster and with more people". As we all know from experience, e-mail usually isn't given enough thought before it is sent which can lead to messages being misinterpreted and having unintended consequences.

A project manager that is doing his or her job will formally document all items that are important and relevant to supporting a project's objectives.

Twenty Good Life Tips

Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

Do not believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

When you say, "I love you", mean it.

When you say, "I'm sorry", look the person in the eye.

Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

Believe in love at first sight.

Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who do not have dreams do not have much.

Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it is the only way to live life completely.

In disagreements, fight fairly. No name-calling.

Do not judge people by their relatives.

Talk slowly but think quickly.

When someone asks you a question you do not want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

Say, "Bless You" when you hear someone sneeze.

When you lose, do not lose the lesson.

Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.

Do not let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

When you realize you have made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

Snakes on a Project

Project managers must manage team dysfunction. Sometimes the dysfunction comes from the top (Sponsor, Steering Committee, Senior Management) and sometimes it comes from the project stakeholders and core team members (or the project manager). The project manager must be a motivator, and additionally must keep the team focused on the project’s objectives. Most importantly, the project manager must do all they can to ensure that negative or destructive elements are kept clear of their projects. Sometimes these negative elements (people) are called “project snakes”.

Project Snake Facts

Project snakes aren’t interested in you, your team, or your project’s success

Project snakes won’t confront you with an issue or problem

Project snakes are interested in feeding (their own needs and ego)

Project snakes operate one way – surprise attack!

Project snakes strike when you least expect it

Project snakes (almost always) operate alone

Project snakes have few if any real friends (except other snakes)

Project snakes wear pants and skirts

When you find out there is a snake present, ensure you expose him or her for what they are. When exposing the snake, make sure you do this in a way that won’t cost you or another person on your team their job.

Snakes are devious, sneaky, and often powerful. Remember, the snake is all about feeding their own appetite (ego). Hopefully, if you and your team continue to do the right things the snake will slither off to feed somewhere else.

Project teams are most productive when they have fun, trust each other, have commitment to the project’s objectives, embrace open communications, and are working in a culture where their opinion is appreciated and they are creating value.

Project snakes don’t care about people, teams, and most of all projects that don’t serve their narrow agenda. Project snakes are sneaky predators that feed on the weak. Beware of the snake!

Plan Backwards

I came across this article several years ago and thought it made some very good points.

1. RESULTS – Try planning backwards - Start with the results in mind. Most mid-level managers plan around their schedule in an effort to “fill the calendar.” If your group’s goal is to stay active and keep everyone busy this is a great idea. But if your goal is to accomplish something like, oh I don’t know, let’s say your organization’s mission or turn a profit, this is the dumbest way to start out. Really, what are you in business to do? Move the sand pile left then move it back right the next quarter?

Smart planners begin with the results they want to achieve. They ruthlessly eliminate everything that doesn’t support this goal. They never hesitate to say, “No, that’s not what we are about.” Great leaders stay focused on the main thing they and never deter from it. What do you want to see occur next year? Where do you want to be? Set that as your planning goal and let everything fall in to place around it. Guard this and don’t let any other activity or program get in the way.

2. ACTIVITIES – Next plan the activities it will take to accomplish your goal(s). Don’t schedule them yet. Just sit down and determine what it will take to get to the destination you have set. Some activities may be impossible to pull off, but this will give you a good idea of what you need to be doing and how you need to distribute resources to get things done. Planning activities will help you determine the Big Three questions that need to be answered in planning guidelines:

(A) What do you think you are doing?
(B) What ought you to be doing?
(C) What are you actually doing?

Examining all three perspectives will give you valuable insight into your job and time problems.

Activities that don’t meet these criteria or don’t support the mission of your company, corporation or mission should be eliminated, no matter how sacred they are. How many exercises do you do for no other reason than, we’ve always done them? Read Sacred Cows Make Great Burgers. Yes, it is risky to ask “Why?” but you’ve got to take a few risks to venture into new territory. Have some fun. Go around and ask people how certain historical practices originated and why they continue to schedule them every year. You’ll be surprised at how many people are clueless, but continue to perform them like mindless sheep.

3. PRIORITIES – The next step will happen almost automatically. You and your staff will begin to re-evaluate your priorities and find out what you need to be about in the year ahead. You’ll be surprised to find consensus when you have eliminated useless activities that don’t accomplish your mission or goals. Determining your goals and activities will help you establish clear priorities for the time period you are planning. It will help you enforce the “If it doesn’t support or goals, we’re not doing it” rule.

Use the Paretto Principle to establish priorities: “Eighty percent of our activities produce 20 percent of the results, while only 20 percent of our activities produce 80 percent of the results.” Vilifredo Paretto was a 19th Century Italian economist who established a rule for economics that works in almost every realm of planning. It is simple: List your top ten priorities in order, then circle the top two. Concentrate planning on those two and the other eight will take care of themselves. More organizations waste time on useless trivial activities that produce almost no results. The wisdom of life consists of eliminating the non-essentials.

4. TIME ESTIMATES – How long will it take? How much time will each activity require to get you closer to your annual goals? The key to successful planning is to plan both work and time. Start to determine what will take big blocks of time, how many people will be required to get it done and where will the resources be needed to accomplish each task. Next look at the smaller blocks of time and find out how they can be batched together to eliminate waste in funding and time. Where are the wasted time slots? How can they be reduced or wiped away completely?

Determine what time of the year is the peak performance time to get each task accomplished. Where are the slow periods annually that you can get more “behind the scenes” work done? When is your “showtime,” when visible tasks are best accomplished? Remember these are only estimates but they will give you a good idea as to when you need to be concentrating on the right tasks at the right time.

5. SCHEDULING - Now look at your actual calendar. Things that are scheduled tend to happen on time. Things that are not scheduled may never happen. As I said earlier, most managers tend to schedule first in an effort to fill the calendar and eliminate gaps. Knowing what you are about, why you are about it, and how long it will take will be the greatest ally you have in putting things on in ink.

Use this guideline for scheduling: Flexibility in time: Start early on major efforts, Big blocks come first; smaller jobs/activities come second; and group items that are similar in nature. Scheduling along these lines will do more to eliminate wasted time in your calendar. It will allow for the time estimates to become realities and your people to know what they are doing, why they are doing it and how it fits into your overall mission/goals.

6. FLEXIBILITY – Allow time for error and the uncertainty. This can only be done if you have set out to allow the proper amount of time for big projects. No one can predict the future (although we seem to have an abundance of philosophers, pundits and fanatics who attempt to do it every day). A well-known television economist spent the first two months of his new program telling everyone not to buy home improvement company stocks (Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc.) then was forced to retract every prediction when they soared following the devastating hurricanes in the Gulf Coast areas. One good rule: Don’t take advice from anyone who isn’t personally invested in the suggestions they are giving. You probably have example in your own life of people who said to do one thing only to change when things weren’t as certain as they assured you. Don’t get stuck paying the bill for their mistakes.

Planning flexibility allows you to adjust your schedule as needed. It allows you to drop back and re-evaluate your intentions and redistribute resources and personnel in key areas as are required. Be flexible about your schedule, but not your results or goals. Times change and although you can’t predict the future, the great leaders are able to see through the present times and prepare for both good and bad events. Those with the best outlook on life are always expecting the best, but prepared for the worst, just in case. To deny that problems will arise is foolishness. In summary, our ability to control our time is directly related to our attitude toward controlling our environment. Now you are in control of your schedule. You determine what to do and when to do it based on a simple rule: What results do we want? Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you are right.”A year from today, evaluate the tasks you accomplished. How did your employees, support staff come together to meet your goals? How long did it take for everyone to get in step with the master plan and find ways to cut wasted time and reallocate resources? How prepared were you for unforeseen events in the market and society? How much more can you accomplish next year? Try “Backwards Planning” and see how everything fits better into place.

Permission is granted to reproduce this article in whole or in part provided the following byline below appears along with the article and that a copy is sent to me after publication. Thank you: JIM MATHIS is an International Speaking Professional and Trainer.

To subscribe to his FREE personal and professional development newsletter, please send an email to subscribe@jimmathis.com with the word SUBSCRIBE. An electronic copy will be sent out to you every month. For more information on how JIM and his programs can benefit your organization or group, please call 888-688-0220, or visit his website: www.jimmathis.com

Your Health is a Project

DISCLAIMER - Please check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

Quick Introduction

Our health is important, I think we can all agree on that. If we want to improve our health and fitness we really need a plan. Part of our plan needs to include exercise. The exercise that delivers the best fitness and weight loss results while using the least amount of your time is jogging/running. Many people begin a jogging/running routine, but quit due to fatigue, soreness, or injury. Why do they get injured or lose interest? They do too much without getting their body in shape first. The plan I use starts with only walking at first. Also, in the plan I use no workout is longer than 30 minutes.

How I Got Started

Back in March I found a document online entitled "From Couch to 5-K in 9 weeks". Since I am 51 years old and wasn't in very good shape I modified the document for my needs and included a link to it here. I added a few weeks to help me get in shape (15 weeks instead of nine), and modified some of the distances and times (started slower). I'm currently using the plan and am in week 11. So far so good. I have lost weight and I feel good.

In closing, If I can follow this plan anybody can. Especially when doing jogging in the Florida heat! The trick is to go slow, listen to your body, and keep following the plan.

If you are interested in the plan I use you can get a copy of the document here

If you want a MS Word version of the document e-mail me at sfseay(at)yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER - Please check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

Free Project Management Planning Tips

Most projects that fail, were failures before they started

Your project stakeholders are your best allies or your worst enemies – you decide

If your project plan hasn’t changed – be afraid

Ask for help, advice, assistance...from everyone! – early and often

Focus first on delivering the benefits then focus on costs

Don’t own the project, own the process

Document all valid assumptions

Don't allow jerks to work on your project....ever

Make friends not war

Weekend Break - Kayaking on the Sarasota Bay

Click here for more photos

Weekend Break - Kayaking on the Braden River

Some bird photos I took earlier today

Click photos to enlarge

E-mail Rules for Project Managers

High volumes of e-mail can be overwhelming. In the course of managing a long project a project manager can receive thousands of e-mails. To manage this level of e-mails we need some rules.

If you have time, there is a great video on this subject by Merlin Mann entitled "Inbox Zero". I have created a link to Merlin's video at the end of this posting.
___________________________________________

E-mail rules for Project Managers

1) Ensure your inbox messages are viewable in one screen. This means you should not have to scroll your Inbox window to see all your messages. To clean up your current inbox you may need a few hours (or a few days if you have thousands of e-mails in your inbox), but the effort is worth it in the long run.

2) Scrub your e-mail inbox using some of the same rules that exist for cleaning up the paper on your desk. These rules are simple: Act on It, File It, or Throw it Away.

a.) Act on it - Act on the individual e-mail now or if there is not time then schedule the time on your calendar to review it later. Also, you can create a “Pending” folder for e-mails you can’t act on because you are waiting on more information. Schedule time regularly to review your "Pending" e-mail folder. Lastly, delegate the message and ensure you set a date to follow-up

b.) File It - Decide if you need to keep it. If so, ensure you have setup a logical e-mail folder structure so you can find your e-mails quickly in the future

c.) Throw It Away – If the e-mail is not needed then hit “Delete”. The "delete" key can be very liberating

3.) Decide on a schedule to check your e-mail and stick to it (twice a day, every three hours, etc.). Be willing to adjust the schedule as you find what works for you. Don’t be one of those dorks that checks their e-mail device every time it vibrates. You probably aren't that important and neither is the e-mail you might be receiving

4.) For all important communications call the person(s), don’t send an e-mail.

5.) Don’t reply to the same e-mail more than twice. Pick up the phone or go talk to person face-to-face

6.) Setup time on your calendar each week to manage your e-mail

Finally, check out Merlin Mann's great video about managing your e-mail entitled "Inbox Zero" by clicking here

End of Project Survey Template - Repaired Link

Click here for a direct link to the document that was discussed in last week's post. Some people had problems viewing the document because of permissions.

Steve

End of Project Surveys are Important

Measuring customer satisfaction at the end of the project is critical. I recently started using a new Post Implementation Project Survey document. I send the document to all key stakeholders just after the project's completion.

Is the document useful to you? Is it too long? Is there questions you would ask that aren't listed?

Click here to review the document, and please take the time to leave me some feedback.

Corporate Purpose and Core Values

I came across this last year on the Internet. I thought it was worth sharing. I changed the company name to XYZ.

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Purpose and Core Values

Building a Better World: We better the lives of those we touch and improve communities around the world through our personal and professional contributions.

Our employees are our greatest assets and we will grow, inspire and protect them.

XYZ is committed to actively encouraging diversity through our people and our activities, as we truly believe in the value of a diverse workforce to both inspire our people and grow our business.

We will be uncompromising in our determination to achieve product excellence and, in turn, improve the world's quality of life. Our everyday work is focused on reducing impacts to the environment and improving focus on reducing impacts to the environment and improving society, while meeting client needs with superior project design and delivery.

We are committed to being involved citizens, both as a business and as individuals, in improving the communities where we reside and work. We want to leave a positive legacy in the communities we work in.

Our reputation as a trustworthy business partner is critical to our business success. Honesty, professionalism, ethical behavior, and integrity with our staff and clients. Our reputation with them is paramount to our success as is our technical leadership reputation.

Our business goals are only met when mutually we make our clients successful and we are fairly rewarded. By getting all these right, delivered through our project management, quality, safety, health and environmental management systems, we serve our clients' needs successfully.

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WOW, this sounds like an organization that is focused on the right things.

Competency and the Project Manager

Competency can also be called - Ability, Capableness, Ableness, Capacity, etc...

Knowledge + Skills + Attitude = Competency

Knowledge - Awareness or comprehension acquired by study or experience

Skills - Ability to apply knowledge

Attitude - State of mind or feeling

One of my favorite formulas is: Knowledge + Experience = Wisdom

What is your Competency Rating?

Don't Follow a Bad Leader

Leadership = Purpose + Direction + Motivation + Coaching + Passion + Character + Trustworthiness + Discipline + Communication

I witness poor leadership behaviors all the time. It amazes me that these scoundrels have followers. People that follow bad leaders are a lot like sheep following a shepard. Don't follow a bad leader. Break out from the flock and look for a leader that wants you to succeed.

Characteristics of a Successful Organizational Culture - Part 2

Signs your organization's culture is healthy

Change is not seen as a goal but a journey

An individual’s status in the organization is gained because of their results ...and methods ...and communications, not their role or title

People have fun at work

People become more willing to speak their minds

All levels of the organization come together to solve problems

Risk taking is encouraged

Project management is taken seriously

Senior staff and executives are visible, available, and relevant

There are blurred lines between organizational groups and departments

External employee concerns (home, family, school) are part of the organization’s agenda

Teams evaluate themselves and other teams

Teams determine who is on or off “the team”

Executives and senior managers that show anti-social behavior or who are not team players are told to seek work elsewhere

People manage themselves

People doing the work are looked upon as experts on how the work should be done

Organizational decisions, rewards, and results are shared openly

There are formal and explicit links and work rules between internal groups

Managers are visible, informed, and accountable

Team assessments are used to measure a Team’s success

There is a new paradigm about what the organization owes the employee and what the employee owes the organization

The gap between potential and performance is reduced (must be measured by outsiders)

Teams replace supervisors

Information is shared about the organization’s failures, problems, successes, and opportunities

People smile more and like coming to work

People discuss then decide

Trust, Respect, Integrity, and Truthfulness are not an option

People are eager and willing to learn new things

Characteristics of a Successful Organizational Culture

Culture can be described as a set of behaviors that are refined and are used or sought after by people in their group. Cultural behaviors are a set of shared ideas and beliefs that are associated with a way of life.

In highly effective enterprises, cultures tend to have the following characteristics. There are many more, but these are some that come to mind:

Leaders lead and teach others to be leaders

A positive attitude is displayed by key managers and leaders

The organization's plans, policies, procedures, rules, and strategic direction are well documented and discussed at all levels of the organization

The opinions of employees are valued and they believe they are key members of the larger enterprise team

Work teams are encouraged to develop solutions to organizational problems

Continuous improvement is a part of the way business is done

The organization believes in and practices a philosophy of creativity and innovation

Professional politicians are looked at as a liability

Interdependent relationships are numerous and exist at all levels of the organization

Employees are recognized for their achievements

Feedback is continuous and two-way

Senior managers are visible and available

Resourse planning is practiced continuously

There is "Systems Thinking"

There is a shrinking gap between organizatinal potential and performance (and it is measured)

Team members evaluate the performance of their team as a whole and eliminate unproductive members that are unwilling to perform at acceptable levels

Senior management understands that the people doing the work are the ones that know how the work should be done

Managers are facilitators and coaches

Moral is high and people are satisfied with their jobs

People are committed to the organization's goals and to their work groups success

Kayaking in Florida

Had a great time kayaking this weekend here in Florida.

Click picture to enlarge

Relationships in Project Management

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” —Dale Carnegie

100ft. = 100 miles or 30.48 meters = 160.9 kilometers

In one of Tom Peter's many free presentations on his website he had the following quote from his book "In Search of Excellence".

I found the quote in regards to communication distances troubling, but true.

Tom's quote goes:

"It was the only chart we used in In Search of Excellence! It arrived courtesy of the research by Tom Allen and his colleagues at MIT. Studying communication patterns, they discovered that people more than a hundred feet apart might as well, in terms of communication frequency, be 100 miles apart!. Internet or no Internet (these days), that is nothing short of … stunning! And the implications are nothing short of profound!"

The Heart of Business Strategy - Tom Peters

Tom's wisdom is awesome. Find lots more at his website

The post below was taken from a document Tom wrote called the Heart of Strategy.

Start Tom's Message below:

"We usually think of business strategy as some sort of aspirational market positioning statement. Doubtless that’s part of it. But I believe that the number one "strategic strength" is excellence in execution and systemic relationships (i.e., with everyone we come in contact with). Hence I offer the following 48 pieces of advice in creating a winning strategic that is inherently sustainable*:

"Thank you." Minimum several times a day. Measure it.

"Thank you" to everyone even peripherally involved in some activity—especially those
"deep in the hierarchy."

Smile. Work on it.

Apologize. Even if "they" are "mostly" to blame.

Jump all over those who play the "blame game."

Hire enthusiasm.

Low enthusiasm. No hire. Any job.

Hire optimists. Everywhere. ("Positive outlook on life," not mindless optimism.)

Hiring: Would you like to go to lunch with him-her. 100% of jobs.

Hire for good manners.

Do not reject "trouble makers"—that is those who are uncomfortable with the status quo.

Expose all would-be hires to something unexpected-weird. Observe their reaction.

Overwhelm response to even the smallest screw-ups.

Become a student of all you will meet with. Big time.

Hang out with interesting new people. Measure it.

Lunch with folks in other functions. Measure it.

Listen. Hear. Become a serious student of listening-hearing.

Work on everyone’s listening skills. Practice.

Become a student of information extraction-interviewing.

Become a student of presentation giving. Formal. Short and spontaneous.

Incredible care in 1st line supervisor selection.

World’s best training for 1st line supervisors.

Construct small leadership opportunities for junior people within days of starting on the job.

Insane care in all promotion decisions.

Promote "people people" for all managerial jobs. Finance-logistics-R and D as much as, say, sales.

Hire-promote for demonstrated curiosity. Check their past commitment to continuous
learning.

Small “d” diversity. Rich mixes for any and all teams.

Hire women. Roughly 50% women on exec team.

Exec team “looks like” customer population, actual and desired.

Focus on creating products for and selling to women.

Focus on creating products for and selling to boomers-geezers.

Work on first and last impressions.

Walls display tomorrow’s aspirations, not yesterday’s accomplishments.

Simplify systems. Constantly.

Insist that almost all material be covered by a 1-page summary. Absolutely no longer.

Practice decency.

Add “We are thoughtful in all we do” to corporate values list. Number 1 force for
customer loyalty, employee satisfaction.

Make some form of employee growth (for all) a formal part of values set.
Above
customer satisfaction. Steal from RE/MAX: “We are a life success company.”

Flowers.
Celebrate “small wins.” Often. Perhaps a “small win of the day.”

Manage your calendar religiously: Does it accurately reflect your espoused priorities?

Use a “calendar friend” who’s not very friendly to help you with this.

Review your calendar: Work assiduously and mercilessly on your “To don’ts.”—stuff
that distracts.

Bosses, especially near the top: Formally cultivate one advisor whose role is to tell you the truth.

Commit to Excellence.

Talk up Excellence.

Put “Excellence in all we do” in the values set.

Measure everyone on demonstrated commitment to Excellence.

Weekend Video - How to Buy a Car Without Getting Screwed

Stuff I Really Believe!

“The deepest human need is the need to be appreciated.” — William James

“What creates trust, in the end, is the leader’s manifest respect for the
followers.” — Jim O’Toole, Leading Change

“The most successful people are those who are good at plan B.” — James Yorke,
mathematician, on chaos theory in The New Scientist

“People want to be part of something larger than themselves. They want to be
part of something they’re really proud of, that they’ll fight for, sacrifice for, that they trust.” — Howard Schultz, Starbucks

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” — Charles Darwin

“If things seem under control, you’re just not going fast enough.” — Mario Andretti

“We have a ‘strategic’ plan. It’s called doing things.” — Herb Kelleher, founder, Southwest Airlines

“I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy
dying.” — The Shawshank Redemption (Tim Robbins)

“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.” — Chinese Proverb

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"Leadership is all about love...

and

Passion,
Enthusiasms,
Appetite for Life,
Engagement,
Great Causes & Determination to Make a Damn Difference,
Commitment to Excellence,
Shared Adventures,
Bizarre Failures,
Growth Beyond Measure,
Insatiable Appetite for Change" - Tom Peters

Fish Stink from the Head?

Tim Sanders has a few words regarding company culture...

Is Project Management a Profession? - Not Again!

What is your opinion? I believe that project management is a profession, however I have met many "project managers" that don't have a clue about project management and aren't very professional.

The following story comes from www.reformingprojectmanagement.com.

"Is project management a profession? The experts in the matter of establishing conditions for a profession say no. Why? Most of it has to do with the accumulation and study of theory. I've been on the fence about whether or not we should seek professional status for project managers. I'm married to a registered nurse. Her brother is a registered engineer. My cousin is a licensed physician. One son is finishing his law degree so he can sit for the Bar while the other is studying for the landscape architect's exam. I know what these people have done to become professionals. It's time that project managers do the same.

Click here for the rest of the story...

Weekend News - 1.75 Trillion Dollar US Deficit for 2009

The Treasury Department said Friday that the budget deficit increased by $192.3 billion in March, and is near $1 trillion just halfway through the budget year, as costs of the financial bailout and recession mount.

Last month’s deficit, a record for March, was significantly higher than the $150 billion that economists expected.

The deficit already totals $956.8 billion for the first six months of the budget year, also a record for that period. The Obama administration projects the deficit for the entire year will hit $1.75 trillion.

A deficit at that level would nearly quadruple the previous annual record of $454.8 billion set last year. The March deficit was nearly four times the size of the imbalance in the same month last year.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated last month that President Barack Obama’s budget proposals would produce $9.3 trillion in deficits over the next decade, a figure $2.3 trillion higher than estimates made in February in the administration’s first budget proposal.

Definition of Leadership - Video

Tom Peters on the Definition of Leadership from Tom Peters on Vimeo.

Ugly Power

Power changes people. It changes people’s attitudes about themselves, and how they feel about others. POWER CHANGES PEOPLE!

The ugly side of power gives the powerful a distorted opinion of themselves and contempt for others. The ugly (powerful) leader continually seeks and requires the approval of his/her subordinates, but over time the ugly leader finds flaws with these same people because they don’t share the same level of power.

The ugly leader likes to blur the line between their successes and the organization’s successes. They often take credit for successes that aren’t their own. They rarely give credit to others. They sometimes use the word “we”, but they find it tedious and annoying to do so. They find fault with the successes of others since they weren’t involved. They are masters are creating spin (positive for them, negative for others).

Great leaders love people and use things. Ugly leaders love things and use people. Ugly leaders are bad listeners, are intellectually dishonest, and often use their power for corrupt or unethical purposes. They love to communicate using jargon and techno-babble. They are rarely personally accountable for failure and almost always responsible for success. They have few close personal relationships (that last) and are usually held in low regard throughout the organizations they represent. They are often smart, but small minded. They are rarely available, often invisible, and pathologically self-centered.

Ugly leaders are everywhere, and they behavior is a cancer that can kill an organization’s/team’s spirit.

Ugly leaders surround themselves with yes men/women. These “supporters” love to reinforce the ugly leader’s self-delusionary perceptions. They filter out bad news which causes the ugly leader to lose touch with reality. Ugly leaders require praise from their followers, but over time the ugly leader devalues the feedback because it comes from people that are inferior. Over time they come to love the praise, but have contempt for the praise giver.

Ugly leaders are blinded by power and usually don’t realize they are caught in the throws of ugliness. Their egos, unethical behavior, and delusions are easy to spot by everyone but themselves. They are pathetic, but often a curiosity.

Ugliness can be overcome, but it takes the ugly leader to conduct an honest self-appraisal and seek out the opinions of those leaders that are held in high regard. They then must take this feedback and act on it. This rarely happens because of ego.

Power by itself is not good, bad, or ugly, but ugly power almost always corrupts. Remember Lord Acton’s quote, “All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Quotes to Ponder

In this economy we need to think differently. Here are some quotes to ponder.

Our business needs a massive transfusion of talent, and talent, I believe, is most likely to be found among non-conformists, dissenters and rebels.”—David Ogilvy

"The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible.”—David Ogilvy

“The Bottleneck Is at the Top of the Bottle” - “Where are you likely to find people with the least diversity of experience, the largest investment in the past, and the greatest reverence for industry dogma: At the top!” — Gary Hamel/Harvard Business Review

“Diverse groups of problem solvers—groups of people with diverse tools—consistently outperformed groups of the best and the brightest. If I formed two groups, one random (and therefore diverse) and one consisting of the best individual performers, the first group almost always did better. … Diversity trumped ability.” —Scott Page, The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies Diversity

The short road to ruin is to emulate the methods of your adversary.” — Winston Churchill

“Beware of the tyranny of making Small Changes to Small Things. Rather, make Big Changes to Big Things.” —Roger Enrico, former Chairman, PepsiCo

Kevin Roberts’ Credo

1. Ready. Fire! Aim.

2. If it ain’t broke ... Break it!

3. Hire crazies.

4. Ask dumb questions.

5. Pursue failure.

6. Lead, follow ... or get out of the way!

7. Spread confusion.

8. Ditch your office.

9. Read odd stuff.

10. Avoid moderation!

Weekend Diversion - Is the "Depression" Over?

I like Jim Cramer, and he certainly is a smart guy.  But I wonder if we were/are in a depression?  If so, is it really over?

Project Management Paradox

In Tom Peter's book "Liberation Management", (Peters, Tom. Liberation Management. New York: Alfred Knopf, 1992) he talks about the paradoxes of project management. In the book Tom outlines a few things we need to keep in mind when managing our projects.

Total Ego versus No Ego - On the one hand, project managers must be consumed by the project before them. On the other hand, they must have almost no ego. They deal with many outsiders and insiders whom they can hardly command. This means the project manager must take a smaller share of the credit for accomplishments and give a larger share of the credit to other participants.

Autocrat versus Delegator - When the chips are down, the project manager must issue orders fast. At the same time, the project managers must turn ownership over to the contributors.

Leader versus Manager - Effective project managers must match their passion for inspiring others with a passion for the grubby nuts and bolts of doing the job.

Oral versus Written Communication - Communicating orally and on the run comes easily to effective project managers. But, the must also be masters of the detailed plan and the daily checklist.

Complexity versus Simplicity - Nothing is more complex than dealing with a sophisticated, multi-organization project. The effective project manager must juggle, sometimes for years, hundreds of balls of differing and ever-changing shapes, sizes, and colors. On the other hand, the project manager must be adept at keeping it simple.

Big versus Small - Project managers must appreciate forests and trees equally. They must be able to see the relationship of the small to the big and the big to the small, and do so at every moment simultaneously.

Patience versus impatience - Smart, independent leaders spend lots of time on relationship building and networking. This is a s important as pushing project participants for action.

As long-time readers of this blog know, I value the insight of Tom Peters. I believe he hit the nail right on the head in regard to a Project Manager's behavior when managing projects.

Free Project Software

In case you didn’t know, there are a couple of free software packages available that fit nicely into the Project Managers tool box. The first is Control CE 6.3. The vendor states that this free program can be used for Process Mapping, Business Improvement, Business Reengineering, Software Package Implementation, and Quality Management.

The vendor goes on to say “Whatever the project, it all starts with an understanding of the business from a process and metrics perspective. That means mapping processes, and identifying KPIs. To get REAL ownership and buy-in they need to be developed in LIVE workshops. Control-CE was designed to be used confidently by consultants with little training, in live workshops where people have a short interest span.
Whilst control-CE has some great process mapping functionality, it extends beyond simply creating hierarchies of diagrams”.

I have reviewed and used the Control CE software and find that it is quite powerful and worth a look.

The other free software program is Open Workbench. According to the vendor, “Open Workbench is an open source desktop application that provides robust project scheduling and management functionality. Already the scheduling standard for more than 100,000 project managers worldwide, Open Workbench is a free and powerful alternative to Microsoft Project.

Open Workbench provides all the functionality and benefits that project managers expect in a world-class scheduling application:

• Open Workbench can be used and distributed free of charge throughout an enterprise.

• Open Workbench is a stand-alone desktop application that provides robust project scheduling functionality.

• Open Workbench provides the unique ability to generate project schedules based on resource constraints.

• Open source developers will find a ready-made community of business users interested in their enhancements and extensions.

The source code and other developer information are available on SourceForge.

The open source distribution and community development model will now bring quality, innovation and cost advantages to the project management world. Open Workbench can also be used in a fully integrated fashion with CA's Clarity solution. Please visit www.niku.com/go/owb for more details.

I have found Open Workbench to be a powerful standalone project management scheduling software package. Again, you will have to determine if Open Workbench's features and functions can work for you.

Hopefully some of you will find one or both of the above software packages useful. Your comments are always welcome.

My Rules for Project Management

Remove people from your team that don’t ask questions, don’t talk with other team members, won’t provide documentation, or won’t do analysis.

Only people that aren’t competent won’t show off their work

Question authority or live with the result

A sense of humor can help get teams through tough times. Keep in mind, some managers don’t appreciate humor unless they initiate it.

A working meeting should have no more than five people. Meetings with more than five should be reserved for providing updates or relaying information.

Paper status reports are worth what they are printed on.

Project failure is planned at the beginning of the project. Project initiation is the most important phase.

Be honest in all your dealings.

Project managers are expected to offer their opinions, but be accountable for your words.

When it comes to project scope, what is not in writing has not been said.

Have verifiable milestones

End of project surveys must be completed and the results distributed to the team

Bad conclusions lead to more bad conclusions

Documented assumptions are believed to be true for planning purposes

The best lessons learned come from failures

Without data you only have an opinion

Data doesn’t tell the whole story.

Bad data leads to bad decisions

Senior management is usually clueless when it comes to what your project is all about

A bad project team will never deliver good project results

If your project sponsor isn’t responsive you should put your project on-hold until such time they can become involved

The bottleneck is at the top of the bottle

A project manager’s main job is to keep the customer happy

At the end of a project if you have met all scope, quality, budget, and schedule objectives, but the customer isn’t happy your project is a failure

Documentation doesn’t replace knowledge

Most people want to do good work. Many times they don’t have the tools or information they need to perform well, or they aren’t managed properly

Project managers aren’t successful if their team members aren’t successful

Not all successful project managers are competent and not all unsuccessful project managers are incompetent. Sometimes you just have to be lucky

Good project managers are insecure by nature

An introvert can’t be a (successful) project manager

A project manager with lots of enemies won’t be able to be successful over the long run.

You must be a relationship guru and be ready to fall on the sword sometimes

A project manager must be a motivator

If you don’t listen, you can’t plan

Project managers deal with change. You must be the change agent for your project. Your project sponsor is the change salesman.

Weekend Video - C02 Climate Change w/ Al Gore

Canadian Tar Sands - Free eBook

Click Here to Download the Book in pdf format

Business Process Basics

Project managers need to ensure that customer's are satisfied with a project's deliverables. Part of this process is ensuring that the customer's business processes are optimized. You can't provide the best possible project results if your customer's processes aren't efficient. Improving processes is about improving quality while reducing costs and waste.

Processes need measures. If you don't have measures then your processes aren't worth the paper they are printed on. Processes have to meet the needs of the organization, business unit that executes them, and the customer's requirements. Measures also help to identify and solve process problems, and help to ensure they are meeting the customer's requirements.

When it comes to process improvement, a good project manager understands:

How to develop team skills

How to break down work into processes

How to solve problems and to find the root cause of the problems

How to recommend solutions to problems that are acceptable to the majority

How to lead a team and when to let the team lead

Measure the effectiveness of a process by:

Looking at the cycle times between process steps

Identifying bottlenecks that cause unnecessary delays

Identify problems that cause defects to occur

In order to help develop good business processes, a project manager must have the knowledge, skills, and experience to ensure that the right people are doing the right things at the right time, using the right tools and delivering the results that are expected.

Use a Process to Manage Big Changes

Good steps to consider when making major changes in your organization. It was taken from the book "Leading Change" by John P. Kotter (see source information at the end of the posting).

1. Establishing a Sense of Urgency
a. Examining the market and competitive realities
b. Identifying and discussing crises, potential crises, or major opportunities

2. Creating the Guiding Coalition
a. Putting together a group with enough power to lead the change
b. Getting the group to work together as a team

3. Developing a Vision and Strategy
a. Creating a vision to help direct the change effort
b. Developing strategies for achieving that vision

4. Communicating the Change Vision
a. Using every vehicle possible to constantly communicate the new vision and strategies
b. Having the guiding coalition role model the behavior expected of employees

5. Empowering Broad-Based Action
a. Getting rid of obstacles
b. Changing systems or structures that undermine the change vision
c. Encouraging risk taking and non-traditional ideas, activities, and actions

6. Generating Short-Term Wins
a. Planning for visible improvements in performance, or “wins”
b. Creating those wins
c. Visibly recognizing and rewarding people who made the wins possible

7. Consolidating Gains and Producing More Change
a. Using increased credibility to change all systems, structures, and policies that don’t fit together and don’t fit the transformation vision
b. Hiring, promoting, and developing people who can implement the change vision
c. Reinvigorating the process with new projects, themes, and change agents

8. Anchoring New Approaches in the Culture
a. Creating better performance through customer and productivity-oriented behavior, more an better leadership, and more effective management
b. Articulating the connections between new behaviors and organizational success
c. Developing means to ensure leadership development and succession

SOURCE: Adapted from John P. Kotter, “Leading Change,” Harvard Business School Press 1996