Project Management Requires Discipline

Discipline is the act of encouraging a desired pattern of behavior. George Washington said: "Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable, procures success to the weak, and esteem to all". In other words, discipline is the glue that holds organizations together. 

We can't have agile and effective project methodologies or organizational processes without discipline. In short, effective discipline requires effective organizational oversight.  Finally, discipline begins at the top and works its way down. Organizations with poor discipline have weak, ineffective leaders at the top.  Weak, unengaged, ineffective leaders kill organizations. Can you say Enron?

Remember, the lack of project discipline is the fault of all project team members, but the cause of a lack of discipline lies at the top of the organization.

Stages of Creating Major Change

The below was adapted from the book "Leading Change" by John P. Kotter (see more 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

    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

Five Good Free Kindle Books (Non-Fiction)

The Truth About Personal Performance (Collection) - by Robert E. Gunther [amazon.com]

Three full books of proven solutions for supercharging personal performance! Prepare for any audience, negotiation, or decision-compel attention and motivate action-manage anxiety or anger-use nonverbal communication-negotiate with people you love (or hate)-build (or repair) trust-make decisions with imperfect data-and much more!

How McDonald's Got Its Groove Back - by New World City [amazon.com]
How did the lumbering fast-food giant McDonald's cure its own sclerosis and become a newly lean, hungry competitor? Its comeback offers lessons for leaders everywhere in focusing on what their customers really want. For example, don't react to competitors, react to customers. When you broaden your market appeal, don't abandon your first customers. Don't skimp on product development.

33 Million People in the Room: How to Create, Influence, and Run a Successful Business with Social Networking - by Juliette Powell[amazon.com]
Social networks are no fad. They’re a permanent reality: one that offers immense opportunities to smart, innovative businesses. Now, top social networking consultant Juliette Powell reveals how dozens of innovators are driving real ROI through
social networks–and how you can, too.
Powell’s wide-ranging research, including coverage on Barack Obama's successful online strategy in his bid for the presidency, focuses on technology, media and gaming companies, leaders in fashion, beauty, publishing, finance, retail, event planning, and beyond. These powerful narratives illuminate the reality of doing business on today’s social networks as never 

The Personal Credibility Factor: How to Get It, Keep It, and Get It Back (If You?ve Lost It) - by Sandy Allgeier [amazon.com]
Can you be trusted? Right now, someone is asking that question. If they decide to trust you, they’ll work with you, care about you, open up to you…help you live a more successful, more fulfilled, happier life. If not, you’re on your own…

Build the Strong Personal Credibility You Need to Live a Truly Great Life
*Learn the secrets of personal credibility that make trust possible
*Use the plan to earn trust and respect from those you encounter in your daily life
*Enable others to have confidence in you by following the 7 easy steps
*Follow the Personal Credibility Factor’s steps to repairing credibility when you’ve lost it

So What?: How to Communicate What Really Matters to Your Audience - by Mark Magnacca [amazon.com]
It’s tough, but true—the people you’re trying to communicate with, sell to, or convince don’t really care about you. Nor do they care what you’re offering them—until they understand exactly how it’ll benefit them. If you recognize that one hard, cold fact—and you know what to do about it—you’ll make more money, achieve greater success, and even have more fun!

In this book, world-renowned sales consultant Mark Magnacca shows you how to answer the “So What?” question brilliantly, every time—no matter who’s asking it or what you’re trying to achieve. This book will transform the way you communicate: You’ll use it every day to get what you want—in business and in life!

Overcoming Perfectionism: The Key to a Balanced Recovery - by Ann W. Smith[amazon.com]
Do you have to be perfect to lead a healthy life? Ann Smith discusses how perfectionism may have benefits but is ultimately an obstacle to quality living as it prevents intimacy and lowers self-esteem. This book offers practical hints to letting go of your superhuman syndrome and being imperfect. 

Poor Project Communications Can Hurt the Whole Team

When project teams are surveyed at the end of failed projects, poor communications is always cited as being one of the major causes. Why does this keep happening? Why is project communications so poorly executed so often. My short answer is that many project managers (and managers) are arrogant, inattentive, and oblivious to the feelings and needs of the project team.

Project managers are busy, and often they don't make time to manage project communications effectively. Also, the project manager may think they are doing a good job communicating, but that may not be the case.

Project managers must remember that the project team is made up of individuals. Each person on the team has a preference for the types of communication they like to receive, and each person processes communications differently.

Some things to monitor that may point to poor project communications are:

Trust - Does the team trust you (the project manager)? How do you know? Everybody will not trust you all the time. Team members that don't trust the project manager will not be open in their communications. They will tend to either shut down, gossip and spread rumors, or challenge the project manager at every turn

De-motivated - Where are we going? Is the team going where we said we were going when we started? Did we clearly state where we were going before we started?

Whining - Despair and anxiety take over the team or key team members. Infighting is prevalent and people are starting to talk openly about the project being a failure.

Incompetence - Team isn't sharing information and learning. Perhaps the team has had little to no training, or the training received was of poor quality.  Perhaps some team members should be fired from the team.

All the above can be overcome, however it requires that the project manager is listening and changing strategy when necessary to get the team back on track. Just because you are a project manager doesn't make you a good communicator, however ignoring problems like the ones mentioned above will make you a bad project manager.

My two cents are, be a leader. Lead through your communication and your ability to motivate your team to get the job done. Be on the lookout for the above warning signs. When you see the signs act quickly, follow-up, then continue to monitor.  Remember people may need to be removed from the team.

Poor project team synergy is the fault of the project manager. There are a lot of incompetent project managers that are hurting our profession because they either refuse to alter their communication styles or are too arrogant to change. My advice to them is to change their ways or leave the project management profession.

A Collection of Project Management

I posted these a few years ago and thought they deserved a repost.


Good estimators aren't modest: if it's huge they say so.

The sooner you begin coding the later you finish.

A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on.

What is not on paper has not been said.

If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.

If you fail to plan you are planning to fail.

If you don't attack the risks, the risks will attack you.

A little risk management saves a lot of fan cleaning.

The sooner you get behind schedule, the more time you have to make it up.

A badly planned project will take three times longer than expected - a well-planned project only twice as long as expected.

If you can keep your head while all about you are losing theirs, you haven't understood the plan.

When all's said and done a lot more is said than done.

If at first you don't succeed, remove all evidence you ever tried.

Feather and down are padding - changes and contingencies will be real events.

There are no good project managers - only lucky ones.

The more you plan the luckier you get.

A project is one small step for the project sponsor, one giant leap for the project manager.

Good project management is not so much knowing what to do and when, as knowing what excuses to give and when.

If everything is going exactly to plan, something somewhere is going massively wrong.

Everyone asks for a strong project manager - when they get him they don't want him.

Overtime is a figment of the naïve project manager's imagination.

Quantitative project management is for predicting cost and schedule overruns well in advance.

Good project managers know when not to manage a project.

Metrics are learned men's excuses.

For a project manager overruns are as certain as death and taxes.

If there were no problem people there'd be no need for people who solve problems.

Some projects finish on time in spite of project management best practices.

Good project managers admit mistakes: that's why you so rarely meet a good project manager.

Fast - cheap - good: you can have any two.

There is such a thing as an unrealistic timescale.

The more ridiculous the deadline the more money will be wasted trying to meet it.

The first 90% of a project takes 90% of the time the last 10% takes the other 90%.

The project would not have been started if the truth had been told about the cost and timescale.

To estimate a project, work out how long it would take one person to do it then multiply that by the number of people on the project.

Never underestimate the ability of senior management to buy a bad idea and fail to buy a good idea.

The most successful project managers have perfected the skill of being comfortable being uncomfortable.

When the weight of the project paperwork equals the weight of the project itself, the project can be considered complete.

If it wasn't for the 'last minute', nothing would get done.

Nothing gets done till nothing gets done.

Warning: dates in the calendar are closer than you think.

There is no such thing as scope creep, only scope gallop.

Anything that can be changed will be changed until there is no time left to change anything.

If project content is allowed to change freely the rate of change will exceed the rate of progress.

If you can interpret project status data in several different ways, only the most painful interpretation will be correct.

A project gets a year late one day at a time.

A project isn’t over until the fat check is cashed.

Powerful project managers don't solve problems, they get rid of them.

Great Project Team Leaders

If you watch professional sports you often see the positive results of a great coach and a great team (Go Tampa Bay Rays!).

Great team results come from good coaching, and the right team talent all coming together at the same time to obtain a mutual goal...Winning!

A project manager is often thrust into the role of team coach.  A coach is a critical component of the team, and their job involves ensuring the team is ready and able to deliver the "desired results".  No matter what your style of communication, or your level of team building skills, it is important to lead the team in a way that ensures they use their talents to their fullest potential.


My Three Random Team Rules

1.)  You must know each team member's skills, talents, and abilities and manage them accordingly.

2.)  As team leader you must be respected, you must be a tireless champion for the cause (desired results, winning, meeting milestones, etc), and you must form a bond built on trust with each member of the team.

3.)  The weakest relationships you have on the team can often be your project's biggest risk.

Steps to Political and Project Success

Assess the Environment
Who are the relevant stakeholders?
Who are the most important stakeholders?
Where does the power lie?
Whose actions will impact the project most (Negative or Positive)?


Identify the Goals/Needs of the Stakeholders and Sponsor
What are the stakeholder's motivations?
What are the sponsor’s motivations?
What are the organizational motivations?
What are their psychological motivations?
What is their overt motivation?
What is their hidden (covert) agenda?


Know Thyself
What are your strengths and weaknesses as you perceive them?
How are you perceived by others?
What are your personal values related to your workplace?
How can you compensate for your weaknesses (actual and perceived)?


Define the Problems
What are all the relevant facts?
What are the underlying assumptions (both True and False)?
What is Reality?

Develop Solutions that Work
Avoid premature solutions that don't account for the four steps above
Obtain user buy-in to the solution
Obtain Sponsor buy-in to the solution


Test and Refine the Solutions
Initial solutions are tough and usually difficult to sell
Continually refine and test your solution
Get sign-off from all relevant stakeholders and your sponsor
__________________________

PROJECT MANAGEMENT FACT
A solution that does not take the realities of the political environment into account will fail. Don't be naive when it comes to internal politics.

Mistakes and Consequences

Project managers make mistakes and must deal with the consequences of these mistakes continually. Dr. Stephen Covey talks about mistakes and consequences and we should consider his words carefully.


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” (See Dr Covey’s book ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ to learn more about the Circle of Concern and the Circle of Influence). He continues, “We can decide to step in front of a fast-moving train, 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 these decisions may vary depending on whether or not we are found out, the natural consequences to our basic character are a fixed result."


Dr. Covey continues, "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 end 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 demonstrating honest and ethical behavior. At the other end of the spectrum we can send our projects (and reputations) quickly off-track if we are dishonest or unethical. We must be willing to quickly admit our mistakes and at times suffer the consequences.


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 to others for those mistakes quickly. In my opinion, our unwillingness to admit our mistakes is the biggest obstacle to personal growth and strong relationships. As Dr. Convey says, "By making and keeping promises to ourselves and others, little by little, our honor becomes greater than our moods”.


Have high integrity and make and keep your promises. Your projects (and your life) will be the better for it.

What is a Competent Project Manager?

What are the capabilities of a good project manager? What is the definition of capability? Also, what defines capabilities and where does “competence” fit in to the mix. Perhaps if we look at some definitions we can start to answer the original question.


Capable - quality, ability, feature, etc., Something to be used or developed; potential


Competence - is a measure of the ability to perform a task


So, we can say that a competent project manager would possess a set of skills and behaviors, which would help guide them to successful project results.


I believe that some of these competencies are comprised of the following:


(K)nowledge - acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition


(S)kills - the ability, coming from one's knowledge, practice, aptitude, etc., to do something well


(A)ttitude - manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, esp. of the mind


(E)xperience - the process or fact of personally observing, encountering, or undergoing something


Based on the above definitions, we could say that K+S+A+E = Competence


Also, I have posted several times in the past that I believe: (K) + (E) = (W)isdom. Taking the previous equation to the next logical level can we not also say that: W + S + A = Competence.


In conclusion, let’s not forget that the competent project manager still needs a good suite of tools.  Whether you are managing IT, construction, or some other type of project, a good suite of project management tools with a robust project accounting component will help you track project costs and calculate your projects Earned Value (EV).  If you don’t know the Earned Value of your project there is a good chance your project is going to fail.  Don’t forget, what isn’t measured can’t be managed.

Why So Many Projects Fail

Great article at 4pm.com - Click Here to View

Wow Projects Revisited

As many of you may know from my previous blog entries I really like Tom Peters. Tom has so much energy and passion, and additionally, he has some great ideas regarding reinventing work. In my opinion, his ideas around Project Management are revolutionary, bleeding-edge, and way out in front of what is considered the "norm". Recently while reviewing his website I found myself reading about what Tom calls "WOW! Projects". If you have a moment, take the time to read what Tom has to say about WOW! Projects.

To reflect a bit, as I look back over my career I do not think I have ever worked on a WOW! Project, and in hindsight that is a disappointment.  As a Project Manager, I struggle every day trying to manage my projects to a "successful" conclusion.  Over the course of my career how a project's success is measured has many times been a moving target.  Stakeholders and the project sponsor change their minds in the middle of the project regarding what they want and the ensuing scope changes cause the project success measurement bar to move.

While the project manager is responsible for project success, the project sponsor can influence project success when they allow stakeholders to have more influence over the scope of the project than the project manager does.  While this does not happen on every one of my projects, a lesson to be learned is that I must be vigilant regarding stakeholder management.

In my opinion WOW! Projects require a strong executive sponsor and a well-oiled projectized organization (in addition to many other things) that is not opposed to taking risks. In addition WOW! Project stakeholders must be committed to supporting the following goals of a WOW! Project.

A WOW! Project's Goals are:

An enhanced "customer experience" (internal and external)

Dramatically increased sales

Sharply reduced costs

Improved operating margins

Accelerated leadership and talent development

Innovative solutions to wide-ranging issues

Improved employee morale and job satisfaction

Accelerated post-merger integration

Enhanced stakeholder and community involvement

Cultural transformation

Your thoughts?

Check out Tom Peter's latest book.  You won't be disappointed!

Be For Something!

From the awesome book -"Rules of Thumb" (Alan M. Webber)

"In general, it’s a good idea to learn to speak  economics, if you can’t already. That’s because people on both sides of a fight respect the dollars and cents of an issue. Proving that your solution is less expensive and works better makes your moral arguments all the more compelling.  ... it’s not enough to be against something that’s bad — you’ve got to be for something that’s better."

I am for taking a vacation. See you in a couple weeks.

Does your Your Project Management Organization Measure Up?

Previous research has concluded that there are several factors that lead an organzation to be great at project management.  The top ones are:

A Formal Project Management Structure

Defined Repeatable Processes

Executive Involvement in Project Management

Project Management Tools

Experienced  Wise Project Managers (Knowledge + Experience = Wisdom)

How does your organization measure up?

New Project Checklist for Project Sponsors

Identify the participants and their roles

Identify potential project team members as well as the major stakeholders.  Keep in mind the project manager should have the final say as to the project core team members.

Assign an experienced project manager early

I recently changed jobs and haven't taken the time to post to this blog.  To all the people that visit here and support this blog, thank you.  I will be posting more often in the future.


This Project Manager will make or break a project.  Be sure the individual has the expertise to manage the project and works well with others.  Don't hesitate to look at outside sources if a qualified project manager isn't available internally.

Assess the qualifications and experience of the project team members

Along with the project manager, initially assess the experience and character of potential team members.  Keep in mind the importance of well-rounded team players, and their ability to work well with others.

Complete a high-level charter

A preliminary project charter with major milestones and project objectives should always be completed by the sponsor.  After the charter is apporved and issued the sponsor can work with the project manager to identify some of the key tasks for each milestone.  It is understood that this initial "plan" is only preliminary, and will be refined over time by the project manager as he works with the team.

Ensure an issues tracking system is put in place

Ensure the project manager develops a method to track all issues and their resolutions.

Ensure there are regular project progress meetings

Work with the project manager to ensure that regular status meetings are held with key stakeholders, the sponsor, and core project team members.

Setup a regular schedule for status reporting.  Establish the criteria for regular status reports and the information they should contain.

Conduct a project kickoff meeting

Officially start the project with a meeting of all project stakeholders. The project manager and project team should be introduced, the milestones reviewed with estimated completion dates (dates at this point are just guesses), and expectations as to the level of participation and responsibility.

History Can Teach Us!

Have you heard the old quote by philosopher and poet George Santayana that states, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"?  In project management, we need to remember that historical data is our best friend when planning new projects.  Do not forget when doing your planning to use empirical data from past projects. This data can help to reduce negative risk and increase your odds for project success.

Other information to review when planning new projects:

Review your companies past project files for information about past resource estimates, lessons learned, budget data, risks, assumptions, etc...

Conduct interviews with select project team members from past projects to understand what went right and what went wrong.

Interview stakeholders and other project managers for lessons learned from their past projects.

Do searches on the Internet about similar projects to gather information which might assist in planning your project.

Most importantly, use Risk Management during the planning cycle to identify issues that could cost you big later on.

Finally, do not fall victim to the project manager's curse of not learning from the past. Remember the old saying, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" 

Today is the 66th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion at Normandy. We should never forget the horrors of that day- June 6, 1944.

Tom Peters on Social Media

An Amateur's View of Social Media Circa May 2010 Disorganized Musings

Tom writes - "On the evening of May 26, I made my first "presentation" (an informal talk) on social media. The affair, called "Sweets & Tweets," was held in Georgetown and hosted by corporate social media consultant Debbie Weil. I participate in social media somewhat myself, but in no way, shape, or form am an expert. Moreover, I did not spend an enormous amount of time preparing—the talk was intended to be "off the cuff." But with my obsessive penchant for lists (ah, engineers), I did jot a few things down which I shall simply call "musings from an incredibly old guy and unadulterated amateur" on social media:"

  Click here to read the rest on Tom's Website

Thick Skinned Project Managers

Many people have fallen into a bad habit of taking things too personally because they want to protect the smaller picture (self) instead of the big picture (other people, relationships, the situation, and sometimes the truth). How do we get through the times where having a positive attitude seems impossible? Well, we can always choose to act as if the positive feelings/attitudes are still there. It is that simple, and it is always our choice.


We choose all of our feelings and actions. No one else is at fault for what we think, what we feel, and how we act. As Project Managers we can't let others dictate how we feel about ourselves. Project Managers by nature need to have thick skin and can't let the opinions of a few dictate how we feel and act.


It isn't a radical idea to believe that we can choose how to behave, regardless of how we feel. Additionally, by changing our behavior we might just discover that behaving differently can change how we feel. This changing of behavior knocks aside the notion that feelings help us find truth, especially when we are trying to assess an important business or life situation.


I feel that the old saying "Perception is Reality" is destructive. Many people act solely on what they perceive. Perception is only Perception. We can argue about what Reality is, or is not, but basing Reality on what we perceive can really screw up Reality for us and everybody else.


Mental Note for Slow Learners: Sometimes it seems like you can't change anything. Sometimes by changing yourself you change everything.

The Project Manager as Planner (Revisited)

I think everyone agrees that one of the primary responsibilities of the project manager is planning.  As part of the planning process, the project manager's main responsibility is to build the high-level plan.  However, it is the responsibility of the line/functional managers to build in or provide the details of the plan.  We know that the project manager does not or should not control the resources that will ultimately do the work, but the project manager is responsible to see that that work is done right, on time, and on budget with expected quality....and the customer is satisfied with the project results.  

Some items to consider when starting the planning process are:

• 
  
  Define your tasks using non-technical language, and include descriptions or notes detailing the work involved
• 
  
  Create milestones in your schedule to help track progress and use them as quality gates
• 
  
  Ensure you have agreement with the line managers about the skill sets required of his or her resources
  Ensure that key stakeholders assisted in building the Scope Statement, Project Objectives and the Project Plan.
• 
  
  Define up front how you will measure performance
• 
  
  Define up front how you will measure quality
• 
  
  Ensure you have a strong project sponsor that is engaged and supportive
• 
  
  Use Communication plans to keep everyone informed
  
  
  While there are many other things that will go into the planning process, I believe the above list is a good start.  
  
  
  Do you have a comment?  Leave it here.

Project Bottlenecks

Gary Hamel writes in the article “Strategy or Revolution”/Harvard Business Review - “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!”

What is the message here?  Manage the people at the top to ensure project success!