Agile can help steer a company through organizational culture and process changes, but the project requires a strategic shift in operations. But even with these challenges, agile provides the necessary tools to make this transition possible.
The PMBOK Guide and other best-practice frameworks provide considerable detail on schedule, budget and risk management techniques, but much less guidance on how to manage the people-related challenges that threaten the execution of these plans, and are the most commonly cited reasons for the failure of complex change initiatives.
Knowledge management and organizational culture are inextricably linked. Implementing a KM program affects strategy, structure and people, all of which have a cultural basis. This presentation guides you as you define a culture for knowledge management within your company.
The most important contributor to successful risk management isn’t processes or tools, which are important, but an organizational culture that is risk-aware and encourages people to take the right risks. This can be achieved by addressing cultural aspects up front or allowing it to emerge naturally by putting a supportive infrastructure in place first.
Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst Kraft Bell discusses how to take a strategy-aligned approach to enterprise change and overcome some of the constraints faced by organizations in these turbulent times.
From Gartner PPM Summit 2007
This keynote presentation by Kraft Bell, Vice President and Distinguished Analyst, addresses how a strategy-aligned approach to enterprise change can overcome the typical contraints on those endeavors.
When PMI-style project management techniques don’t align with the culture and abilities of an organization, PMs are left frustrated and their colleagues skeptical of perceived PM mumbo jumbo. Both sides emerge with a reluctance to collaborate and a dramatically lessened taste for implementing project management techniques in their workplace.
PPM without organizational preparation?! Say it ain’t so! Two aspects of organizational culture must be managed in order to capture the benefits desired from PPM…and to avoid a series of unfortunate events.
Want to improve your project and program success rates? Work on the work environment first. An organizational psychologist explains why you need to care about employee wellness and how to get started.
Stop the insanity! These three tactics are designed to help you solve today’s leadership problems and distinguish yourself as an effective leader--just when your workforce needs as many as it can get.
Is it possible to make leadership easier? It is if you make use of a certain characteristic of leadership actions. Here we present three quickly implemented project leadership tactics.
What is a PM to do when confronted with an organizational culture that places little emphasis on structured project management principles? In Part 2 of this series, we’ll examine a simpler approach for introducing structured PM techniques into an organization with one-page project plans.
Culture change is a part of many projects, whether officially recognized or not. Specifying critical details in the components of your project plan will save you from unnecessary pain and suffering.
Contrary to a recent report, PMO longevity doesn't lead to greater success; PMO success leads to longevity. And PMOs that thrive share fundamental commonalities of alignment, from culture to customer, that they start getting right early in their existence. Here are six ways your PMO needs to be aligned.
We have to be able to understand the environment in which we and our projects are operating, and more importantly we also have to be able to operate and manage effectively within it--including how to deal with people and customers. With acceptance of this reality, we quickly find ourselves firmly within the realm of organizational politics. For many, this is not a place that they like to be.
If perception is reality, a project client’s perceived value of what you deliver will be even more important that the actual delivered value. And yet unmet expectations are a common occurrence that frustrates project leaders who feel they have executed according to plan. So how do you close the gap between expectations and perceived value?
From the Saudi Arabian MOI NIC
The history and culture of the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia posed unique challenges to the Ministry of Interior’s PMO. Like Harris Corporation, they understood the four reasons why many organizations fail to transform their Project Management cultures, and avoided these pitfalls working with OPM Experts LLC. But as a counterpoint to Harris, the NIC’s case shows how the culture can be the driver of process deployment.
From OPM Experts, LLC
Ask yourself what culture means, and you may find it difficult to state a clear and succinct definition, but it is likely that you can recall an organization in which you have worked that had a healthy culture, and just as likely that you may recall an organization that you would characterize as having an unhealthy culture. Why is that? Although culture is a many-faceted thing that may seem difficult to boil down into a sound bite, it is something that impacts everyone. The culture determines how people define themselves and their relationships with others, and greatly influences a person’s sense of self.
Organizational culture is a complex thing. If our culture is what gets in the way of ideal project management, what can we do to help shape it to allow project management to work better?
All Project Communications Plans are not created equal. The goal of this article is to present four principles and guidelines that will help you develop communication plans that fit the specific needs of your projects and those who have a stake in the outcomes.
Some organizations spend too much money on internal projects and fail to drive revenue; some play it safe with too many low-risk, low-reward projects; and others focus mainly on strategic projects, neglecting short-term tactical needs. The use of balance points can better optimize the portfolio.
Managing projects that span countries and cultures brings with it its own set of challenges, not the least of which is a greater risk of failure. This article explores some of those challenges and complexities that are unique or amplified when managing global projects.
Do PMOs have value? Arguably, yes. At least...sometimes. According to the results of recent research, the presence of a PMO was often a contributor to the attainment of organizational value. What was of particular concern, however, was the actual role of the PMO within the organization. Two broad types emerged within the research; find out what they are inside...
Project management is becoming recognized on an international scale. In support of this, there are a number of efforts underway to promote a global view of how we think about, discuss and practice project management. But to what extent is project management a universal language? To what extent can it be? Or are we all simply sowing confusion as we use the same words to mean very different things?
We are connected on a global scale these days and--with few exceptions--everyone is competing to get the customer. As a result, we have all been tasked to embrace change or else someone will gladly take our place in the industry.
The Change HEADWAY Change Management project plan for large projects is a work breakdown structure in MS Project containing links to detailed instructions and resources on gantthead.
Most technical professionals don’t give job security and loyalty much thought in this erratic economy. Yet some experts and consultants insist that job and company loyalty are essential for success.
Leadership gaps arise as projects trend toward higher complexity. It will take some significant new skills to succeed in complex near-future projects. When you succeed with the workforce, however, much of the complexity evaporates.
From Harris Corporation
Harris Corporation offers compelling insights into the impacts that process can have on culture and vice versa. This organization understood the four reasons why many organizations fail to transform their Project Management cultures, and avoided these pitfalls with their PMO working with OPM Experts LLC.
The elusive achievement of organizational alignment in corporate America is striking. What is needed is the development of an organizational structure and culture that dynamically self-adjusts and recalibrates to an ever-changing environment.
Does the culture you have determine the PMO you get? Is there a level of pre-determination regarding what a project management office will become within any given organization? Find out here.
Are you helping others to keep you in the dark? If organizations want to realize the benefits of agile methods, managers need to act on the problems that bubble up from teams, deal with unexpected events on projects and proactively find and fix problems that derail projects.
The building of capable project management processes and the transformation of a company’s project management culture go hand in hand. Project management offices and the standard known as OPM3 should play a lead role in accomplishing both.
How do we adapt in the face of consistency, or of anarchy or of brutal regimentation? As project managers, the only thing we really have control over is ourselves. Given this, how do we change our approach in a way that enables us to be effective in producing project results, rather than bashing our head repeatedly against an unfeeling and unchanging wall of bureaucracy? Here we take a look at adaptation in the face of organizational consistency.
Just because there are more experienced candidates available doesn’t mean staffing is easy. The latest research shows that success in this environment requires specific knowledge and tactics.
Some project changes are huge and impact three areas: people (staffing), process (the way things get done), and corporate culture. This document serve as the basis for an impact study of the effects change will bring.
How do the rules around communication change when we add the global element? When we add a global perspective into the picture, things can get a lot more complicated. The physical distance can be a big part of that--as can time, language and culture. In this article, we look at how communication needs to adjust on a global project in order to remain effective.
In Part 2 of the series, we look at how organizational behaviors in the form of systematic biases can influence project outcomes--and how these biases can be used to examine and describe the root causes of failed projects.
Online directory created to help organizations search for and connect with consulting forms that best suit their business needs and strategic goals.
To achieve a Zen culture of Scrum will take time, resources and a radical paradigm shift. Is it worth it? Yes, because this practice places humans--not processes or techniques--at the center of an organization. Let's learn more about a valuable history.
Although the benefits of correctly marketing a project can be many, applying these concepts to projects is not always easy. The following concepts are intended to help you in your project marketing efforts.
Operating with leaner workforces, organizations are adopting new approaches to professional development initiatives that align to the individual’s workflow and the translate into tangible, measurable business impact.
Would you describe the culture at your organization as casual, chaotic or compliant. How about committed? High-performance companies like Google and Southwest Airlines leverage workforce commitment to drive goal alignment and engagement. The key is fostering an environment of positive accountability.
The challenges of managing culturally diverse and globally dispersed teams are examined in this field study of technology-intensive product developments. The findings provide insight into the business processes, organizational conditions and managerial leadership style most conducive to high project performance in these environments. The paper also suggests a framework for assessing leadership effectiveness, and recommendations for building high-performance multinational project teams.
Need some insight into how to address the organizational change aspects of implementing Knowledge Management? Look no further.
How global are we, and how global are we likely to become? If we’re not seeing the evidence of increased globalization, does that mean that it doesn’t exist or that--once more--we’re being passed by and made redundant? And what does all of this mean for project managers who are still working hard to get their projects done? The answers are are a click away...
Quality management concepts may not be welcome in a resource and cost-constrained environment. What you need is a secret plan to motivate workers to deliver better quality despite their rejection of common quality communications and programs.
To be successful in achieving our goals, project managers need to build a culture of efficiency within their teams. In this article, we explore how we build that culture of efficiency without sacrificing project quality--a step made all the more challenging given the economic constraints we face today.
Earned Value Management is recognized within the project management domain as an effective cost and risk management technique. The formulas are not difficult to understand. So if EV isn’t difficult to calculate, why isn’t it more prevalent?
Diverse, distributed teams add risk and complexity to projects. Here are five tips — culled from a new report by Forrester Research senior analyst Mary Gerush — to help project managers bridge cultural, geographic and organizational gaps among team members.
