Joe Wynne is a versatile Project Manager experienced in delivering medium-scope projects in large organizations that improve workforce performance and business processes. He has a proven track record of delivering effective, technology-savvy solutions in a variety of industries and a unique combination of strengths in both process management and workforce management.
As we saw in Part 1, there are just so many processes, procedures, tools and techniques that are available to the typical project worker or team, that finding exactly what they need when they need it can be difficult. A well-organized project job aid repository (resource repository) can greatly improve efficiency of work and quality of work performed, and--here is the best part--without a lot of effort from you. A repository that is not organized appropriately, though, can be dangerous.
Here are a couple of examples of specific problems and how they affect workers--and the success of your project.
Example 1: New Business Analyst, New Project, New Confusion
A new business analyst goes to a job aid repository and finds an interface that shows topics related to phases of project management. She accesses the Requirements topic, which contains a large amount of information about how to perform different types of analysis. She has to search for those references that apply to her position (that is, what she knows currently about her position). She has difficulty finding those resources that apply directly to her needs. She is not sure which ones may apply to her situation.
Unbeknownst to the project manager, the analyst will use a good but inappropriate template that will add unnecessary time to her analysis and slow down the whole project. The poor project manager will later be taken to task for a slow start of initial stages of project.
Example 2: Experienced Team Lead and No Subject Matter Expertise
A team lead is well-rated from past projects, but is new to the issues around the current HRIS project. He accesses the resource repository to get a briefing on this type of project. Unfortunately, the repository is not organized by type of project, so he must search for any job aid that explains about HRIS issues. After accessing a scattering of documents, the team lead is not sure if he is properly prepared. He looks for links to references that contain guidance from subject matter experts on this type of project, but finds none.
|
Conscious Unbossing: Career Choice or Leadership Philosophy?byConscious unbossing as a professional’s career choice and conscious unbossing as a leadership philosophy not only have no intersection, but can be detrimental in implementation. When does it become reckless leadership? |
|
The Career Problem Facing New Project ManagersbyEmployers often favor candidates who already have real-world execution experience. That leaves many capable professionals stuck trying to break into a field that increasingly expects them to already know how to operate inside it. |
|
Beyond 'Done': Reclaiming Purpose in Agile Deliveryby“Done” is one of the most powerful words in agile. It brings closure. It marks progress. It gives us the satisfaction of checking a box and moving on. But what happens when “done” becomes hollow, and the value is nowhere in sight? |
The team lead must spend time trying to get information from experts who are working on their own projects. His team is beset by performance problems with unclear causes. The project manager is burned in effigy by a mob of angry stakeholders.
From the examples, it is clear that what you don't know about a job aid repository can hurt you. Even if effigy-burning is not that common in your organization, it is important for you to evaluate what project workers are using. We're here to make your job easier, so use the characteristics of a successful job aid (resource) repository shown in the following checklist.
Repository Success Factors
· Clearly customized to the project/functional roles of users
· Explains the context of the role, including value to the process, inputs, outputs, outcomes and interdependencies with other roles
· Segregates information into time-restricted components, avoiding details of activities not occurring in parallel
· Incorporates the expertise of experienced workers, including lessons learned reports from post mortems
Quick Guide: When Your Repository Is Not Effective
If you have a job aid repository that leaves users lost where they cannot see the forest for the trees, try the following tactics.
· Get involved in designing the user interface and assisting with context, so that you will ensure that your project workers will be able to find the appropriate information or tool just-in-time. Approach a job aid repository as a powerful blend of a document database, a knowledge management system and an e-learning vehicle.
· If there is a massive user-unfriendly repository available in your enterprise, consider extracting useful templates and other guides into your project repository. Assign team leads or experienced specialists to find what will be useful.
· Motivate those responsible (perhaps owners of the repository) to update and improve the information and interface prior to use by your project (or at least before the planning activities end).
· Assign project supervisors/team leads specific tasks to add context where necessary. These are good tasks for the Planning Stage.
· Have departments that maintain best practices for functional roles to improve their own areas. Make sure they collect best practices and lessons learned from experienced personnel.
· Add activities in the project Activation Stage worker training to show which templates and procedures will be used from any existing larger body of resources.
· When improving an existing repository, perform usability tests with various types of users, including new employees to the organization.
· Collect lessons learned reports (post mortem documentation) and put them in the repository. Assign time in the Planning, Activation and Control stages to refer to these resources.
· Start small and build over time to get maximum return quickly.
A job aid repository must be very well designed or it can simply be yet another obstacle in the way of performance. Evaluate this resource yourself to see what impact it will have on your project. Does it look scary? Then take action.
What would you recommend be put into such a repository to improve worker performance? What has not worked for you? Have you been burned in effigy because of a workforce management issue? Let's talk in the Workforce Management discussion area.
|
"If this isn't a Strad, I'm out 50 bucks." - Jack Benny |
