Project Management 2.0

Situation: You need to get people working together a bit better.

Recently, I interviewed Gina Abudi on one of her chapters in Project Pain Reliever entitled, "My team spends more time arguing than working". I asked her a few questions about how you get people to recognize the problem.  Then we dropped in a condensed version of the solution from the book. 

Dave:  In your experience, how do project managers find themselves in this situation?  What triggers the realization that they need help?

Gina:  Usually project managers find themselves in this situation when the problem becomes obvious to nearly everyone within the project team or working with the team in some way. It’s apparent that help is needed when project begins to go downhill: milestones are missed, stakeholders are unhappy, quality is poor, etc. Arguing is a fact of life and every team has arguments. What matters is how the project manager gets the team past this stage and to a point where they are working together effectively. 

Dave:  How do you help them connect what they perceive as their problem to the solution you outline in your Project Pain Reliever chapter?

Gina:  I find that helping project managers understand how teams work is essential. I ask them about their team and the relationships team members have with each other. I ask them question such as:

·       How did you first “kick off” the project team?

·       How did you help your team get to know each other?

·       What did you do when you team first began having issues?

·       How much do you know about your team members?

The project manager begins to understand that her limited knowledge about the team and her lack of “the right management at the right time” has an impact on how the team works together.

Dave:  What skills will they need to resolve this project problem?

Gina:  They must be able to work with team members individually and as a group to help them transition from stage 1 of team development through to stage 3/4. They need to set aside time for the team to become familiar and comfortable with each other. This requires skills in:

·       Team leadership

·       Communication

·       Problem solving

·       Influencing others

Any project manager must have strong team leadership skills to be effective in their role. Those that are not interested in their team and getting them team to a point where they are working effectively will be unable to be effective in their role.

Dave:  How do you motivate them to action?

Gina: The project failing is usually a good motivator. Often, also, the desire to be “liked” and for others to want to work with you is a motivator. If you are not a good leader (project manager) - it is unlikely that people (team members) will want to work with you. I find that by helping them to understand the benefits of spending time up front in team building and enabling the team to get to know each other, it is time well spent that will overall reduce arguments and improve project success. 

So how do you bring everyone together?

(excerpt from Project Pain Reliever)

Understand the stages of team development

First, step back and consider the five stages of team development. The first four stages were known as “Tuckman’s Stages.” The stages were developed by Bruce Tuckman and published in 1965. In 1977, Tuckman and Mary Ann Jensen, added a fifth stage, “Adjourning.” Let’s discuss the first four stages, which is what you need to understand in order to get your team working well together:

• Stage 1, Forming. The team first meets each other in this stage.
• Stage 2, Storming. Team members begin to work together and compete with each other for status and acceptance of their ideas.
• Stage 3, Norming. The team begins to work effectively as a team, no longer focused on their own goals, but rather on developing a way to work together effectively and efficiently.
• Stage 4, Performing. The team is functioning at a very high level and focused on reaching the goals of the group as a whole.

By understanding how teams work together and move through these four stages to reach high performance, you will be better equipped to get your team working together. Remember that some teams never make it to Stage 4, high performing, and stay at Stage 3, norming. Additionally, changes on the team could move a team that is performing in the “norming” stage back to “storming.” The project manager will need to be aware of changes that move a team back, and help them move forward as quickly as possible. Understanding the stages of team development enables you to be more effective as a project manager.

Teams may move back and forth between stages as changes occur that affect how the team works; for example, new members join, someone leaves, the project scope changes, a team member develops personal prob- lems, or other reasons occur. A team may move from norming back to storming, performing back to storming, norming back to forming, etc. In many cases, the team can get back to where they were fairly quickly. As the project manager, it is your responsibility to understand how teams function, and where you are needed to step in and assist them to keep moving in the right direction.

Resolve your team problem

Take these steps to resolve your problem of the team not working well together.

1. Step back so the team can begin to build relationships with each other.

You may already have individual relationships with some of the team members based on working together on past projects. If you do, use what you know about the team members to understand what is going on within the team. Use those relation- ships to call on team members to understand what is happening.

This team needs to spend some time getting to know each other and learning about each other so they are comfortable working together. It is possible that, prior to the project starting, the team did not have the opportunity to meet and get to know each other. This should be done now, but not in an hour or two; the more dif- ficulty that exists with the team working together, the more time needs to be spent in team building. Consider an entire day for a team that is working together poorly: You need to do some serious team building and issue resolution. This is important and needs to be fit into your schedule. You and the entire project team need to be together to start to build relationships and work together. Think about:

• Have any team members worked together before? If so, get them together and ask them what they found helpful when they first worked together?
• Are some members trying to reach out to the others? If so, get them in- volved in getting the team to work well together. They may have some good ideas!
• What are the personalities of the various team members? Are they shy and quite? Outgoing and loud? This may help you understand some of the is- sues you are facing.
• What are your options for getting the team together face-to-face for a couple of hours for a team building event? If not possible, when the team is virtual, think about your options for getting them together virtually through Web conferencing or other means. Ideally, you may have access to a virtual platform; if not, use a conference call, but definitely get everyone together. Some possibilities to consider are:
  • Breakfast or lunch get-together (if the team members are all in one location)
  • An “after hours” get-together (if the team members are all in one location)
  • A virtual get-together where the team is still able to see each other via cameras on their computers
  • A conference call get-together Even if the team is getting together via a conference call, a teambuilding event is possible. Some possibilities to consider include:
    • Presentations by team members about themselves: backgrounds, past projects, hobbies and interests, etc.
    • Use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
    • Various team building exercises. There are many team-building exercise books available, along with lots of information about team building exercises on the Internet.

Think about who you may want to bring from outside the project team to direct the team building. Maybe the project sponsor or a client could run a session? Maybe a neutral party, like a team-building consultant could help facilitate team building exercises?

Prior to the team meeting, ask the team to bring to the meeting their concerns about the project. What are the issues they are facing on the project, or otherwise, that is making it difficult for them to work together well? Do not short change the team building event as it will help strengthen the team, but also include discussion around team issues as they must be resolved to ensure success on the project. Make sure that problems and issues are brought to the forefront so they can be addressed and resolved. Prior to the get-together, make sure the team is aware that one discus- sion will be focused on the fact that the team is not working well together, and you want ideas from them as to how to improve the team as a whole. That way, team members can prepare to bring their best, positive ideas forward and make the most of their time together.

2. Come prepared on the day of the team meeting.

You have seen how the team is not working well together. In addition to team build- ing exercises, devote sufficient time to listing all of the team issues (no names nec- essary) that are having a negative effect on the project and focus discussion on the resolution of those issues. If others brought issues to your attention outside of the project, bring them up. However, this is not the time to point fingers or blame. As the project manager, it is up to you to keep frustrations at a minimum and keep the group moving in the right direction. This isn’t easy. You may find bringing in a facili- tator will help greatly here.

If problems are related to the scope of the project, disagreement around the proj- ect goals, etc., you may want to bring in your project sponsor to assist. It is important that the team works well together, so do not be afraid to call on others to help you get the team back on track. If issues are around individuals not pulling their weight and completing their tasks, or not showing up for team meetings, get the issue out on the table.

Make sure you have someone available to capture information to share after the meeting (note taker).

Once all issues are voiced, and the team has agreed those are the issues, the meet- ing should focus on discussions around why the issues are taking place and what can be done to resolve or move past them. -At this point, ask the team: What would help to get everyone to the meetings on time? What would help to ensure you can complete tasks in a timely manner? Be sure to capture all information. You may need help from others. For example, if you find out that some team members can- not complete their tasks on time because their immediate supervisor pulls them to work on other projects; that is an issue that will need to be addressed with someone other than the team member. Your sponsor can help here.

The key is to be sure that all issues are on the table. A plan must be developed to address each issue, with another plan to address issues that arise going forward, before they grow into larger conflicts that are detrimental to the project.

3. Follow up after the team get-together.

Gather the notes from the get-together and share them with everyone very soon after the meeting. You want their input on the notes, so ask for team members’ re- sponses and acknowledgement of acceptance of the get-together notes:

• Is anything missing from the list of issues? Is anything missing from the steps to resolve them? Is anything missing from how to monitor progress and address issues going forward?
• If issues need to be addressed by others outside the project team, or by the sponsor or other stakeholders, be sure to get a timeline from them for resolution on the issue.

The goal is to have everyone buy in to what happened at the meeting and the agreed-upon output from the get-together. At the next team meeting, reserve some time on the agenda to see how things are going after the team building session. Ask the team if there are other issues that have come up that should be discussed. Likely you will find the team more apt to speak up, or to tell you about issues they ad- dressed already and which are now resolved.

Teams that have spent some time up front getting to know each other are much more likely to be able to handle issues that arise in a timely manner.

Situation: You're curious about how much your peers make...

Today, PMI released the results of their most recent research into how much Project Managers make. The median income globally was $92K and $105K in the US (both in USD).  The full press release can be found below.

Want to Earn Six Figures? Become a Project Manager

New research from Project Management Institute reports that 71% of project managers

saw an increase in compensation over the last 12 months

NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA, 16 December 2011 — As employment continues to fluctuate, uncertainty about job stability and the economy is keeping people on high alert. Despite these uncertain times, there is a silver lining for those in one profession that continues to thrive. New research from the Project Management Institute confirms what businesses, job boards and the media have been proclaiming for the past two years: project management is one of the hottest professions out there.  According to the PMI Project Management Salary Survey, Seventh Edition, the salaries of project managers around the world continue to climb, indicating not only that project management professionals are in strong demand, but also that organizations are increasingly recognizing the value of trained project managers to their overall business goals.

Location and certification increase salaries

This year, 30,000 project management practitioners in 29 countries responded to the survey. The data was reported across all roles and experience levels.

·        The median annualized salary is US$92,000; in the U.S. it is US$105,000.

·        71% of respondents reported that their total compensation (including salary, bonus and other benefits) had increased over the previous 12 months.

·        Nearly 33% reported increases of at least 5% of total compensation in the last year.

Countries including the United States, Germany and Australia posted average salaries well above the median, each exceeding US$100,000. The highest project management salaries in 2011 are reported from Switzerland, where respondents averaged more than US$160,000. 

The 10 countries reporting the highest median salaries (reported below in US dollars) are:

·        Switzerland, $160,409

·        Australia, $139,497

·        Germany, $110,347

·        The Netherlands, $109,775

·        Belgium, $108,750

·        United States, $105,000

·        Ireland, $101,635

·        Canada, $98,517

·        United Kingdom, $96,384

·        New Zealand, $91,109

The survey shows that certification, as well as geography, positively affected salaries. Project Management Professional (PMP)^®credential holders in the U.S. earned an average of 16% more (approximately US$14,500) than their non-credentialed peers in 2011.

Situation: A "story" would really help your cause, but you're not quite sure how to make it work.

A story can make a huge difference in your effectiveness as a Project Manager.  While you don't want to over-think it or turn telling the story into a complex process, there are a few things that are good to consider - especially if it's important that you get the message across in a clear, motivational way.  So here's some food for thought.

First establish a purpose...
Sometimes you feel like a story would be helpful, but you’re not sure why.   If you don’t clarify your purpose up front you might end up with a story that sort of fits - but not really.  In the end, that could just make things worse.  So start by figuring out why a story might help.

Why are you telling a story? (a few possibilities)

• To highlight a success that could be replicated in the future?
• To give people an emotional tie to an important point or larger theme
• To create greater understanding of complex relationships (perhaps everyone is missing the point and you need to get them back on track) 

Choosing a story to tell
Logically, if you understand your purpose, then you’ll either know of a story or find one on the web that suits your purpose. One you believe you’ve found one, ask yourself..

Is this your story?
Is it one that you are comfortable telling?  Does it fit with the values that people associate with you (would it be “weird” for you to tell this story?)

Is this their story?
Is it appropriate for the audience? Is it something related to their lives and interests?  Is it one that they would enjoy? (this could involve some testing with one or two people first)

Is this story right for now?
Is it appropriate for the time and place you are telling it?  Sometimes it’s easier to relate to if it’s compatible with a current event, the geographic area you are in, or time of day you are telling the story.

Will anyone care or remember it?
Does it involve interesting, memorable characters? Can you ensure that you develop the characters enough in telling the story that people care what happens to them? Does the story have repetitive patterns that make it easier to remember? Does it involve a resolution to a conflict?

I think that the points above are critical when picking a story to tell and thinking it through.  If you would like to go a bit deeper - tuning your story and rating your delivery of it, check out our new Project Management Story Telling Checklist. 

Happy story-telling!

Situation: Every problem can make you feel like you have to please a thousand different people who all want different things. However, the problem isn’t only “who do I please?” It is also, “which needs are truly important?”

(This is a partial chapter excerpt from the book, Project Pain Reliever)

Warning Signs

• You are wasting a lot of time going back and forth between people, and trying to figure out what your project should accomplish.
• No one seems to be confident in your ability to deliver.

What will happen if I do nothing?

Trying to please everyone means that you will end up pleasing no one. This is how a lot of folks lose their jobs or get moved to a position that doesn’t require managing people.

Solution

You need a clear set of goals and a real understanding of how everyone’s needs affect what you’re doing. In short, you need:

1. A high-level executive, a sponsor, whose work is closely tied to the outcome of your project, to make the tough calls.
2. A scope document to make sure that you understand exactly what needs to be done.
3. A defined way to work with the sponsor to address everyone else’s needs.

What should I do?

When you don’t know who to please, you need to identify a sponsor as the one person you need to please most. Then, you need to develop a scope document, which essen- tially outlines how you will please that person and accomplish something really valuable to the organization.

There are two sets of people you need to be concerned with when managing a project: sponsors and stakeholders. The sponsor is the one you ultimately answer to. He or she should work with you to define “success” in a way that also pleases stakeholders.

the new application. Tons of effort would need to be spent beyond the application itself, but the efforts needed to be done to make everything work together.

It was clear to Susie that none of the additional needs could be addressed without causing massive delays and increased costs to the project. Rather than send the email she had composed in her head, telling everyone to forget their needs and wants, Susie took a deep breath and tried to figure out what to do next.

Focusing Your Efforts
You define “success” in a scope document. Then you stick to doing what is in the scope document and accomplish what you set out to do.

5(a) Sponsor

Gather what you have in terms of goals and support materials, and make sure you have the best description of what the project aims to do before looking for a spon- sor. Then identify your sponsor “candidates.” In this context, the best sponsor will most likely be someone you know or at least know of. It may or may not be the person to whom you’ve been reporting status. Think about:

• Executives you report to.
• Executives tied to the function.
• Which executive has the most to lose if your project fails?

To identify a sponsor, think about these questions:

• Who has the financial power to be a sponsor for this project? 
• Who has the political influence in the organization to be a sponsor?
• Who has a history of backing successful projects?
• Will this sponsor defend the project as it runs into challenges or starts to lose organizational support?
• Would you have a good working relationship?
• Who will provide the project direction and focus, and at the same time, ask the right questions to help you be successful? 
• Is the sponsor positioned to take ownership in the resulting product of the project?

The sponsor is a “buck stops here” person. He or she is a business leader within the organization who:

• Is tied to the success of your project in a meaningful way. 
• Helps define the scope and objectives of the project.
• Sets priorities and resolves conflicts.
• Has the power to make changes to the project in order to achieve the goal(s).
• Can approve assignment of people and resources.
• Has enough influence to communicate effectively to every group involved in the project.
• Communicates with the executive team to ensure continued support.

Think about the first three bullet points for a moment. Someone in the business above you has likely committed to executive management that your project will be a success. His or her reputation probably depends on it. You just need to make the sponsorship role clear and official, so that there is a single person (or small group) that can define success and resolve conflicts.

Once the right person has agreed to be your sponsor, work with them to identify stakeholders and plan to address their needs. Also, work with them to set and document the project scope.

5(b) Stakeholders

The project’s stakeholders are probably all of the people who have been asking you for things. They have a vested interest in the project, and would like to make their priorities yours. This isn’t a bad thing, but you can’t please everyone. Identify and group stakeholders with the help of your sponsor. Understand whose needs you can and cannot serve, which needs are incompatible with each other, and any conflicts those needs may present.

To understand what you are dealing with, you want to first separate stakeholders into groups. Ask yourself, are stakeholders:

• End-users of what the project is creating?
• People whose jobs will be affected by what you are doing? 
• People who will be better or worse off in a specific way, based on the outcome of the project?
• People who are on competing projects?
• Sharing other reasons to care about your project?

Grouping stakeholders will give you a better idea of what you are dealing with. You can’t give people everything that they want, but hopefully you can give them what they need by working with the sponsor to create an effective scope document.

5(c) Scope document

Then you will work with your sponsor to create a scope document. The scope document defines what you are doing and NOT doing. At a minimum, it defines:

• The goals and objectives of the project.
• How the project aligns with your organization’s goals and strategies.
• Assumptions that you’ve made about the project (things you assume are already taken care of).
• Constraints that you are placing on the project (objectives you are NOT trying to achieve or items that you will NOT do).

The scope document can include other items and take various forms. Often, it is a business case or project charter, but the important part is that your participating in the project is documented, agreed upon, and reflective of the sponsor’s definition of success.

Situation: You want a way to verify what you already know is true.

Jim Finkelstein recently wrote a book entitled "Fuse: Making Sense of the New Cogenerational Workplace™" that offers some ideas on how to make your workplace healthier and more productive.  Here are five "boss types" that he sketches out and considers "good".  

Do any of these describe you?

Not all bosses are created equal, however, and there are certain trends that make for better bosses.  Forty years of combined experience – one of us with 35 as a professional management consultant and the other with 5 as a fresh and reflective worker – have uncovered prime examples of good bosses.  To enlighten the modern workplace and workforce, here are five examples of good bosses (and they are not mutually exclusive):

1)    The Listener – a boss who will listen to and appreciates different points of view.  This boss hears and honors their employees’ thoughts and considerations respectfully but with a caveat being they may or may not put these ideas into action.    The Listener listens to their employees because they were hired for a reason.  As such, they trust their employees and value their input.  Sometimes, they are even dependent upon it.  The Listener is a good boss because they have insight beyond their own experience and vision, insight that is influenced by many angles, and because if their employees are allowed to voice their own opinions and ideas, they are inspired and engaged.

2)    The Empowerer – a boss that lets employees run their own show and lets them learn by making some mistakes.  To a degree of trust and support, this boss cultivates leadership in their team.  Working together, they identify tasks and create a plan, but let the employees decide the nuts & bolts of how it actually gets done.  The Empowerer doesn’t delegate aimlessly, creating a sense of subordination in their team, but rather engages their employees from the ground up in a focused manner.  Employees are inspired to take on leadership roles and collaborate both with their boss and with others.  The Empowerer is a good boss because they can simultaneously ignite productivity, personal development, and satisfaction among their employees.  

3)    The Mentor – a boss that teaches, coaches and guides.  This boss doesn’t necessarily need to be older, but a tad wiser or simply just willing to share.  They seek to understand their employees’ experiences and identify which ones need or want mentoring.  The relationship with their employees is constructive, meaning both criticism and praise are offered with the intentions of growing the employees set of skills.  An offer to mentor is either explicitly offered or subtly developed over time.  The goal is both in current interest and looking towards the future, always geared to enhance the employees’ skills.  The Mentor is a good boss because they ensure a future for the employee and the company while inspiring immediate productivity and engagement.

4)    The Cool Dude (or Dudette) – a boss that has fun and lets their employees have fun.  This boss maintains a certain aura of authority while creating a likeable and lively atmosphere.  They let their employees enjoy their time at work and find time for small diversions, within the confines that the job still gets done…and done well.  At those instances, this boss rewards their employees with time off or special workplace events within the realm of a respectable workplace culture.  The Cool Dude or Dudette is a good boss because they understand that all employees are people, that all people need some kind of fun, and that happy employees are healthy, productive, and engaged.   

5)    The Creator – a boss who inspires invention and creativity.  This boss pushes the limits of their employees to ignite innovation.  They challenge intellect and question the status quo, so that new products and ideas are developed from within.  The Creator embodies the spirit of imagination and is never overly demanding.  Creativity and invention come from a unique mindset, so this boss correctly identifies those in their team that are keen to this way of thinking.  As such, The Creator is a good boss because they are motivational and collaborative.

These five bosses, or rather their respective characteristics, exemplify what makes for healthy leadership within organizations.  Many bosses may embody many or all of these characteristics.  The best bosses are able to reflect upon their own natural inclinations and experiences, leveraging their assets and developing areas of weakness.  Common trends amongst these five good bosses make for a great boss as well – collaborative, communicative, engaging, and inspirational.  Our new cogenerational world is crying out for leaders – of all ages and generations -- and hopefully many of us will realize that great leaders can exist in the smallest, biggest, nearest and furthest of places.