Project Management 2.0

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.  

Situation: You love obscure facts about Project Management.

Oddly enough, we get asked this a lot.  However there aren't a lot of good numbers to go by.  PMI estimates that there 16.5 million Project Managers in the world.  Both PMI and Gantthead have relationships with a bit more than 600K each, with roughly a 13% overlap.  66.8% of PMI members are based in North America.  53.9% of gantthead members are based in North America.  So that implies that there may be 8.7M-11M Project Managers in North America. 

Of course, these percentages shrink every year as the industry (and everything else in the world) becomes more global - but that's our "guesstimate".

Situation: You're curious about what your peers put at the top of the priority list.

Sometimes we post fill-in-the-blank questions to our facebook fan page.  People have fun with them and sometimes the answers can be telling.  A recent posting asked facebook fans to say what the most important part of their job is.  

I thought it was interesting that 12 of the 38 responses directly mentioned communication as most important.  Many of the other common management issues came through, but none quite so strongly.  I wonder if that's because we really feel that way (and there is a lot of support for this) or whether communications is such a hot topic at the moment in our field.

Here are the results...