PMO Setup T3 - Tips, Tools, and Techniques

In the cartoon above, an executive asks which of the two projects shown below was better managed. When an eager and overconfident project manager answered back, the executive fired him. Questions:

• Which project, project #1 or project #2, was really better managed..?
• Was the executive justifed in firing the eager and overconfident project manager..?
• What does this say about the use and value of the Project Management Triangle..?

Answers to be posted in a few weeks. In the meantime, your perspectives and opinions are welcomed..!

(CLICK TO SEE THE ANSWER TO THIS QUIZ ON PAGE 2 OF THIS BLOG - Posted by Mark Price Perry on Thursday, December 8, 2011)

I am writing this blog post from the pool-side at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria. I have just finished a two day workshop on Business Driven PMO Setup based upon my book by the same name which was followed by a week of visits to commercial and government sector PMOs in the region. So good to see the abundance of project management and PMO talent here in Nigeria. Yes, there are incredible challenges here - political will, infrastructure development, and a host of smaller things. But there is also incredible optimism and hope for the future. There is an "if others can do it, so can we" attitude here in which achievement is only limited by one's hard work and imagination. And this leads me to Steve Jobs. In the wake of his death last month, so many of us in the business community have reflected upon his genius. I, for one, continue to shake my head in both bewilderment and amazement at his achievements. Today's top ten list is a tribute to Mr. Jobs and a reflection of but a few of the many things he has taught us.

#1: Be innovative. Steve Jobs is known to have said that innovation is what distinguishes a leader from a follower.

#2: Foresight. It is reported that Steve Jobs did not get too caught up in corporate details when making decisions, rather he used his own intuition to tell him what consumers wanted - not just research data.

#3: Be hands-on. Steve Jobs believed in getting involved with the organization. Different from micro-management of performance details, Steve Jobs took the time to be involved in every facet of the company in order to have hands-on knowledge of how it worked.

#4: Don't be afraid. I have heard this phrase before. I have heard it at mass, I have heard it from our Pope, and now I have heard that Steve Jobs was known to have uttered this all too important phrase and conviction. Apple never beat out Microsoft at market share in the PC market, but Steve Jobs never let that be a concern or worry. He was not afraid of Microsoft or anyone else.

#5: Be passionate. Passion is everything. Passion takes you far, very far. Steve Jobs was passionate about Apple and the products that Apple delivered to the market. This passion drove a contagious work ethic that fueled the company and market.

#6: Attention to the right details. Steve Jobs was known to have a good eye for details, the right details. This detail can be seen in the design of Apple products, especially the simplicity of the user interface.

#7: Be an expert. Steve Jobs believed that you need to find one thing and then be an expert in that thing. Also, when you are an expert and do something extraordinarily well, don't apologize for it.

#8: The cover matters. Did you ever hear the expression, "Don't judge a book by its cover?" Well, Steve Jobs believed that the cover of the book actually does matter. From its earliest days, Apple was noted for its design. I can remember my IBM days back in the early 1980s looking at an IBM PC next to an Apple PC. I jokingly asked, "Where is the C prompt?" but what I was really thinking was, "Wow, I would like to have one of these..!"

#9: Don't swim upstream. Steve Jobs believed that it is far better to find and ride the wave than it is to swim upstream. Steve Jobs understood consumer patterns and consumer loyalty. Rather than trying to compete in the corporate PC market against all of the other PC makers and Microsoft, he found and rode another wave.

#10: Embrace the unexpected. No amount of scientific "plan-driven" management can account for today's complex adaptive systems that we all live and work within. Steve Jobs knew and embraced this. Steve Jobs knew that technology products, whether the iPhone or the iPad or something else, holds future potential that no one can see or plan for in advance. To embrace the unexpected, organizational nimbleness is required otherwise you will find yourself asking that now famous question by the book of the same name, "Who moved my Cheese..?"

Here are 10 tips to keep in mind for Project Status Reports. As always, I hope we hear and learn from others.

Tip #1: Keep it short. Keep your project status report to just one page. This is more than a tip. This is a rule.

Tip #2: Keep it targeted. Keep your status report targeted to your executive stakeholder. If you believe the stakeholder status report is too high level for others, consider having a second, more detailed status report, rather than adding far more detail to the status report than your stakeholder needs or wants.

Tip #3: Keep it well formatted. A well formatted report is intuitive to the recipient. It is easy to view, read, study, and understand. Hence, the focus and thinking is all about the status of the project, not how to learn what the various elements on the status report are.

Tip #4: Make it pretty. Make your project status reports pretty. Of course use a format that makes sense and that is easy to prepare. But take ample time to ensure that the project status report is pleasant on the eyes of its recipients.

Tip #5: Make it available. A status report is of little use if nobody knows about it. Don't just file your status report away on your your PC hard drive and don't just email it as an attachment to your boss. Make your status report available to all those that have a need to know about it. Whether using a SharePoint document folder or network file share or something else, make it available.

Tip #6: Use it. A tell-tale sign that a status report is of little value is when it is not used in discussions, meetings, and reviews. Seek to use your status report whenever the occasion rises to share information about your project. The more you use your status report, the better it wil be.

Tip #7: Improve it. To ensure that your Project Status Report is meeting the needs of your business, improve it. Periodically ask those that prepare and those that review the Project Status Report if it is meeting their needs. As the organization improves and evolves its project management capabilities, there is ample opportunity for continual improvement.

Tip #8: Accept it. While there is always room for ongoing improvement, there are some people that are contrarians and objectors. No matter how good your Project Status Report format is, they will find a way to nitpick it with advice that is often times not very well thought out. Recognize these people for what they are and don't be bothered by them. It's a Status Report. Accept it and move on.

Tip #9: Don't be intimidated by it. A project status report is just a report. It is an opportunity to quickly and effectively report on the status of the project. A project status report should be viewed as a useful tool for accurately communicating what is happening on the project. It should not be viewed or completed with apprehension or worry. Don't be intimidated by it.

Tip #10: Be open to change. As needs of the business change, be open to the fact that the status report of the projects of the business may also need to be tweaked to best reflect the review needs of the leadership team. A good status report is one that meets the needs of the reviewer, not just one that is aligned to best practice standards.

It is good to be a good manager of your employess; it is great to be a good manager of your boss!

Tip #1: Avoid the quick no. If you press your boss or other executives for a quick yes or no decision, you can expect that decision to be a no. No, it is too risky. No, we do not have enough resources. No, it is not the right time. To avoid the "no" decision, help your boss or the executives who you need to support your case. Remind them where you last left the discussion, quickly summarize options, focus only where you need their help, and be prepared with the supporting information that they are likely to need to make a "yes" decision for you.

Tip #2: Manage time. Your problem may be important to big you, but it also may be less important and much smaller to your boss and other executives. Respect and manage the time of your executives. The more simple the problem or issue at hand is, the less time you should have to spend on it with your executives. Do not confuse and intermix your more frequent problems with the most important ones where you really need time and attention.

Tip #3: Carefully ask for opinions. It is rare to have a boss that when asked for their opinion will use the psychological ping-pong approach of retuning the question to the person who asked. Rather, once asked and given, the opinion becomes a decision or constraint of some kind. And that opinion may not always be that of a genius or visionary. So, if you don't want your boss's opinion to thwart your achievements, to slow the speed of decision-making, or cloud the viewpoint, then don't ask for it. A good rule to follow; don't ask for an opinion if you don't one.

Tip #4: Deliver context and call to action, not just the mail. Bosses do not need a mailman, they need someone who can turn grapes into wine. So don't just deliver overly detailed reports or dashboards that have to be relearned every time you look at them, take the time to prepare for your boss the context and call to action of what the reports mean.

Tip #5: Come with solutions, not just problems. We have all heard the maxim, "There are no such things as problems, only opportunities." This is a good rule to abide by, especially when meeting with your boss. Be clear on what you want from your boss such as advice, support, actions, or acceptance. Don't just say you have a problem and toss the monkey.

Tip #6: Don't assume your boss knows what you do. Don't assume your boss knows as much as you do, but do assume your boss can understand the key issues you have and need help with and can make good decisions. As expert, you will need to educate your boss from time to time. After all, you spend all of your time and that of your team on the issue; your boss does not.

Tip #7: Ask forgiveness, not permission. If you ask permission for something that you want to do, then you run the risk of having that permission not given. Constantly seek to expand your level of authority by exercising good judgment and doing. From time to time you might have to ask forgiveness, but if you do not overstep your level of authority from time to time then you do not know where that level truly is.

Tip #8: Deliver on what you promise. It takes time to build trust with your boss. While your boss may want to trust you right away, it is your ability to delivery what you have promised that builds the foundation of trust between you. Avoid being seen as unreliable on account of taking on more that you can possibly do.

Tip #9: Situation awareness. Seek to employee situational leadership techniques in reverse. That is, optimize your interactions with your boss with respect to the willingness and ability of your boss. You have to treat a boss that is unwilling and able differently than one that is willing able able. Be aware of your situation and choose your actions accordingly.

Tip #10: Face. Don't ever lose face with your boss and leadership team. You can lose face by not doing what you promised. You can lose face by having a bad attitude. And you can lose face by having an "I told you so" attitude when the decisions that your boss makes and risks that your boss takes don't turn out right. Once you lose face, it will be hard for your boss and other executives to view you as an "A" player.

Top 10 Tips for Delivering Bad News

Bad news is bad enough. Don't make it worse by deliverying it badly!

Tip #1: Don't sandwich. Don't put the bad news between good news. The good-bad-good combination usually confuses people or worse, makes them think that you are playing games with the truth. Also, victims of the sandwich approach may walk away remembering only the good news and forget the bad and you will likely have to deliver the bad news again. If the news is especially bad, limit the meeting to the bad news. You can always cover good stuff later.

Tip #2: Don’t dance. Don't dance, spin, or beat around the bush; just get it over with. If the person is about to get very disappointed, there will be no benefit from a discussion about what was on TV last night. If your recipients know something is coming, they will be annoyed with you for stretching things out with fake conversation. Aimless chatter may also make you appear unsure of yourself and potentially result in you losing control of the communication.

Tip #3: Don't rush. Allow time for discussion, questions, and in some cases venting. The recipients may need you to clarify what the bad news really means to them in terms of its current and future impact. If you don't allow time for this with every person involved and at the table, you will likely have to have this meeting and discussion again.

Tip #4: Don't group. Separate the bad news from the person. Just because the news is bad, that does not mean that the person is bad. Make sure to stay focused on actions and behaviors, and not make personal attacks. The person may be a bad fit for the project but can still be valuable to another project or team. Judge the behaviors of the person or people involved, but don't group the behavior with the person.

Tip #5: Don't demean. Always use tact when delivering bad news. Be direct, but don't be an ass. For example, in the popular TV show "The Apprentice" Donald Trump creates suspense and entertainment with his weekly end of the show proclamation "You're Fired!" However, Trump is quick to admit that in real life he would never say such a thing or behave in such a way. Rather he would be more likely to say "Hey, this isn't working and I want to make a change." There is no need to demean. As Trump says, that's bad business.

Tip #6: Don't defend. Don't defend bad news. It is what it is. So say it truthfully, sit back, and be quiet. There is no need to go on and on and on. Too many words makes you look and sound unsure of yourself and this may lead others to think that you are not in control of the situation and that there might be even more bad news that you are not telling them.

Tip #7: Don't leak. Don't make bad news worse by leaking information to people who really don't need to know. Sure, it may make you feel better to commiserate difficulties to a trusted colleague, but is feeling supported worth the news spreading to unwanted areas? In most cases, the answer is no.

Tip #8: Don't prevaricate. No matter how bad the truth may seem to be, prevaricating from it only makes matters worse. Though sometimes it may be tempting to sugar-coat bad news, or to partial disclose bad news, or even to flat out misrepresent bad news, in all cases such actions are very short-lived. Honesty is always the best policy.

Tip #9: Don't dismiss. Bad news, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Just because you do not think that the bad news is really all that bad, that doesn't mean that others think the same way. Take care and measure to see bad news through the eyes of the person that you are delivering it to. Don't dismiss their point of view or worse don't be oblivious to it.

Tip #10: Don't argue. Arguments are rarely a good thing. Why? Usually, they are or quickly become forceful attempts to change another person’s point of view, and thus result in a "winner" and a"loser" situation and experience. Arguments always cause some damage, even if you "win." The next time you find yourself involved in a conflict of opinion, keep the discussion a discussion.