PMO Setup T3 - Tips, Tools, and Techniques

PMO Manager Leadership - Don't Play Politics

True leaders do not play politics. Sure, true leaders and even servant-leaders are cognizant of and appreciate the political landscape, but they do not join in the game. When you play politics and engage in disingenuous relations with others, or worse, even harm others, you have just started down a slippery slope that quickly ends up in a loss of respect by others, a reduced ability to lead the team, and a personal lack of integrity that gets more and more evident the more politics you play. Organizational politics within the business are for hob-knobbers and career-climbers, not for real business leaders.

Project Management Leadership - A case example

How do you exhibit your project management leadership? Is it all about the technical side of project management in terms of tools, processes, and know how? Or is it about human behavior? Take the case of Eldon, a senior program manager with years of experience.

Over the course of his career he had technical positions as well as positions in management. One of Eldon’s project managers was having a difficult time. One day, Eldon overheard his project manager, whose cubicle was not too far away, having a heated discussion over the phone with one of the project team members. Eldon calmly walked over to his project manager’s cubicle and took a nearby seat listening to the conversation. The project manager changed his tone, but was still clearly agitated. After the call was over, Eldon asked the project manager to calm down, explain to him what the problem was, and tell him why he allowed himself to lose his composure. The project manager, though highly skilled technically, admittedly had an anger management problem and sometimes it get out of control.

No one had ever thought to confront the project manager about his behavior, nor help him. It was simply tolerated by others; some even made fun of it. And while it didn’t yet significantly impact anyone else’s attitude or work, it did impact the attitude and work of the project manager. Eldon took the time to discuss the anger management problem with the project manager and encouraged him to overcome it. Rather than lecture him on the inappropriateness and lack of professionalism that losing one’s temper can have in the workplace, Eldon viewed the heated phone discussion that he witnessed as an opportunity for growth and improvement.

We all can learn from Eldon, the senior program manager, and exhibit leadership just as he did. Of course it is easier to turn a blind eye or a deaf ear, but leadership seldom is about taking the easy route.

Informal Project Management - Is there really such a thing..?

How many times have you heard the term "informal project management" or "informal project manager"...? If you are like me, then chances are that you have heard it quite often. Why is it that we view and call some projects formal and others informal? Is this because a project is only formal if it is an IT project or a project of the PMO? Does this mean that all other projects carried out by folks throughout the company or organization are something less of a project? Regrettably, to many people within the "formal" project management community the answer is yes and they have a blind eye to and are oblivious of such "informal" projects.

I must admit, I am not one of those people and let me tell you why. Consider this real life example. -- Excerpt taken from Page xxxi, Business Driven PMO Setup; Practical Insights, Techniques, and Case Examples for Ensuring Success, with permission from J. Ross Publishing

"Scott, an enterprise software sales representative, was managing a large sales opportunity. The sales effort, which I call a project, was a temporary endeavor spanning nine months, utilizing numerous resources, guided by a project plan, seeking to achieve a unique outcome; in this case a decision by the customer to purchase and implement a two million dollar security software solution for identity and access management. Scott’s company, an $80M publicly-traded firm with a market capitalization of $3B, was forecasting a $20M performance for the quarter which included Scott’s $2M sale as it had been forecasted by management and committed to investors. Regrettably Scott’s project schedule for the sales opportunity was not very thorough. He did not allow sufficient time for the customer legal team to review the software contract and services statement of work and, as a result, the sale, and thus revenue recognition for the firm, slipped into the next quarter. When Scott’s firm posted the revenue results for the quarter which fell short of the company’s prior forecast to investors by $2M, the amount of Scott’s slipped sale, the stock price plummeted from $84 per share to $42 per share in just one day. Scott’s project management skills or lack thereof cost the firm over $1.5B in market capitalization."

I would hope that you would agree that the value of all project management to an organization, not just the formal projects of the PMO, is tremendous. Rather than calling such projects informal and ignoring them, why don't we recognize them and find a way to help..!

Top 10 Tips for Project Management Vendor Presentations

Tip #1: Avoid unclear thinking. If you can't describe the goal of your presentation in one sentence, then you might be trying to present too much. You will overload and confuse your listener and that will not advance your sales initiative whether a complex PPM application or just a point tool. Plan what you want to achieve and prepare in advance for the possible outcomes and next steps. Clear thinking will not only help you communicate your value proposition effectively, but it will help your customer better understand and communicate amongst themselves what you have to offer.

Tip #2: Avoid lack of structure. Don't make it difficult for people to understand what you are trying to say. Whether a formal presentation or informal discussion, people will remember what you say much better if they understand it. Outline your objectives in advance and make your presentation points clearly and succinctly. If you ramble or wander, you will lose your listeners.

Tip #3: Don’t use too many words. Most salespeople use too many words. They use too many words when talking, when presenting, when answering a question, and even when leaving a voicemail or sending an email. The trick to an exchange of information is to view it as a two way interaction. What you give is half of the interaction; what your client receives is the other half. Too many words, most of the time, lessens the full potential of the interaction.

Tip #4: Use an initial benefit statement. Your audience will not remember everything that you say, but they will remember things that stand out, both good and bad. Always use a strong and vivid initial benefit statement so that your audience can see in their mind's eye the message that your words are trying to convey. The initial benefit statement is what captivates your audience and establishes the purpose of, and interest in, the rest of your presentation.

Tip #5: Use customer testimonials. Substantiate your initial benefit statements with customer references and testimonials. For each initial benefit statement that you make, provide real business use case examples that confirm your claim. This will add credibility to your presentation and help to make a solid connection to your audience.

Tip #6: Get on the same wavelength. Are you providing big picture generalities when your audience is hungry for facts? Or, are you drowning them in details when they need an overview? Get on the same wavelength with your prospects and don't discuss details that your audience has no interest in.

Tip #7: Don’t forget the pauses. Most presenters do not have enough pauses. After an important point, they rush right in to the next important point. Give your audience a chance to digest what you have just told them. Your pauses will allow your audience to think and understand.

Tip #8: Find you $100 phrase. A hundred dollar phrase is a phrase that gets the client excited about your product. Often, it is a common way of describing a benefit that is hard to articulate. The $100 phrase is, in essence, how would you describe your product to your mother or your grandmother? For example, a software salesperson with a security solution might say, “Our software is like a security guard that keeps the bad guys out and lets the good guys through.”

Tip #9: Have a strong opening and closing. Much can go on during a presentation. You might need to make adjustments in response to feedback and body language, both positive and negative. And, you might have a number of questions from your audience that may slight change your approach in certain parts of your presentation. However, always have a well prepared and thought out opening and closing. This will keep your audience in tune to your message and call to action. A weak opening and closing can confuse your audience and leave them unsure of whether or not your product would be of value to them.

Tip #10: Don’t misuse technology. Far too often, sales and marketing professionals rely too much on PowerPoint and not enough on the emotional connection that you make with you audience. Also, sometimes your audience, for example the decision maker, gets the point and wants to have a deeper exchange and dialog. Don’t let your PowerPoint slides get in the way. Don’t hesitate to stop the slide show to pursue audience interest and desire. This also demonstrates your ability to think on your feet and your knowledge and skill of both your product and how it may be of benefit to your customer. Technology is there to help, but don’t let it get in the way.

Top 10 Tips for Go-to-Market Projects

Go-to-Market projects are projects that bring new products to market. They are marketing projects. While project management as a discipline has made tremendous inroads in the formal project management community in such places as the IT Department, the strategic project office, software development, construction, etc, in many areas and departments of today’s businesses, project management, known as informal project management, regrettably has not made nearly as much progress. So today, for the marketing department, we have ten tips for Go-to-Market projects.

Tip 1: Treat your Go-to-Market as a project effort, not staff work. A Go-to Market for a new product offering consists of initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing. Doesn’t this sound like a project to you? Rather than performing you Go-to-Market as a best effort marketing staff assignment, treat you Go-to-Market as a project effort.

Tip 2: Define your Go-to-Market processes and follow the process. Rather than drifting through the Go-to-Market for your new product, define your processes, follow them, and based upon lessons learned and use, seek to improve and optimize them.

Tip 3: Use project management standards. Take full advantage of project management standards and bodies of knowledge like the PMBOK Guide. Such standards can save you time and keep you on the right track in terms of project management basics.

Tip 4: Keep your Go-to-Market project process simple. While it is helpful to use standards like the PMBOK, it is not necessary or even a good idea to get too detailed. You don’t need to learn every word of the PMBOK or apply every process and sub-process. Consolidate and simplify. Keep the rigor of your Go-to-Market project process relative to the complexity of the Go-to-Market project.

Tip 5: Identify your Go-to-Market tools. Much of your Go-to-Market will be centered on your financial model for the Go-to-Market and this will almost always be done in Microsoft Excel. Determine if other tools would be helpful in support of the execution of your project process. Consider the use of tools like MindMapper for brainstorming, ideation, initiation, and even as a communication tool. And, also determine your tool approach for your project schedule. A scheduling tool like Microsoft Project can offer tremendous benefits over scheduling the old fashion way such as a task list in Word or Excel.

Tip 6: Train your users. Ensure your users are trained in both the project process and in the usage of the tools that are required to carry out the project process. Training is often overlooked or assumed to be undertaken by the user if needed. This can result in execution difficulties and mishaps. The value of the Go-to-Market for a new product offering is tremendous. It is well worth the time to train all involved in the effort.

Tip 7: Perform market segmentation first. Many providers of products, especially technology products, rush into product development without having first segmented the market. Some even skip the market segmentation step altogether assuming that if the build a product someone will buy it. Prior to any solution develop, segment your target market. And, be sure to consider both market segment attractiveness as well as market segment sell ability and serviceability.

Tip 8: Perform solution development with an ever mindful eye on your target market. Resist the temptation gold plate your product with features that you think would be good but that have not been asked for or identified by your customers as needed. Determine the minimum set of unmet needs that would compel your target market to purchase. This is your core product.

Tip 9: Plan your routes to market. Not every resource and activity has to exist or be performed within your own organization or company. Develop routes to market with both a view of the optimal way for you to reach your target market customer and the optimal way for your customer to reach you. Consider the impact of business cycles and technology adoption life cycles on your routes to market. For example, practical routes to market are much different for new technology products than commodity products.

Tip 10: Develop your Go-to-Market financial model. Your Go-to-Market financial model provides you with a forecast and expectation of success that is based upon process, not hope and prayer. In addition to revenue, expense, and profit, use your Go-to-Market performance metrics such as measurements for marketing lead generation, sales pipeline, business development channels, and services billable utilization to ensure all aspects of your Go-to-Market plan are meeting their targets.