pmStudent

In another example of governments around the world realizing they need to focus on better project management, the Cayman Islands' Auditor General issued a report to this effect.

Like the UK example earlier, this is a call for better project management in government. Again we see recommendations for the establishment of a "Centre for Excellence" in Project Management for Governments.

Here are some highlights from the report with my summaries.

Major Finding 1 - "Government does not have a sound governance framework for the development of major capital projects"

• Comprehensive business cases were not developed, and these major infrastructure projects were 25% of total government expenditure.
• Politicians and officials were mucking up projects - roles are not clearly defined
• Financial management practices are lacking
• Basic quality standards for major capital projects such as buildings are lacking

“The lack of an experienced project manager, together with the involvement of politicians in the conceptual design phase of the project resulted in the projects being poorly managed and controlled"

Major Finding 2 - "Project management practices for the new high schools projects were deficient"

• The Ministry of Education who had responsibility for several schools "did not have the management expertise or experience in delivering building infrastructure projects."
• No business case was developed

"the Ministry incurred costs $5.9 mission before Cabinet decided that the project would not be completed...In addition the $5.9 million already expended, the Government continues to pay interest on the funds borrowed to finance this expenditure." - regarding Beulah Smith High School empty lot.

Major Finding 3 - "Government Administration Building employed good project management practices"

Some good news! This project had a competent and well-trained project manager and came in on time and within budget.

What can the rest of us learn from these examples from the Cayman Islands? Share your thoughts in the comments.

How is lasting progress made?

I've asked myself this question many times in relation to my own professional and personal development. Reflecting on my own career and life, a pattern emerges.

At times I can get really gung-ho about a particular area. There was a time when I spent 2 hours every day at the gym when I was really focused on being physically fit. After a short time I came down with the flu.

I didn't go back to gym.

See, looking back I now understand that the level of commitment I had expected of myself was too high. When an obstacle appeared, it just became too daunting a task to go back to it at full throttle again. It wasn't a conscious decision either; it happened subconsciously as I continued to pay gym dues for months with good intentions of going back.

There were always the little excuses. I didn't have enough time (suddenly) or my neck was hurting, etc. Plus I knew how much pain I was going to be in if I did my regular work out after being out of commission for so long. As time went on, these excuses became more believable and it was easier to talk myself out of it.

Fast Forward

What Does This Have to Do with Me?

gung-ho about getting into project management, and I have seen quite a few get burned out very quickly. They might do almost nothing for a long time and then, feeling almost guilty about not working towards their goals, sign up for a "boot camp" or short training class. They finish it over the course of a week or so and don't want to hear about project management again for a long time.

Whatever your career goals are, plan them out into the future and decide what you'll need to do to acheive them. Plot those tasks out evenly along the course of time as you move towards your goals. Take 15 minutes a day, every day, and do something that moves you forward. I broke up my pmStudent e-Learning courses into short lessons of 10-20 minutes each on purpose, and advise students to set aside a quiet time each day when they can focus on one lesson at a time, instead of saving it all for the weekend and have to spend several hours. If they do the latter, it's likely they will never finish the course.

Kaizen

Another great application of the Power of Low Expectations is in organizational change management. Dramatic change usually doesn't stick in the organizations I've worked for. If you try to implement a new project management methodology over the course of a few months, there is little you can do but try to force it on the staff using role power and formal authority. You may get compliance, but you won't get commitment.

How many "big changes" have you experienced in an organization that were supposed to make things better, and 6 months later...

"Hey, wasn't Project XYZ supposed to fix this problem? Whatever happened to it?"

"I don't know. I think they announced the "new process" was in place, but we didn't like it so we just kept doing things the way we've always done them."

Perhaps you have a story like this you'd like to share in the comments? Come on, you know you want to!

The better way to implement lasting change is to describe the desired state in the future and formulate several stages through which the organization will pass to reach the goal. Small changes over time will yield big changes if there is a continuous march towards improvement.

It is just as important to take time between any transitional changes. This allows you time to get everyone who is impacted by the change engaged and use their creative energy to come up with great ideas and move towards the goal as a group. When people are involved and contributing to the iterative cycle of planning and execution, their voices will be heard and you can garner commitment. Long-lasting commitment.

Now get back to it.

But don't push yourself too hard.