Strategic Project Management

Earlier this week I read an interesting article at Forbes.com written by Rajeev Singh titled Why Social Engagement is Critical to Business Success. While you may be immersed in social media as a consumer, how much thought have you given to the implications of this phenomenon from a business perspective?" asks Singh. "From client support to marketing to R&D and even keeping tabs on the competition, it's not to be daunted by the implications of what this new era of social business means for the enterprise as a whole."

For most project managers I know, social media has become a big topic of discussion. In fact, many project teams have been implementing social media components into the project management process for a while now. In fact, I think it's a very good idea to use a familiar metaphor to the workforce to encourage better communication and collaboration. With that in mind, I totally agree with Mr. Singh when he suggests, "Just as with many endeavors, the incorporation of social into business is an art not a science—a strategy we continue to refine."

I don't think incorporating social media methods into the process is a silver bullet, in fact I'm convinced that if we only give lip service to becoming more social, but still cling to a heavy-handed command-and-control management philosophy, we will probably do more harm than good.

Singh describes how they have incorporated social media within their organization, which is pretty interesting: "From being active on Twitter (with several handles that target distinct audiences), to posting fresh content several times a week on our corporate blog, to sharing videos on our YouTube channel, to hosting forums where clients can interact with each other and share knowledge, to setting up LinkedIn groups that bring people with similar interests together, to keeping everyone updated via Facebook, we truly believe in the incorporation of social networking. Indeed, we not only encourage our employees to help us engage people online, we also use Chatter in-house, which enables over 1,500 Concur employees to share and collaborate with each other 24/7, no matter where they are on the globe."

Of course, what Singh is describing is not a project management application of social media (and I'm not an advocate of incorporating Twitter or Facebook into the project management process anyway), but I like his organization's push to create dialog with both external and internal stakeholders via social media.What's more, I think it makes perfect sense to leverage something so ubiquitous as social media practice in the workplace (particularly with all the young people in the workforce).

Have you had success incorporating aspects of social media within your project teams? Or, do you think this is a passing fad?
 

If you have read my blog for any length of time, you know that I work with a team of mostly young people. Except for the fact that I am a 50-something guy who rides a Harley rather than a 20-something guy that rides a bullet bike, I don't think there's a real generation gap among my colleagues. Of course there are some age-related differences, but for the most part they are minor things less associated with work and more related to fashion and other personal preferences.

On those rare occasions when my older colleagues and I talk about the younger people on the team, we talk about how their passion and energy is contagious. In fact, I think we universally agree that our younger colleagues keep us on top of our game (hopefully that doesn't come across as condescending, it isn't meant to be). The luxury of sitting back and resting on our laurels just isn't an option.

In an article written for LSJ.com, Doug Stites writes, "Young, talented workers have fresh points of view and learn about progressive ways to make business better. They can offer newer and more innovative business practices, agenda-setting theories, issue attention cycles, crisis management and the top social media tactics needed to market your company."

I have to agree with Mr. Stites. Over the last five or six years, I've noticed that young people entering the workforce are more empowered and technologically savvy than any other generation that I'm aware of. Something else Stites suggests also resonates with me, "Also, learn about their work styles. Younger generations are focused on quicker, more efficient ways of completing tasks. This translates into the workplace in positive ways."

On numerous occasions I have literally been blow away by what the members of my team are able to accomplish when given the opportunity to contribute at a higher level. There's a lot we can learn from our younger colleagues and as Stites suggests, we should "[g]ive these young workers the credit they deserve for handling substantial responsibilities."

Is there a generation gap within your project team? If not, congratulations. If there is, you may want to rethink the way you interact with the team. Part of being a project leader is to help and mentor younger workers. According to Mr. Stites, "Companies should be flexible in accommodating young talent. Having an open mind to new and progressive ideas will encourage the growth of younger and older employees."

I wish it were that easy. It is that important.

Over the course of my career I've noticed that when people are happy they tend to perform better at their work. Because we all tend to spend the majority of our time (waking hours at least) at work, when I'm happy and the work is satisfying and fulfilling, I tend to spend even more time at the office and get more done. I don't think I'm alone.

In an article she wrote for CNN Money, Linda Mignone suggests, "Aside from it sounding sensible, recent studies have demonstrated that the happier a worker is, the more productive they will be on the job. While an employee may appear engaged in their work, they may not be as effective as they could be if they were happy."

Knowing this should help us better lead and engage the people we work with on project teams. "People who are happy at work put in far more effort, work longer hours, and are more productive than those who aren't," continues Mignone. "They remain at their jobs twice as long and they work 25% more time than an unhappy employee works."

If that is truly the case, it appears that creating an environment where people are happy could be a very good strategy for increasing profitability in an economic environment where organizations are trying to squeeze every little bit of productivity they can out of people.

I think there is a relationship between happiness and engagement. In my experience, most people have a real desire (dare I say need) to contribute to something bigger than themselves. Earlier this year Modern Survey spoke to 1,000 working adults, releasing a report titled, Employee Engagement in the U.S. Workforce. You might find it interesting to know that those folks who could answer the question, "Does your company have a clear set of values that people know about and understand?" are 17 times more likely to be fully engaged than those who answered "no". I suggest that they are a lot happier too.

It seems simple enough. Make sure everyone is aware of the value of their contributions. Maybe it's even too simple. However I'm convinced that it's the first step to a happy and engaged workforce.

Maybe we should be asking our project teams the same kinds of questions asked by Modern Survey to determine how our project teams feel:

1. Does your company have a clear set of values that people know and understand?
2. Do you understand the value to your organization of the project you're currently working on?
3. How is this articulated to you?

Mignone suggests (and I agree), "When employees feel like they have some control over the work they are doing and when they feel like they're making progress, they are generally happier and more productive, and these feelings are amplified when employees are part of a team. A team makes bigger, bolder, richer sound, with more layers, like an orchestra. And the richest sounds come when the team feels they are part of something big; a big idea, a vision."

Is it important to create an environment within the project team were individuals can be engaged and happy? I sure think so. What are you doing to create that kind of environment?

 

I recently succumbed to a years-long urge to purchase a motorcycle. Without getting into the details, I'm having a fantastic time cruising around the countryside with the wind in my face and experiencing the direct connection with the road. On Saturday, we enjoyed a beautiful mountain road through the trees, leaning our bikes into the "twisties" trying to wipe the ear-to-ear grin off my face (bikers are supposed to be cool). It was the perfect day for a ride.

The guys I ride with are pretty cautious on their bikes, as am I. I wear a helmet and other gear designed to help me ride safely, and make it a point to obey the traffic laws and ride responsibly. I realize that riding a nearly 800 pound motorcycle is inherently risky, so I am careful to mitigate as much risk as is possible. Unfortunately, there are many riders who aren't and often suffer the consequences.

Going over the top of the pass on Saturday, we noticed several cars stopped on the side of the road along with a riderless bullet bike. My guess is that the rider was going too fast or not paying attention and left the road on one of the turns. Without going into the details of this particular accident, ignoring the potentially catastrophic risk pretty much spoiled an otherwise beautiful day for this unfortunate rider.

Although you are seldom putting life and limb at risk leading a project team, projects are inherently risky things too. Risk aversion is a good thing generally, but I often wonder if it's a pipe dream to assume that you can eliminate all risk from a project. I have a friend who likes to say, "There are two kinds of riders, those who have put the bike down and those who will."

I wear a helmet, boots, a riding jacket with armor incorporated into the important places along with an alert and defensive attitude while on the bike. I don't intend to stop riding because of the risk, but prefer to do the best I can to prepare for it and mitigate it.

What are some of the things project leaders can do to avoid spoiling that otherwise beautiful day? Here are a couple of suggestions:

1. Identify the risks associated with the project before it's begun: All too often when projects are proposed, stakeholders are looking through rose-colored glasses. Although I think it's important (maybe even vital in today's economy) to look for projects that will provide potential value to the organization, ignoring the associated risks is very dangerous. If a project is presented for consideration and no risks are identified, that project sponsor should be introduced to a rather large river in Egypt.
2. Craft and follow a comprehensive mitigation plan: Although much of this work should be done before a project is approved, in the real world that doesn't always happen. What's more, it may be up to you to look at the identified risks and spend some brainpower on creating a reasonable mitigation plan. Considering a few "what if" scenarios is always a good idea. Engage the project sponsor in this process so that he or she feels a little skin in the game. Realize that you may need to do some education, as most project sponsors don't really understand their role and will need a little guidance.
3. Don't let risk paralyze you: Sometimes it's easy to be so worried about risk that you never do anything creative. Avoid falling into the trap of doing what's "safe" to keep out of trouble. "Safe" can usually be equated with low value, which doesn't do any good for you or your project.

Let's face it, project management is risky. There is always something that could go wrong. Facing the risk up front is always the best strategy—put on your helmet, gloves and riding jacket, then get on the road and enjoy the ride.

How do you plan for and mitigate project risk?

Photography has been a passion of mine for over twenty years. I love shooting large-format sheet film and can still remember the first time I watched a print come to life in a tray of chemicals in the dark room.

In the days before you could get a digital preview of your images on the back of your camera, you had to trust that your skills and experience would produce a beautiful image—first viewed at the bottom of a tray in the darkroom. Most of the photography I do now is the result of a small digital camera I take everywhere with me. It has earned a permanent place in my computer bag, backpack, alongside me in the Jeep or in the saddlebag of my motorcycle. I don't go anywhere without it.

Although I don't pull out the large-format camera much anymore, I still recognize that creating a meaningful photograph is the culmination of a number of very important steps.

I think it's safe to say that most of us recognize that without the project team or the project leader, nothing gets done. However, I don't think we can ignore all the other players connected with the complete project management picture. In my opinion, the role of project stakeholders is also critical to project success.

There may be times when a project might not require a formal sponsor, however there are many times when a project without a sponsor is doomed to fail. That being said, simply having a sponsor isn't enough. Let me share a couple of sponsor-related steps that will help develop a beautiful project management picture:

1. The sponsor's role must be clearly defined: Don't assume that the project sponsor knows his or her role in the project. Most business people don't really understand the project management process (they just think they do). Make sure he or she knows exactly what's expected of him or her. It's never a good idea to make them guess about their role. They will appreciate the explanation and you will appreciate the results.
2. Watch to make sure your sponsor doesn't fall "out of the loop": If your sponsor doesn't have the political clout within the organization to help you push issues forward, he or she won't be able to add much value to the project. It's important to pay attention to how connected your sponsor is to the decision-makers in your organization. Remember, ineffective executives sometimes get the ax too. Don't let your project languish on the chopping block with them.

Sponsor relationships should add value to your project. If they don't, you may need to evaluate whether it's the way you interact with your sponsor, or whether you are following all the steps to make a beautiful picture.

What do you do to manage sponsor relationship? Have you ever had to work with a sponsor who was "out of the loop"?