Strategic Project Management

It's been several years (not to mention a few extra inches around my waist) since I last strapped on a harness and did any rock climbing. I think it must have been Raechel's post (First Steps and Conquering Daunting Tasks) that made me think about some of those experiences over the weekend. Whenever we would face a new wall, it seemed that there were two types of climbers: those who wanted all the "beta" (information) about the particular climb, and those who wanted to face the challenge cold.

It probably says something about me that I always wanted as much "beta" as I could get. I watched everyone that went up the wall before me, I asked lots of questions once they came down of the wall, and I asked even more questions as I went up the wall. Needless to say, although rock climbing was challenging and fun, I was never a real "hard-core" climber. I always liked knowing what I was in for before I started the climb and although I was never opposed to trying something new, where life or limb was concerned, I was never interested in climbing something that appeared too difficult for me to safely finish.

Over the years I have found that I am always willing to tackle new experiences and learn new things, however I still want as much "beta" as I can get. I read, study, watch, and try to learn as much as I can about any new challenge—whether it's a personal challenge or a new professional project. Sir Francis Bacon said, "Knowledge is power." I tend to agree.

As more and more organizations turn to project-based work to increase efficiency and reduce costs, work management methodologies that make it easy for information to flow throughout the organization contribute to greater project success. Processes or tools that inhibit the free flow of project information up and down the org chart add another level of difficulty to project communication, collaboration, and ultimately project success.

What do you do to ensure that "beta" flows freely in your project environments?
 

I owe a big shout out to Raj Menon of the 13apples blog this morning for a post he originally made back in 2008 and reposted today on building the perfect team. I really liked the message of his post and enjoyed the podcast link he posted of Nikos Mourkogiannis interviewed on Business Week's "Climbing the Ladder" podcast. They are both excellent.

Mourkogiannis suggests that every team needs the following four roles to be successful: magicians, lovers, sovereigns and warriors.

1. Magicians: The dreamers, innovators, and communicators of great ideas.
2. Lovers: The masters of engagement who spread their love of an idea and invite others to love and believe in the idea.
3. Sovereigns: The independent rulers, like the kings and queens of old, who show the path to realizing the ideas that will inspire us to keep going.
4. Warriors: Those who will lead us through thick and thin to make ideas reality.

Which role do you play on your team? Thanks Raj—great post and great podcast!

When my children were young, one of their favorite movies was The Never Ending Story, directed by Wolfgang Peterson. The 1984 movie was an adaptation of a German fantasy novel first published in 1979 of the same name, written by Michael Ende and Ralph Mannheim. The novel's hero is a boy, Bastian, who steals a book titled The Never Ending Story from an antique bookstore; and while reading becomes a part of the story himself. Saving the world of the book, Fantastica, from the "Nothing" becomes Bastian's quest.

Although most projects don't really involve saving the world from the "Nothing," I've worked on many projects over the years that could have been called The Never Ending Project. Most of the time, they feel that way because there was never a clear definition of "done" or "finished." Although the project sponsor, or maybe even the project manager, might have had an idea of what the project would look like upon completion, there was no clear definition everyone working on the project could wrap their heads around.

One of the first questions that should be asked of any project is, "What will this project look like when it's finished?" I like to call it starting with the end in mind.

My grandmother used to say, "Well begun is half done." Starting with the end in mind is a great way to begin any project. Of course, doing this is easier said than done in many organizations, but well worth the effort and a critical component to project success.

In the end, Bastian was able to save Fantastica. Starting with the end in mind might help you save yourself from the next Never Ending Project.
 

It seems the more we talk about social media and project or work management in the same breath, the more disagreement there is. I believe that most of those who dislike the notion of democratizing the project management process by making it more social fall into two camps:

1. Those who are put off by what they consider the trivial nature of current social media tools like Facebook and Twitter
2. Those who espouse a top-down, command-and-control, management philosophy and refuse to consider anything else.

What a Social Work Management Approach Isn't:

I don't believe a social work management approach works if all we do is incorporate a Twitter-like activity stream or mimic what Facebook is doing (or incorporate Twitter or Facebook for that matter). That being said, the workforce today utilizes social media in their daily lives, making it an easily recognizable metaphor for making work management processes accessible. I've said this before, but it bears repeating, the workforce today is different and interacts with media differently than it did even five or ten years ago. If we can successfully capture the essence of what makes social media work generally, within the work management context, I see the increase in collaboration, communication, and visibility a real plus.

Now, I don't believe for a minute that incorporating a one-size-fits-all approach to incorporating a more social project management methodology is a good idea. Every team is different and what might work very well for one team, won't work for another. That being said, I think the way we communicate with each other is changing. I remember the times before email (which was a real game changer for most of us back then) and there was a lot of push-back, that seems pretty silly now. How many of us would be able to do our jobs without email. I certainly wouldn't.

Command-and-Control Managements Philosophy Just Doesn't Work

Democratizing the process just makes sense to me. Those closest to the work really do tend to understand it best. And, they should be "enabled" to provide input into time-lines, milestones, and deliverables if project leaders really want accurate information. Does that mean that the project leader's role diminishes? Not in the least. In my opinion, their role is elevated as it evolves into more of a sophisticated leadership role. Project leaders who are able to grasp the vision of relinquishing the arcane notions of managing people with a top-down philosophy are seeing their project teams increase productivity. I hear from people all the time who tell me that it was not only a liberating change in terms of the decrease in time they spent glued to the computer screen; involving their teams in more of the project planning process increases team member engagement, increased team camaraderie, and improved productivity.

In today's world, socializing the work management process makes sense. What are you doing to democratize project management and engage your project teams.