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Small, Incremental, and Attainable—Improving Project Team Efficiency
 From 1967 to 1976 East Germany's Roland Matthes dominated the 100 and 200 meter backstroke setting nine world records. In 1976 when John Naber won four Gold Medals, a Silver Medal, and set four new World Records (including a new record for the 100 and 200 meter backstroke) at the Montreal Olympic Games I was on my high school swim team and John Naber became a personal hero.Naber is the perfect example of what author Robert Collier was describing when he wrote, "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." As a teenager, I had the opportunity to hear Naber speak about his Olympic success. Let me share with you how he toppled the dynasty Roland Matthes had created over the preceding nine years.  Matthes held the record for the 100 meter backstroke of 56.30 seconds and the 200 meter backstroke of 2:01:87, which he set at Munich, Germany in 1972 and Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1973 respectively. As Naber described it, he was several seconds slower than Matthes, which in swimming terms might as well be minutes among Olympic athletes. Undaunted, Naber set his sites on winning the Gold and setting a new world record at the 76' Games. Doing this required setting goals that would push him to stretch, but were also realistic and attainable. In a nutshell, this is what he did:
 Naber's story is meaningful because it demonstrates that sometimes, in my opinion most of the time, gradual and steady progress contributes to monumental outcomes. I believe the same is true for project based work. Project management tools, including PPM software enable project managers and teams to make efficiency improvements that impact project success. Although there are some immediately apparent and substantial gains that can be achieved with the right project management software, there are many small and incremental efficiencies that can provide exponential gains in productivity.What are some of the small improvements in efficiency you've found that have a substantial impact in project success? |
Posted on: April 12, 2010 11:05 AM
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Teamwork and Determination are Critical to Work Management Success
 In August or September of 480 B.C., the famous Battle of Thermopylae between the Greeks and the overwhelmingly superior forces of the Persian Empire clashed at the narrow pass of Thermopylae. 300 Spartans, led by Leonidas, along with 700 Thespians, 400 Thebans, and possibly a few hundred others held off Xerxes and his Persian army (which ancient sources numbered in the millions), for three days.Spartan culture focused on military training and excellence, which made them a formidable force. Working together in what the Greeks described as a phalanx, a tight-knit body of warriors with spears, swords, etc., enabled a small fighting force like Leonidas' Spartans to fight as one. Both ancient and modern writers have used the Battle of Thermopylae as an example of how training, teamwork, and the right tools can make the difference in a battle against overwhelming odds. Many of the same traits that allowed the Spartans to work together as a formidable fighting force are consistent with the work management best practices used by project teams:
What are some of the methods you use to encourage teamwork and collaboration to ensure project success? |
Posted on: April 09, 2010 10:15 AM
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One of the Greatest Project Management Successes of the 19th Century
 The engineering feat of the transcontinental railroad is considered to surpass the building of the Erie Canal in the 1820s and the crossing of the Isthmus of Panama by by the Panama Railroad in 1855. (Two of the other great engineering triumphs of the 19th century.)By joining the eastern and western halves of the United States, the transcontinental railroad ended most of the need for the slower, and more dangerous, stagecoach lines and wagon trains that preceded it.  On May 10, 1869, when Leland Stanford drove The Last Spike (or golden spike) that linked the country from Council Bluffs, Iowa in the east to San Francisco, California in the west, travel from coast to coast was reduced from six months or more to just one week.The six-year-long project that included hundreds of laborers for the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad was a work management accomplishment that would challenge any project manager today, even with sophisticated project and portfolio management software. Whether you are working on one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th Century or working on a project that is a little less ambitious, here are three traits successful project-based work shares:
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Posted on: April 08, 2010 10:24 AM
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Do Successful Project Managers Guarantee Successful Project-Based Work?
 Now considered one of the greatest military figures in history, General George S. Patton never suffered a major defeat in World War II. Credited with introducing armored warfare into the U.S. Army, Patton proved to be one of the most outstanding front-line commanders of the war.Patton is remembered for his fierce determination and showmanship, often appearing in full dress uniform adorned with medals and ribbons—including the .45 caliber, ivory-handled pistols he wore on his belt. By the end of WWII, "Old Blood and Guts" had lead the Third Army to liberate or conquer 81,522 square miles of territory. Patton's greatest success was his ability to lead men in combat and motivate them to succeed against great odds. In a post written by Cindi Smith, she asks "Does a successful project manager = a successful project?" I certainly believe it can. I agree that there is much more to a successful work management approach than establishing  milestones and assigning resources. Part of what made the Third Army successful in battle was the leadership of "Old Blood and Guts." Below are five leadership skills shared by successful project managers:
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Posted on: April 07, 2010 10:09 AM
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Successful Project-Based Work Relies on Centralized Communication
 40 years ago this month, Apollo 13 experienced an in-flight explosion that prevented the third scheduled lunar landing and put the lives of astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert,and Fred Haise in danger. The doomed mission's week in space captivated the world—including a much younger version of myself—while NASA's Mission Control and the three stranded astronauts feverishly worked to bring their crippled spacecraft home to earth.For five days, the team worked together to overcome one obstacle after another, including the rationing of water and food while Lovell and his crew  used the lunar module as a lifeboat. Ultimately, the three astronauts safely returned to earth—a testament to the value of collaboration and the never-give-up attitude they all shared."It was a failure with regards to its initial mission, a success to the triumph of the people that suddenly were thrust upon a problem that they never anticipated, they never planned for, they never trained for, and were able to pull off successfully a successful recovery," said flight commander Jim Lovell.  Working together, the engineers at NASA's mission control demonstrated the value of centralizing information and communication (with significantly less sophisticated technology than we enjoy) to successfully execute critical projects—especially during times of crisis when project success is not a foregone conclusion. Focused communication and the collaboration of everyone at NASA helped ensure that Apollo 13 returned home safely. Although the success of most of the projects we work on don't put lives in danger, we often face challenges that were neither anticipated nor planned for. If project management software did  nothing else but centralize project data, facilitate, encourage, and capture communication among project teams, most organizations could take a quantum leap forward in their work management practices and their ability to overcome obstacles.With project teams spread throughout the world, team communication and collaboration is more important than ever. Different time zones and different languages require us to take another look at how we capture and share project information. What does your organization do to collect and store project data to ensure availability to all the members of the project team? |
Posted on: April 06, 2010 10:21 AM
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