Certification Insider

An interesting question that some of my students have been asking lately is whether they should spend time studying for the Project Management Professional (PMP)® Exam or concentrate on studying for the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® Exam. In response to this question I give one of my favorite answers as an instructor – “Well…. it depends!” You might as well ask me "Should I get a Master’s Degree in Mathematics or Physics?” Or "Should I become a Painter or a Philosopher?"

The answer to this question cannot really come from me, but it has to come from within you and depends largely on your goals, desired career path and preferences. For example, do you want to be managing a 10-Year project for SpaceX to send satellites to Jupiter? Then do your PMP® Exam prep first, because we are talking serious Waterfall-based approaches. Or do you want to be working for a small startup company developing software? Then go for PMI-ACP® because you need Agility. So the answer isn't "what Cornelius says", but instead "what you want and what you need". To help you determine which is a better fit for you, let’s delve into the benefits of each approach and then you can make your own educated decision.

Waterfall or Agile? – Projects and Career Path

In order to determine which certification is more important for you to obtain as a project manager really starts with the question of what type of career you are seeking in the project management field. Just like many organizations need to decide if Waterfall or Agile Project Management is the right choice for any specific project, so it is also true that an aspiring or current project managers need to decide which type of project management training and experience will help them successfully continue their project management career well into the future. The PMP exam is largely based on A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), which outlines mainly a Waterfall Project Management best practice approach to successfully executing projects, while the PMI-ACP (as well as other Agile Project Management certifications) are based on an Agile Project Management best practice approach.

Waterfall Project Management Overview

Waterfall (sometimes referred as ‘Traditional’) Project Management involves an in-depth upfront planning process and follows a linear, pre-determined project schedule over a specified period of time. Waterfall projects are typically predictable, have a definitive end date, and have explicit procedures of how projects are initiated, planned, executed, monitored and controlled, and closed (Deming's Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle). The advantages of using the Waterfall method to manage projects is having clear expectations and meeting those expectations by achieving certain milestones. Waterfall originated in the Manufacturing industry as a result of understanding that changes in scope mid-project were usually very costly. Generally companies use Waterfall on their projects when:

• They have executed a similar type of project previously and it is almost cookie-cutter
• They are able to determine up front the specific project scope and requirements
• They can fairly accurately estimate the resources, cost and work effort necessary to finish the project on budget and on time

Agile Project Management Overview

Agile Project Management is an iterative approach that helps project teams deliver the highest value work possible to the customer within a rapidly changing environment. The essential aim of Agile is to be flexible and be able to adapt to changes rather than being forced to execute against a pre-defined plan that may become obsolete as the project progresses. There is usually no definitive end date because the customer may decide at any point in the project that the functionality already delivered is sufficient for their needs. And Agile also uses Deming's Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle. The only difference is that product components are delivered to the customer every 2-4 weeks rather than only at the end of the project, so that they can provide feedback to ensure the project team is headed in the right direction. Agile originated in the Software Development and Mobile Application industries to help companies be first to market with new and innovative products, giving them a competitive advantage. Generally companies use Agile on their projects when:

• They do not know specifically what they want
• They do not know how long it's going to take to produce
• They do not know how much it will cost to produce

The Future of Waterfall and Agile Project Management

So you may be wondering what the future of both Waterfall and Agile Project Management is and what types of opportunities will be available to you as a project manager. Well I firmly believe that Waterfall will never truly go away since some of the basic principles are also used in Agile, such as decomposition, rolling wave planning, continuous improvement and process tailoring, to name a few. Aerospace, Medical Device and Government Contracting will still be alive and well for many years to come, although they are now embracing a ‘Hybrid’ Project Management approach, which allows companies to tailor their processes to a combination of the best practices of both Waterfall and Agile. However, it will be important to have your PMP certification in order to understand the basics of how these mainly traditional companies have been operating in the past.

Waterfall or Agile? – What’s Right for You?

If you decide that Agile is the career path for you then there are a few different ways you can go. The first would be once again to gain a good foundation in Waterfall by obtaining your PMP certification but also getting your PMI-ACP Certification soon after, which will provide you an  overview of Agile principles, best practices and different Agile methods. This will give you a solid background in both Waterfall and Agile Project Management methodologies that will position you nicely for the new ‘Hybrid’ approach that many companies are embracing. You can also choose to go with an organization that is new to Agile and become a champion or driving force for change across the company using Agile. And lastly, if you really want to be ‘extreme’, you can choose to seek out companies that are cutting-edge and use advanced Agile methods such as Lean Software Development, Kanban and Extreme Programming, which will require more extensive and specialized certification training outside the realm of the PMI-ACP certification.

Waterfall or Agile? – How About Both?

In my own experience I have seen that many aspiring or current project managers decide to obtain their PMP first since it is the most globally-recognized Project Management certification and is still the methodology used on the majority of projects being executed, and then obtain their PMI-ACP certification in addition to their PMP. I believe this is a good way to go because once you understand the basics of general project management by obtaining your PMP, you may start to work on a few Agile projects with your company and decide it’s a better fit for you. And bear in mind again that the majority of contemporary projects are no longer strictly ‘Waterfall-Only’ or ‘Agile-Only’. More traditional companies in the Aerospace, Medical Device and Government Contracting industries are now embracing a ‘Hybrid’ Project Management approach, which allows them to tailor their processes to a combination of the best practices of both Waterfall and Agile.

So… once again… when you ask me the question ”Should I become PMP Certified or PMI-ACP Certified?”, in the end… it depends! And it really depends on you!!!

(Click to download MP3...)

Project Portfolio Management and the realization that strategic alignment of all projects within an organization is crucial are both gaining ground. And this realization also emphasizes the need for having solid project selection methods.

But how exactly do you do all of this? The number of books that focus on practical advice for implementing a strategic project portfolio management process is quite small. Lucky for us that a new one with exactly that focus has just been published

The new book is titled Project Portfolio Management in Theory and Practice: Thirty Case Studies from around the World (Best Practices and Advances in Program Management) written by Jamal Moustafaev (https://ca.linkedin.com/in/jmoustafaev. In our discussion, we answer these questions:

• What is project portfolio management?
• What are the three pillars of strategic PPM?
• What are some project selection models that support a company's strategy?
• How do we achieve strategic alignment?

(This interview was originally published on The Project Management Podcast.)

Have you ever been in a meeting and then sent a text message from your phone that read: Help! I'm Stuck in this Meeting and They Ran out of Donuts? I hope that you never have to and I also hope that anyone attending YOUR meetings never feels that such a cynical text message is necessary when you are leading it. But what exactly makes a good meeting? What are the meeting management techniques that project managers have to know and master?

Meeting management is part of the Project Management Professional (PMP)^® Exam Content Outline, so it is possible that you’ll be asked about this in your exam.

In this article, I will cover what you need to know about this subject for the PMP^® Exam, and you’ll also pick up some great tips for managing successful meetings every time. I’ll share exactly what you have to do to manage your meetings successfully including the 10 essential meeting management techniques that you won’t want to miss!

PMP^® Meeting Management Techniques Defined

Let’s begin by defining what meeting management techniques are. They are the activities you do in the meeting to manage the discussion and to get a clear outcome. If you think that sounds similar to ‘meeting best practices’ then you’d be right! Meeting management techniques can also include the tasks you do either side of the meeting such as issuing the project management meeting agenda in advance and following up actions afterwards.

Meeting management techniques are an important part of how project managers do their job, and if you think the skills are all common knowledge then you’d be mistaken. I’m sure you can think of meetings that you have attended where there has been no agenda and you’ve left the room knowing that the actions won’t be documented. As a PMP, meeting management skills help you avoid those situations.

10 Essential Meeting Management Techniques for PMP^®

Let’s dive straight into the details. Here are 10 essential meeting management techniques for PMP^® certified professionals to master.

1. Develop a meeting objective.
   This is really important because you should be leaving the meeting knowing that something is different on your project, even if that is that you have just updated everyone.
    
2. Develop the agenda
   This is something that a lot of project managers struggle with, so if it feels difficult to you, be assured that you are not alone! The tip I have here is to standardize your project management meeting agenda as much as possible. Then you’ll only have to change a few items every time you have the meeting.
   
   Ask your team and the others who are attending the meeting to contribute their topic suggestions for the agenda in advance. This gives you early warning of the subjects that people want to discuss and helps the discussion stay on track.
    
3. Send the agenda ahead of time
   Remember to issue your agenda generally a few days beforehand. Any earlier and the attendees will forget they’ve got it!
    
4. Tailor the meeting to your culture
   Make sure that the meeting is suited to the environment you are in. An informal workshop isn’t going to be successful in a very formal office environment, for example.
    
5. Invite the right people
   The right people for your meeting are determined by your meeting objectives. Think about who will help you achieve those objectives and work on getting everyone there. If the ‘right’ person is unavailable, ask them to delegate their attendance to someone else. The delegate should be able to cover the items on the agenda that relate to their area. Ask that the delegate is fully briefed and has responsibility to commit to decisions.

   If, however, you think that it’s imperative that the “right” person and not a delegate participates then you will have to change the meeting date or time to make it possible for them to attend.

6. Start and end the meeting on time
   This one is pretty straightforward! Just start at the time you think is right to start and let others join as they arrive. Next time hopefully they’ll get the message that you won’t hang around. It’s disrespectful of everyone’s time but remember that it means you can’t be late either.

7. Introduce everyone
   As you open the meeting, spend a few moments going round the table asking everyone to introduce themselves. This is especially important when you are starting a project as the team might not know each other. This doesn't need to take long: name, department and role on the project are normally enough.

8. Manage conflict during the meeting
   Conflict in a meeting is going to happen and it’s often about opposing viewpoints on a topic. Discussion is healthy, so let it happen and be aware of when it threatens to take over the meeting. At that point you should say that the topic needs to be taken offline. Record the fact that the discussion isn’t finished and be sure to pick it up again outside the current meeting otherwise you’ll find that it festers.

9. Assign someone to take notes
   Unless it’s a meeting where there won’t be many actions or decisions, it’s important to make sure that there are notes covering what was talked about. It can be hard to chair a meeting and take adequate notes, so if necessary, get someone else to do the notes for you.

10. Document the action items with responsible parties
    This normally takes the form of meeting minutes. Minutes should be written up and sent out within a few days of the meeting. If the meetings are long and detailed you will want to offer the team the opportunity to review them for errors before you issue a final version. Then you need to track that individuals with actions are working on their tasks and will be able to report back on progress during the next meeting.

Project Management Meetings With Virtual Teams

The 10 essential meeting management techniques above are perfect for in-person meetings and they also work well for virtual meetings. However, when your team isn’t physically with you for the meeting you should consider some other techniques for managing your meetings. Virtual meetings need additional preparation and management. For example, you should test your technology. Make sure that your webinar tool or screensharing app works and that you all know how to use it. Check the connections from wherever you are going to be joining from. Triple check the time zone conversions so that you are expecting everyone at the right time.

A final tip for virtual meetings is to try to create a level playing field. For example, don’t have the whole team in one place with a single individual joining by conference calls. That creates inequality in the experience of the meeting and is likely to lead to the person on the phone feeling as if they aren’t part of the discussion (or becoming so disengaged that they start focusing on other work instead of your meeting).

Taking it Further: More on Meeting Management for PMP^®

Meeting management techniques are something that you can learn and improve with time. The tips in this article will help you quickly boost your skills at managing meetings, but they are still only the start of your journey towards becoming a confident meeting chair.

And for the PMP Exam? When you are choosing a PMP training course, look at the syllabus and check that it covers meeting management along with everything else. You can be confident that The PM PrepCast includes everything you need to know about meeting management techniques for PMP, with comprehensive coverage of everything else you need to pass the PMP Exam.

According to A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) a project is “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result”. Being that each project is unique it is important to also understand that an organization's project management processes will likely need to be tailored in order to ensure project success. Project tailoring takes into consideration that project management processes are not "one size fits all", meaning there will be many times when processes need to be adjusted (added, removed, or revised) in order to ensure project success.

Tailoring in project management can happen at any time and for any process being applied to a project. Organizations often have a project methodology in place and may realize that this methodology needs to allow for adjustments to best manage a variety of projects. As a project manager you cannot blindly follow a methodology, you need to know how to assess a project to determine what processes will need to be adjusted in order to achieve a successful outcome for your project. Here we are going to look at a very high level method for process tailoring. This four step method includes: evaluating existing processes, assessing the project, documenting the tailoring process, and re-evaluating.

Evaluate Existing Project Management Processes

Before you can even consider tailoring processes to meet the needs of your project you need to fully understand the project management methodology and processes utilized by your organization. Some organizations implement the philosophy of setting a base list of processes that must be utilized for each project and allowing for adding processes as long as the base requirements are met. Some organizations identify all possible processes that may be utilized for a project and allow for the removal of some if not most of the processes depending upon the project needs. Others may employ a strict method that must be adhered to and may not be altered without prior approval. Prior to doing any project tailoring it is best to fully understand the processes and know your organization's stance on making adjustments in order to best tailor those processes for your project.

Assess the Project Tailoring Needs

Assessing the project tailoring needs can be completed by asking questions in regards to each of the project management knowledge areas to determine which processes are required for project success and which may need to be adjusted. Below is a small list of example questions a project manager may want to ask when tailoring their project. Each project is unique, so you should develop a list of questions to best fit your project.

Project Integration Management:

• Is this a phased project and if so, how many phases will this project have?
• What is the size / complexity of the project and how will it impact the project management plan?

Project Scope Management:

• Will we use Agile or Waterfall?
• Are the project requirements clearly or loosely defined?

Project Time Management:

• How is time spent on the project logged by everyone?
• Does the project need to be fast tracked?

Project Cost Management:

• What tools will be utilized to track actual spending?
• Is the project team managing finances or do we need to involve the finance department?

Project Quality Management:

• Does the organizational quality policy affect this project?
• Are there any regulatory quality requirements that impact this project?

Project Human Resources Management:

• Are required skills available in-house to complete this project or will resources need to be hired?
• Will the project team be co-located or virtual? 
• Have they worked together previously?

Project Communications Management:

• Will project team members be allowed to directly communicate with stakeholders or will all communication need to go through the project manager?
• What are the preferred communication methods of the project team and stakeholders?

Project Risk Management:

•  What would be the impact to the organization if the project were to fail?
• How much risk management is “right” for the project?

Project Procurement Management:

• Will the project management team have the authority to sign contracts or will this be done by a procurement or legal department?
• What level of approval will the project team have for purchases ($100, $1,000, $10,000, etc.)?

Project Stakeholder Management:

• Are the Stakeholders physically located near the project?
• What is the anticipated involvement of the stakeholders?

Document the Project Tailoring Process

As part of the project you need to document the tailoring process approach in the project management plan. As the processes are tailored you also need to document how each process was tailored and why it was added, removed, or revised. This serves two functions. One is to document all of the adjustments made as part of the tailoring process to have a good record of the project for close out purposes. The second is to show which tailored processes worked well, and which ones may need further adjustment for future projects. By documenting the tailored processes, process tailoring guidelines and project tailoring checklists can be developed (or improved upon if already existing) to improve the process of tailoring for future projects within the organization.

Re-Evaluate Project Management Processes

Just as with many project management processes, you can't just tailor a process and walk away. As the project progresses, it is vital to re-evaluate the processes being used to determine if the tailoring is working as planned and if additional adjustments are necessary. This can be completed formally at the start of a new phase if this is a phased project or even informally as part of the project status meetings. No matter the method you chose to re-evaluate, document the approach and the results both as part of your project documentation. Project process tailoring is a good project management practice that helps ensure a successful project outcome. A project manager should not blindly apply a methodology, but instead should evaluate the existing processes, assess the project to be completed, document any process tailoring completed, and re-evaluate the tailoring process as the project proceeds. Here we have provided a high level project process tailoring method that you can apply to your projects.

(Click to download MP3...)

Last year at the Project Management Institute (PMI)® Global Congress 2016 in San Diego, California I recorded an all time high of 14 interviews. They have all been published over the past few months and you’ve probably heard some or all of them. But what you don’t know is what happened once each interview was complete.

I pressed the recording button one more time and asked each of my guests the following question: Which is the interpersonal skill that you attribute the most of our success in your career to? In other words, what skill has helped you most on your projects when you interact with others?

And today you are going to get all the answers. In one nice mashup. Here are all the presenters in the order you will hear their answers

• Jay Payette
• Kristy Tan Neckowicz
• Nk Shrivastava
• David Hillson
• Denise McRoberts
• Joy Beatty
• Kristine Hayes Munson
• Andrew Burns
• Kim Wasson
• Wanda Curlee
• Beth Spriggs
• Cyndi Snyder Dionisio
• Connie Inman

Oh, and spoiler alert... the answer that I received most often was "Relationships".

(This interview was originally published on The Project Management Podcast.)