Smart Cities: Project Manager as Privacy Officer
Categories:
smart cities,
smart city,
data privacy,
privacy,
privacy concerns,
project,
project management
Categories: smart cities, smart city, data privacy, privacy, privacy concerns, project, project management
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Note: this is a guest post from Smart Cities expert, Dr. Beverly Pasian. Learn more about her at the bottom of the post. I'm honored to have her expertise in this series on Smart Cities and Project Management! The pandemic was the excuse, not the reason. In May 2020, Sidewalk Lab’s CEO Dan Doctoroff pointed to the economic impact of the pandemic as making the financial viability of the Toronto smart city project uncertain. While undoubtedly a factor, the downfall of the unprecedented urban experiment began two years earlier with the resignation of key advisors. Notable among them was privacy expert Dr Ann Cavoukian who, concerned that the imagined ‘city of privacy’ was turning into a ‘city of surveillance,’ was unconvinced with Google’s commitment to protect personal information. In doing so, she revealed a new role within the spectrum of project management professionals—the project-manager-as-privacy-officer. Within this revelation one can further see good and bad news. The bad news? Privacy is given almost no specific mention in any of the major project management standards. The good news? It can be interpreted in all of them. Direction is available for project management professionals seeking to enrich their careers. Imaginings are offered below, influenced by PMI’s project management principles, and easily applied to IPMA’s people, practice, and perspective competences. Be a diligent, respectful, and a caring steward of data As a project manager, you will be entrusted with personal and proprietary data possibly at all stages of the project. Upholding ethics and values will be natural extensions of this work. Data stewardship comprises responsibilities both within and outside the organization and should be reflected in your integrity, care and trustworthiness. More specifically, measures must be taken to ensure compliance with policies and accords such as the General Data Protection Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Demonstrate privacy leadership Privacy and data can be secured in a project when key roles are staffed, notably those of the privacy manager, individual privacy officers and a data protection officer. Combined, they represent the privacy organization and are responsible for the interpretation of privacy policy(ies) and compliance across the project or program. The project governance structure would be a natural place to create this leadership. Respect the rights of all stakeholders as data subjects Within a privacy discussion, a stakeholder is a data subject – someone whose personal data is contained within or otherwise affected by the project. They can be positively or negatively affected by the project when, for example, their data is (securely) used for stakeholder feedback. On the other hand, compromising or breaching personal data can dramatically curtail or stop project activities. Effectively engaging a stakeholder involves the provision of reliable information / policies detailing how their personal data is managed (including in the event of a data breech). This will directly help foster a culture of trust.
Champion the true value of privacy (it’s not the data) At its core, the value of privacy is in the feelings and esteem of a project team member, not the data. The unexpected / unwanted sharing of personal information is, at best, an embarassing distraction but, at worst, a criminal act violating someone’s boundaries. At any point along this spectrum, it can be a significant departure from the project’s work. Much as a business case is a starting point for project value, a privacy policy can be for a project organization. Starting with one or more official sources, a contextual interpretation demonstrates clear leadership and advocacy for the unspoken needs of team members. The potential value—based on good will if nothing else—is enormous. Recognize, evaluate and respond to data breaches Project teams must realize the holistic view of the project as a system with privacy and data security embedded therein. The team needs to understand that a single change (for example, a breach of data) can cascade across the project and a response mechanism is essential to maintaining the system. Privacy professionals see breaches as more than risks. Their essential nature—the unwanted sharing of personal data—is largely the same regardless of circumstance. So is the response: (1) stop the breach and (2) prevent its recurrence. Create a collaborative team environment Paradoxically, a collaborative team culture can maximize opportunities for respecting privacy and data security. The transparent exchange of ideas and practices can result in data management agreements, organizational structures (i.e, the identification of a privacy steward) and processes (e.g., data protection impact assessments). Sharing experiences as ‘cases’ for other’s enlightenment is invaluable. Build quality into information management Quality is the ability of an organization to fulfill the stakeholders’ implicit and explicit needs. The same can be said for privacy and data protection. Compliance criteria (such as laws or regulations) specify ways to assess if quality has been achieved. Navigate complexity of personal, project and organizational data Data comes in many forms and from various sources and a project manager can create effective divisions: personal, project and organization. Complexity can (increasingly) emerge from their (mis)use in projects, programs or portfolios. Setting clear privacy and data security principles and breach responses can help. Widespread knowledge and acceptance of this information is essential, along with the careful distinction of responsibilities between the privacy manager and data protection officer. While related, these are separate roles with their own functions and relationships to the project manager. Embrace adaptability A project manager must also respond to changing data conditions. Is the data fit for the purpose(s) of the project? Is a source continually reliable? Do the IT functions and infrastructure support the (changing) data conditions? Is the project organization working in accordance with privacy laws, regulations and policies? Conducting regular privacy and data protection audits, serving as a sounding board for continuous learning and improvement, and deepening your own skills and knowledge will all contribute. Blog posts are inherently limited, and this one is no different. The thoughts above provide insight (not instruction) on a critical new dimension to a project manager’s role. For the broader perspective for both this post and those upcoming in this smart city series, I’ll return to Toronto. When officially launched in 2017, Alphabet (Sidewalk Lab’s parent company) emphasized the vital importance of improving quality of life in making its city-focused technology decisions. The Toronto project was not a ‘random activity’ but the result of more than a decade’s deliberations. As a native Torontonian, I was grateful at the time to hear this thoughtfulness. And as a researcher of quality-of-life in smart cities, even happier to hear this view from a project sponsor (Alphabet Chair Eric Schmidt). It was only a year later when project leadership started to deteriorate and project failure could be seen (in hindsight anyway) as inevitable. Anonymization protocols were not secure enough for Dr. Cavoukian. Former Blackberry CEO Jim Balsillie thought the project an experiment in ‘surveillance capitalism’ (one of the more frightening phrases I’ve heard in smart city discussions). Other privacy advocates contributed to these very public fallouts. Could quality-of-life in the Toronto/Sidewalk Lab model be achieved? Apparently not. But did it show that project team members could advocate a new type of civic (not just social) responsibility? Yes. Did these project professionals do so by clarifying privacy as an abstraction into something of immediate and tangible importance to a citizen’s daily life? Absolutely yes. In developing as professionals, project managers can look favorably on the Toronto experiment. Privacy and data security were revealed as key, new dimensions of their job. Perhaps most importantly, project managers can also look at it as a clear example of their other role… that of affected citizen.
Beverly Pasian’s career is one of a project management practitioner and researcher. For more than 30 years she has managed, taught and conducted research in the public sector around the world. She has dozens of courses, papers and presentations to her credit along with master’s degrees (in education and business), a Doctorate in Project Management (2011) and a Doctorate in Business Administration (2023). Expert and leadership participation in the IEEE and IPMA are ongoing. One of the best decisions of her professional life was to pivot her focus from project management maturity to smart cities. Investigating the role of projects in maximizing quality of life in smart cities is the most responsible step she wants to take as a researcher…with the ultimate goal of working directly with companies and cities to do the same. December, 2023 Future posts will revisit the question…how do projects contribute to quality-of-life in smart cities? Stay tuned. |
Dr. Beverly Pasian
Projecticity
Categories:
project leader,
project leadership,
projecticity,
smart cities,
smart city,
power skills,
saudi,
jobs,
careers,
project
Categories: project leader, project leadership, projecticity, smart cities, smart city, power skills, saudi, jobs, careers, project
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Image generated by incredibly thoughtful prompts from the author and the help of DALL-E The title of this post – projecticity, is a mashup of the words project and ‘electricity’… electricity in the sense of electrifying growth in PM career opportunities. Here, I continue the series on Project Management and Smart Cities. A new guest post is around the corner from Dr. Beverly Pasian, an expert in this area. However, given the projectmanagement.com focus on careers this month, I wanted to provide this post, focused (you guessed it) on the opportunities already here and coming along in the next few years for project managers (and project leaders) in the field of Smart Cities. I found a great resource from the Information and Communications Technology Council, Canada. It’s a summary of research on career roles based on the explosive growth of Smart Cities. Project management features heavily in it. One way that’s made obvious is that the word “project” appears 43 times in this 40-page document! The document (pictured below) can be found here or by clicking on the image below.
From this report, the focus was on five categories of roles:
I would argue that true project leaders are often working all 5 of these roles simultaneously. Like most reports of this nature, it begins with the promising growth of Smart Cities: Revenues from smart city projects worldwide are projected to grow from $116 billion (USD) in 2020 to $241 billion (USD) in 2025. 1 These initiatives, along with globalization, urbanization, and rapid digital disruption, will impact existing jobs and establish a demand for newly defined occupations in smart cities and beyond. In the research, the ICTC interviewed industry leaders in the Smart Cities area, whose overarching message was: “future skill needs will likely be centered around data and digital literacy combined with strong soft skills.” To expound further on this, The skills interviewees sought when building their teams included cross-disciplinary talent with technical skills combined with data analytics knowledge and an awareness of issues around privacy and ethics, and inclusivity and equity in technology design. In discussing cross-disciplinary talent, interviewees pointed to the need to overlap fields of study that have traditionally been more pursued in isolation. The theme of combining fields of study came up multiple times, with interviewees saying that a greater combination of technical and analytical skills and certifications (for example business along with engineering, or civil engineering and data science) would help prepare people for their department. Interviewees from one department had recently begun working on university partnerships, stating that such initiatives “provide students that key level of life experience that they need in the workforce.
In terms of certifications, as expected, Certified PMP® was one of only five certifications listed as desired, along with PE, MBA, Safety Professional and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. Amongst the Power Skills listed were (should sound familiar to project managers!):
The report (and others, like this one from BurningGlass, and this one from PMI) said that employers saw their skill requirements focused in the areas of
Listed under these human skills were:
To close this brief post, here’s an actual example of a job posting for a PMO leader for a Smart Cities initiative in Saudi Arabia: Job Title: PMO - Smart Cities Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Overview:
Responsibilities:
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What problems do Smart City Projects Solve?
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Continuing with the theme of Smart Cities… I have several guest posts pending. In the meantime, I just want to make a resource available for you to help with this post series. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Smart_at_Scale_Cities_to_Watch_25_Case_Studies_2020.pdf From this report by the World Economic Forum, this extract should be helpful: What problems do smart city applications solve? Smart city applications are manifold and can address diverse yet similar challenges that cities face around the world. These include congestion, burgeoning populations, gaps in infrastructure, inadequate service delivery, exclusion, poverty, a lack of competitiveness, limited liveability, vulnerability to climate change, and natural and man-made disasters. In some cases, especially in emerging countries, challenges are even greater and affect the very survival of some of these cities. Cities are increasingly implementing projects with smart solutions in waste management, traffic congestion, citizen safety, affordable housing, water resource management, smart buildings, efficient use of energy, renewable energy resources, facilitating navigation of autonomous vehicles, citizen participation and stakeholder consultation, to name a few. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is helping cities leapfrog certain stages of development by harnessing affordable digital solutions. Among these diverse definitions and solutions, the common goals or themes of efficiency, innovation, inclusion and resilience stand out. According to the G20 2019 Japan report Finding New Solutions through Building Smart Cities, a city that uses data and digital technologies effectively to plan and manage its core functions becomes efficient, innovative, inclusive and resilient. Integrating digital technologies, especially AI, into a city’s systems and services presents new and affordable opportunities for a city to solve its challenges. This in turn will help it achieve the Sustainable Development Goals through efficient use of its resources, effective stakeholder engagement, informed decision-making and better governance. Stay tuned for much more on this topic! Thanks. |
Smart Project Leaders: Get Smart on Smart Cities
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With all of the attention on AI in general, especially in the sense that ‘the robots are coming’ and the panic of the downside of AI, I think it’s time to consider the good that AI – or at least “smart’ contribution that sophisticated software (and hardware) can make to humanity. I came across a really nice post on LinkedIn that summarizes the concept of Smart Cities. It’s from David Cain ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/dccainpc/ ).
In today's rapidly evolving urban landscape, the concept of Smart Cities is becoming increasingly vital. At its core, a Smart City utilizes technology that In today's rapidly evolving urban landscape, the concept of Smart Cities is becoming increasingly vital. At its core, a Smart City utilizes technology to enhance the efficiency and quality of urban services. This includes improving transportation systems, reducing energy consumption, and streamlining waste management. By integrating data and digital technology, Smart Cities aim to optimize city functions and drive economic growth while ensuring sustainability. I really would like the project management readers to note the broader definition of sustainability. Many of you (and you know who you are!) think of sustainability as “save the whales, save the snails” – that is, it’s about ecology and environment only. Not so. Amongst ‘people, planet, profit’, it’s not only about planet. Not even close. Sustainability means much more, including, and perhaps especially the improvement of life for humans (people) and improved effectiveness and efficiency for business (profit). In future posts, I’ll be relying on some experts in the project management area who are focused on smart cities and the projects that enable their creation. Of course, this is part of “the Built Environment”, which, in turn, fits nicely into PMI’s excellent new focus on this area, with a new credential, the PMI-Construction Professional (PMI-CP™). So much (project!) effort will be needed as these smart cities are built up, it behooves project managers to learn about the rationale behind it, and the technologies in it. This is what I intend to cover in following posts. For now, you can watch this introductory video on Smart Cities. Notice how the focus is NOT on 'saving whales', but heavily on making life better for humans. However to learn more about what this means to and for Project Leaders, stay tuned! |
The Clumsy AI-ssistant, Part 2
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In Part 1 of this blog post, I introduced the idea of, and demonstrated the capabilties of ChatGPT (and by extension Generative AI) at the intersection of PM and Sustainability. ChatGPT did well – not perfect, but well - in that exercise.
In Part 2 of “the Clumsy AI-ssistant”, I am going to get right into a dialogue with ChatGPT in which we see it applied to the construction project: build a birdhouse.
Rich: I am building a birdhouse for local chickadees. Acting as a project manager, can you create a network diagram for this initiative? ChatGPT: Certainly, I can help you create a simplified network diagram for your birdhouse-building project. A network diagram is a visual representation of the project's tasks and their interdependencies. Here's a basic network diagram for your chickadee birdhouse project: Project: Building a Chickadee Birdhouse
This is a simplified network diagram for your chickadee birdhouse project, outlining the sequence of tasks and their dependencies. Each task should be completed before the next one begins. Keep in mind that this is a relatively straightforward project, and the tasks listed are quite high-level. You can further break down these tasks into more detailed subtasks or include additional tasks as needed.
Rich: But, can't some of those tasks be done in parallel?
ChatGPT: Certainly, some of the tasks in your birdhouse project can be performed in parallel to save time and improve project efficiency. Parallel tasks are those that don't have strict dependencies on each other and can be executed simultaneously without one task blocking the other. Here's a revised network diagram that takes parallel execution into account: Project: Building a Chickadee Birdhouse
In this revised network diagram, Task 2 (Gather Materials) can begin as soon as Task 1 (Design Birdhouse) starts. Similarly, Task 5 (Paint or Stain) can begin once Task 4 (Assemble Birdhouse) is in progress. This approach allows for better time management and can potentially shorten the overall project duration by overlapping tasks where possible.
Rich: But you didn't include any safety items. We will be cutting wood. How about safety glasses, gloves, maybe even having a first-aid kit nearby? ChatGPT: You are absolutely correct; safety measures are critical when working on a project that involves cutting and working with materials like wood. Safety equipment and precautions should always be included in any project plan. Here's the updated network diagram for your birdhouse project, including safety measures: Project: Building a Chickadee Birdhouse
Including a safety preparations task at the beginning of the project is a crucial step to ensure that all necessary safety measures and equipment are in place. Safety should always be a top priority when working on any project, especially when it involves potentially hazardous activities like cutting wood.
Rich: For Step 2, wouldn't a predecessor to Design be some research as to what are some best examples and trends in birdhouse construction? ChatGPT: You're absolutely right; conducting research and gathering information about best practices and trends in birdhouse construction is an essential step before proceeding with the design. Research serves as a precursor to the design phase, as it informs the design decisions and ensures that the birdhouse meets the needs of the intended occupants (in this case, the chickadees). Here's the updated network diagram for your birdhouse project: Project: Building a Chickadee Birdhouse
Incorporating a research task as the precursor to the design phase will help ensure that the birdhouse design aligns with the best practices and trends in birdhouse construction, and it takes into consideration the specific needs and preferences of chickadees. This approach will lead to a more effective and bird-friendly design. Rich: Why didn't you think of the safety and research tasks? Why did I have to prompt you for this? It seems you left out some important considerations, and without them, I have incomplete scope for the project! ChatGPT: I appreciate your feedback and understand your concern. You are absolutely correct that safety and research are essential considerations in any project, and they should have been included in the initial network diagram. I apologize for any oversight in the initial response. Your input has helped to identify these important aspects of the project. Creating a comprehensive project plan is vital for the successful execution of any project. I'm here to provide guidance and information, and your feedback is valuable in ensuring that all crucial elements are considered. In building a birdhouse or any other project, safety and research are key components that should be integrated from the beginning to ensure that the project is carried out effectively and safely. Thank you for highlighting these important aspects, and I'm here to assist with any further questions or project planning needs you may have. What do you think of this exchange? I’m really interested in your human feedback here. Do you notice a couple of things, as I did?
This reinforces my point – and actually ChatGPT literally made it for me by saying “I’m here to assist”. It’s an assistant, alright, and can indeed be very helpful, even invaluable. But it is clumsy. So, work with it knowing that it’s a clumsy assistant! |
