PMI Global Insights

By: Wael Ramadan
Professor, Project Management and Strategy, Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

My recent session at the PMI Virtual Experience Series: 9 June addressed the need for organizations to continuously adapt and restructure to survive and grow. Strategic planning can be seen as the art of survival and something that all organizations in all industries need to do successfully. Some of the questions raised by attendees, along with my response, are included here.

Question 1: Do you think it was that Blockbuster could not adapt or do you think it was simply they could not adapt in time and in an efficient and timely manner?

Blockbuster’s response was too late. They tried to have by-mail service and online streaming, but the damage was already done. They struggled to compete with the new business models, and they failed at it. Following a wait and see approach in business strategy could be too late and too costly. Blockbuster even had an opportunity to acquire Netflix for ~ $50 M, but its CEO at the time turned this offer down. Netflix at that time was a DVD mailing service. Blockbuster’s success at the time blurred their vision. They missed the transformation, and it was very unforgiving.

Question 2: What's the difference between the mission and the vision?

The vision statement answers the question “what do we want to become?” and the mission statement describes our reason for being and it answers “what is our business?”

The vision usually comes first, it is a short statement that is comprised of a sentence or two. The mission is more elaborative, and it could be up to 150 words as it reflects the anticipations of the customers. It is broad enough and it appeals to diverse stakeholders. The mission statement allows for the generation of alternative goals and strategies.

Full presentations will be on demand through 31 January 2023.  Visit PMI Virtual Experience Series 2022 for more details.

By: Joe Shi
Architect/Project Manager, BDP Quadrangle

I presented at the PMI Virtual Experience Series 2022 event held on 9 June 2022.  This was a great event with featured speakers, exhibits and networking activities.

My presentation “Project Takeover: Transition toward Success” focused on navigating the challenges of taking over a project that is well into its life cycle through an understanding the project state and your role, establishing an effective forward trajectory, and approaching the takeover process with a positive mindset.  In describing and analyzing the strategies I’ve employed through many projects that have led to successful takeover experiences, it is my hope that the presentation was able to impart a degree of comfort and confidence in taking ownership of a project and trusting that your skills as a project management professional will allow you to transform any initial obstacles into opportunities for personal fulfillment and success.

During my presentation, I received a lot of great questions that we didn’t get a chance to cover, and my responses are below.

Question 1: How do you address stakeholders that lost interest in a construction project and no longer play their part? How do you get all the parties to play their financial parts?

This is a difficult question to answer as there are many factors at play that are not evident in the question.  In the case study I presented, I was able to get the stakeholders interested again by engaging them and appealing to their interest in the project through the things that mattered to them.  They needed to be reminded of what they stand to gain if they played their parts properly.  If the stakeholders in question are retained by your company, then perhaps it is in their best interest to continue performing their job if they wish to have future collaborations or receive favorable recommendations.  If the stakeholders in question are retained by the main client, then you may not have that power, but you can strengthen your relationship with the client to ensure that they are able to help you get the other stakeholders back on track.

If all else fails, always remember that you are primarily responsible for your part of the project and not for the performance of other stakeholders, especially if they have not been recommended or retained by your company.  Ensure that you perform your role to the utmost quality to maintain the business relationships your company wants to maintain and that the client sees your continued engagement with the project.  Sometimes, things beyond your control are truly beyond your control; you just need to show that you are a stakeholder who is looking for solutions instead of creating problems.

Question 2: When do you consider it appropriate to refuse to take over the project?

The only reason I would refuse to take over a project would be the same reason I would refuse to take on a new project, and that is if I do not have the physical capacity to do so.  I have never refused to take over a project based on the number or degree of complications I foresaw.  When it comes to unrealistic expectations for a project, I’ve found that communications have mostly been the root cause of unwanted stress.  This is why I emphasize analyzing and communicating expectations and goals for the project with upper management prior to taking over any project so that realistic goals can be set or reset if necessary.  You have to understand that your company has nothing to gain from setting up unrealistic expectations and making it difficult for a new project manager to take over a project.  But once internal expectations are reasonably set, you can look at any further challenges on the project as a learning experience.  Moreover, any improvements you manage to make to the project trajectory will become opportunities to further demonstrate your value and skill as a project manager.

I had a great time presenting, and the full presentation will be on demand through 31 January 2023.  Visit PMI Virtual Experience Series 2022 for more details.

By: Paul Capello
Consultant, Paul A. Capello LLC

A recent session at the PMI Virtual Experience Series: 9 June focused on how a global project management office (PMO) can add significant value to projects and to organizations. Here are responses to some of the questions raised by attendees.

Question 1: Where is time captured for this effort to determine TCO?

Total Cost of Ownership is subjective and can be calculated based on operational and capital costs for every project at the Pre-Planning using a PPPD (Proposed Project Profile document).

Question 2: What is your experience in tracking the value of the PMO in organizations? What benefit does it bring and how do you measure it?

My personal experience is based on not only quantitative or Financial ROI but also the qualitative (patient safety in my world). It can be measured in dollars and or metrics that are organization specific.

Question 3: Can we have information about your project management course for health care?

Please check the USF curriculum that starts in the Fall 2022.

Question 4: In one organization where I worked, we only had some projects that operations needed us in. In another client’s site, I saw they have a blanket mandate on all the projects. Is there a standard or is it as the organization wants?

There is no one size fits all. I have had clients that had separate PMOs (one in Planning and one in IT). The hierarchy of approval should go from projects to programs to portfolios based on strategic goals no matter what department.

Question 5: Where we can get PMO process tools and techniques?

My class offers more tools. Just email me for more info.

Question 6: How do you persuade or show the value of a PMO to management when unconvinced of its values? Also, can you guide us to some great PMO tools? 

You need to start with the “small wins” to show value. If you have enough of those the departmental leaders will come to you. Every management level has budgets and needs to adhere to those. That is the simplest way. Show it saves time and money. PMO tools like Clarity and MS Project usually do the job. Remember to keep it simple. Tools are only as good as those using them.

Question 7: What are tips for ensuring PMOs don’t restrict an organization’s agility?  Also, tips for integration/training to reduce power struggles and ensuring PMO isn’t viewed as a bolt-on?

PMOs adhere to the methodology used by the organizations. Power struggles are inevitable but results matter. It’s all about RESULTS that show value and Bolt-on usually does not have that purpose.

It was a pleasure being a part of this event. Full presentations will be on demand through 31 January 2023.  Visit PMI Virtual Experience Series 2022 for more details.

By: Dalibor Ninkovic
Manager, Citizen Developer, PMI

A recent popular session at the PMI Virtual Experience Series: 9 June had a panel discussion on citizen development.  Moderated by PMI’s Dalibor Ninkovic, the panel included Jesse Shiah (AgilePoint), Raveesh Dewan (Joget, Inc.), Matt Hubbard (TrackVia), and Gautam Nimmagadda (Quixby). Some of the questions raised by attendees, along with a response, are included here.

Question 1: I completely have a non-IT background. Would it be worthwhile if I start from CD-Foundation level with PMI?

Yes! Citizen Development is intended for people who are not software developers or IT professionals by trade. If you have a passion for problem solving and want to help your company identify bottlenecks and create solutions to solve problems and processes that are not as effective as they should be, then you should enroll.

Question 2: Would you recommend any book on citizenship development?

Yes, the Citizen Development Handbook for Creators and Changemakers is a great resource Click here!  If you are a PMI member, click the link, sign in and then you get the digital version free!

Question 3: How does a company guarantee standards and security if "everyone" is developing their own software?   Sounds like an invitation for chaos bad code and security breaches.

You are correct. If properly ungoverned, Citizen Development will most definitely turn into a Shadow IT. For that reason, any Citizen Development strategy/implementation within an organization must have a well-defined set of rules usually enforced through Citizen Developer Centre of Excellence/Command Squad practice. This ensures that all Citizen Developer delivered projects follow those rules (security, etc.) and are always under the IT department’s governance umbrella.

Question 4: I can see these low-code no-code (LCNC) platforms for requirements prototyping, but are they robust enough for high-volume enterprise products and business critical systems?

Yes, absolutely. Having said that, not all low-code or no-code vendors are enterprise ready. There are a variety of platforms available (~500) on the market each with its limitations, however, careful selection of the platform or multiple platforms may be needed to meet all the needs of your organization. Click here to learn 6 steps for choosing the right low code/no code platform.

Full presentations will be on demand through 31 January 2023.  Visit PMI Virtual Experience Series 2022 for more details.

By: Dimitrios Zaires
Lieutenant, Logistics & Project Officer
Hellenic Army

I recently presented at the PMI Virtual Experience Series: 9 June.  This was a great event with featured speakers, exhibits and networking activities.

My presentation, “Project Innovation: Narrowing the Gap Between a Corporate and Startup Environment,” focused on outlining the tradeoffs between a corporate and a startup project environment by giving insights from a complex supply chain design - redesign a corporate project versus a logistics project in an early stage B2B2C startup. We compared these two relative mindsets - the corporate, which is related to fixed culture and the startup, which relates to a growing culture that suggests that every failure is a chance to learn. Growth experimentation and resistance to failure are the key outcomes to assist project managers in leading with agility in these challenging times by being customer-driven and focused on the market problem and addressing business acumen, not just being scope-driven. The use of proof of concept via business models, and not business plans, transforms project managers to project leaders to communicate deliverables to the stakeholders in the right manner. And we all need to support young leaders to address disruptions via the route of project innovation.

My presentation highlights were focused on:

• How young people embrace project management to become leaders today!
• Two case supply chain projects for corporate & start-up environments
• The difference between business models & business plans
• The concept of intrapreneurship & entrepreneurship in project management
• The fixed & growth mindset and how they are applied in organizations
• How do you select the mindset you belong!
• The main takeaways of understanding frugality and resilience to failure!
• C-Suite leaders should care to allow innovation & support young PMs
• The action plan for project innovation via hypothesis – proof of concept & scale up.

During my presentation, I received a lot of great questions that we didn’t get a chance to cover, and my responses are below.

Question 1: What is the difference between an intrapreneur and an entrepreneur?

To understand the difference between an intrapreneur versus an entrepreneur I would strongly advise to begin from the definition of:  What is intrapreneurship? According to the MIT Sloan School of Management & Meredith Somers: Intrapreneurship is acting like an entrepreneur within an established company. It’s about creating a new business or venture within an organization. And thus, entrepreneurs can exist in corporations, and corporations need them more and more nowadays.

Startups and corporations aren’t mutually exclusive as Rachel Kerrigan says. You may find qualities of startups in large companies and vice versa. In fact, many corporations have started creating teams dedicated to innovation to respond more quickly to change. The question is: Are you interested in entrepreneurial work?

The principles of entrepreneurship aren’t strictly related to starting your own business. Instead, they focus on being able to identify business opportunities, explore the risks and rewards of pursuing a venture, and develop a thorough business strategy.

In this context, an intrapreneur is acting like an entrepreneur within an established organization!

Question 2: Please kindly explain better how to make a business model or better still propose a useful resource.

In terms of tools or techniques to design a business model to achieve this result or at least be guided through this concept there is a huge amount. But I would strongly suggest you start from the business model canvas to get familiarized and then work backwards. The Business Model Canvas is a strategic management template used for developing new business models and documenting existing ones. It is a visual representation of a business model, highlighting all key strategic factors including but not limited to customers, value propositions, channels, customer relationships, key resources, key activities, key partnerships, and cost structure.

If you feel you are in the idea stage of the project, I suggest the lean model canvas. This is a 1-page template that helps you deconstruct your idea into its key assumptions. And search for business models. It will assist your effort to hypothesize, and it will assist you to decodify the problem you are solving and the value it has for your end user.

Question 3: How important is TRUST among the 'Entrepreneur' and the 'Intrapreneur'?

This is one of the most important factors, indicating beyond trust that you are having a strong team, sometimes experienced or people that have been facing the problem in the industry, or even a team that has worked in the past together delivering results. In this context, a strong team building trust among your business and in general your stakeholders can reduce the risks of an investment in a startup or the risk of allowing a project manager inside an organization to propose a charter and kick off the project.

It is indicative that even if the problem in the market is not 100% defined or you don’t have the total addressable market (via a concise hypothesis), even more if you do not exceed in the business model excellence or the business optimization operational excellence, a trusted team with a strong vision can surpass the money from investors. This is because you are trusting the people to which you give the money and thus their vision to make their story come true!

I had a great time presenting, and the full presentation will be on demand through 31 January 2023.  Visit PMI Virtual Experience Series 2022 for more details.