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Does Work-Life Balance Really Exist?
Categories:
Career Development
Categories: Career Development
| I spent a good part of a recent weekend doing a final edit of an upcoming project management book. Ironically, one chapter referenced a 2004 Fast Company article called "Balance is Bunk!" ('Bunk' being a slang term that basically means 'absurd.') There I was, giving up my well-earned leisure time on a beautiful fall day, but wanting and needing to get the job done. So I went to the article, which states: "The truth is, balance is bunk. ... The quest for balance between work and life, as we've come to think of it, isn't just a losing proposition; it's a hurtful, destructive one." Now we're really getting to the core of the dilemma, I thought to myself. The author then quotes John Wood, who at the time the article was written, had been working seven days a week, 365 days a year. In regard to the elusive, so-called state of "balance," Mr. Wood said: "I don't look at balance as an ideal. What I look at is, Am I happy? If the answer is yes, then everything else is inconsequential." That made a lot of sense, I thought. I love and am passionate about what I do. I want to get this book published and out the door -- but what's on the other side of this supposedly unachievable quest for balance? Rodney Turner, PhD, recently made a presentation entitled "Work-Life Balance in Project-Oriented Organizations." A preview states: "Companies should treat their employees with respect and allow them to have a work-life balance. It is good for their physical and psychological health and therefore good for social sustainability. ... The need for profit and responding to client demands often takes precedence over employee wellbeing." Hmmm. So is work-life balance bunk? I think the answer is both yes and no. Sometimes when a project grabs us or is imposed on us, we have to say, "I surrender" -- either out of passion, guilt or intense pressure. I chose to give the book I was editing my all -- even when a "balanced" work-life scenario would have had me walking in the woods on that beautiful day. But I know it was worth it, and I know other beautiful days will come. I need to make sure I take advantage of them -- at least once in a while. What do you think about the work-life balance challenge? |
Deliverables Are Only the Beginning
Categories:
Teams
Categories: Teams
| Simply supplying a project's deliverables is not enough. Project managers must understand the goal of the project, the objectives to support that goal and the deliverables needed to fulfil those objectives. Goals describe a project's overarching purpose. They tend to be wide-reaching and related to senior management and client expectations. A project's success depends on achieving its goals. Objectives fall into two broad categories: • Objectives achieved by undertaking the project work in an appropriate way, such as addressing safety, sustainability, work force development and stakeholder management. • Objectives achieved as a consequence of completing the work of the project -- successfully creating the deliverables transferred to the customer to meet the requirements defined in the project's scope statement, for example. Objectives are the direct responsibility of the project manager, and he or she should be assigned the authority, responsibility and resources to achieve them. Deliverables are the final product from either the project management processes or the performing organization. A successful delivery hinges on achieving the specified requirements of time, cost and scope while satisfying the key stakeholder's requirements. There's more to project management than just deliverables. Focusing on them exclusively to the detriment of the project's objectives and the organization's goals is counterproductive. Project managers must understand how their deliverables will contribute to overall goals of the organization. |
If You Can't Keep Your Word, Honor It
| We often talk about keeping our word -- making a commitment and sticking to it, no matter what. But we don't often talk about honoring our word -- acknowledging when we can't meet a commitment. There will inevitably be times when we can't keep our word as circumstances change for one reason or another. Say you've committed to meeting a milestone on a specific date, for example. To keep your word, you have to do whatever it takes to make that date. But to honor your word, you only need to follow up with the person you made the commitment to and clarify why you can't meet the deadline. I'd also recommend recommitting to a different date, time or scope. This way, you're not simply hiding and hoping that things will work out, or that you won't be asked about a deliverable. Be confident enough to raise the issue directly, knowing that it will maintain a workable relationship. Even if you're unable to deliver as promised, you can at least be relied upon to raise red flags early enough, without downplaying the severity, to allow the client or team time to align their activities accordingly. And that saves time and money. To maintain a healthy relationship on your team, you must honor your word. It impacts the results of your work, your reputation, and your ability to earn a renewed trust from your clients and project team members. Honoring your word restores your integrity and creates workability. But the better you assess estimated target dates for the project tasks and milestones and your ability to manage your day-to-day activities per your own commitments to others, the easier it will to keep your word and "do it right the first time." |
Organizations Are Recruiting Project Talent—Finally
Categories:
PMI Global Congress 2010 - North America
Categories: PMI Global Congress 2010 - North America
| The buzz at PMI's Global Congress 2010--North America was that organizations are finally looking to hire. And that's good news for project practitioners at any level. |
Great IT Projects Demand Great Governance
Categories:
PMI Global Congress 2010 - North America
Categories: PMI Global Congress 2010 - North America
| As CIO of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Richard A. Spires oversees 91 projects, each with a budget of at least US$50 million. And the first thing he did was conduct a review of each one of them. "It took a while but it was extraordinarily useful," he told the audience at PMI Global Congress 2010 -- North America. To transform great ideas into great project outcomes, you need great governance. But that only comes with the support of empowered executives who understand their role in keeping projects on schedule, said Mr. Spires. It also helps to have a strong governance board that draws on the expertise of business, IT, procurement and finance leaders. "I want them all in the same room, and I want them to buy into this program," Mr. Spires said. "A dynamic of trust and interrelationships are formed that can really help. You need governance to keep things moving, to get decisions made, and this way they're no longer working against each other." In a bureaucratic setting that sometimes seems designed to slow progress, Mr. Spires likes to keep the entire process open. "I always tell project managers, I want you transparent," he said. "I want the major risks brought up at the governance sessions so they can be dealt with." Good governance goes hand-in-hand with good execution -- which means establishing an authoritative project management office with full-time, in-house leadership. As with many presentations at congress, there was talk about agile. Mr. Spires said people don't always know what they want when a project launches. So project managers should get projects out fast -- but be ready to shift. Mr. Spires recommends IT programs incrementally deliver operational capabilities with a first release within the first 18 months after funding. But he also conceded implementing agile requires some attitude adjustment -- especially given that DHS is comprised of 22 separate government agencies. Sometimes that sets off a "culture clash" between individuals who came up through the traditional large program model and those more comfortable with agile processes. If executed well, IT can be a transformational agent, Mr. Spires said. That sounds like pretty good advice whether you're working for a massive government agency or a small startup. Let the transformation begin... |