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Project Management in Nontraditional Environments
| Some people see advertising as primarily a creative business -- antithetical to the rigor and disciplines of project management. But the complexities of today's marketing mix are changing that perception. Agencies and clients who spent the past century perfecting project management functions around print, broadcast and direct mail are being forced to readjust systems to the complexities and rapid-fire change of digital marketing. Two worlds are colliding. Digital teams view process as an essential science. The project manager is the team lead that everyone depends on for risk management, communication, client management, profitability and ultimate success. But traditional advertising teams tend to see process in a different light. They look to their account and creative directors as the team leads. The project manager, while important, often takes on a more administrative role, ensuring resources are in place, schedules are communicated to vendors and paperwork is complete. When I took on my first role as a manager of a project management office (PMO) for a large ad agency two years ago, the difference between these two worlds became vividly clear to me in a conversation with one of our creative directors: Me: We need to translate the client brief into a statement of work so we have a specific record of what we'll be delivering. Creative Director: We don't know what we'll be delivering yet. Me: Then we should meet with the client to understand business requirements and document them for sign-off. Creative Director: I know what the client wants, but I'm going to tell them what they need. Me: Then how do I budget resources, document our success metrics and track the progress of the project? Creative Director: That's your problem. We'll let you know when we get there. It was an eye-opener, to be sure. But eventually I was able to adjust my view of what the team was trying to achieve. I set a baseline process to create a flexible methodology that would allow us to pull in elements that were appropriate, and not commit time to requirements that didn't lend a lot of value. Some of these changes included a flexible, scalable methodology that allowed teams to pull in elements relevant to their process. This allowed them to: Have you ever been in a situation like this? What have you done to maintain rigor in your environment when the project at hand did not readily lend itself to the traditional project management processes? |
The Power of Ownership
Categories:
Teams
Categories: Teams
| Ownership of even a part of a project is a powerful thing. Ownership is tangible and allows for acknowledgment, achievement and recognition. Once a part of a project is owned, it can also be reported on and tracked, making it visible to other project stakeholders and team members. No matter what goes on in the organization, a task that is owned is a task that will have more chances of completion, with pride and focus on outstanding performance. As such, the task tends to be delivered on time, within scope and budget. Micromanagement does not have to exist when ownership is present and the team agrees to the game plan. Instead, there is clear and visible status reporting with team members eager to present their progress -- good or bad. This transparency allows the team to focus on the right solution and approach, with a clearer view of the roadblocks and their resolution. Defenses tend to come down as we focus on delivery: doing what we are expected to do and doing what we know we can and should do to deliver quality results. When ownership is truly present, team members exchange workable ideas in a productive discourse. We're open to see our own blind spots, areas that we naturally overlook or don't think to question. And when the realization of the specific blind spot is a reality, it creates a clearing for something new. |
There's an App for That
Categories:
Innovation
Categories: Innovation
| For most of human history, skills have been passed from master to apprentice on an "as needed" basis. As the apprentice encountered a problem, the master would demonstrate the solution and the apprentice learned. Early academic institutions operated along similar lines. It's only in the last century that learning has moved to a "book-and-exam" model. But many researchers have questioned the effectiveness of this method of learning for skills that involve contextual variability. Instead, they advocate developing communities of practice, mentoring and other options to replicate the master and apprentice approach. The problem with these approaches is timing: Can the master be available when needed by the apprentice? Most of the time, it seems the answer is no! Project management involves a very high level of contextual variability, particularly in the area of interpersonal relationships, motivation and leadership -- the so-called soft skills. Learning these skills in the "school of hard knocks" is not fun and has significant costs for the inexperienced project manager and organizations that rely on them. Advances in modern technology may offer a solution. Intelligent agents can already deliver context-sensitive information based on what an application has learned about you. Looking forward a year or two, it's not difficult to envisage applications on your iPad or smartphone that can understand the knowledge you're likely to need for each task or meeting. It could make the one or two relevant items in the organization's knowledge management system available to you as needed -- plus, of course, the relevant project information. If the context is not clear, advanced links could even find a "knowledge master" who's immediately available for additional advice. The smart systems then learn from your interaction and update the corporate knowledge banks. Add the ability for you and your colleagues to then input lessons learned and you have the basis for a true learning organization. Many of the elements are already in place. The question is, are we, as a profession ready to make effective use of the potential? |
Sell Yourself
Categories:
Career Development
Categories: Career Development
| As circumstances change, career expectations change. In boom times, you think about self-fulfillment. In lean times, you think about survival. In either case, your best strategy is to create demand for your skills as a project manager. You have to make potential stakeholders aware of who you are and what you can do to help make their projects a success. It makes no difference if you're in a corporate culture or working independently. The very nature of the project business is such that even before you start a project, you know that it will end. Staying alive as a project manager means being known to the people who can keep you alive. As a result, you're constantly selling yourself and your ability to help people with their projects. You can't help them if they don't know you, so you have to take steps to make yourself known. It's not enough for people just to know you, however; they also have to like you. Common sense says people buy from people they like. You're selling. They're buying. You have to network in such a way as to not only be known by others, but also to be liked by them. And one of the best ways to win people over is to ask them sincere questions. Not only does it endear you to people, but it also helps you discover their needs and what you can do to help their projects succeed. |
Get Over Your Fear and Acknowledge Your Boss
| Senior managers rank among the most under-acknowledged people in the workplace. Part of it comes down to harried, stressed out, schedule-conscious project managers not being overly concerned with delivering the praise that does pop up in their brains from time to time. And we also wonder if that praise will be taken the wrong way. Will managers think we're just trying to get on their good side? But once they're encouraged to acknowledge upward, people can't seem to wait to take action. In one virtual course I led, a project manager texted "I'll be right back. I have to go acknowledge my boss!" Ten minutes later he was back. "I did it!!!" he texted, and you could feel his pride. We all felt proud of him, too, and shared his three-exclamation-mark excitement. I was pleased to hear a similar story in a different course: Some time ago, I had told my boss privately, but I had not told anyone publicly (so as not to embarrass him too much) that he was my hero -- that he had saved me from an almost intolerable situation and allowed me to retain my dignity. I'd always felt that he acknowledged me, but was especially honored as a result of the appointment to my current position. "What he hasn't known, but will now," I told our class, with my boss sitting right there, "is that because of this, I say thank you to him every day that I've worked here, since November 2008, through my password, which is a combination of a 'thank you' to him and his name." - Jyll D. Townes, deputy commissioner for regional affairs, New York State Division of Human Rights When Jyll told this story, her boss -- and everyone else in the room -- just lit up! It was so refreshing and wonderful to see. He was totally surprised and moved. She took the risk of acknowledging upward in a public setting and reaped the reward. Don't hold back appreciation because of a person's position or influence. Sometimes those in the highest positions need our acknowledgment the most. Theirs can be a lonely and stressful path. Letting them know they made or make a difference in the workplace and in our lives will go a long way. Feel free to post an acknowledgment of your manager as a comment to this blog! |