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Answer the Call for Innovation
Categories:
Innovation
Categories: Innovation
| A decade of planning came down to seven tense minutes aimed at answering the age-old question: Is there life on Mars? With that intriguing set up, John Grotzinger, PhD, pulled in a captive audience at PMI® Global Congress 2013 -- North America as he outlined the 2012 project that sent a car-sized robot, called Curiosity, to Mars. First, the team had to figure out how to land a spacecraft safely on the red planet. Mars doesn't have enough atmosphere to slow a craft for landing. So the project team devised what it dubbed Sky Crane. After a parachute slowed the spacecraft considerably, rockets prevented it from crashing, and then Sky Crane lowered Curiosity by a rope. It was an innovative "out-of-the-box idea," but U.S. government sponsors agreed to give it the go-ahead. Not all projects are quite so high profile, of course, but Dr. Grotzinger offered lessons learned for practitioners of projects large and small:
Dr. Grotzinger closed with a case for innovative thinking and perseverance: "Great works and great folly may be indistinguishable at the outset," he said. The first time his team presented Sky Crane to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), they said it was crazy -- but after tweaking the idea, they eventually accepted the pitch. The final congress keynote speaker, author and consultant Gina Schreck, covered a different type of uncharted territory, at least for some: social media. She broke people into two groups: digital natives, who feel at ease with the technology, and digital immigrants, who don't. But with Twitter, Facebook and other social tools officially an ingrained part of the business world, immigrants need to become natives fast. Ms. Schreck offered several tips to stand out on the social scene:
Ms. Schreck urged digital immigrants to embrace social media and innovation for survival. "If you don't make today's you obsolete, someone else will," she said. What are your tips for fostering innovation? Share with us in the Comments box below. Couldn't make it to New Orleans? Read more from congress. |
Sales and Leadership Emerge as the Skills to Master
Categories:
PMI Global Congress 2013 - North America
Categories: PMI Global Congress 2013 - North America
| "Like it or not, we're all in sales now," said best-selling author Daniel Pink, a keynote speaker at PMI® Global Congress 2013 -- North America in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. And that includes project practitioners looking to demonstrate the value of project management. But sales isn't what it used to be. In today's world of information parity, buyers can easily confirm or reject sellers' claims. It's no longer "buyer beware," but "seller beware." For project practitioners, that parity translates to opportunities to showcase what they bring to the table. If customers know they have a problem, they can find a solution, Mr. Pink said. But if they don't even know they have a problem, a project practitioner becomes more valuable, shifting from problem solver to problem finder. Sales skills also help gain buy-in from sponsors, stakeholders and team members. Part of that power of persuasion comes from knowing the audience and then tailoring language to the target audience instead of using specialized lingo. Limiting options -- to a project sponsor, for instance -- can also help secure buy-in by making the options less overwhelming. And project practitioners should focus their pitch on what motivates the team. Have fewer conversations about how and more about why. Project managers should even reconsider the way they talk to themselves, Mr. Pink said. Interrogative ("Can I do this?") trumps the affirmative ("I can do this") because it elicits an active response. If the answer is self-doubt, then it calls for more preparation, which is ultimately a good thing. Today's project practitioners also need to be leaders who can influence others even when they don't have formal authority, said author Mark Sanborn, another congress keynote speaker. "Titles should confirm leadership, but they can never bestow leadership," he explained. No matter the title, Mr. Sanborn said leaders win followers instead of just being given employees. They create change instead of reacting to it. They implement ideas instead of simply having them. They build teams versus directing groups. They make heroes instead of trying to be ones themselves. They create shared focus versus just being focused. And they persuade, versus communicate. Mr. Sanborn said leadership comes down to six elements: 1. Self-mastery: Take responsibility and be trustworthy. 2. Shared focus: Focused attention beats brains and brute strength. 3. Power with people: Managers have power over people. Leaders have power with people. 4. Persuasive communication: Use a combination of rapport, logic and emotion. 5. Strategic execution: Do something with the information you have or let it go. 6. Service: Give back. True leaders know what really matters, Mr. Sanborn said. And they make that matter to others. Read more posts from congress. And if you attended congress, we'd love to hear what you thought of these speakers in the Comments section below. |
Insider Tips from the Project of the Year Award Winner and Finalists
Categories:
PMI Global Congress 2013 - North America
Categories: PMI Global Congress 2013 - North America
| It's a simple reality: All projects should serve a need. And SA Water Corp. had convinced stakeholders the solution for Australia's lingering drought was an AU$1.4 billion desalination plant. As the drought deepened, the government even increased the project budget by AU$450 million, pledging to double capacity and begin production 12 months early. But then it rained. And as the water flowed, support for the project ebbed. The team quickly responded -- a case study in how outstanding project management and stakeholder communication can turn the tide. The team completed the project 19 days early and within 1 percent of the original budget, earning the 2013 PMI Project of the Year Award. "This means a lot to everyone in this project who made such a huge difference in my state and to the nation," said Milind Kumar, SA Water's project and operations director, at the awards ceremony held at the PMI® Global Congress 2013 -- North America in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. "We made our state much better off for now and forever." SA Water was honored along with two finalists: Nemours Children's Hospital Project, Nemours, Orlando, Florida, USA: To design and build a US$397 million pediatric hospital, Nemours specifically sought out the feedback of children and their families. The project team also relied on rigorous change management processes to handle the many viewpoints of the 700 physicians and other employees hired in the final months of the project. The team completed the project on time and within budget in October 2012. Savannah River Site Recovery Act Project, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, Aiken, South Carolina, USA: In 2009, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions launched a US$1.4 billion project to reduce the contaminated footprint and clean up the radioactive waste at Savannah River Site. The team surpassed its cleanup goals while bolstering the local economy by retaining 800 workers and hiring 1,400 new ones. In a panel discussion, representatives from all three organizations each offered up one piece of advice for project practitioners working on any kind of project: Don't be afraid to air some dirty laundry, said Susan Voltz, PMP, senior director, strategy and project management, Nemours. Creating a culture in which raising red flags is good helps avoid unpleasant surprises. Take the time to plan before you dig into delivery, said Paul Hunt, project manager and senior vice president of environmental management operations, SRNS. There can't be just one leader, said Mr. Kumar. There should be a network of leaders who will tell the truth -- good, bad or ugly. Check out videos of all the finalists on PMI.org and read full case studies in upcoming issues of PM Network. |
Getting Out of Trouble
| Project trouble can hit from a blind spot, even though you tried as much as possible to prepare for issues. You did a risk analysis when you took the project on, and even tried to be ready to mitigate unknown issues. As I advised in my previous post, do an assessment to determine the problem. Figure out what needs to be fixed, or if the situation is even fixable. If the project seems to have reached a point of no return, here are some tips on how to pull it out of trouble:
Finally, keep in mind that not all trouble devours all. Before panicking, calmly look to areas that will guide you to a solution. You may even find your project is more sound than it seems. How do you confront trouble on your project? |
Best Weekly Status Meeting Ever
Categories:
Project Delivery
Categories: Project Delivery
| Many project team members prepare for weekly status meetings with a sense of dread and resignation. These meetings often subject people to long motivational speeches, an overly detailed review of project tasks and even the unpleasant prospect of speaking about their specific progress in front of project leadership. Sometimes these meetings last hours, causing team members to rush to complete project activities. No wonder they make excuses to miss these meetings! How can you, as project manager, structure a weekly status meeting so team members are engaged, informed and willing to contribute to the project's next steps? Here are some tips: 1. Start with the answer. The worst question to ask is, "What did you do this week?" It invariably generates unnecessary, time-consuming dialogue from team members. Plus, you should already know what everyone on the team did during the week. Avoid this time-waster by starting with a "project answer," such as:
Starting the meeting with a project answer produces confidence in team members and allows them to focus on remedies for schedule, budget and progress variances. 2. Structure discussion around risks and issues. After presenting the project answer, lead a group discussion on risks and issues. You should have a list of the current risks and issues along with their assigned "owners." Make clear before the meeting that risk and issue owners should come prepared to share the status of their item. In addition, they should have a path to resolution. If they do not, this is a clear signal for you to escalate the risk or issue to the leadership team. 3. Clarify and confirm upcoming milestones. As the last agenda item on the status meeting, you should highlight the upcoming two to three weeks of milestones and the path to completion for them. In addition, share your expectations on the progress toward these milestones by the next status meeting. This agenda item also serves as an excellent opportunity for team members to identify new risks or issues that may impair the team's progress. 4. Schedule the status meeting the second workday of each week. Project managers have varying opinions on the best day to conduct status meetings. Some prefer the first workday, thinking it will provide a head start on the workweek. Others prefer the end of the workweek, believing this maximizes the project manager's visibility to recent project activities. Personally, I find that holding the meeting on the second workday is the most beneficial. It allows time during the first workday to gather information for the meeting. In addition, the project team then has three full days to act on the milestone guidance from the last portion of the meeting. These tips have worked well for me in leading effective status meetings. What's your number one tip for conducting successful status meetings? |