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Denial in the Project Environment
| In the children's story, The Emperor's New Clothes, a vain emperor hires two people who promise to make him a new suit of clothes that will be invisible to anyone who is unfit for his position. The emperor cannot see the clothing himself, but pretends he can so as not to appear unfit for his position. Instead of questioning or pointing out the truth, his subordinates do the same, choosing to consciously deny a truth, praising and congratulating the emperor. In this story, the emperor's men displayed a common behavior -- denial -- that stems from the human need to protect oneself. I believe that this behavior exists in today's project environments, too. Often in project environments, for example, there is frustration over meetings and discussions that fail to address or acknowledge the proverbial "elephant in the room." These are the unproductive meetings that review irrelevancies, repetitive issues and problems, but never the actual root cause. Participants stay silent and indirectly endorse the status quo, but then proceed to gather in "safe" groups to discuss real problems and sentiments away from the ears of managers and leaders. Failing to challenge, speak up or change a situation are all behaviors stemming from denial. Project professionals may choose to deny something out of fear of consequence or feeling embarrassed if deemed wrong. Sometimes it's out of self-preservation because it's easier to be a "yes" person than to challenge the status quo. Behaviors stemming from denial can also result from over-optimism -- especially when it comes to risk identification. Overly optimistic people tend to deny anything is wrong or can go wrong. Denial can also cause negative consequences for individuals, teams and projects. If left unchecked, denial can become part of an organization's culture. Project leaders must recognize and reform denial behaviors. Doing so can uncover deficiencies, eliminate blind spots and help an organization become more efficient and competitive. By removing the root causes for denial, individuals will align their interests and act in favor of the team, project and organization. In my opinion, the best way to do this on your project team is to lead by example. Set standards by being decisive in day-to-day management. Implement and insist on good, documented work processes. Listen and understand colleagues, and work with the differences and opinions. Individuals on the project team should know what is expected of them and be made to feel valued, secure and included. Tell the truth about a situation, even if it is bad news. This encourages others reporting to you to do the same. Create a culture that encourages and rewards team members to flag issues and ask questions because problems that are visible stand a better chance of getting resolved. Do you agree that denial behavior can be a problem in the project environment? How do you root out the negative effects of denial behavior? |
Motivate Stakeholders on the Project Team
| When it comes to stakeholder management, many project managers forget to consider the project team members. Every project manager and team leader wants to direct a team of motivated people. And many team leaders probably know that the most powerful forms of motivation -- autonomy, mastery and purpose -- center around self-actualization. So as a project manager or team leader, it's up to you to facilitate these circumstances for each member of your project team. To do this, you need effective communication in three key areas: 1. Comprehension. Make sure the person assigned to a task understands the work and measures of success, and agrees he or she can achieve the desired outcome. Asking the team member questions and listening to his or her suggestions on how to best accomplish the work helps develop the team member's sense of ownership associated with autonomy. 2. Acknowledgement. Everyone likes to feel they have accomplished something in their workday. Facilitating this feeling is part management -- minimizing interruptions and diversions -- and part communication. Make sure a team member's progress is acknowledged on a regular basis and "accidentally" catch the person doing something right. You have to notice and rectify errors in performance. Balance this negativity by acknowledging positives. This is a daily process to keep the team motivated and focused. 3. Purpose. Change is inevitable in project management, and it's up to you to maintain a sense of purpose throughout a project's lifecycle. The challenge usually comes when you have to move a project team member to another role or change his or her objectives. This can be especially frustrating if the team member has developed a sense of purpose around his or her overall project objectives and work. If you simply instruct people to change, you risk damaging or destroying motivation. Instead, communicate these four points:
Above all, communicating to motivate has to be authentic to be effective, and it need not require too much time and effort. Plus, the extra time spent motivating will be more than repaid in better team performance. How do you keep stakeholders happy on your project team? |
To Create, Learn to Borrow — and Other Lessons from PMI® PMO Symposium
| The 2012 PMI® PMO Symposium closed with a wake-up call on innovation, delivered by author and speaker Fredrik Härén. People significantly overestimate their ability to create and innovate, he said. So much of what passes for "an idea" isn't really anything new, but rather a combination of things that already exist. In his equation, ideas arise when people combine new knowledge with information they already have. Mr. Härén cited an Estonian innovator who created a combination urinal and sink that saved time, water and space. "If something 2,000 years old like a urinal can be improved," he said, "what else can we improve on?" Yet while most people agree creativity is important in their jobs, Mr. Härén mentioned that only a tiny fraction say their organizations do enough to encourage it, especially at that combination stage. Mr. Härén argued that Asia will driving creativity in the future. "They are better positioned to innovate because they live where the change is happening," he said. There may be some truth to the idea of innovation being based on "stealing," but he reiterated the notion that all creation comes from copying some part of something existing. Instead of worrying about "copyrights," he said, worry about "copying right." The final day of the symposium also featured Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Greg Kenney discussing his organization's new plan for a principles-based, risk-sensitive, results-based management regime. At the heart of the endeavor is an assessment designed to determine each department's project capacity and class. This, in turn, helps the Treasury Board determine the oversight level required on projects within each department. By implementing these new assessments, the board can ensure resources are allocated with consideration to risk and strengthen the link between spending and results. As in previous days, the symposium's last day included breakout sessions. In one, Carol Church, director of the PMO at CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, discussed how her organization used project management software to save US$29 million a year. She also reminded attendees that PMOs can gain visibility and support across the organization by pitching themselves as a partner looking to help people succeed. Though this symposium is done, stay tuned for details on next year's event when PMI is slated to reveal the results of a seminal study on PMOs. |
How Project Professionals Will Shape the Future PMO
Categories:
PMI PMO Symposium 2012
Categories: PMI PMO Symposium 2012
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Executives need the project management office (PMO), according to speakers at the PMI® PMO Symposium. It's the primary enabler of change -- a powerful force in today's constantly shifting marketplace, said Terry Doerscher of BOT International, the featured speaker on Tuesday night. As a result, he argued that PMOs of the future would include all aspects of the business, not just projects and programs. And that could mean a whole new career path for project professionals with the right skills. "It's not a huge leap to go from a portfolio project manager to an executive project manager," he said. But it's up to PMO leaders to take action to fulfill their vision. "The best way to predict your future is to create it," said Greg Miller, vice president of the PMO at CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, during a panel discussion on the strategic PMO. Mark A. Langley, PMI president and CEO, moderated the panel, which also included Human Systems International Limited's Terry Cooke-Davies, PhD, and Microsoft's Bill Dow. Dr. Cooke-Davies asked attendees to remember that portfolio management is about aligning project and program costs with business value, and program management is about delivering strategy. When organizations forget those roles, though, PMOs become nothing but process police. Mr. Miller outlined what PMOs need to show executives to be viewed as a strategic player:
Between the panel discussion and the featured speaker, attendees networked with peers and participated in breakout sessions. At one of those sessions, Jim Furfari, PMP, of Colorado Springs Utilities, led a discussion on how to prioritize projects. At his organization, the process begins by checking the availability of resources. This prompted lively discussion, as many attendees suggested the availability of funds was a more appropriate place to start. "It makes no sense to prioritize projects that you don't have the resources to do," he explained. In another breakout session, Joseph Sopko of Siemens, co-author of The Guide to Lean Enablers for Managing Engineering Programs, said lean principles make "good sense, but they're not common." These principles are often lost in complicated processes and with a "we've always done it this way" attitude. Among the best lean practices he outlined were defining value to the program stakeholder and making imperfections visible while pursuing perfection at the same time. |
Uncertainty Calls for Agility, Courage, Strategy — and Some Fun, Say Experts at the PMI® PMO Symposium
Categories:
PMI PMO Symposium 2012
Categories: PMI PMO Symposium 2012
| Extraordinary, unprecedented change in the business world requires bold new thinking -- with project management offices (PMOs) helping lead the charge, according to opening day speakers at the PMI® PMO Symposium 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. High uncertainty and constant change is the new normal -- and it's here to stay, declared featured speaker Roch Parayre, PhD, teaching fellow at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. "We live in a world of high uncertainty." Yet organizations still plan for the predictable -- and then are unprepared for what actually unfolds. Instead, organizations should stick with their core, but always have a "portfolio of micro-investments bubbling away on the back burner so you're ready for changes," he said. Procter & Gamble, for example, may try out a new scent, but it won't roll it out to its megabrands until it's been proven on its secondary lines. "Strategy is about balancing commitment with flexibility," said Dr. Parayre. That delicate balance may require some painful decisions, however. PMOs must be willing to act like venture capitalists, absolutely ruthless about quickly getting rid of projects before they invest too much. "Our inability to kill things is probably the number-one barrier to adapting to change," he said. "Every organization should have a VP of killing stuff." Dr. Parayre pointed to 3M, which actually honors its failed projects at a ceremony, with winners based on how much learning came from the failure. For truly breakthrough projects and programs, organizations must have the "courage to try risky concepts" backed by a belief they will succeed, said keynote speaker Burt Rutan. A pioneering force at Virgin Galactic, Mr. Rutan is also the man behind the legendary Voyager, the first aircraft to circle the globe nonstop without refueling, and SpaceshipOne, the world's first privately funded spacecraft. Yet just pouring funding into a program doesn't ensure innovation. Teams must know that "confidence in nonsense is allowed" -- that they can try things that may not work. Mr. Rutan also suggested:
"It's not enough for kids to look forward to an iPhone with new features," he said. "We need to look forward to real adventure and real discovery." And even in an understandably risk-averse business climate, Mr. Rutan said organizations can't just issue "flowery words" about innovation. "They won't have breakthroughs unless they're willing to take in-your-face risks," he said. Organizations must be able to respond to market shifts -- and PMOs can be the enablers of that organizational agility, said opening speaker Mark A. Langley, PMI president and CEO. "All strategic change happens through projects and programs," he said. Yet despite wider adoption of PMOs, CEOs remain confused about projects and programs. PMO leaders must speak the language of business; instead of focusing on the activity, talk about the outcome. Mr. Langley also called for new thinking on talent. There will be an average of 1.2 million project management positions open annually through 2016, according to the Anderson Economic Group. The result is a massive talent gap that will demand different approaches to talent management. And that should include a willingness to build the next generation of business leaders from the project portfolio management space. Mr. Langley also announced a new seminal research project on PMOs, with the results to be revealed at next year's symposium. |