PM-Interface

By Mike Adams, PMP® 
President Elect - PMI Otowi Bridge 
@MichaelAdamsPMP

Hi Everyone, who is excited for the LIM and/or global congress?

I am! My chapter offered to send every board member to the LIM and more than half of us are going, which is great.

Shortly after booking that event, I was contacted by ProjectManagement.com. They are sending me to the PMI Global Congress as an expert, and representative of ProjectManagement.com. I couldn't be more excited!

Check out the expert profiles: http://bit.ly/1KQVAm0

I'll write an article about my experiences at the LIM and at PMI Global Congress. If you are attending either event, please look for me. I'd love to meet you in person!

By Mike Adams, PMP® 
President Elect - PMI Otowi Bridge 
@MichaelAdamsPMP

Schlop--skoosh, “Aaaah...Nooo!” I grimaced slightly as the stale smelling mud ebbed over the tops of my sneakers, seeping through the netting above my toes, and flowing past my ankle to fill the cavity of my shoe surrounding my foot. “Aaaach...yuck, I really should have paid more attention to where I was stepping!” I had been exploring the surrounding area of a beaver pond, and I had been hyper focused on noting the incredible magnitude and variety of fauna, insect life, fowl, and aquatic animals. I simply wasn’t paying attention to where my foot landed, or how soft the saturated earth was. Rather I was intoxicated with deep blue sky, stretching in every direction, broken only by dramatic cloud formations on the eastern horizon, which billowed enormous monuments of grey and white masterpieces that architects could dream of matching in grandeur and beauty, but never achieve.

Photo by Mike Adams beaver dam by Mike Adams near Creede, Colorado

I grinned broadly at my wife, who was equally rapt in the natural beauty surrounding us, and said, “this is incredible, I can’t believe how beautiful this place is. But now that my foot is soaked, I sure hope we see a beaver.” She smiled and nodded. I can say, without a moment’s hesitation, that if you’ve never been to Creede, Colorado, you should GO!

We were in the middle of an 18 mile scenic drive through historic mining sites, and Tara said, “Oh wow, there are beaver ponds. I want to stop and look for a beaver.” That little excursion was a high point on an already memorable and incredibly fun vacation. Since that point, I’ve been contemplating that beaver pond, which was a sanctuary of diversity in the natural ecosystem. It inspired me to do a little reading about beavers and their ecological effects. Did you know that beaver engineering and beaver dam construction are a natural marvel? Beaver activities create layers upon layers of ecological effect that increase biodiversity and enhance a natural habitat.

In my article, “Innovation: Of Collision and Conflict,” I briefly explored permaculture‘s use of the edge effect to increase biodiversity, and encourage natural innovation. Today, we’ll lightly explore systems theory, and how a “beaver dam,” on the surface may appear as a mere blockage, but in fact, it is an enhancement, which encourages biodiversity, and improves the ecological robustness of an area.

Beaver ponds are temporary constructs, which are created by and maintained by beavers. I suppose in that way, they mirror a project, except that most projects I know of are not managed by beavers. Beaver dams give rise to an oasis for certain types of plant and animal life, which don’t compete well in forest areas outside of the beaver’s manufactured environment. Beaver ponds create fertile ground for fields to grow when a beaver moves to a new location, they create a habitat for waterfowl, insects, plants and animals which would otherwise not be found in the area. They help to retain water in areas that might otherwise be somewhat arid, and they encourage tree species to grow, which might otherwise be choked out by the species of trees that beavers enjoy eating.

So how does this relate to business? It is tempting to say it doesn’t, I just wanted to write about my vacation, but it does. A business is a system, which has workflow, work stoppages, and people engineering the environment in which the business takes place. The lesson we could learn from the beaver is this. Since we’re engineering the environment in which we do business, we get to ask, what type of environment do we want that to be? What sorts of mechanisms do we need to implement in order to encourage that environment? How do we protect the benefits of that environment once we’ve successfully created it without having the whole system become a stagnant nuisance?

Enter systems engineering, a sub-set of systems theory. In previous articles, I’ve explored the notion that a senior PM ought to be engaged in, and focused on delivering the business benefit of any project they are managing. Traditional project management has a tendency to conceive of a project as an island, independent from the organization and culture for which it is being conducted. While this point of view creates certain efficiencies for the project, it requires a lot of planning and contextualizing about project deliverables prior to ever engaging a project manager, or planning the execution of that project. In short, the creation of meaningful project requirements, which align the project with organizational strategy becomes a project in itself, because once the project begins, the PM won’t focus on the business strategy in which the project is grounded, rather she will focus, exclusively on conforming to time, scope and budget requirements.

This may be workable for some construction projects, but it isn’t a good strategy for today’s economy in general. Organizations want project managers who understand the business context for their projects and who focus on fulfilling the business justifications that initiated projects to begin with. A PM who understands the system inside of which her project is established will better be able to actively monitor and control the execution of that project to fit within that system or, in some cases, to transform that system in ways that the organization wants.

While our beaver is a haphazard author of systemic transformation, we can learn from his example and employ those lessons to intentionally align our projects with organizational strategy, while accounting for how project results will be received and embraced or resisted. A savvy PM will consider the whole ecosystem inside of which her project is occurring and proceed from the context of how to maximize the benefit of her efforts, rather than simply adhering to the traditional confines of time, scope and budget.

She will consider the myriad processes involved and work to identify strategic locations to place beaver dams that slow the flow of work or communication, or decisions and allow for needed reflection, germination of ideas, or perhaps strategic review. Once the silt and other fine particles obscuring clarity have settled, important decisions can be made as to the direction or next steps.

What are your thoughts on utilising systems theory or systems engineering in project management? If you avoid this sort of thinking, why and how do you work around it? Please share any experiences you’ve had with applying systemic thinking for a successful project.

Photo by Mike Adams, stream running down hill from the beaver dam near Creede, Colorado

By Mike Adams, PMP® 
President Elect - PMI Otowi Bridge 
@MichaelAdamsPMP

I’ve been involved in project management for nearly 17 years. I’ve managed and worked on construction projects, home remodel projects, IT infrastructure projects, IT software implementation projects, and strategic initiative pilot projects for nonprofits.

All of these projects have one thing in common. Every single project somehow serves an important business need. Sometimes the project manager may be aware of the business need, and sometimes not. Sometimes the project manager may be focused on producing business value and sometimes not. The best projects I’ve worked on were ones where the PM was clear about the business value of their project, and they actively invited both the project team and broader group of stakeholders to explore how the project could fulfill on their needs, or produce value for them.

In my experience, the best PMs are able to see a project within the business context that justifies that project, and they’re able to zoom in and explore project details from that same context. It is easy to get focused on aspects of the project, particularly aspects where a PM possesses expertise, like carpentry, or use of the best technology. Alternately, a PM might be overly focused on fulfilling the triple constraint, rather than seeing where the project might be aimed in the wrong direction and bringing that to the sponsor or steering committee with a suggestion for reevaluating the scope, schedule or purpose in light of changes in the market, available technology, or economy.

One of my favorite examples is the “Iridium Constellation Project.” By traditional standards, this was a well managed and successful project, however it failed to fulfil on the anticipated business benefit, and within nine months, the company was forced into bankruptcy. For those, who are unfamiliar, the Iridium constellation was a network of satellites, put in place to provide handheld communication via phone from every location on the globe.

Iridium was well planned, well executed, and at its inception, the landscape of mobile communication was spotty and unreliable, so it had a great business justification. By the time the project was completed, however, mobile communication had transformed, and the need for a handheld satellite phone had become very specialized. Cellular networks had become affordable, reliable and widely adopted. The market had changed dramatically, leaving Iridium in competition with a robust and much cheaper alternative for mobile communication. Some will say the project sponsor and executive leadership should have seen the direction of things and cancelled the project. No argument here, however, this is a perfect example of why project managers ought to focus on delivering business value, rather than simply adhering to the confines of the triple constraint.

Before you suggest that my article falls outside of a PM’s job, keep reading, because from a historical perspective, you are right. However, as our economy and the very nature of business transforms, project management is having to evolve to stay relevant. In December, PMI is implementing changes to the requirements for maintaining your PMP certification. As part of these changes, PMI has introduced the talent triangle, which adds elements of strategic thinking and leadership to the tool bucket a PM is expected to maintain. In February, at the Region 7 Leadership Summit, the PMI region 7 staff partner pointed out that business leaders participating in the PMI Global Executive Council are asking PMI to develop standards so that PMP holders will demonstrate and bring competence with strategic thinking and leadership. The council indicated that while technical project management skills are important, they are comparatively easy to develop in employees, but that leadership and strategy are where they could really use PMI’s support.

PMI responded by developing the PMI talent triangle. Check it out if you haven’t done so yet. It will impact your future training and action plans, in terms of maintaining your PMP. Also, PMI’s OPM3 information is worth a look. These are good indicators of what businesses need and the direction our profession is going.

Project managers are increasingly expected to step outside of triple constraint project management and engage in business analysis, organizational change management, and business strategy. They are expected to not only manage work within the triple constraint but to provide leadership, and keep an eye on the business value of their projects. From my perspective, these changes are positive. They serve to increase the value of experienced project managers, and they certainly elevate the profession.

What are your thoughts about new trends in project management? How are you preparing for tomorrow’s economy? Are you ready to partner with executive leadership in steering projects towards fulfilling on business strategy?

By Mike Adams, PMP® 
President Elect - PMI Otowi Bridge 
@MichaelAdamsPMP

Sitting in the parking lot of the Blue Corn Tortilla, my wife turned to me and said, “Oh thank heavens we’re here, I’m so hungry.” I nodded my agreement, stepped from our mini-van, and staggered towards the entrance. She said, “you HAVE to stop walking like that.” But I still wasn’t accustomed to walking, or even standing on solid ground. I had never taken a cruise, so I jumped at the opportunity to get trained and developed as a leader, while my wife enjoyed a great vacation.

We had a great New Mexican meal in Santa Fe, and headed for home, where my mother-in-law and our nine year old welcomed us home. He had prepared a surprise violin concert, featuring “The Hall of the Mountain King,” a song he had worked on furiously since our departure only four days earlier. Those four days had been intense for me too. I had spent countless hours in conversations, attending presentations, and collaborating in workshops as part of the 2015 PMI Region 7 Leadership Summit @ Sea.

In this article, I’ll try to paint a picture of this year’s PMI® Region 7 Leadership Summit experience, and I’ll begin exploring some of what was learned and discussed. For those of you who don’t know, a PMI® Leadership Summit is an opportunity for people who volunteer as chapter leaders to meet the PMI® staff, who support their chapter, as well as to meet their counterparts in other chapters, and share ideas. This was my first experience of this sort, and it is something I plan to participate in whenever I can. The mix of presentations, workshops, discussions and networking at dinner and in fun settings was invaluable, and something I want to see my whole board take advantage of in the future.

If you’ve read my first ever PM article, “PMI Volunteering: A Chance to Learn and Grow,” you’ll know that I credit my PMI volunteer experience with pushing me across the PMP® certification finish line. What you don’t know is the degree to which I attribute my subsequent professional development to volunteer experiences with PMI. As the VP of Education, I had the opportunity to manage projects that I would never have been accountable for as an IT Technician. As a board member, I’ve had the opportunity to think strategically as an organizational leader, to brainstorm and implement strategic initiatives, and to develop my “soft skills,” particularly relating to conflict-management, public speaking, creating buy-in, and negotiation. In short, volunteering for PMI has been a bonanza of development and training for me personally and professionally. I can’t recommend, highly enough, that you take a position on your local PMI® chapter.

Now, back to painting a picture of the 2015 PMI® Region 7 Summit @ Sea. First, Region 7 includes chapters from Hawaii, California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. We have some very small chapters, like mine, with less than two hundred members, and some very large chapters with more than three thousand members. That being the case, leadership challenges may vary in terms of specifics, for example, a small chapter may have a difficult time finding volunteers, while a large chapter might struggle with internal conflict, or with keeping an eye on strategic initiatives. All of that aside, successful leadership seems to rely on similar traits, and those were eloquently addressed by Darryl Jackson, our PMI Chapter Development specialist, during the Summit’s opening ceremony.

Darryl touched on a shift in PMI focus from concentrating on the technical abilities needed to manage projects, to development of leadership qualities, and soft skills. Apparently, organizations are experiencing a need for leaders, who can think strategically, and see how their project fits into the success of the organization, or the program. A variety of Industry leaders have asked PMI to develop these critical soft skills, and PMI is pushing that concentration out to chapters.

This focus on developing leaders, with strategic vision really guided my conversations for the rest of this summit, and caused me to really consider how vital my volunteer experience with PMI has been to my career. One of my favorite workshops was a discussion among chapter leaders for how we could work together as a Region 7 Leadership body to support smaller chapters and create opportunities for volunteers to grow, and gain a high value of return on their time as volunteers.

We agreed to pilot a project where chapters with strong monthly programming will make available, via webinar, their monthly speakers for other chapters. This will allow all chapters to offer more resources for earning PDUs and for personal/professional development. Additionally, we’re going to explore creation of Region 7 Leadership groups based on roles, so that on a monthly or quarterly basis, Region 7 leaders can meet virtually with others who have the same role(s) in other chapters to discuss problems, share solutions, and brainstorm ideas. Finally, we are exploring how to create a regional speaker board, where we can both assess speakers for inclusion in Region 7 webinars, but also provide mentorship and development to potential speakers, who may need some development prior to addressing an audience of potentially several thousand.

There were many other presentations, workshops and discussions, which I’ll explore in future articles. I’ll also ask my fellow board-members to write some articles about the workshops and presentations they attended. I also promise to publish an article based on the presentation I gave Sunday, “Chapter Marketing through Education: Good Education Gives You a Good Name.”

If you have any questions, please post them below. Also, your comments and thoughts are, as always, welcome.

By Mike Adams, PMP®

President Elect - PMI Otowi Bridge

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Risk avoidance can be either a risk response strategy, or a project land mine, depending on how it is performed.

Page three hundred forty four of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide, fifth edition explores risk response strategies, and the first one listed is risk avoidance.

In this context, a risk has already been identified, analyzed and explored. The project team is fully aware of the risk and its’ potential. The team actively takes steps to either eliminate the threat, or nullify the impact of the risk on the project. This is solid project management, and a desirable way to approach risk avoidance.

I have, however, observed another form of risk avoidance, which takes place much earlier in the project planning phase, and which can be catastrophic. Many people experience risk identification, analysis and management as resource intensive and unnecessary. One individual told me, “…no, you don’t engage in risk management until a risk has been triggered. Prior to that, you focus on planning, executing, and closing your project.”

From this perspective, risk analysis and response planning aren’t worthwhile activities in the project planning phase. In asking some PMs about their thoughts on risk management, I discovered that it can be perceived as a waste of time, or simply overwhelming and convoluted. One PM said, “I like the idea of risk management, but risk conversations tend to spiral out of control. They are not productive.”

All of this behavior falls into the category of a different kind of risk avoidance, where the PM, the management and the sponsor avoid engaging in robust analysis of possible risks and response. I’ll admit that the avoidance saves a bit of time upfront, and even sidesteps some stress during planning stage.

In the end, however, it is a high stakes gamble, where the PM says, “The only real risks to this project are small, and easily adjusted for. If a risk is big enough that it requires planning, it’ll be too big to deal with, and will render the project irrelevant.” This strategy ignores the possibility of less-than catastrophic events, and the impact they might have on important projects.

I have a relative, who is a skilled mechanic. He is perhaps the most skilled mechanic I’ve ever met. I have seen him accurately diagnose car problems by simply listening to the car idle for a few seconds. He is likable, skilled, and driven. Many years ago, he decided it was time to start his own repair shop. He had been in charge of a shop for years, had balanced the books, participated in marketing, and knew how the business should run.

He had accrued a substantial savings and found a shop for sale, which he purchased. He was marvelous too. Clients were happy with his service, his employees enjoyed working for him, and his future looked bright. There was nothing to stop him, except a lack of risk analysis. It turns out, the person who sold the shop to him did so, because he knew the city was planning to tear up the street in front of the business and replace utility infrastructure. The construction project was a six month project, and my relative lost everything. He was devastated, and had to move his whole family in with his in-laws.

He did recover from the incident, but it made for a stressful, trying and humiliating experience. Most importantly, however, it served as an example of what can happen, and how far the impact of a project failure can reach if the thorough and detailed risk analysis is omitted.

I have certainly experienced problems as the result of meager, or non-existent risk analysis, but nothing that approaches the extent of impact and difficulty that my relative experienced. I’ve had to sacrifice twenty hours over a Saturday and Sunday in order to mitigate a risk after it was realized, but never have I lost all of my savings.

A couple of months ago, I participated in a half day, advanced risk analysis workshop. I’ll work on a follow-up article where we can explore the details of what I learned in that workshop. It was really interesting. In the meantime, please do share about your experiences with the following questions:

What are some problems that you’ve experienced due to a lack-luster risk analysis?

What did you learn in the process?

What were your reasons for not engaging in risk analysis?

I look forward to your responses. The comments on this sight are incredibly insightful and thought-provoking.