Design Thinking & Project Management

We are hearing a lot about "The Project Economy" and how the radical and disruptive changes are evolving the future of work.

While I am not an expert on this topic, nor am I as forward-thinking enough to fully comprehend how the way we work is changing, here are my thoughts around the concept of "The Project Economy"

How do you define the concept of "The Project Economy"?

Advancements in technology and the need for businesses to evolve to meet market and customer demands have propelled organizations to change how we work. The Project Economy is about evolving from routine work of operating the business to one of changing or transforming the business. The primary vehicle for "changing the business" and delivering value to our employees and customers is through projects.

How will "The Project Economy" impact individuals?

Individuals will increasingly work within a project-driven workflow, rather than operational workflows. Initially, these initiatives will be contained within organizations, but the value will scale when projects are applied to cross-organizational efforts in society. Individuals will join and exit cross-discipline project teams as needed. As contributors, individuals will be given increasingly more opportunities to apply their expertise toward initiatives that generate value and benefits.

How will work present itself within organizations?

Work will be a blend of operational and project-based initiatives. Business organizations will retain some structure and governance around standing up projects.

How widespread do you believe this phenomenon to be?

We are just at the beginning of the Project Economy, thus it is not wide-spread. Some industries, such as construction, IT, finance, government, and pharma, are heavily invested in project-based workflows. Other industries (i.e. healthcare, education) are lagging in this evolution.

What has led to organizational shifts within the project management profession?

The migration of work from operational departments into project-driven parts of organizations have led to the rise in importance of project management. This has driven the need for not only more project managers, but better-skilled project leaders. Some organizations are elevating project execution and delivery to an executive level.

Where will the major working changes need to be made for organizations to remain effective and efficient?

Financial and budgeting practices within most organizations are still 19th Century and need to evolve to support more fast-paced and iterative business models that are required of the Project Economy.

In terms of the skill sets focus, what should organizations be working to develop?

Organizations should develop adaptive and growth mindsets within their employees and managers. Leaders will need to be well-versed in change management and project managers will need improved business skills.

What are the risks and the opportunities that could arise in trying to re-educate the workforce about a new set of project management skills?

There are several risks relating to re-training the workforce, here are two:

• Individuals lacking growth mindsets will want to remain with their tried-and-true methods. There may be fear associated with the new and unfamiliar skills and practices.
• Not all industries (or types of project work) will require project leaders to "re-educate".

One opportunity: a combination of MBA and PMP skills and expertise will open many doors to success in the Project Economy. 

What does this new way of working mean for project managers and how is this going to change the way they work on an everyday basis?

Project managers will need improved business acumen and skills, and will need to be comfortable with managing change. In addition to delivering stakeholder value, project managers will also become responsible for "changing the business".

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ASSERTION: The era of the big bang transformation and delivery is dead. Rapid, hybrid solution delivery is ascendant and necessary.

- Do you agree or disagree?

Given the rapid pace of technology and business disruption, most organizations are investing heavily just to keep up with the changes. What differentiates the leaders from the laggards in addressing this disruption is how they organize their business to execute against strategy.

We can no longer use the model of monolithic programs that go on for 2-3 years. Organizations find that what they set out to do or solve at the beginning is not what they will finish doing.

In the current business environment, traditional delivery models are now looking too rigid and organizations are locked into investments that often miss the mark. Leading organizations are using rapid delivery cycles that mobilize a project very quickly, aiming to release the product into market or to customers with minimum investment.

- How does role of the Project Manager change with this trend?

- How does the role of the PMO change?

- Does the approach to portfolio management need to adjust?

The pace of change and disruption in the business environment demands that we, as Project Leaders, grow and acquire new skills. To be successful, we need to look past the rigor and discipline of managing projects and embrace agility and collaboration, thinking about customers first, with innovation and adaptive leadership.

Design Thinking has emerged as a successful methodology that organizations use to approach problem-solving and delivery of innovative solutions that delight their customers. Design Thinking provides models for project leaders to be more successful in this every-changing profession.

My webinar from May 2016 outlines the benefits of incorporating design on projects while providing a high-level overview of methods and tools:

https://www.projectmanagement.com/videos/330087/Design-Thinking---Project-Management

Connect with me on Linkedin or follow me on Twitter @brucegay

"Evolve or be Disrupted"

The pace of change and disruption in the business environment demands that Project Managers acquire and grow new skills. Indeed, we need new tools and models to operate in a more flexible, discovery-driven world. To be successful, our profession needs to look past the rigor and discipline of managing projects and embrace agility and collaboration, thinking about customers first, innovation and adaptive leadership. Design Thinking has emerged as a successful methodology that organizations use to approach problem-solving and delivery of innovative solutions that delight their customers.

This article provides an updated list of resources that Project Managers (and others) can use to become more knowledgeable on Design Thinking. (In no particular order.)

IDEO

IDEO (pronounced "eye-dee-oh") an international design and consulting firm headquartered in Palo Alto, California, has been a leading proponent of applying design thinking methodology to design products, services, environments, and digital experiences.

• IDEO Resources and Design Kit Methods

Frog Design

Frog is global product strategy and design firm founded in Germany and currently headquartered in San Francisco, California. Frog has developed and made available a "Collective Action Toolkit" that helps put design-thinking tools into the hands of local change agents to transform their communities. While this toolkit is more geared to solving community problems, the tools and methods can be applied to problem-solving in the government and business sectors.

• Frog Collective Action Toolkit

Stanford d.school

If there is one place to start learning more about Design Thinking, I would highly recommend the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, more commonly known as the "d.school." The d.school provides an excellent "Virtual Crash Course on Design Thinking" on their website.

• d.school Resources

Luma Institute

The LUMA Institute provides training programs for learning and applying key practices of human-centered design. Their "Looking, Understanding, Making" approach is very accessible to average people who may not necessarily think of themselves as "innovators". 

• Luma Resources

Google Ventures (GV)

GV has developed a 5-day process for tackling business questions through design, prototyping, and testing of ideas with customers. A guide for "The Design Sprint" is laid out nicely at their website.

• Google Design Sprint

IBM Design Thinking

IBM Design Thinking is billed as a scalable framework to help teams understand and deliver. At the heart of this framework is a is a set of behaviors focused on discovering users’ needs and envisioning a better future, called the "Loop." The Loop is a continuous cycle of observing, reflecting and making.

• IBM Design Thinking

Interaction Design Foundation

The Interaction Design Foundation is a 16-year-old nonprofit community, founded in Denmark, whose aim is to lower the cost of design education. IDF offers an extensive library of design-related textbooks and comprehensive instructor-led online courses.

• Design Thinking Videos & Methods

Canva

Canva is a graphic-design tool website, that uses a drag-and-drop format and provides access to over a million photographs, graphics, and fonts. In 2014, the Canva team unveiled the Canva Design School; a new platform, workshop series and teacher resource hub designed to increase the world’s visual literacy.

• Design Elements & Principles

Design Council UK

Design Council’s stated purpose is to make life better by design. It’s mission is to champion great design that improves lives and makes things better. The Design Council aims to harness design to drive business growth and improve service efficiency, design practical solutions to complex problems, create better, more sustainable places, and to lead and share the latest thinking on design.

• Design Training & Education

University of Copenhagen's Innovation Toolbox

The aim of the innovation toolbox is to support teachers with planning and carrying out innovation & entrepreneurship teaching, both in relation to minor processes and workshops as well as longer-term courses. The innovation toolbox provides an overview to Design Thinking and provides over forty methods to use on projects.

• Design Thinking Model

Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI)

HPI is an institute and faculty of the University of Potsdam. Since 2007, the HPI School of Design Thinking has brought together students and academics from different fields to work in multidisciplinary teams where they learn to become innovators and to develop user-friendly products and services.

• Design Thinking Resources For Practitioners

I am passionate about the intersection between Design Thinking and Project Management and welcome any feedback or comments on available Design Thinking resources. 

Connect with me here on Linkedin or follow me on Twitter @brucegay