Random Thoughts

I recently tuned into a fascinating podcast about the making of the classic film "Pretty Woman." What struck me most was how this project, seemingly doomed from the start, turned into a blockbuster hit. This got me thinking about how some projects, despite facing numerous obstacles, can still achieve remarkable success. Here’s a dive into the chaotic yet triumphant journey of "Pretty Woman."

From the get-go, the production faced significant challenges. When shooting commenced, they had only secured 10 out of the +/- 100 actors and actresses they needed. Imagine starting a project with just 10% of your team! It’s akin to launching a new product with only a fraction of your resources in place. But the team forged ahead, showing resilience from the very start.

Interestingly, the original script of "Pretty Woman" wasn't the romantic comedy we all love today. It was a darker drama titled "$3000," referencing the amount of money Richard Gere's character would pay Julia Roberts' character. The script was filled with grim references to drug use and its consequences, far from the feel-good movie it eventually became. This drastic shift in tone reminds me of how initial project plans can undergo massive transformations, often leading to better outcomes, much like in agile project management where flexibility and iteration can yield surprising results.

Another quirk in the production was the on-the-spot scripting. Many scenes were crafted during filming, a process that could easily derail a project. This improvisational approach is akin to building a plane while flying it. Director Garry Marshall wasn’t even sure of the film’s tone, so he shot each scene three times with different emotional undertones—funny, dark, and random. This gave them flexibility in post-production but also highlighted the uncertainty that permeated the project, similar to how agile methodologies allow for adjustments and pivots based on ongoing feedback.

One of the most iconic scenes in the movie—where Richard Gere and Julia Roberts are at a fine dining restaurant and a snail flies out of her hand—wasn’t scripted. This spontaneous moment became one of the most memorable parts of the film. In project management, this is akin to creating value through unexpected features. Sometimes, the unplanned elements can deliver significant value and delight to the stakeholders, reinforcing the importance of being open to spontaneity and seizing unexpected opportunities.

Despite these haphazard elements, the film's release was a roaring success. With a budget of just $14 million, "Pretty Woman" grossed an astonishing $463 million worldwide. This kind of success in the face of so many hurdles is both inspiring and perplexing. It serves as a reminder that sometimes, the most chaotic and seemingly doomed projects can achieve greatness.

Adding to the list of bizarre anecdotes, Julia Roberts was a relatively unknown actress at the time, and Richard Gere almost didn't take the role. The chemistry they brought to the screen was more serendipitous than planned, yet it became a defining element of the film's success.

In conclusion, "Pretty Woman" exemplifies how adaptability, resilience, and a bit of chaos can lead to unexpected success. It’s a testament to the idea that no matter how troubled a project might seem, there’s always a potential for it to turn out incredibly well. So next time you find yourself in a seemingly doomed project, remember the journey of "Pretty Woman" and take heart—you might just be on the brink of a blockbuster.

Ever faced situations where ideas varied in execution quality? There are good ideas poorly executed, bad ideas well executed, and then there are bad ideas executed even worse. Let me share an example of the latter. In July, the eighth edition team of the "Arctic Challenge" expedition set out from Costa del Sol to Greenland. Their goal? To document climate change effects and undertake the "Iceberg Operation" — transporting a 15,000-kilogram (approx. 33,000-pound) glacier chunk to Spain, exhibiting it in central Malaga, where it would gradually melt.

Noble intention to raise climate awareness, right? Well, it stirred controversy, especially drawing criticism from Ecologistas en Acción, labeling it counterproductive and mere PR by authorities.

The Project

Led by Málaga explorer Manuel Calvo Villena, the expedition ran from July 17^th to August 3rd. The plan? Ship the massive ice chunk in a refrigerated vessel at -22°C from Greenland to southern Spain. All seemed well until the shipping company reported a mishandled load, leading the ice block to impact the container doors, breaking into four pieces. Despite this setback, they decided to continue. After days at sea (more than initially planned), the captain confirmed the iceberg wouldn't arrive, sharing a picture where the largest piece resembled a watermelon. Everyone was astonished. The project went belly up... or maybe not?

Success or failure

Ever heard the Spanish saying that it's better people talk about you, even if negatively? The gist: attention, even if negative, may hold more value than being completely forgotten. The failure gained worldwide notoriety, featured in over 180 international media outlets. One could argue that the goal of raising awareness about global warming succeeded, albeit through an unexpected path. Speaking about the project's failure meant talking about the underlying issue of climate change.

The Sydney Opera House project is another example — initially a failure later considered a success. The difference? Sydney Opera House was a good idea poorly executed, evident in its massive cost overrun and delays. In contrast, bringing a massive Arctic ice chunk was flawed from the start. There wasn't enough time or common sense applied to analyze the energy cost of hauling such a load at sub-zero temperatures across such distances — about 1500 metric tons of CO₂ contributing to the very climate change the project aimed to address. It's a classic case that should've gone back to the drawing board before diving into such foolishness. In a way, it's reminiscent of world leaders jetting off in private planes to climate summits with entourages of gas-guzzling cars.

Conclusion

Next time you're offered a lead or participation in a project, take the time to reflect on the idea's validity and purpose behind it. What some call the "higher purpose" or the "why". 

Thanks for reading!

Describing the role of a project manager is no easy task, and drawing parallels with well-known professions can aid in this endeavor. While a film director, a sports team manager, or a choreographer do share certain similarities with the role of a project manager, the most fitting parallel can be found in the position of an orchestra director.

Below is a list of six key skills and features shared by both roles, essential for achieving excellence:  

1️⃣ Vision and Direction. Both have a clear vision of the final outcome and set the direction for their respective teams. The conductor interprets the composer's score, shaping the performance's artistic interpretation, while the project manager aligns the team's efforts with the project's objectives, ensuring everyone understands the desired outcome.

2️⃣ Coordination and Collaboration. The conductor's role is to synchronize the musicians, ensuring they start and stop together, maintain proper timing, and play in harmony. Similarly, the project manager coordinates the team's activities, assigns tasks, and facilitates collaboration among team members, ensuring everyone is working together towards a common goal.

3️⃣ Leadership. The conductor inspires and motivates the musicians, sets the tempo, and brings out the best in each section of the orchestra. Likewise, the project manager provides direction, supports team members, resolves conflicts, and empowers individuals to perform at their best.

4️⃣ Communication and Feedback. The conductor uses non-verbal cues, such as hand gestures and facial expressions, to communicate with the musicians during the performance. Similarly, the project manager facilitates effective communication within the team, provides feedback on progress, and keeps stakeholders informed about project status.

5️⃣ Adaptability. Both need to adapt and make real-time adjustments. The conductor may modify the tempo, dynamics, or interpretation during a performance, while the project manager needs to address unforeseen challenges, adjust project plans, and ensure the team remains focused and resilient in the face of change. In fact, aleatoric compositions encompass improvisations that occur within a predefined range of pitches and rhythms, providing flexibility to both the conductor and the orchestra. This parallel can be drawn to the application of agile approaches and self-organizing teams.

6️⃣ Guidance. A conductor has sufficient knowledge of music to be able to facilitate the orchestra's work but does not need to be an expert in each section or instrument. In the same way, project managers need sufficient domain or application knowledge but do not need to be able to roll up their sleeves and do the work of each contributor.

In summary, next time someone asks what do you do as a project manager, you can cleverly adapt Gustavo Dudamel’s quote: “The conductor's art is not to stand in front of an orchestra and wave his arms, but to awaken it to the possibilities that lie within the music".

So let’s continue this symphony and keep playing, shall we?

I recently came across an attention-grabbing paper titled “Dance hit song prediction”. In this research, the authors developed a predictive model to evaluate the likelihood of a new tune making it to the chart’s Top 10. For that purpose, a vast database containing dance hit songs from 1985 to 2013 was built; attributes such as tempo, duration, loudness, energy and danceability were measured. Amazingly enough, the model showed a success predictability of more than 70%!

Could a homologous predictive model for project success be successfully developed (pun intended)? In a world that spends $48 trillion every year on projects, a success ratio of only 35% is not acceptable (data published by the Standish group). Invigorating the success rate is not a trivial task. Before a model can be developed - not in the scope of this humble article - it is indispensable to identify the key parameters that play a role in project success.

The list below captures my Top 10:

1. Familiarity of the performing organization with similar projects. Certainly, one can expect a decreasing success rate with increasing project complexity and/or uncertainty.
2. Strength of business case and association of the project with a higher purpose. Broadly put, projects are initiated to exploit opportunities or to solve issues. The project's ultimate purpose must be summarized in a concise statement agreed upon by all stakeholders.
3. Alignment of the project within the performing organization strategy. Although projects are conceived and executed in a dynamic world (the infamous VUCA acronym), this should not be used as an excuse for accepting chaos. Some projects will need to be cancelled and others are swerved to the fast lane. Whichever case, the decisions must be consistently aligned with the organization's overall strategy.
4. Commitment from the project sponsor and the rest of the project team. The role of the sponsor is critical and goes beyond funding the project. In fact, the sponsor must challenge, support and steer the project. Sponsoring a countless number of projects at a time is inefficient and can lead to delays and frustration. 
5. Selection and usage of appropriate and meaningful project performance indicators. Think of Einstein when defining KPIs; he wrote, "If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid".
6. Organizational set-up (for example, siloed vs. non-siloed). Companies are gradually shifting towards non-siloed fluid structures with more room for interaction and shorter communication lines. This pragmatic way of working allows frequent feedback from project stakeholders and can significantly contribute to its success.
7. Resource availability & competencies. The management of projects is all about people: people are key! For the sake of success, it is essential to understand that a higher variance - people involved in several projects at a time - will take a toll on project success.
8. Truthfulness and accuracy of project schedule and budget. Even agile projects have plans, albeit susceptible to frequent change or pivoting.
9. Availability of a project management plan or its subsidiaries, depending on project size and inner project characteristics (communication plan, risk management plan, etc.). Like Benjamin Franklin wrote, "Fail to plan and you are planning to fail". 
10. Clarity in project deliverables. The image below describes this well:

Do all ten items above have similar weights or is Pareto playing a role? Are there other factors missing? Have your saying in the comments section below. 

When I was a little kid I used to read “Don Miki”, a thin booklet containing graphic comics of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and other characters like Goofy, Gyro Gearloose or the orange colored dog Pluto. It came out every two weeks and my grandmother visited the kiosk regularly to buy the latest issue, so I could enjoy reading it during my visits. Looking back, I realized that my passion for reading started perhaps with Walt Disney’s comics.

Fast forward to today, I found myself flipping through the pages of an ancient Don Miki together with my daughter; although she is still too young to grasp the content and moral of the stories, she surely enjoys glazing at the colorful pages. As I read the booklet, I put on the project manager lenses to realize that the fictitious characters with beaks and feathers could well be blueprints of their flesh and bone counterparts!

I start with Donald Duck, an ill-tempered character with an upbeat attitude to life. He is a total procrastinator who chooses to take long naps over doing something useful. When he runs out of cash, which is almost every day, he doesn’t hesitate to ask his wealthy uncle Scrooge. Budget management surely would not be amongst his top three skills. He doesn’t get or do anything right and blames everyone else but himself for his disgrace. Despite these numerous flaws, Donald has a heart of gold. He would never leave his three nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie behind although sometimes he has a peculiar way of showing affection. With all due respect, I’d not choose this gracious duck to be in any of my teams.

But I would not vacillate to hire his beloved nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie - if they would have the minimum working age, naturally! They are crafty, inventive, responsible and always willing to give a helping hand in finding creative solutions to all sorts of problems. Their willingness to learn and experiment makes up for their shortcomings in areas that they are not too acquainted with. With such a wide array of skills, who could resist welcoming them onboard?

Another one that I would enlist without hesitation is Gyro Gearloose, the genius inventor with an outrageous productivity rate, although sometimes his inventions do not work out the way he planned to. Can you picture Gyro in a scrum meeting? He would flourish in this setting, coming up with new features and ideas, and probably driving the rest of the development team crazy. Gyro is a superb mix of a generator and a conceptualizer who thrives on solving problems and exploring new opportunities. Assign him a predictable project and he’ll soon become demotivated and bored; enroll him in a highly adventurous initiative and he’ll quickly become the team cornerstone. 

Last but not least, Mickey Mouse. He is a sweet, easy-going and carefree character, always eager to share his positivity with others and keep their spirits high during low times. Moreover, he is a composed professional even when inconveniences get in the way. On top of that, he is a true altruist who risks his own life for the safety of others without expecting any reward in return. I don’t know if you’d agree, but I believe that Mickey Mouse would make a striking project manager!