The Inquisitive Project Manager

There are many ways to analyze an organization or business. For a Business Analyst it is best to focus on a purpose and ask why you need to analyze a company. Being able to understand the cultural characteristics that comprise a company, where it stands in the marketplace, who its competitors are, and where it plans to be in the short and long term, can provide an initial starting point. Using standard business tools or frameworks helps to provide this analysis. Let us take a closer look at a comparative analysis of two types of tools, SWOT and PESTLE, and see how they can be used to influence change in an organization.

SWOT
SWOT attempts to categorize Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of an organization, which can heavily influence business objectives. SWOT can provide clarity to formulate an route to achieve these desired objectives. The end result is to craft a profitable fit within a business environment through key decision-making and optimal strategic planning. For example, we could attempt to transpose a weakness into a strength, or exploit a threat by turning it into an opportunity. 

SWOT can be applied to a multitude of industries, whether the military, government, project management, business analysis, consultancy, technology, health care, etc. This range between public, private or non-profit industries is what gives SWOT its flexibility.

Internal forces, which effect an organizations strengths and weaknesses could include corporate culture, principles, values, skills and resources, staff morale, time pressures, or even leadership styles. External forces, which create and influence opportunities and threats for an organization, could include technology, the economy, wars, natural disasters, or government policies and procedures.

Though SWOT does not spell out a strategic plan, it can provide a suggested direction to the next stages of the change process. For example, during the scoping phase of the project a SWOT analysis can be used to identify risks which could be recorded in a risk plan. This would alert the project team on how to exploit a risk into an opportunity, and how to reduce the exposure to threats, thereby reducing the probability of risks.

Of premium importance is how to ask crucial questions. For strengths one may ask what valuable assets or resources does the company have. For opportunities you could ask if there are any emerging trends or potential partnerships beneficial to the company. For weaknesses you could ask where are we vulnerable, what are our limitations, where can we improve, or what are our gaps or barriers to success. For threats you could ask what economic or environmental conditions or public policy will affect our restrict our product development, or what would happen if we lose key staff members, and what are the challenges we need to overcome. In full, you want to reveal where priorities of change are possible. Based on answers to these questions, an organization can start to make an assessment on where to focus their strategic plan for the near future.

The above diagram shows a SWOT matrix where a list of information pertaining to each category (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) can be listed in point form.

Advantages to SWOT
The advantage to SWOT as a valuation method is that it allows for preliminary research. It is less theoretical and can be applied in a practical way to a business environment, for strategic planning and growth. And, it can be exercised at an enterprise level or higher.

Disadvantages to SWOT
The disadvantage to SWOT is that it is difficult to quantify strategic elements or dependency factors. SWOT focuses more on qualitative analysis like skills and professional expertise. This means there is an assumption that some factors might be independent of other factors, which may not always be the case. Thus, SWOT by itself is not a very comprehensive evaluation, and may appear a bit superficial or incomplete. Hence, why it is best to employ a hybrid approach, combining SWOT with other tools like PESTLE, for instance. Together, these tools can provide a more comprehensive decision-making outlook. It is noteworthy to be cautious that SWOT may not provide transparency if a lack of openness culture already exists in an organization. Be aware that this could hinder growth, if that growth is the end goal.

PESTLE
PESTLE can provide a wider depth on the external side of a business, allowing us to see things from a different perspective. As a strategic framework PESTLE is an acronym for Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental issues. These are all external elements that affect an organization, from the planning stage, through execution, to policies and procedures, as well as corporate culture. PESTLE is a tool predicated on macro-environmental factors to ostensibly look at market influences in areas of business position, growth, and decline.

The political side looks at tariffs, labor or environmental law, goods and services, war, or maybe even tax policies. Economic encompasses areas like interest and exchange rates, export prices, employment, and elements that invariably affect business growth and operations. Social looks at social and cultural trends, demographics, lifestyles, population, all of which can influence consumer demands for specific products. Technological elements may focus on AI, technology, research and development, licensing, all of which stimulate innovation, quality, and levels of production. Legal has to do with many aspects of the law, whether antitrust, employment, regulatory bodies, safety, and so on. All these items influence the demand and ultimately the cost of products. Environmental are those factors like weather or climate change which can have a profound impact on industries such as travel, tourism or farming. COVID-19 is a perfect example of how the travel and tourism industry has been unduly curtailed because of an imposing virus. Or, take the example of an initial demand to build hybrid cars because of a conscious awareness to reduce air pollution, as was the case with the PESTLE study by Toyota.

In SWOT, internal forces within an organization are specific to a company or to a project within that company. However, external forces are often uncontrollable or are less known from an organization’s perspective. External forces are ever changing. Therefore, it is markedly important to have PESTLE factors reviewed and revised on a regular basis. These frequent updates can detect trends, which make PESTLE even more effective in identifying items which otherwise would go unnoticed.

PESTLE can help businesses avoid embarking on projects that would potentially fail. And, it can clarify assumptions and constraints about business markets. Like SWOT, PESTLE requires specific questions to be asked to spark discussion, which aim at resolving particular needs of the business. With precise answers to these questions, PESTLE can help businesses minimize or manage risk.

The above diagram shows an example of a PESTLE analysis template where one can enter appropriate points attributed to each category. This can provide a clear and visible description of areas that need to be reviewed.

Advantages to PESTLE
The advantage to SWOT and PESTLE is that they are both easy tools to utilize and understand, but their purpose can have far reaching effects in the sphere of strategic thinking. Both tools can lessen or anticipate future threats to a business, and expand or advance potential opportunities

Disadvantages to PESTLE
A disadvantages to reviewing PESTLE data sources is that it might be cumbersome or time consuming. But, it is well worth it in the long run. Different perspectives on PESTLE data takes time to collect. Because of constant change within the environment, gathering data might be difficult to obtain, or anticipating events might be hard to foresee. By all means it is imperative to avoid analysis paralysis from gathering too much information, which could impede the main purpose of PESTLE in identifying threats.

Review
It is important to understand that SWOT and PESTLE do not often apply uniformly to an entire project or business department. Some parts may have more severe implications on certain departments or specific sections of projects. Pinpoint exactly where and why SWOT or PESTLE affects some areas more than others. It is paramount that one tool not be used in sole isolation.  A more comprehensive study can be brought to light by using both tools, which complement one another well, when analyzing prospective change within an organization.

Are leaders born or are they made? That's a tough question, and probably as old as time itself. It's like wondering what came first, the chicken or the egg. I'd have to say there are some inherent traits that one needs to be a good leader, but many of these skills can be learned. If one has a propensity to read a lot, to be a good observer, to engage ideas with others, willing to have mentors around you, learn to be a good communicator, willing to accept failure and move on, then a great leader can grow from that. Persistence and fortitude are very important. And, you need an aptitude and a natural leaning toward learning.

Having an aptitude to want to learn and excel, and refining those skills over time through training and practice, helps immensely in becoming an effective leader.

Other elements at play are environmental and cultural. Can one resonate well with one's community? As a leader can one embrace these cultural expectations. Can one navigate well through constant change? Does one know when to be a transformational leader, a servant leader, an authoritarian leader, a laissez-faire leader? Can one delegate effectively?

There are so many factors at play for leaders to consider. It can be like playing chess sometimes. You need to train on the job, and even when playing the game, there is no guarantee one will win. Strategy, chance, hard work, and being at the right place at the right time can all be key ingredients in making a successful leader.

1. Established leadership qualities shared by some modern entrepreneurs

Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Ma all share some similar leadership traits which are worth examining. Most of all they are passionate about what they do, and they hold values which they want to posit to others within their organization, and to the world as a whole. They are not resistant to change, and irrespective of their initial low chances of success, they are resilient to move forward, and take a huge risk to bring their goals and dreams to resolution. And, their transformational leadership style motivates and inspires people to take on new challenges. Other common themes among Musk, Ma and Zuckerberg include:

a) Organizational Change and Emotional Intelligence

Effective leadership is at the core of any form of successful change. All these leaders share an aspect of emotional intelligence. They all possess the traits, disposition and ability to understand and appeal to the mindsets of those around them. This enables them to successfully facilitate thought and change, and identify crucial skills needed to help build their businesses. For change to occur, there needs to be confidence to build an environment of open communication. By communicating a need for change to employees they can pointedly focus, process social and emotional information, and apply it appropriately when needed, benefiting themselves, and those around them.

And, for any resistors to change, they can persuade and inspire them by building better relationships, and encouraging more participation within the decision making process. This is how these leaders skillfully inculcate in others the motivation and positive purpose for change.

b) Team Building

The three leaders are goal oriented. They all have a shared sense of enthusiasm, opportunity, and commitment, and are motivated to achieve excellence at all costs. And, they are all devoted to instilling and perpetuating these values into their teams. This contributes to successfully building and managing teams within an organization. Successful teams build successful companies.

c) Trust and Respect

Trust and respect is essential for team work and businesses to flourish. These three leaders embody these elements within their organizations and community. The trust and respect is reciprocated toward them, thereby creating a win-win environment for all parties involved.

2. Is this a new breed of leadership?

When compared to leaders of the past, Musk, Zuckerberg and Ma appear to focus on transparency of ideas, innovation at the forefront, constant adaptation to rapid change, and a conscious effort to make sustainable development all end-to-end elements of their businesses. It's not to say these ideas were not present in the past. However, there is more emphasis on them today than say decades ago. Part of this is due to a shift in the cultural milieu of our time. And, part because these leaders are acutely aware of the positive impact their ideas can have on the environment and world community.

Some fear the role of the Project Manager may be eliminated as the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes more prevalent in the workplace. Others see the evolution of AI as creating new opportunities, allowing the Project Manager to transform their role to focus on more critical and crucial responsibilities.

Is "AI" just a new buzzword of the week? To some it may be so. Or when you hear "AI" do you envision the Terminator or iRobot. Or do you think of half human half machine like RoboCop, or Bionic Man? These overly intelligent machines are as mythical as the cyclops or leprechauns. Hollywood movies have certainly added to the myth of the super machine thinking and acting like a human, replete with human emotions; conscious, forgiving, understanding, and filled with empathy. Well, that's the world of make believe. The real world is far from this scenario, and probably will not exist within our lifetime.

AI in the business world is something more tame, and less threatening. It refers more to robotic functions such as operations, data collection, tracking and reporting; those repetitive tasks which hold far less value, but which need to be accomplished within business. In complex projects AI tasks save time and improve data accuracy, thus allowing PMs better interpretation of the data. Automating workflows, predicting risks, eliminating human bias, preventing cost overruns, or digging deeper into big data for real-time insights, these are all tasks which allow the PM to spend more time on the human side of a project: the business, stakeholders and customers. AI allows the PM to provide more succinct strategic advice to the business, to be a more substantial leader providing value outcomes, rather than simply being a manager. AI can more effectively guide PMs on where to focus their efforts, thereby more accurately increasing the potential for project success.

AI is not a threat to project management jobs, but a way to spend less time managing and more time doing those tasks that add true value to a business. Project Manager's soft skills like communication, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, leadership and understanding the needs of stakeholders, are more valuable and more marketable than ever, and very much in demand in the world of AI; skills currently void within any robotic AI machine. 

Since the core of the project management profession is not easily transferrable to a machine, PMs should not be fearful of AI inadvertently hijacking their jobs. PM jobs differ widely in complexity, and encompass unforeseeable or taxing challenges which can not easily be tackled by AI. This is AI's limitation. It is relegated to recognizing patterns within data and making conclusions or forecasts based on those patterns. Therefore, AI is optimal for repetitive, predictive or computational tasks. In other words, AI is more like a tool to enhance the project management field, rather than to displace it. Imagination and adaptability is far more fluid within a Project Manager than within AI machines. If anything, the adoption of AI in projects will encourage the PM to embrace techniques which will sharpen our soft skills, making us even more marketable.

The introduction of automation during the industrial revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries gave way to faster manufacturing processes. This was enough to frighten many trades people during that period, who felt their jobs would be lost to machines. The automobile modified transportation, making the use of horses rather obsolete. The introduction of email forever changed the demand for posting letters in the mail. Each one of these transitions involved some form of mechanization, which altered the demands for certain jobs. Rightfully so, AI is yet another stage in this move toward more encompassed automation within the workforce. Like in the past, each time there was a dramatic shift in mechanization, new jobs were created, and many current jobs were enhanced, making them even more in demand. But, throughout this change there was always someone needed to plan, manage, monitor and control the work, and make crucial decisions on the job. The role of the Project Manager will continue to evolve, and will undoubtedly play a pertinent and pivotal role in the world of AI, just as it has done throughout the history of automation.

Peter Drucker was a well known Austrian-American management consultant. His ideas are highly regarded in the project management field. He wrote many books and articles, but one in particular that comes to mind is "Managing Oneself". Still a very popular article, it neatly and meticulously spells out a few practical tips on how to build a life of excellence. First, one must ask a few questions:

1) What are my strengths?
2) How do I work?
3) What are my values?
4) Where do I belong?
5) What can I contribute?

At first glance these questions might sound trivial. But with a closer look one can see how these questions help drive ambition, and motivate one to maintain a positive trajectory to elevate oneself to the peak of any profession. In essence it helps one become a chief executive officer of their own career. As the old saying goes, if you don't manage your career, someone else might manage it for you, and that may not always be pleasant. The above 5 questions help each one of us develop a significant understanding of ourselves, how we can work best with others, and make a significant contribution to increase our value within the workforce.

What are my strengths?
Use feedback analysis to effectively identify your strengths. When making pertinent decisions, write down your outcome. Compare actual results to expected results to get a more informed idea of your productivity, by observing the variance between these two perspectives. It's more productive to remedy your weaknesses and bad habits. This will increase your performance.

How do I work?
What is your optimal form of processing information? Through listening to others, or through reading? Do you work best alone or with other people? Do you function best in a predictive or adaptive environment? People achieve positive and productive results by doing what they are good at, and exploiting those skills.

What are my values?
Do your ethics influence how you live your life? Do your organization's ethics influence your performance positively or negatively? Do you do the things that keep you up at night? Can you look at yourself in the mirror and say, this is the type of person I want to be? You must work with an organization whose values are compatible with yours, in order to be successful.

Where do I belong?
What are your strengths, preferred way of working and overall values? You will become a star performer by working in an environment that exploits your values. You should be able to decide where you do not belong as well as where you do belong.

What can I contribute?
How can you best improve or enhance an organizations output and performance. How can you add value to an organization? How can you maximize your contribution to an organization using your current skills and strengths. And, what has to be done to make a significant difference to an organization?

In short, it's this understanding of one's strengths and self-knowledge that enables us to accomplish rewarding and valuable levels of excellence within the project management field, by analyzing ourselves, and asking some of the questions listed above.