George FreemanThought Leader | Author | Architect| Florida, United States
Do project professionals have kryptonite-like encounters or situations, that is, something that causes “detrimental effects” when the project professional comes in contact with it? If so, what are these, and do they look different based upon role (e.g., project manager, scrum master, business analyst, etc.). Saving Changes...
Deepesh RammoorthyICT Project Manager ( PMP®AgilePM®Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®))| Australian Red Cross Blood ServiceTarneit, Vic, Australia
Amused to read totally anti-PM comments on a site for PMs... The profession of project management is here to stay and thrive, much to the chagrin of some passionate naysayers
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1 reply by Adrian Carlogea
Feb 09, 2020 8:47 PM
Adrian Carlogea
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If you are referring to my comment then you are wrong my comment was not anti-PM I am sorry if you have understood it this way.
Yes the profession is here to stay but dealing with difficult stakeholders upon which you have no power is here to stay also and is part of the job.
Amused to read totally anti-PM comments on a site for PMs... The profession of project management is here to stay and thrive, much to the chagrin of some passionate naysayers
If you are referring to my comment then you are wrong my comment was not anti-PM I am sorry if you have understood it this way.
Yes the profession is here to stay but dealing with difficult stakeholders upon which you have no power is here to stay also and is part of the job. Saving Changes...
Anton OosthuizenSenior Business Analyst / Project Manager| Self EmployedPretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Weak and/or unethical management who wants to control the project outcomes. Saving Changes...
Product Operations Program ManagerBarcelona, Cataluña, Spain
Following the principle that "Good employees leave bad managers", a PM's kryptonite could perfectly be a lousy sponsor, a useless steering committee or a mix of thereof. Saving Changes...
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear George Interesting your question
Thanks for sharing
It still occurred to me that project professionals kryptonite was the lack of ethics
But ... is humanity guided by the Principles or the Law? (the Principles are universal and the Law is conceived by humans)
After that, I think kryptonite is the way companies and / or organizations are Organizational Culture and Structure (by functions rather than projects) Saving Changes...
I find getting too personal involved with the project a recipe for disaster. This is more evident in projects that have huge and obvious benefits for the organization but were you get unexpected and substantial resistance to the projects implementation. This 'kryptonite' situation has nothing to do with lack of stakeholder buy in, engagement from sponsors or badly manged projects, but from organized resistance to change. This is more evident, obvious and in your face in the public sector than in the private sector where competition demands businesses stay agile, alert and eager and ready to change. In these situations, project failure becomes a reality, were projects once being toted for their benefits end up in the dust bin of the project manager in charge. In these situations it is essential for projects to succeed to identify early on who are the actors behind the scenes pulling the strings.
Daire Saving Changes...
Wade HarshmanScrum Master| GDITIndianapolis, In, United States
Feb 09, 2020 8:09 PM
Replying to Adrian Carlogea
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Hi Wade,
Very often management and the business users change their minds and when they do there is no point on continuing with the existing plan. If you do continue then you would deliver something that nobody really wants.
I feel that many PMs are eager to deliver the project no matter what and get very upset when the business users change the requirements on the go or management (executives) change priorities.
But look at the bright sight if stakeholder management had been a easy task then project management would have been a trivial job, less important and most likely paid less.
PMs complaining about the stakeholders being their worse problem in project management is like firefighters complaining that fire is what prevents them to do a better job. :P
To be clear, though, I'm not complaining about stakeholders. The question was about our PM kryptonite, which I interpreted to mean what is it that makes us weak or powerless project managers? The "thing" that makes me powerless is an executive who wants to take over, because I have no authority to keep that from happening.
My answer hasn't changed, but it's only meant within the context of this conversation.
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1 reply by George Freeman
Feb 12, 2020 8:39 AM
George Freeman
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Hi Wade,
Fortunately, I haven’t had a sponsor or stakeholder who “wants to take over,” but if I did that would be some very powerful kryptonite. Normally for me, it goes the other way, where they are disengaged and not wanting too much involvement as they are holding me as the “accountable one.” Stated differently, they love to play “whack-a-PM” at steering committee meetings, and if they are too much involved, well, the game isn’t as enjoyable for them.
Saving Changes...
Ashleigh Kennett-SmithICT Project Manager| Australian Red Cross LifebloodAdelaide, South Australia, Australia
Assuming "PM Power" = ability to deliver required outcomes (including allowing for inevitable change) [I think PM Power includes flexibility and dealing with uncertainty]
1. Unrealistic expectations and refusal to take input from SMEs, PMs etc, across all or any of scope, quality, cost, or time
2. Stakeholders don't actually know what they need (poor scope and requirements)
3. Stakeholders that don't want the project to succeed, and have the power to scuttle it
(On stakeholders that want to run the project, in my dreams I have the skills to understand what they're good at and am humble enough to let them do that, "guide" them in the areas they actually don't have a clue, and take control of areas they have no interest in but are necessary, so we still have a successful outcome.)
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1 reply by George Freeman
Feb 12, 2020 4:34 PM
George Freeman
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Hi Ashleigh,
Your #3 “Stakeholders that don't want the project to succeed, and have the power to scuttle it” is my number one kryptonite, when the action is done covertly. If they want to challenge the value of the project, then it should have been done before the charter is signed, sealed and delivered. Anything after that is simply subterfuge.
Saving Changes...
George FreemanThought Leader | Author | Architect| Florida, United States
Feb 11, 2020 4:01 PM
Replying to Wade Harshman
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To be clear, though, I'm not complaining about stakeholders. The question was about our PM kryptonite, which I interpreted to mean what is it that makes us weak or powerless project managers? The "thing" that makes me powerless is an executive who wants to take over, because I have no authority to keep that from happening.
My answer hasn't changed, but it's only meant within the context of this conversation.
Hi Wade,
Fortunately, I haven’t had a sponsor or stakeholder who “wants to take over,” but if I did that would be some very powerful kryptonite. Normally for me, it goes the other way, where they are disengaged and not wanting too much involvement as they are holding me as the “accountable one.” Stated differently, they love to play “whack-a-PM” at steering committee meetings, and if they are too much involved, well, the game isn’t as enjoyable for them. Saving Changes...
George FreemanThought Leader | Author | Architect| Florida, United States
Feb 11, 2020 7:15 PM
Replying to Ashleigh Kennett-Smith
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Assuming "PM Power" = ability to deliver required outcomes (including allowing for inevitable change) [I think PM Power includes flexibility and dealing with uncertainty]
1. Unrealistic expectations and refusal to take input from SMEs, PMs etc, across all or any of scope, quality, cost, or time
2. Stakeholders don't actually know what they need (poor scope and requirements)
3. Stakeholders that don't want the project to succeed, and have the power to scuttle it
(On stakeholders that want to run the project, in my dreams I have the skills to understand what they're good at and am humble enough to let them do that, "guide" them in the areas they actually don't have a clue, and take control of areas they have no interest in but are necessary, so we still have a successful outcome.)
Hi Ashleigh,
Your #3 “Stakeholders that don't want the project to succeed, and have the power to scuttle it” is my number one kryptonite, when the action is done covertly. If they want to challenge the value of the project, then it should have been done before the charter is signed, sealed and delivered. Anything after that is simply subterfuge.
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1 reply by Deepesh Rammoorthy
Feb 12, 2020 4:43 PM
Deepesh Rammoorthy
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Hi George, I have faced this "subterfuge" that you refer to . It's energy sapping and not good for morale.
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