I recently started at a new client that SO reminds me of the very first company I worked at when I just started in the PM business and it made me think about the difference of growing organically versus formally.
What I mean by this is we have all seen PMOs implemented pretty rigidly - here is the new process, everyone must use these templates, this checklist, yadda yadda, yadda... But how many of us have seen an organic growth of process change (and it doesn't have to be limited to pmo - i just picked that one because of the site)? What do you do when everyone agrees change is needed but the majority of the constituents aren't sure why to change or how to change? In the back of my mind, I'm still thinking I'd have an implementation plan but what does that look like when you want it to seem organic???
Looking for comments, criticisms, critiques...
thanks in advance,
bethany Saving Changes...
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Yvonne ParleEast Victoria Park, Western Australia, Australia
Hi Bethany,
That's an interesting question which I'll answer with another question, why would you want to make something seem like something else? People are extremely quick to spot a change, organic or in the form of a mandate. Are you thinking that an organic change might be somehow easier or more successful than a mandated change?
Best,
Yvonne Saving Changes...
Delete the word "seem" from the last sentence. It was in reference to an implementation plan, not the change itself.
thanks,
bethany Saving Changes...
Hans RobbersSenior Director| SalesforceVlissingen, Netherlands
Bethany
Interesting question and topic. Change is successful on support/acceptance it gets from the organisation. So if the organisation itself consider it necessury the chance of succes will increase. For my organic change is an adaptive way forward with limited resistance allowing you to put the effort in positive things instead of battling and putting negative energy into the project.
hopes this helps
Hans Saving Changes...
Yvonne ParleEast Victoria Park, Western Australia, Australia
OK, so what we are discussing is whether one can plan for organic change and if so how? Change occurs in response to some kind of stimulus or need. A customer demands certification to a certain level in project maturity for example. This might drive an organic change to meet that single driver. At some point however organic change has to give way to mandated change, in the sense that once everyone agrees that the change is needed, most companies have the good sense to put together a sound implementation plan with identified return on investment. Having said that no two PMO's are identical in my experience so a certain amount of organic change is inevitable and welcome in most cases as the change takes shape according to the drivers that are shaping and forming it.
From personal experience, mandated change is easier once everyone agrees a change is needed, but it is in the organic changes that one finds the "glue", the dialogues, the norms and shared understandings that provide enrichment and growth.
Thanks for raising this topic! Saving Changes...
I'm intrigued that there is an assumption that change is not organic. As Hans and Yvonne noted, changes are always in response to something altering in the landscape; be it project, personnel, economic, CEO, or PMO, changes reflect the organic nature of the business.
As you rightly pointed out - every PMO is different. I would suggest that they have to be in order to be successful. They must reflect the nature of the business model they serve, and how that organization reacts to new stimuli is a component of that uniqueness.
So - in your SO deal - everyone agrees on the need for change, but they can't decide on the scope. Is that correct? For me - I prefer to start at the end: Where do they want to be in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years? Do they think their current infrastructure can support their business in the emerging markets?
In order to answer those kinds of senior level questions I've used a SWOT analysis/brainstorming sessions effectively. While the SWOT analysis can seem rigid, the brainstorming component feeds into the organic thing you feel is essential for this client.
In my mind unless you have some idea of where they need to go - getting there will be much more difficult - regardless of how change emerges or is managed.
Don Saving Changes...
Elyse NielsenSenior Project Manager| Ascension Health Information ServicesHaines City, Fl, United States
In my experience the need for change may not be obvious to those toiling and leading the way, there maybe an atmosphere within senior management of this is how we have always done it, and this is the way we will always do it. Often there is an event or many events, which lead to the conclusion a change is needed, however key components of leadership, vision, communication and learning need to carefully interwoven as the change is made to the culture. This change can either be done in a rapid manner or slowly through progressive improvements. However it is the adoption and institutionalization of the change leads to sustained changed.
Hope this helps,
Elyse
My Project Management Blog Saving Changes...
Andrew MakarProgram Manager| AMAKAR LLCOakland Township, Mi, United States
I've always favored organic growth from the bottom up as it helps to champion ideas that are founded in actual practice rather than the Process Police who architect unrealistic processes in their Ivory tower. However, for sustained change and growth, I still think it needs to come from the top-down.
Bottom up / organic efforts can be quickly washed away with shifting priorities. If it comes from the top down, the right focus and prioritization can be applied.
In one of my past PM ventures, I had started an organic approach to track project schedules and report objective metrics such as milestones counts and identifying late tasks. It was the beginning of supporting an EVM initiative which would help with more objective means of project status reporting. However, the initiative didn't get much support as the company's focus wasn't on project management excellence. "PMs" were reluctant to embrace the approach since updating the project schedule was deemed too "administrative"
(Feel free to chuckle as you're reading this)
Ironically, when the company shifted to focused execution and the executive management started pushing proper project management, those same "PMs" started calling asking for help on how to apply these techniques.
The other consideration for organic change is the maturity of the PM organization. Quite simply they may not be qualified to propose an organic process as if they are an immature PM organization. This is where having a ePMO staffed with knowledgeable coaches who have recent delivery experiences provides value from the top down while championing good organic processes that emerge from best practices.
In all of the posts, it seems that people are assuming that there should be a formal approach - a directive from on high or the end users saying we need to change and this is how we should do it.
I didn't mean either of those things. Perhaps I didn't explain clearly on the original post.
Think back to when you started your career. Maybe you fell into project management or maybe you went to school for it. You certainly (or shouldn't be) don't practice the same now as you did then. You have learned what works in theory, doesn't always work in practice. You've gained some insight, knowledge, perspective, etc. Did you create a plan for yourself on how to be a better project manager? or did it happen organically? If so, is it possible to speed up the "organic" process? If so, how?
Andrew gave the best example of using EVM. Originally, not much interest because company wasn't focused on pm practices. Eventually they got there - my question really is how to speed up the "ah huh" lightbulb moment that the company had when it eventually decided to focus on project managers.
How do you make that happen in an environment where people say they need to change but aren't really sure why or how???
Saving Changes...
Andrew MakarProgram Manager| AMAKAR LLCOakland Township, Mi, United States
To speed up the "ah ha" moment, you need a few things including:
1. Courage
2. Sponsoring for sustained change
3. Mentoring
Demonstrating courage for new ideas is a key leadership trait for project managers. However, there needs to be support and sponsorship for the suggested change or else it becomes noise in the system. In my EVM example, objective tracking was needed but until the sponsors achieved the same "ah ha" moment, the process change wasn't going to happen. At that point, it was just noise because the organization had several other initiatives being thrown at them.
The "ah ha" moment can also be achieved through mentoring and sharing what really works on a project. If you share those approaches with enough people, you'll have a solid base of champions for the courageous idea you are introducing for sponsorship.
There are a lot of great ideas, but the sponsorship and execution of those ideas are also needed for the sustained organizational change.
Kinda makes you wonder if anyone listed to the guy about the Year 2000 date problem back in 1985.
Certainly, no project /program manager, consultant, CIO/CEO/CFO can do this alone. Understanding your organizational culture is crtitical to any process change or PMO implementation. Leadership is key here.
Any great idea, initiative or change has to have a.....champion, an executive sponsor, owner. You can choose to name it whatever you like but it has to be someone who has....money, a budget, resources,
I've seen failure and success in many organizations and my recommendation for a best practice in any organization is to start with a grass roots effort:
1. Pick a small or medium project/process
2. Find an executive sponsor (notice I didn't just say sponsor)
3. Show value, demonstrate success and tell everyone (make the sponsor look good)
Let the executive sponsor ponder the change leadership required to promote this in a unit, department or entire organization.
Organizations can't ponder over change leadership; they must lead the change to support enterprise initiatives. Every good project manager plans for change; every great project manager champions and leads the change required for their projects for strategic alignment, return on investment and to add value. Saving Changes...
