Project Satisfaction - to be or not to be? That is the question
Dennis DavisConsultant| Davis ConsultingAntioch, Ca, United States
Alright, let me say up front that this post may be limited to those of us who are PM Consultants or Contractors and not FTEs. Having said that, I'm interested in starting a philosophical thread concerning the question, "where should your satisfaction come from when you complete a project?"
Let me set the context here: For the past 8 months, I've been working oh so hard as a PM to complete a re-engineering project at a financial services firm. Then, around 2 months ago, the firm had a sudden change of heart and decided that it no longer wanted to allow any Consultants to head major projects within the organization. The project was given to a Director of the firm and I was asked to stay on in the role of Business Analyst. OK, maybe I should have taken my queue to exit stage left but I decided to stay and see the project through to completion. So, I became an analyst. Meanwhile, however, it soon became apparent that the Director, who claimed to be a PM herself, had very little experience as a PM. I was basically asked (and silly me, I complied) to continue creating and/or updating every single piece of documentation called for. She, of course, ran Stakeholder meetings and sent out status reports and, um, that's about it. So, skip to the last week before deployment. The meeting is called, the project team assembles and the fateful Go/No Go decision is on the table. After sifting through ye ole issues list to make sure all the exit criteria had been satisfied, the moment of silence came. Everyone waited w/ baited breath until the key Stakeholder said, "it sounds like a go!" Wow, the champagne could have started flying at any moment. Then, one by one, everyone began throwing kudos at what a great job was done by the others. "Thanks to John for such excellent coding. Thanks to Mary for great testing. Thanks Jane, for leading the project so well..." On and on it went until the entire room had been covered except for yours truly. Now granted, I was the only non FTE in the room and granted my skin should probably just be thicker but the truth of the matter was, I was pretty hurt by the results. I mean, the deployment will occur on Friday as planned yet I have absolutely no interest or sense of satisfaction from seeing it go in (on time and under budget mind you). I know satisfaction should come from within and yes, I know I did a good job and all that but I'm curious to see if anyone else has experienced this sort of thing and how they've coped with it. Life threatening discussion here? Nah. I'd rather like to think of this as a thread on building confidence and gaining satisfaction from a job well done when apparently, your the only one who knows you did a job well done. Saving Changes...
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Anonymous
Dennis, are you kidding when you ask if anyone else went through this kind of situation? It happens most of the time. So please take solace in not being alone. I totally understand the frustration this can bring. One way to cope with it is being philosophical not to expect reward (good words) after the hard work. But at a practical level this is not easy but don’t go postal, learn from it and move on.
I have worked in a few places where contactors are treated badly and that is part of the culture they believe in. A guy told me that consultants are hired to do the job the FTE is supposed to do so that FTE can attend training, develop new skills and move up. One FTE told me that their company brings in consultants so that the FTEs get some practical experience in people management and project management. But whatever the motivations are, I can tell you that I know of a number of places where the businesses will come to a halt if consultants don’t show up for work. The FTEs are merely there but they know nothing. But these are extreme places I agree. I don’t pretend to offer you any solution. But I want you to know you are not alone.
Oh Dennis,
I can hear the sting in your note. Yes, all of our satisfaction should come from within but the fact remains that we are human and a pat-on-back is needed, even by PMs. Let's face it, if all of our motivation came from within, we shouldn't cash our paychecks or look forward to bonuses or merit increases. The problem with being a consultant is that we get none of those external motivators so in essence we do have to depend on ourselves. I have learned over the years that part of being a consultant is that I have to be happy with my work. I just do not depend on anyone else to give me a pat on the back. In essence, if a project went well and I know I was instrumental in making that happen that is enough for me. It tooks years to get to this point but now that I am there. I am much more happy and confident in my performance. Remember we're only there for a brief time to get things started and then we vanish into the background. The fact that they are on automatic pilot says a lot about you. That is exactly how a team is supposed to be. Walking on their own by the time implementation comes. Kudos to you even if no one else tells you!
Vikky Saving Changes...
Mark Price PerryBusiness Driven PMO Evangelist| BOT InternationalOrlando, Fl, United States
Dear Dennis, if I may quote Confucius, "One who goes unrecognized yet isn't annoyed - isn't that a noble person?" Rather than coping with your situation, show your sincere happiness for the others (FTEs) and exude your professionalism and confidence. What FTE team wouldn't want that..! Others will notice how you feel and react one way or the other. But don't put up a front for them, truly seek to shed yourself of needing the spotlight - especially from those not considerate or appreciative enough to give or share it. There are those that advocate taking actions such as "blowing your own horn", sort of speak, to ensure you get the credit you deserve. That may or may not be a good idea and may or may not work. Personally, I have rarely seen that work. And I would offer a bit of diasagreement with you. You say that you are the only one that knows you did a job well done... I would suspect the entire team knows you did a job well done..! It also also sounds like helped the Director quite a bit. Seek ways to continue to ensure your Director is successful, that might lead to lasting rewards. I wish you the best and am attaching a fun and philosophical read entitled, "The Sayings of Confucius and The Art of Project Management Processes." Cheers. -- Mark Perry, VP Customer Care, BOT International Saving Changes...
