Successful Project Managers are Successful Leaders

In a recent article published on pmStudent.com, Adam Clark discusses The Portable MBA in Project Management, by Eric Verzuh.

Quoting Verzuh, “The discipline of project management can lead us astray.  With all its structured methods and specialized reports, it can create the illusion that if a person learns the discipline, he or she will surely lead successful projects.”

Clark points out, “… success in project management is determined by the quality of leadership rather than organizational skills or project management knowledge.”

I agree with both Verzuh and Clark.  An understanding of methodology is not the complete answer to successful project management and, as Clark suggests, leading a project team requires leadership skills that are often overlooked by organizations when interviewing people with highly technical skills for important management roles.

“An organization that truly wants to improve project management should be fully willing to consider that poor leadership may be the primary reason for poor project management,” suggests Clark.  “[M]ost companies are poor at identifying the difference between a ‘management’ issue and a ‘leadership’ issue.”

Clark asserts that any analysis of project management should include a discussion of leadership as well.  To be sure, learning the discipline of project management is an important part of project management success, but it’s not the only factor.  As Clark points out, leadership skills ensure that “… the correct perspective be taken and proper decision making can occur …”

To read all of Clark’s article; click HERE.

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Leadership and Coaching: Leading The Project Team

Michelle LaBrosse, in a recent article for Developer.com, suggests, “There are many lessons to be learned from the achievements of the Olympic participants; these can be incorporated in your daily work successes and management of projects.”

I must admit that I’m feeling a little bit of withdrawal now that the Olympics have been over for a week or two.  So when I stumbled upon this article by Michelle LaBrosse, I couldn’t resist.  She offers six steps to consider when championing your “players and leading a winning team.”

1. Set the rules—“People need guidelines to keep things running smoothly,” says LaBrosse.

I believe most people want to do a good job and succeed in their careers.  As managers, it’s important to make sure they understand what a good job is and exactly what’s expected.

2. Gather the team for a huddle—According to LaBrosse, “Brainstorming and implementing the rules can be more effective if they are communicated through a well-run meeting.”

3. Make a game plan—LaBrosse offers some suggestions for managers when leading a meeting, which I won’t go into here, but a predetermined timeframe and agenda will help you keep your meetings on track.  Keep them short, is great advice for any meeting.

4. Coach your players—“Provide a safe platform to share thoughts, communicate constructive feedback, and ask questions.  This will encourage the team to meet their goals together and enjoy a shared sense of accomplishment,” says LaBrosse.

5. Surprise the team—LaBrosse suggests the sometimes it pays to “shake things up.”  Change where you have meetings, do some team-building activities, or give team members a few minutes every day to get to know each other better.

6. Review the highlights—It’s important to celebrate the successes as well as address the issues that need improvement.  “Identify what worked and what didn’t work for a lessons learned report,” suggests LaBrosse.  “This can be a living document that evolves as the project moves through its timeline.  It can be used for future forecasting and budgeting, planning, and staffing as well as evaluating process and structure.”

We can learn a lot from how an exceptional coach works with elite athletes to help that athlete bring his “A” game to every competition.  Project Managers can use many of those same skills to help their project teams all become “A” players.

To read all of LaBrosse’s article; click HERE.

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Five Questions to Ask When Evaluating a Business Case

“Professionals and mangers are often asked to review a business case and provide a recommendation to management,” says Ilya Bogorad, for TechRepublic.com.

Bogorad suggests the answers to these five questions will help you make an intelligent recommendation.  “This guide is strictly a practical tool that is not going to be concerned with how the case should have been written in the perfect world,” says Bogorad.  “…but how to make a decision based upon what you have in front of you (if at all possible).”

1) What is the case all about?
Once you’ve read the summary and reviewed the body, you should “be in a position to reflect on the objective of the proposal,” suggests Bogorad.  “Is there a legitimate business concern or opportunity that it identifies or addresses?  Are you tempted to shake your head [and] say ‘So what?’”

2) How can we get there?
“[T]he business case must be advocating some course of action,” says Bogorad, “but does it discuss alternatives that have been considered?”

There is usually more than one alternative to any particular issue.  If the submitter doesn’t discuss other alternatives—it’s up to you, as the reviewer, to consider them.

3) What are the costs and benefits?
“The business case should present to you a comparative analysis of pros and cons, cost and benefits of each of the alternatives,” says Bogorad.

Bogorad suggests the following key items you should expect to see:

•    Fit with mission, vision, values
•    Fit with strategy and other projects
•    Risk profile
•    Non-economic benefits and costs (qualitative, capacity)
•    Economic benefits and costs

“There are concrete established methods of economic analysis that need to be followed and done well if this important portion of the business case is to be worth more than the paper it’s written on,” says Bogorad.  “The fine details aside, you should expect to see the following two critical points addressed: Assumptions … To judge whether the case is reasonable, you must be able to judge whether the assumptions are reasonable … [and] Sources of Data … You want to know [where] the supporting data has come from.  Otherwise, how can it be trusted?”

4) What is involved?
“If the business case in front of you includes the implementation plan, check it for realism and completeness,” says Bogorad.

5) Is it both legal and ethical?
“I’m not kidding! Check with the legal council if you have any doubts,” asserts Bogorad.

You may never see a “perfect” business case, but if you follow Ilya Bogorad’s suggestions, you’ll be in pretty good shape.

To read the rest of the article; click HERE.

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It’s Like a Lifeguard Who Can’t Swim

In a recent Gantthead.com article, Bob Weinstein discusses why technical people need to have a greater understanding of basic business principles to effectively contribute to organizational success.

“CEOs, CIOs, CTOs and CFOs constantly complain about not finding enough seasoned IT people—project mangers, developers and architects—who understand business,” says Weinstein.  “Whatever the lingo, the plea is: ‘We need people with business acumen.’  In short, business smarts.”

We regularly discuss in this blog the need for Project Managers to understand the greater business context that projects fall into.  Unless managers have an understanding of how the projects they work on relate to corporate and financial goals—even if their projects are brought to a successful conclusion, they may fail—because they ignore overarching business objectives.

Mark Vickers of ic4p, suggests, “Managers with little or no knowledge of business principles are like lifeguards lacking swimming skills.  It’s dangerous because it can result in the kind of ill-informed decision-making that wrecks businesses.”

You Don’t Have to Buy Business Acumen

Dan Tobin, vice president of design and development at the New York City-based American Management Association, suggests, “… an MBA isn’t essential for building business acumen.”

“An MBA doesn’t hurt,” says Tobin.  “But the proven way to digest these business fundamentals is to be on the scene to observe, participate and most importantly, ask questions.  Ideally, the pursuit of business acumen ought to be a personal quest.  IT people can learn more about business by immersing themselves in the business aspects of the business.”

If you’re lucky enough to work in an organization that is willing to train technical managers in basic business practices, consider yourself fortunate.  Otherwise, it’s up to you to learn everything you can by studying for yourself, paying attention to your company’s unique business practices, or heading back to school to ramp up your business acumen.

“What is business acumen?” asks Weinstein.  “[I]t’s a combination of hands-on experience, book learning and a personal passion to learn everything you can about one of the most important variables that affect your job and future—how well or poorly your organization makes money.”

To read Weinstein’s article in it’s entirety; click HERE.

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Peace, Love, and Understanding

“It’s easy to get sucked into the madness that surrounds most office arguments. Part fact, part fiction and part personality clash, there are many ingredients that can contribute to an explosive situation,” says Michelle LaBrosse in a recent article for Project Manager Planet. “If you are a project manager, this can be a frustrating experience to live through, especially if the conflict is taking place within your own team.”

LaBrosse makes a couple of suggestions that could help you manage conflict on your team:

Conflict Assessment—Sometimes jumping into the fray isn’t the best idea. “[I]f its an enthusiastic conversation about the assignment and the dialog challenges everyone to find the best outcome,” says LaBrosse, “…let it run its course to reach a final solution.”

If the conflict is visibly upsetting the team, and members are resorting to mean-spirited remarks it’s time to intervene with the following suggestions:

Get Everyone on the Same Page—One of the biggest sources of conflict are opposing expectations. Miscommunication between team members, project managers, and stakeholders can cause small issues to explode into larger issues.

Roles and Responsibilities—“Don’t forget to outline roles and responsibilities for every project,” suggests LaBrosse. This will avoid confusion over who is doing what.

Communication Breakdown—Working in a collaborative culture will often resolve these issues. Team members sequestered into a private corner working in a silo and not sharing (or receiving) valuable information is just asking for problems.

“You’ll be surprised how minor changes can have a big impact,” says LaBrosse.

To read the entire article, click HERE.

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As Core Businesses Change, Will You be Ready?

InformationWeek’s Rob Preston suggests, “IT and globalization stands to shift the center of almost every organization, and the jobs of almost every technology professional.”

It wasn’t that long ago that you could know just exactly what product or service every major corporation in the US provided. Those days are gone—or at least going.

Preston asks, “Does UPS deliver packages, or is it a full-service logistics and supply chain management company? Does Amazon.com sell books, music, electronics, and other consumer goods, or is it better positioned as an IT infrastructure provider? Does General Motors make cars and trucks, or is much of its future also in satellite-delivered navigation, safety, and security services? Is Cisco a network systems manufacturer when it doesn’t actually manufacture anything itself?”

Global competition, business acquisitions, and customer demand have certainly changed the way organizations do business today. There are many corporations that have major interests in everything from automobiles to cookies. This puts some pretty impressive demands on IT and organizational infrastructure.

Another InformationWeek writer, Bob Evans summed up the challenge this way, “In 12 months, what business will your customers want you to be in? In 24 months, what business will your customers demand you be in? And is your company nimble and agile enough to move at a pace that will let you change to meet the evolving requirements of those customers?”

If you’d like to read Mr. Preston’s entire article, click HERE.

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Avoiding the Rookie Mistakes

“Most project managers learn on the job,” says Bob Weinstein in a recent article on Gantthead.com. “If the stars are right, they’ll proceed carefully and get the lay of the land before aggressively asserting their authority. But fail to heed the time-tested saying ‘First impressions count,’ and you risk making serious mistakes that you’ll carry with you throughout your tenure. Worse yet, they could get you fired before you even get used to your brand-new office.”

Over the years I’ve seen a number of well-meaning people make some of these “rookie” leadership mistakes. Weinstein’s list rings true with my experience.

Here’s his list:

1. Bad attitude—You’re so impressed with your importance … you actually think you’re better than anyone else.
2. Make drastic changes without considering possible repercussions—Many new PMs think they should start out with a bang by asserting their authority immediately. Usually all they accomplish with this approach is to antagonize everyone who reports to them.
3. Initiate new projects without getting support from subordinates, peers, and stakeholders—You may have the authority to spend company money on new projects, but it’s not a good idea to push forward without the backing of all the people who will be working on them.
4. Make snap decisions—PMs who make snap decisions before they understand the corporate culture are making dangerous assumptions that are bound to backfire.

What should a new manager’s approach be during the first couple of weeks on the job? Weinstein makes a few suggestions in that regard too:

1. Be humble
2. Keep an open mind
3. Thoroughly understand your role and mission
4. Promote an open-door policy
5. Get to know your staff
6. Identify superstars and overachievers
7. Learn the corporate culture
8. Understand the power structure

The eight suggestions above will help any new manager avoid the four “rookie” pitfalls described by Weinstein. We’d like to hear about your experiences.

To read the complete article, click HERE.

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Agile Development Impacts Team Performance

A recent article on Projects@Work reports, “Development teams utilizing Agile practices were on average 37 percent faster delivering software to market and increased productivity by 16 percent, according to a new study released at the Agile 2008 Conference, held August 4-8 in Toronto.”

The report entitled, The Agile Impact Report: Proven Performance Metrics from the Agile Enterprise, was commissioned by Rally software, and suggests that project teams were able to maintain normal defect counts despite the compressed development cycle.

The study compared data from 26 Agile development projects to plan-based, or waterfall industry averages in three key areas: productivity, time-to-market, and defects.

“On average, Agile projects measured in the study experienced a 16 percent increase in their team’s productivity—a significant increase given the different variables included in the PI measurement,” reports Projects@Work.

To read the Projects@Work article in its entirety, click HERE.

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The 10 Golden Rules for Project Risk Management

In an article published by ProjectSmart, Bart Jutte offers 10 Golden Rules for Project Risk Management. “They are based upon personal experience,” says Jutte. “The result will be that you minimize the impact of project threats and seize the opportunities that occur.”

Rule #1: Make Risk Management Part of Your Project
Rule #2: Identify Risks Early in Your Project
Rule #3: Communicate About Risks
Rule #4: Consider Both Threats and Opportunities
Rule #5: Clarify Ownership Issues
Rule #6: Prioritize Risks
Rule #7: Analyze Risks
Rule #8: Plan and Implement Risk Responses
Rule #9: Register Project Risks
Rule #10: Track Risks and Associated Tasks

“The 10 golden risk rules above give you guidelines on how to implement risk management successfully in your project,” says Jutte. “However, keep in mind that you can always improve.

To read all of Bart Jutte’s article, click HERE.

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Can You See the Forest From the Trees?

In a recent article for Gantthead.com, Andy Jordan asks project managers, “[W]hat’s your responsibility?”

According to Jordan, executing on projects that align with the goals of the organization on time and on budget is the right answer. Jordan suggests, “Your job is not to micro-manage every task…”

You Don’t Need to Get Bogged Down in the Details (As Much As You Think)

“I know many project managers who spend huge amounts of time building wonderfully detailed work breakdown structures that allow them to see exactly where a project should be at any given point in time—in some cases down to periods of less than an hour,” says Jordan. “Well I’m sorry if this next statement is heresy to some of you but … it’s a waste of time.”

Your job is to deliver the business benefit of the project, not every single task that makes up the project. (Although we agree that accomplishing tasks eventually delivers completed projects.)

“If you aren’t focused on business need—the delivery of the project,” says Jordan. “…you aren’t going to make smart decisions.”

The Big Picture is Important

“The bad news is that all of this doesn’t mean that you now have less work to do,” says Jordan. “It means that you can redirect your efforts into areas that have a bigger impact.”

Take advantage of the software tools available that make it easy to plan and execute on projects, facilitate communication, and make the project team work more effectively. @task, for example, is a great place to look.

“Trust me, no one is going to care if 90 percent of the tasks were late as long as the overall project hit its success criteria and the project team didn’t become casualties in the process,” says Jordan. “So take a moment to reflect on your personal project management style, and the next time you find out that one of your tasks is behind schedule, step back and ask yourself, ‘Does it matter?’”

What do you think?

To read the complete article click HERE.

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