the ideal realist

The secret sauce in making your business strategy work

2015-11-03T17:41:00.000-08:00

originally posted from my LinkedIn account.

We've seen this all too often. We go into strategic planning sessions, we come up with wonderful sounding plans, we rally the troops and execute like hell, and then - we fail miserably. While there are so many moving parts that make strategic execution a difficult endeavor, there is one aspect often missed out by C-Level executives.

Good Project Management.

Your strategy can never be executed without implementing a project. New marketing campaigns, releasing a new product version, implementing an ERP system, and many many more strategies all rely on having a project implemented. However, it is quite interesting to note that having good project managers is rarely on the agenda of the board. My guess is that C-Level executives merely do not have an appreciation on the value of project management and this leads to executing strategy without the proper discipline required. There is a tendency to just throw the strategy to the organization and expect things to fly. This rarely succeeds.

Projects vs Operations

This is how it should go. Every organization develops is strategic objectives that articulate its vision and mission. These objectives are obviously a challenge to the status quo of the organization's operations. (e.g. improve production efficiency by implementing new automated systems). In order to achieve this objective, a project is created. The results of this project is applied to the current operating environment in order for the operations to achieve the strategic objective. In doing so, the organization meets its strategic objectives. Simple, right?

Aligning Projects to Strategy

There is a definite need to align all projects to a company's strategic objective. In fact, you need to rethink a project if it does not align to any of the company's strategic objective. You might be needlessly consuming resources for projects that do not give you a proper return on your investment.

Executive Sponsorship

On the same vein, it is important to remember that as a C Level executive, you need to be actively involved in projects, primarily as their project sponsor. Remember that you, as the executive, is accountable for meeting the strategic objectives of the organization. Your project manager, is responsible for meeting the requirements of the project. He will need your guidance and direction in steering the project to achieve the strategic objectives that you are accountable for.

Project Management is a Profession

Project Managers are mini-CEO's in their own right. They look at a project (or a business) from all angles and weigh-in on the risks, and issues of each project against all other constraints of time, cost, scope, etc. They balance the art of managing resources, communications, and stakeholders with the science of cost management, time management, scope management, quality management, and others.
As a C-Level executive, wouldn't you want someone in your team who you can rely to help you achieve the strategic objectives of your organization? I'm pretty sure I would.

Knowing more

Get to know more about the value of project management. Download a copy of PMI's thought leadership publication - PMI's Pulse of the Profession 2015. If you'd like to attend some courses on project management, visit SAS Management Inc. to find out more.
PMI is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute

Global trends impacting project management (part 3)

2014-03-07T04:10:00.004-08:00

Ok. Here's the last part.
And yes, I know you got it figured out.

Social

And the project manager asked, "What does this have to do with project management?"

A lot really.

Lines between professional and personal become blurred. Project Managers now have to be more aware on the impact of project and project activities to their resources. Project resources are now more keen to be identified with "nice" and "awesome" projects. Involvement in projects become a reflection of the individual who is part of that project. For project managers, there is a need to reinforce the "Why this is such a cool project to be in" card. Even the most simplest project need to be fashioned and sold in a way that it is worth being part of as it reflects a resources' character - It's not just work for him anymore.
Projects are done in the light of day. There is no hiding a project. Gone were the days that projects can be done in secret. It is very difficult nowadays to work on something without others noticing. As project managers, we need to be prepared for public scrutiny at every turn. This adds to the already high level of communication needed by everybody else. Your stakeholder register now includes everybody with a twitter account. This can either be good or bad, depending on capability as a PM.
Availability of resources has increased. Information is now viral. It spreads whether you like it or not. In doing so, your need for resources, both material and human can be met faster - and at times better. 10 years ago, there was no such thing as crowd-sourcing. Now, you can set up a kickstarter fund for almost anything. The advent of viral information has opened doors to projects that have never before been reached or imagined by anyone. The playing field has leveled. The World is Flat according to Thomas Friedman.
There is an increase in noise. Project Managers know that noise inhibits productivity. 10 years ago, you wouldn't have problems with resources going (and staying) online for hours on end. These decrease productivity and become wastes of company time. Project Managers now need to put extra measures in ensuring the needed information and only the needed information become processed by the project resources. As they say, too much of a good thing is bad for you... and social media is no exception.

And so there you have it. These are but a few of the Global Trends that have impacted how project managers now manage projects. It may be easy to take these things aside as matters that don't go up the escalation list. Well they shouldn't - as these can be almost always handled by the PM. Not managing these can sometimes be costly.

Global trends impacting project management (part 2)

2013-10-22T04:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it took awhile for part 2. Then again, its here... Hooray for me.

Mobility

The rise of the Smartphone, the influx of unlidata charges, and the proliferation of mobility tools have largely disrupted the way project management is done now. During the late 90's, the use of the personal computer started to become a must have tool for project management. Reports, spreadsheets, presentations, and our most loved project management tools for project tracking were all in the PC. PM's relied heavily on the PC to do most of their PM work. As the end of the first decade of the 21st century came, the computer left the desk and into the laps of various professionals. It was now easier to create those all important Gantt charts while on the go. Project Managers were now capable of doing work at the job site rather than the office. Location has been less of an issue.

As we are now on the second decade of the 21st century, personal computing is now jumping from the lap into the hand. We are now in the age of the Smartphone - and this is what Project Managers need to remember.

Work happens whenever, wherever. - Location is truly not an issue anymore. Whereas in the olden times, people choose to start work, nowadays people choose to be disconnected from work. The default mindset is that you are always capable of doing work (project tasks) unless you so decide not too. There is no such thing as a 9-5 job anymore. This is true even for projects that are on the same timezone. Project Managers are expected to be more responsive in communicating as they have the means to communicate anytime anywhere. While the tolerance level for this may vary from country to country, the general trend is still the same and there is no getting around it.

There are a plethora of new tools out there. - Project Tracking on your Smartphone? Of course! The typical PM software and office productivity software are still very much in use nowadays - but these are not your only options. The need to be mobile has brought about new tools for online collaboration, communication, file sharing, video conferencing, and so many other needs that were not present before. Its now just a matter of identifying the most appropriate tools for you to manage your project. I personally use a lot of cloud-based file sharing tools like Dropbox and Google Drive. I also use online collaboration tools like Trello and Teambox. Some swear by Binfire or Basecamp. There are also others that are specific to software development and the list goes on.

Your team is just as mobile as you. - Yes, for all you know, they can be programming in Boracay. What this means to you as a Project Manager is that you need to make sure you know how to connect to your resources in a variety of ways. You also need to know what is the best way to connect to your team given their level of mobility. This (the medium of connecting) is the added twist that a Project Manager needs to be conscious about when managing teams. Would a Skype call be better than a group chat for a resource that is in the train? Are your resources capable of reading long excel files in their Blackberry's (yes they still exists) or should you be sending them PDF's instead?

So here are three things that Mobility does to change the way we manage projects. Project Managers nowadays have no option but to adapt to these changes lest they come to a point that their projects become unmanageable. The one big mistake for a PM to make is to assume that these factors do not exist and try to bring things back to ancient times. It just won't work and will only hamper project success because it will go against how people now normally behave.

On my next post, I'll focus on the last Global Trend, Socialization.

Global trends impacting project management (part 1)

2013-07-09T04:37:00.001-07:00

The profession of project management has been around for decades. Concepts like earned value management were around during the 60's. Project Managers have been talking about the WBS and the "Project Plan" for as long as there are professional project managers. And just like any profession, we need to be cognizant on the trends that impact how we do our profession. Now just like a surgeon getting acquainted with new techniques and advances in performing surgery, we too as project managers need to be aware of things which impact us.

Here's a couple of major movements that occurred in the last decade. Whether we like it or not, this is where the tide is going.

Globalization
Yes, this might not sound so new to you, yet a lot of people tend to forget its impact. Gone were the days that a project is composed of people sitting in the same room or having a chat at the water cooler. Here's a list of what's happening more frequently nowadays:

Working hours are more skewed - this is to accommodate overlapping of working hours. Project resources nowadays need to have flexibility of schedule to ensure proper collaboration with resources from a different time-zone. Organizations that still merit employees for clocking in at 9 to 6 might need to revisit their policies as it may be counter-productive to their project.
Cultural sensitivity is a must - a long time ago, this was not much of an issue as projects requiring interaction with resources / customers from a different cultural background were few and far between. Nowadays, it is very common to deal with various cultures in a single project. In situations like these, project teams need to be sensitive so as to ensure that there is a smooth working relationship between project resources of various cultures. Resources need to be aware of cultural norms, habits, communication styles, and even idioms and figures of speech used by the other cultures. Remember that no culture is superior to the other. We cannot and should not force (or assume) that Asians should act like Westerners or vise-versa.
Price sensitivity is higher - The globalization of projects have been directly driven by the need for more cost-effective solutions. The spur of growth in the outsourcing business (or right-sourcing business - call it what you want!) is a clear indication that business are more keen in ensuring they get the biggest bang-for-buck, especially in their non-revenue generating projects. And just like what we've learned regarding the triple constraint, there is a need to look at the other factors in a project that will be impacted such as schedule, quality, risk, and scope among others. We cannot expect that the project can be delivered in the same amount of time if it were done in Delhi than in Delaware.

Next post, we'll discuss about Mobility.

The Customer is not EVIL

2013-01-17T02:30:00.001-08:00

Try not to laugh.

Yes, the customer is actually a good person. He/She is just like a regular Joe like you. He/She may even have the same interests as you and you just don't know it.

Corporate culture, particularly project engagements, has had so many untoward incidents around customers from hell that they tend to stereotype the good majority as people are just plain nefarious and scheming. Actually, the business world is also as much to blame with this situation as with everyone else.

Need proof?

First off, why do most projects call their project rooms "War Rooms"? Who's the enemy anyhow? Why do projects end with a "postmortem"? Did someone die? Why is Sun Tzu's "Art of War" considered a management book? All these subtly give clues that deep down inside, we look at the customer from a threatened / defensive stance rather than one that encourages cooperation and coordination. We need to stop being at arms length from them and start being open, honest, and sincere. Being too detached gives an indication to them that you are only after their money and not their best interest.

So how do you take this mindset out?

It's definitely not a simple task but is one that is doable nonetheless. At every situation, put yourself in the customer's shoes. The ability to empathize with customer sentiments BEFORE it becomes their sentiment puts you one step ahead of them and in a better position to respond and react. Knowing how they will react, prepare your responses. If there are things that you or your company is honestly liable - then by all means say so. People make mistakes, and since businesses are run by people, businesses makes mistakes too. I have never seen a situation where being honest killed a project. Yes, it gets you in hot water for mistakes, but that is just about it. As opposed to doing cover-ups and not admitting fault, matters only get worse by doing so.

Remember to accept as well the fact that the Customer has the right to change his/her mind. Project Managers at times hate the fact that the customer is too finicky and decides to change stuff along the way. It's ok. Get used to it. As project managers, it is crucial that you are capable of documenting these changes and explaining properly the impact of such changes to the project. Often, some PM's hate the whole analysis and assessment part that they just fire Change Requests left and right. (While the use of Change Requests are correct - it is more often improperly used.)

Lastly, share in the customer's objectives. You have to honestly want the customer to succeed as well. Just doing the work because its the work that needs to be done is just a bad way of looking at the projects and consequently the customer. His goal is your goal. Without this alignment, you will just end up having a poor relationship with your customer, and hence poor chances of success in your projects.

After all, if you take a look at it, we are all somebody else's customer.

The search for Professional Maturity

2012-11-09T05:36:00.000-08:00

Also known as the x-factor come hiring, performance evaluation, and pretty much everything that requires an assessment of a resource or potential resource.

Professional Maturity is the attribute of a resource to handle various types of business and professional situations in a virtuous, dignified, and responsible manner. Although I think this is just a very broad stroked definition - it's definitely more than this. It manifests itself clearly in situations like a customer is being difficult, or your management requires you to do something above and beyond your workload, or even being able to handle unfortunate circumstances. Professional Maturity brings out the best in a person during clutch moments.

Management loves people who are Professionally Mature. Then again, where are these people and how to I get them? How do I recognize them? The unfortunate part is that it is not easy to spot one since they only shine when there are extraneous situations. I'd like to help out in this search by pointing out some key concepts on what Professional Maturity is and what it is not.

Professional Maturity is not relative to age. - Not because you are older does it mean you are more professionally mature. Of course there is a tendency for older people to be more professional mature than younger people due to the amount of time they were exposed to the corporate world; but that should not be taken as such. Actually, the best people to have are those that are professionally mature but are quite young. You get more mileage.
Professional Maturity is not relative to seniority - Not because you've been in the organization longer does it mean that you are more mature. It just means you've been there longer and probably have a better retirement package.
Professional Maturity is not relative to position. - Not because you are the big boss means that you are Professionally Mature. However, I do want to note that most of the people that do get promoted are those that exhibit professional maturity. The only sad part is that not all are.
Professional Maturity is about exhibiting grace under pressure. - Instances like having to meet super tight deadlines, being reprimanded, or being handed down difficult situations, and not being dazed or rattled are signs that a person is professionally mature.
Professional Maturity is being able to take the good with the bad. - Because you know that it won't always be sunny skies and clear weather. A person that is professionally mature is cognizant of this and will not be shaken when bad news comes in. He knows that the world is not perfect and will adjust when needed.
Professional Maturity is being able to make decisions in the best interest of the organization. - This means being able to make the tough calls - like letting people go or even accepting that you have to leave the organization. He is a person that can the organization can lean and count on.
Professional Maturity is being responsible and accountable for his decisions and that of his subordinates - Not only does he make tough calls, he also stands by them. A professionally mature person will accept the repercussions of his decisions and that of his team.
and a lot more...

It may seem that Professional Maturity is a mixture of various attributes of a person, and that it because it is. Its a mixture of 11 (or more) secret herbs and spices as the colonel would say. It is my hope that Project Managers look for these in their resources, as these will definitely improve their chances of having more successful projects. Yes, its not easy to find them - and that is why they are very valuable to have.

The Three C's of Project Management

2012-07-20T03:46:00.001-07:00

You probably have not heard of this anywhere...and this is because I made it up myself. Nonetheless, it is something I have been quite preachy about my team over the last couple of months. This is what I call as the three C's of Project Management. Read On:

Communicate Early - A Project Manager must make all attempts to be the first to relay critical information to the necessary parties. Being the person expected by everyone (especially management) to be "on top of everything", it is highly important the the PM be the first to know what is happening within the project. He should be the first to cascade issues up to higher management. This is especially true if there are issues that are beyond his control.

Communicating early also provides some important advantages in the whole area of communication.

By communicating early, your statement is taken as truth. Every other statement made on the same topic is validated against what you have said. There is already a certain level of acceptance made on your statement, as opposed to people who reported after you - who end up being defensive on whatever it is you have already mentioned.
By communicating early, you can spin your statement in the manner you desire. You can frame your statement in the vantage point that is most favorable to you or your team. You don't end up being defensive and trying to explain yourself or preparing for a rebuttal.
By communicating early, you exude proactiveness to your management and subordinates. You look like you are doing something important and useful which is obviously what management expects.

Communicate Often - A Project Manager needs to be able to present a certain level of predictiveness within his project. One way of doing this is by communicating at regular and predictable time frames. The frequency of this reporting also has to be taken into consideration. One cannot have very long gaps between reporting. A good number would be two weeks though it can always change from weekly to monthly. When the gap is too long, information tends to be stale and loses value (see next C). When in doubt, its better to communicate more often than fewer.

There are times that it may seem that your communication is not being well received by your stakeholders. It may seem that it is not being read. Nonetheless, it is still important that communication still persist amidst the lack of interest. When the time comes, that status report will actually be of value especially when things get sticky.

Note however that if status reports and other communication methods are not being received well... there is probably an issue with the last C which is...

Communicate Value - Value connotes importance to the recipient of the information. You need to be able to communicate what the recipient of the information needs to know. For most status reporting, what is important to the reader is the status of schedule, budget, scope, and quality. In order further understand how to communicate value, follow these simple steps:

Who will receive my message/communication?
What would that person most likely ask me about the project?
What is the message that I want to say?
If I said the message in the manner that I just did... would the recipient understand it?

****
Communication is approximately 90% of what a Project Manager does on a daily basis. It is therefore very important that a Project Manager achieve a high level of proficiency in this area to be considered effective in his duties.

And so there you have it, the three C's of Project Management.

Spread the word.

PM Toolkit - War Rooms

2012-06-24T23:19:00.000-07:00

Tool: War Rooms
Type: Technique

Do we really have to be that militaristic?
Personally, I don't like the term... but then again... its what most people call it so I just let it be.

The concept of war rooms is pretty simple - get everyone involved in the project in one room in order that they may work in the most optimal and efficient way possible. The thing is, with the advent of (not so) new technology and virtual teams, the concept of war rooms is all but gone. The danger here is that management and project management tend to think that it is just as efficient to work virtually than it is to work side-by-side. This obviously is not the case. Distance creates noise and disruption in communications. A video conference can never fully replace a face-to-face meeting. Emails and Virtual spaces can only go so far.

Having a war room for your projects can give you the following advantages:

Instantaneous response with limited noise. - you can get feedback immediately and correctly. the possibility of things being lost in translation are lessened.
Improved sense of belonging - you can really feel that you are part of a team - not just via email. There are real people beside you that can encourage and motivate you.
Sense of unity and urgency - when the PM says its urgent, everybody will pretty much know how urgent the work really is.
Better project monitoring - you'll know when its done - done.
Better issue management - issues can be resolved faster since everybody is there.

As you can see, having your own war room is and will always be the best case scenario. Project teams should always strive to have one whenever possible. Only when certain constraints exists do we opt to do otherwise. Nonetheless, we should always strive to reproduce the war room - even virtually.

Hence in most cases where a war room is not feasible and you have a geographically dispersed team, here are some very useful tips:

Have a regular meeting with a pre-defined agenda. If you can all meet up at certain dates - do so. If not, set-up calls (preferably video). IM tools such as Skype can reduce costs though in cases like these a good and reliable internet connection is important.

Agenda for such meetings should contain the following:

Updates on the planned activities
Reasons for planned activities that were not performed
Unplanned activities that were performed
Any decisions that need to be made by the project team
Updates on Issues and Risks
Action items / Planned activities

Regular meetings should also have light moments. These can be a part of the agenda were people are praised for their work or commended for something good. Just like in a regular face-to-face meeting, it need not be boring and mundane. We are all people and we need to laugh sometimes. :)
As with any meeting, there should be meeting minutes.

Ensure that there is a central repository for documents and information, and that everyone has access to it. This way project team members can pick-up files and documents in just one place. There should be limited occurrences of "emailing the file" to the project team members but rather just referencing where it is located in the repository. This ensures as well that everyone has access to the latest version of the file and that there is less dependency on other people to get information.

There are several collaboration software out there, some even free like Google Drive that can be synced up with Google+ and Gmail.

By keeping these things in mind, communication within the project will definitely improve, and in-turn help the project succeed.

PM Toolkit - Risk Registers

2012-01-16T20:05:00.000-08:00

Tool: Risk Registers
Type: Spreadsheet

Everybody knows about it. No one really knows how to use it.

Common mistakes I've seen when people use a Risk Register.

People often put down a list of risks in the Statement of Work, Proposal, Initial Project Plan and.. and... and... that's it. They forget all about it.
People define risks in the vaguest most obscure manner possible. Some folks (no, not you) state risks such as "Fire"... "Earthquake"... "Programmer Problem"..."No support"... etc
Mitigation is the ONLY way of managing a risk. Unfortunately, mitigation is all the way up there in the top ten lists of useless business jargon such as Best Practice, Right-sizing, and Can-do.

Risk registers are an important tool that a Project Manager can use to ensure that projects are delivered as close to target as possible. This is done by ensuring that project risks are managed properly and effectively. But how does one actually manage project risks using a Risk Register?

A Risk Register is simply a spreadsheet that lists down all the project risks as well as tracks the progress of the responses to the said risk. The important things to see in a Risk Register are:

Risk ID
Risk Description
Probability
Impact
Rating
Response
Response Status

A Risk ID is simply an identification number of the risk for reference purposes. As with anything that gets listed, it needs to be numbered.

A Risk Description describes the Risk. The proper way of describing risks is to state it in a form of a probability such as "Building might collapse" or "testing might not complete on time". Do not just simply state an object or predicament - state the activity involved that might occur. Describing the risk in the said manner is not only for conventions' sake, but rather it helps in formulating the proper response since the risk is viewed from a very precise probability.

Probability is simply a number. Depending on the organizations' preference, it can be 1-100, 1-10, or 1-3, where the highest number signifies the most probability. I normally don't advise using 1-100 unless you can actually determine a risks probability. Otherwise, you are arbitrarily creating complexity.

Impact is also a number (similar to probability) depicting the level of severity of a risk in the event that it occurs. The highest number signifies the highest, or most severe impact.

Rating is the product of Impact and Probability. The objective of this column is for us to have an idea on what specific risks we'd like to prioritize on. The PM needs to define the threshold by which risks are to be managed and what risks should be accepted.

A Risk Response basically defines how the risk is to be managed. There are many ways to respond to a risk. These include:

Mitigating Probability - which is looking for ways to lessen the probability that a risk will occur
Mitigating Impact - which is looking for ways to lessen the impact of the risk when it occurs
Avoidance - which is performing activities wherein the source of the risk is avoided altogether. To illustrate bluntly, if you would like to avoid the risk of not getting wet if it rains going out of the office - you should not go out at all. This avoids the said risk altogether.
Transference - which is transferring the risk to another person or entity. If I want to transfer the risk of getting wet while going out if it rains, then I will ask someone else to go out for me. The risk is still there... but I do not carry the said risk anymore.
Acceptance - which is basically accepting the impact of the risk. You typically accept risks that are either too low probability or low impact.

Response Status - which describes the status of the risk response activities and what is happening to it.

Moreover, reviewing the Risk Register should happen at a regular basis. A good practice would be to include reviewing the Risk Register as part of the agenda during project team meetings. Everyone in the project team should be encouraged to read and review the Risk Register as they may be able to contribute to the said document. Also, the more that people are actively aware of what the risks are, the lesser that chances of people actually contributing to the possibility of the risk from occurring.

PM Toolkit - MBWA

2011-12-27T01:26:00.000-08:00

Tool: Management by Walking Around
Type: Technique
One time, a PM asked me what is a typical day in the life of me as a PM.It made me come to think of how I actually manage projects on a daily basis. The short answer is I walk around at the start of the day, while my laptop is just booting up. Just like a doctor doing the rounds, I walk around to each member of the team, asking them a few simple questions:

How's your tasks?
Will it be completed as scheduled?
Any issues/concerns preventing you from completing your job?
What activities do you need to do next?

These are but sample questions that I ask when I do my rounds. These are not project meetings nor will this be a substitute for project meetings but rather a way for me, as a PM for multiple projects, to get my head around all the things that are happening to the projects. Based on the rounds that I do, I connect people that need to connect together - faster than doing it by themselves (since people tend to forget these kinds of stuff). Doing MBWA will also give me an idea on who is lagging behind and who is ahead of schedule.

I don't ask to many questions, nor do I want to do so, because I can only remember so much information. What MBWA does is basically let everybody tune-in to what needs to be done for the day. It's like your daily cup of coffee to start everything right. By tuning in to what everybody should be doing, everybody also becomes aware of what they should be doing and keeps themselves on their toes with their deliverables.

Lastly, there is a simple set of questions that I use specifically when I am updating ms project in order to correctly determine earned value metrics. I don't do this often, only when i am updating the plan. These are as follows:

How many hours (days) have you consumed on your tasks?
How many more hours (days) do you need to finish your current tasks?
When will you finish your current task?

Note that I never ask for the percent completion, primarily because percent completion tends to be misleading and tends to get stuck at 95% for some strange reason. Answering the 3 questions above help me in understanding Actual Cost/Work, Remaining Cost/Work, and End Date. With these figures, I can actually determine the EV of the project by comparing them with the baseline plan (assuming of course that the plan was actually baselined).

PM Toolkit - Status Reports

2011-11-29T06:00:00.001-08:00

Tool: Status Reports
Type: Document

When a Project Manager says that he'd like to keep everybody on the same page, that page has a heading saying "Status Report". A status report is an indispensable tool by any PM that must ALWAYS be used. Since projects typically involve various stakeholders with varying interests in the project, there needs to be a central view on what is happening with the project at a specific point in time. Otherwise, we'd all be a bunch of blind people describing an elephant - each by touching a specific part of the animal. The status reports are meant to inform everybody on various aspects of the project so that the appropriate responses/reactions can be elicited from the stakeholders.

When we do status reports however, some things need to be remembered:

The status report is meant to answer the question "What is happening to the project NOW?" It is important to remember that the status report is meant to report the status of the project. You seldom need to write historical information on the project (such as what happened before or why the project was initially conceptualized, etc.) but rather the newest and latest information on the project NOW. Information should be hot-off-the-press.
The status report should be delivered on a timely manner. You cannot deliver a status report on what happened two months ago with the project. Its stale information that was probably already communicated in some other form to the stakeholders a long time ago.
The status report should be regularly published/submitted. There needs to be a regularly defined cycle by when a status report is to be expected. You do not create a status report only when it is asked from you, a status report is EXPECTED from any PM. Note that the frequency of a status report is relative to the amount of work that expected within a project. IF for example a project normally has deliverables on a weekly basis, then a weekly status report might be good. If work takes longer, such as weeks, then a monthly status report might be okay.
A status report needs to contain an assessment of the Project Manager. The simplest way to do this is to use traffic lights (Green, Yellow, Red) on certain areas of the project such as schedule, cost, quality, etc. A Project Manager needs to know if we are currently doing good with the project or if we need to do something else to get the status back to Green. There are other ways by which a project can be quantified or assessed (such as CPI, SPI, TCPI, etc) but traffic lights typically do the job fairly well since most everybody knows what the color means. Moreover, be consistent in assessing the status of the project. Define what makes a project green, or yellow, or red. This way the stakeholders have a fairly good grasp on the status of the project.

A status report needs to be complete yet concise. If stakeholders don't seem to be the type that would read long status reports - then by all means change it. A status report is useless if no one is reading it. Always consider the areas that you think the stakeholders would want to ask about the project and work on that.

PM Toolkit - Meeting Minutes

2011-11-21T03:07:00.000-08:00

I am starting off a series of posts on the essential tools needed by a PM in his line of work. It is quite often that we expect PM's to already "get it" as far as what we expect a good PM to be doing. However, this is not always the case. PM's have an idea on what should be done and how its supposed to be done, but quite commonly, PM's have no idea on how to do it correctly and why in the first place. Hence these succeeding posts aims to help the PM in understanding the common tools of the trade. These are common items, such as documentation, templates, or activities/steps that a PM is expected to do, and do quite well at.

Tool : Meeting Minutes
Type: Document

The Meeting Minutes (or MoM) in some circles is probably the most underutilized tool of all. The objective of the MoM is to document two distinct things that occur in a meeting.

What has been decided on during the meeting - which should contain who decided on what and why (if needed)
What are the next steps / action items - which should include target completion dates and specific people assigned to it. It is important to write down an actual name rather than just "customer" or "project team" since it transfers the accountability to a specific person. If an activity is dependent on certain conditions, include the fulfillment of the conditions as another action item on the list.

Of course, it is also important to include other information in the MoM such as when the meeting was held, who attended, what items were discussed, and so on... but not having the two items above will call into question the whole point on why a meeting took place. If it can't satisfy at least one of the two points, then there is probably no point to having a meeting in the first place.

Note that although some people may argue that some meetings are mainly to convey information (like status reporting meetings, etc.) , it is considered an "agreement" if the receiving party accepts the information conveyed to them. In some cases as well, people have "agreed" to disagree on certain topics during the meeting hence this constitute a relevant meeting that needs to be properly documented.

Meeting Minutes do not end in just being able to write it down. It is important to publish the MoM to the rest of the participants for their feedback and review. It is also important to keep the MoM in a location that can be easily retrievable by all, such as a shared drive, or a similar facility.

A seasoned PM knows that MoM can make or break a project. A lot of decisions happen that change the course of a project during these short and seemingly insignificant "meetings". I believe some of you out there have experienced times wherein somebody said something that we all agreed to do - but later on was "denied" by the person who said it - and we got in trouble because of that. I believe you would all agree that the situation could've come out differently had we documented the situation properly.

Managing Projects is all about managing change. Change can only be managed if you know what are the things that are changing. We can only know what things are changing if we document them. The best avenue to document the changes in a project is via the MoM - hence its significance.

Lastly, as my old boss told me... "Doing the Meetings Minutes gives you the privilege of documenting YOUR version of the truth."

...now isn't that something worth documenting?

Of High Performance and Taking a Bath

2011-08-24T18:31:00.000-07:00

How does one motivate an employee? This is an all to common question asked by managers at all levels. For the most part people get it right. However sometimes, managers ask themselves "Why is it that I've been doing so much to motivate my employee... but they still keep resigning?" Managers give bonuses, higher salaries, etc. etc. to make people stay yet it still doesn't seem to work. What could possibly be wrong?

Well... before anyone says its the manager himself that's the problem (at times that's true), you need to know that not everything that motivates can inversely demotivate, and vise-versa.

This is otherwise known as the Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory. Surprisingly, this has been around since the 50's but apparently, it is not as widespread as it should be. To put it simply, the theory basically states that factors leading to job satisfaction (Motivation) do not necessarily contribute to job dissatisfaction once removed. On the other hand, factors leading to job dissatisfaction (Hygiene) do not necessarily contribute to job satisfaction once removed. In short, hygiene factors make you stay, while motivation factors make you a top performer.

Salary for example is a hygiene factor. Take away salary (or provide less than agreed salary) would definitely make your resource walk out the door. Give him more salary... and you can be assured that he stays. However, don't expect your resource to perform better. No one performs better just because he gets paid more (yes! stop lying to yourself!).

Performance Bonuses, on the other hand, are motivation factors. If your company pays out a decent performance bonus, you can be assured that there are some people (not all) that will strive to reach that. Yet, this will not always stop them from leaving.

Below are some motivation and hygiene factors.

Motivation Factors

Achievement - people are motivated by having a sense of achievement and being able to accomplish something in the office. Most good PM's are like this.
Recognition - if you did something great, and get recognized by it, the tendency is for you to continue doing that thing and maintaining that level of performance.
Work Itself - there's a saying that people perform best at the things they like. If you do not like your work, then obviously won't perform as good as the one who does
Responsibility - people are motivated (or forced to motivate themselves) when they are aware of their level of responsibility and accountability in their work.
Promotion - what most people in the corporate world want. To a certain degree, promotion is actually a form of Recognition. It is undoubtedly the most tangible and long-lasting implementation of motivation given to a person.
Growth - growth may be a bit vague, but generally, it states that people look to grow in knowledge and exposure to certain things. Knowing that these exists encourage people to actually perform at their best.

Hygiene Factors

Pay and Benefits - The reason why we work in the first place (unless its a charity)
Company Policy and Administration - You'd be surprised to hear how much people like to leave their company just because of bad office management. Having training bonds and requiring people to dress in an appropriate manner are samples of company policies that just don't work.
Relationship with co-workers - Having a co-worker that you just can't stand is a surefire way of leaving early.
Supervision - YES - people leave because of bad management. This is one of the top reasons why people leave. Why? Because this is one of the factors that have a huge impact on resource himself as well as all other factors.
Status - very very few people like to be at the bottom rung of the ladder. Hence once a person feels that he should be at a higher status, he looks elsewhere for that.
Job Security - No one likes to work knowing that you might not have work on the next day. It makes people hesitant to perform at their best because at the back of their mind, it can all go to waste anytime.
Working Conditions - working in a pathetic looking office or working in a hell-hole makes people dissatisfied. Trust me, there is a reason why offices and workplaces need to look nice. Just like your own house which you spend a good amount of time on cleaning and making sure it looks nice... your workplace is to be viewed as just the same since you spend one-third of your 24 hours at the office.
Personal Life - the way your work impacts your personal life is a hygiene factor. For a person that frequently travels as part of his work may not find it appealing if he needs to be home early everyday to take care of his kids. A highly sociable person may not find a night shift job appealing since it takes time away from parties and other events.

There's definitely a lot more motivation and hygiene factors out there. Moreover, the level of motivation or hygiene a factor gives out varies from person to person. Nonetheless, the general statement holds true. Hopefully, this gives everyone an idea on what to do to address a resources needs and to ensure that he stays and performs at his best.

So what are you paid for?

2011-06-15T17:37:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, a software developer of mine asked me why aren't people who get to do harder work get paid more? His argument was that people like construction workers, miners, and those doing dirty jobs should be paid a premium primarily because their job was tougher and more labor intensive. This got me thinking really hard to come up with an answer because to a certain degree, his argument was logical.

Given the fact that my wife, who's a domestic diva, complains about the household chores and doesn't get paid for it, makes the argument more pressing.

If you take a look at the common stereotype we have for top executives, playing golf as part of "business", attending social events, and even having huge corner offices with nothing but papers on their desks to sign (whereas coders and testers have half-a-cube filled w/ source code print-outs, test reports, and user manuals) - we can but only think that this does not seem right. If you work more, you should get paid more, right?

WRONG.

So what are you paid for?

The short and simple truth is that people are paid based on their ability to think and decide. That's it. Period.

Ok. Step back a bit and look at each job you can think of and the level of thinking and decision making involved for each job and relate that to how much each job is being paid. Of course there will be variances here and there, including nuances such as hazard conditions and market demands, but the general trend is towards the notion that the more you think and decide in your job, the better is your paycheck.

This is why software developers are paid higher than construction workers. This is why a doctor is paid more than a nursing aide. This is why people who do menial tasks, such as washing dishes at the local fast-food pays significantly less than a heart-surgeon doing a triple by-pass surgery. This is why you are most likely paid less than your pointy haired boss.

On the bright side of things, Now that you are aware of this general truth - take it to yourself to accept more levels of responsibility from your company. Do not be afraid to make the call. Show management that you can think and decide - and the moolah will come.

On Negotiating

2011-04-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

My professor once asked, "Who makes the best negotiators in the world?" The whole class was dumbfounded. "Someone that can influence you to agree on something without you losing trust and respect on the other person. Someone that takes your best interest at hand, but at the end of the day, she gets what she wants." No one in a class of twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings knew the answer.

"It's your mothers." said my professor with a smirk on his face. Then it all hit us like a brick on a wall. This man was correct.

Negotiating is an art. Let no one tell you otherwise. A lot of project managers fail at being project managers because they lack the ability to negotiate. What could have been a simple trade of needs ends up in a stalemate simply because project managers cannot get what they want out of the other party. This could be with the customer, stakeholder, staff, suppliers, etc. It is ironic to think though, that negotiating is one of the key activities we do each day as an individual. We negotiate when we do shopping... We negotiatie when we order food... We negotiate with our work mates... heck we even negotiate the roads when we travel.

While it would be fun to write all that I know about negotiation, the truth is that its such a broad topic and the only time I really appreciated it was when I actually started using everything that I learned about negotiation. (I give credit btw to Mr. Joey Estreta, my professor who gave us the opportunity to practice negotiation in his class).

Nonetheless, here are the top three things you should always remember about Negotiating.

1. Know your Interest.
Interest is the "why" of negotiating. Before sitting at the negotiating table, ask yourself..."why am i doing this?" Interest is the ulitimate goal behind the negotiation. It is the need that has to be met. Interest is different from Position. Position is the "what" of the negotiation. Position is that which you are requesting from the other party to satisfy your interests. Telling your dad, "I want a car" is a position. Chances are, you'ld get a resounding "No" in record speed. But what is the real reason why you are asking for a car? Is it because you are having trouble going home late? Is it because you want to impress the girls in school? Is it because your allowance ain't enough for the ride home? Anyone of these reasons could be your Interest. And if you look real hard, you'll notice that there are several ways to go about finding the win-win situation. Knowing your Interest opens up several possible positive avenues of resolution. A position is typically just one of those avenues. Your dad can probably lend you his car on date-nights, or he can just increase your allowance, or you can ask your professor for a change in schedule so that you don't need to go home late.

2. Know the other party's Interest
It is equally important to understand the other party's interest as much as yours. This gives you more ways to satisfy their needs without necessarily putting you on a disadvantage. A lot of people managers fail badly on this area. I know of a scenario (actually a lot of scenarios) wherein an employee left the company and the manager simply failed to realize the interest of the employee. He was a pretty good employee, his skill was rare within his organization, and he has served the company for a good number of years. The manager kept insisting that he cannot give him a pay raise for various reasons hence the employee decided to go. Yet, what the manager failed to realise what that a pay increase was only the position that the employee was taking. The real interest was the fact that he wanted to be recognized for his efforts in the company. He was highly utilized, yet his accomplishments did not seem to pay off anywhere. Money was only secondary. Having a pay increase was only a manifestation of his need for recognition.

3. Know your BATNA
No this is not Robin's man-friend. BATNA stands for Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement. To put it simply, if the negotiation does not push thru as planned, what is my other alternative? A big risk during negotiation is that we settle for something less than what we want or expect. This is not necessarily a bad thing because this could in fact be the best available settlement for both parties. But sometimes we settle less than what we could have elsewhere. Knowing your BATNA increases your ability to negotiate since it makes you aware of your alternatives. Remember: There is always a BATNA. At its very least, your BATNA is your ability to walk away from the negotiation. A good example of BATNA is if you are negotiating with a prospective employer on a job offer. Your BATNA is your other existing offers (if there are any) or just staying with your current employer. You need to constantly measure what is on the table with your BATNA. If the offer is less favorable than your BATNA, then why proceed? Sometimes too, it is good to inform the other party of your BATNA. It makes them aware of your Least Acceptable Result (LAR).

These are the three most important things to know during a negotiation. But knowing this is just the first step. Being able to master the various negotiating techniques and formulating a negotiating strategy is also crucial in achieving a win-win agreement.

This is a nice link on the various negotiation techniques out there (http://changingminds.org/disciplines/negotiation/tactics/tactics.htm). Remember, it takes practice before one becomes proficient in the art of negotitation.

Passion and Commitment

2011-04-07T17:09:00.000-07:00

If you work for a man in heavens name
Work for him
Speak well of him
And stand by the institution he represents
Remember that an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness
If you must growl, condemn, and eternally find fault
Why? Resign your position
And when you are on the outside
Damn it to your hearts content
But as long as you are part of this institution
Do not condemn it!
For if you do so
The first high wind that comes along
Will blow you away
And probably, you will never know why

I bet some of you have heard of this literary work. I actually know this by heart and wrote down the words without skipping a beat. This is one of the few stuff I needed to remember while joining my good 'ol college org. Looking back, these words have shaped my professional career in the realm of employer-employee relationships. I have always had the stand that if you commit yourself to something, you should exert all efforts to make it succeed. I believe a lot of my colleagues can attest to that.

One thing I like about my current employer is the value of Passion and Commitment. Amongst all the corporate values, I find this the most important - and I consistently tell my staff about it. This is the key ingredient to a top performer.

Then again, Passion and Commitment, like everything else... fades.

There comes a point in time when one loses the passion and becomes less committed to the work. This is typically caused by a fork in the road, wherein both the employer and the employee start seeing differences in direction. This is NOT a bad thing. Its just the way things are. You will not always have the same plans and directions as that of your company, boss, stakeholders, and even your staff. You will not always see things eye-to-eye. If it were so, everyone would be working for the same company 'til they die.

What is bad however, is to force oneself in a situation that he is not agreeable with. You cannot walk to the left if you really want to go right. It's just not right (pun intended). It's ok to influence, discuss, and dialogue to come to an agreement... BUT when it becomes clear that plans and directions are different, then its time to go. You will only be doing a disservice to your employer if you decide to stay but not agree. It will only cause strife, both to you and your employer (and even other employees) if this setup is maintained. This results to a lose-lose situation.

It is good to remember that while you may have differences with your employer, there are a lot of like-minded employers out there who have the same vision and direction as you. Its just a matter of meeting them down the road.

Right now, I know a lot of folks have this in mind. Hence I decided to write about it. And I do hope no one gets blown away by the first high wind that comes along.

The Halo Effect

2010-08-29T07:33:00.000-07:00

To put it simply, the Halo Effect is an action done by a manager wherein he does a sweeping generalization of a person's overall performance based on the merits of a single activity. Another form of the Halo Effect is wherein the a subordinate is evaluated based on the most recent events alone.(Its anti-thesis is the Horns Effect). The Halo Effect is something that MUST (again - MUST) be avoided by managers, both people and project managers, at all times. This is because it skews perception of a person towards the specific activity.

To visualize the topic, lets just say Consultant A just made an amazing presentation that helped seal a deal with a customer. Everybody was happy, most especially Consultant A's manager. Come performance evaluation time, Consultant A was given high ratings amidst the fact that he did not perform as expected in the months preceeding the presentation, and was even frequently absent at the office. Consultant A did not also follow prescribed protocol and set meetings with the customer without the prior approval of his manager.

We all know that managers should be fair and objective when dealing with their subordinates, but the fact of the matter that it is hard to do such a thing if:
1. You don't know your subordinates that much.
2. You have no memory of prior activities and achievements (or failures) for that subordinate.
3. Activities performed by your subordinates are valued (or devalued) inappropriately. (i.e. they are perceived higher or lower than what they are really worth).

Getting caught up in the Halo Effect would also create negative impressions on the manager. He would most likely be viewed as playing favorites, narrow-minded, unfair to the team, or even discriminatory. This is definitely not a situation that managers want to be as it would cause tension and lower the teams morale.

So how do you avoid the Halo Effect? Here are a few tips.

1. Document subordinates performance regularly. - Try writing down both good points and not so good points of the subordinate. Even small but important items need to be noted down. More importantly, do this on a regular basis. By regular, it means more than the frequency of doing performance evaluations. If performance evaluations are done quarterly, write down performance notes monthly (or even weekly if possible). This takes out the impact of the time element wherein we can only recall the most recent event since the events prior to the most recent are properly documented and can be referred to.

2. Establish standards within the team. - One of the things that a subordinate hates to do is to guess what his manager wants and expects from him. It would end up as a hit or miss situation and ultimately frustration on the part of the subordinates. A manager should make the effort to inform his team of what he expects of them. By establishing the standards, it also provides the boundaries of expected behaviours. This also gives the team substantial info on what factors they are being evaluated on.

3. Provide feedback early on. - Do not wait until the actual performance evaluation kicks in to provide feedback. At this point, everything is just after the fact. Both Positive and Negative behaviour should be fed back to the subordinate immediately after an activity has been performed. Not only does this give the best impact, but more importantly because it gives the subordinate the notion that performance is evaluated fairly and directly. Official Performance evaluations are only a summary of what is being done on a regular basis.

Always remember, the purpose of evaluating a subordinate is to ensure that they are performing at their best. This means influencing them towards the right behaviours and against those that are counterproductive to the project and the organization. It is therefore a very important activity that must not be neglected or downplayed by Managers, nor is it an opportunity to get back at people who you personally dislike in your team.

CYA is not the only PM technique

2010-08-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

One of the first acronyms I learned as a Project Manager before PERT, CPI, SPI, EV, etc(thanks to my old bald headed boss) was CYA. For the uninitiated in the world of real-life Project Management (as opposed to conceptual PM studies), CYA stands for "Cover Your Ass". Yes, I know it sounds like an awful way of managing projects but it really transcends more than just a self serving activity.

When you "Cover Your Ass", you technically ensure that all project decisions, activities, and concerns end up in the right person. Being in the middle of the project traffic, a PM is very susceptible to having issues land on his lap without the means or authority to resolve such an issue. By the nature of his role, he is always exposed to being the scapegoat when a project goes south.

Truth is, CYA is a good PM technique if used in the right and appropriate manner. However, this should only be done when absolutely necessary and not ALL the time to a point that it becomes habitual.

Project Managers have a level of responsibility. In fact they are responsible for everything that happens in the project, whether they like it or not - and whether they caused it or not. It is imperative that the PM can take the heat when heat is present. Simpy doing a CYA to save one's skin shows a lack of character on the Project Manager. It is also unfair to those whom the buck is passed on to.

Amongst the various types of Managers, it is the Project Manager who has to be the one most exposed to change. A Project Manager is a Change Manager. Because of this, he has to be able to manage the changes that impact people. When people are impacted, sh!t hits the ceiling, and when that happens - the Project Manager is in the middle being hit on all sides.

Projects are done by People

2010-07-28T06:17:00.000-07:00

Surprise! Surprise!

And you thought we had monkeys roaming around the office doing projects, don't you?

Seriously, one of the biggest mistakes Project Managers have in running projects is they undermine the single most valuable type of resource which are your Human Resources. Amongst the various types of projects out their from a Space Shuttle launch to Events Management... everything requires people. The level of non-human resources such as equipment, machinery, tools, technology, and so on may vary from project to project BUT the impact of human resources will always be more significant than the rest combined. This is because non-human resources require human resources for them to work.

You may have an excellent plan, rock-solid knowledge in Project Management, all the cool tools and toys that would make James Bond salivate - but without the ability to manage the people properly - you are bound to fail. Project Managers need to remember that Projects are done by People - project plans or project tools. There is no silver bullet to managing people, although there is a pretty clear set of things to remember when doing so.

Understand and Manage Expectations - Everyone, and I do mean everyone in one form or another works under the concept of WIIFM. (What's In It For Me?) This is not really a bad thing but a fact of life that everybody has some reason for being involved in a project. You as a PM, have to understand what that driver is and work on achieving that. It is not only your primary stakeholders like the Project Sponsor who has expectations, even your team, your peers, and other people that are directly or indirectly impacted by the project. It is expected that these expectations will conflict one another - hence the value of you, Mr. PM, of being in your position. Each one must be managed.

Communicate - The uber tool of Project Managers. Project Managers need to communicate and communicate often. People need to be communicated to as they require information, direction, and feedback. It has been estimated that a Project Manager spends 90% of his time communicating.

Negotiate - So what takes up the 90% of the time communicating? Its primarily to negotiate. You negotiate the expectations that conflict with each of the people involved in the project (stakeholders). Always try to go for the win-win situation. Always negotiate in terms of getting the best deal for everyone and not just to satisfy a specific party or group of resources. Don't start the negotiations with a position to bleed dry the other party - even and especially your customers. Doing so will loose your non-tangible assets such as the relations to other people.

Mary Ann Allisson wrote:
Hire the best. Pay them fairly. Communicate frequently. Provide challenges and rewards. Believe in them. Get out of their way and they'll knock your socks off.

Yup. this is true as can be.

Estimating Project Management Time

2010-05-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

"How much time should I estimate for project management in a project?"
This is a very common question asked by service providers whenever they need to provide estimates for projects that require a dedicated project manager.

"What? You mean not all projects have project managers?"
Well, what I mean is that not all projects require a project manager, but all projects require some level of project management. Otherwise, how would you account for one-man projects?

Then again, that's not the topic I want to discuss. What I would want to bring to the table are some basic rules whenever project management time is estimated into a project. So, how do you do it?

A general rule of thumb being used in IT software industries is that 20% of the team's work effort is added to allot for project management time. This means that if it takes 100 man-hours to do the work, 20% is added to it for project management. Hence the total effort for the whole project is 120 man-hours.

While this is a very generally accepted manner of estimating PM time. I would caution against taking this estimate as such. There are other factors that need to be taken into consideration when estimating the PM effort. These include the following:

Duration - Effort is different from duration. Effort is the amount of work needed to do the job. Duration is how long the work is going to take. If an activity requires an effort of 80 man-hours (or 10 man-days), then it can be done for a duration of either 10 days for 1 resource or 5 days for 2 resources. See the difference? The effort for project management is higher for projects with longer duration. This is due to the length of time (duration) that the PM is exposed to the project.

Resoures - This seems pretty obvious. The more resources in the project team, the higher the level of effort needed to manage the project. This is particularly due to the channels of communication needed to coordinate work between resources. Its obviously much harder to manage more people all at the same time.

You may wonder that if we go by the previous definition of effort vs duration, then the PM estimates of a project with a shorter duration with more people would just be the same as a project with a long duration and fewer people. It's true that these cancel out with one another. However, based on personal experience, the Resource factor has a bigger impact than the duration factor.

Risk - One of the basic activities of a project manager is to manage risks in a project. Therefore, if there is a lot risks in a project, the the project manager has got a lot of work in his hands.
The amount of risks increases the amount of project management time needed in a project. This trumps the other two factors in terms of how it impacts PM estimates.
Hopefully, this information helps you make better estimates for PM time, and helps you defend any estimates that you are creating.

"Now what the heck will you be doing with all those hours?" that's going to be in my next post.

Shifting Gears

2010-01-18T00:56:00.000-08:00

"The key is not to plan for everything... its knowing when to stop planning and start doing."

Oftentimes, I've been asked the question as to how much planning should be done on a project. Typically newbie project managers don't do enough planning. More seasoned project managers do way too much planning. The best of the bunch know when they have enough information to move forward. For those who drive stick, its like knowing the right RPM to shift gears, too little and you underpower your engine, too much and you overburn. There are no hard and fast rules to doing this. There are various conditions that determine when enough is just about right. However, there are certain truths to project management planning that a project manager needs to put to heart in order for him to have a better understanding on when to shift gears.

Truth #1. You will need to replan, again. This is an inescapable fact. Things change, and so should your plan. You can never plan for everything and so don't plan like you can.

Truth #2. Planning is a diminishing activity. The effect of planning is at its peak when you actually start planning, and goes downhill from thereon. It does not mean however that you "plan" at the start and then leave it at that. As I've mentioned earlier, the key is knowing when to stop planning.

Truth #3. The more you plan, the lesser the risk. It is for the most part, the reason why planning is performed, to reduce unknown events in a project, and hence increased preparedness. This is inverseley proportional to Truth # 2. Hence getting to the "This is it!" point is what project managers need to aim for.

So far, I've done fairly well on knowing when to shift gears. This concept is not limited to projects but rather to almost anything that involves some form of planning. Applying these truths on your everyday activities help you become an expert in identifying when to shift gears. Be it in the work place, personal activities, relationships, and all other planning-intensive activities.

Am currently looking at what's happening in the workplace and calibrating the things that I see. Sooner or later I will need to shift gears.

where the heck is middle management?

2009-08-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

Ever since the corporate world thought of flattening their organizations, making it more lean and mean in the last two decades, the obvious victim were those in what we call "Middle Management". These were the unlucky fellows who were caught between those who set the company strategy and those who did the daily grunt work of supervising resources. Whereas I would agree to an extent that middle management is where we could easily cut some fat out of the management body, it also requires that both junior and senior management need to stretch themselves out, in order to reach one another. This is where it gets messy.
Unfortunately, some organizations still have not realized this need to fill the gap. The results have been devastating. Corporate strategies and directions are not realized and made into tangible, daily operational activities. We tend to fail miserably by not looking at this area, especially for large organizations that really need a good number of middle managers. People in middle management positions right now are overly stretched to make ends meet. There is just too much distance because managers on both ends of the spectrum (both junior and senior) just don't see the need to budge. They just expect everything to be business as usual.
I consider myself to be at the lower rung of middle-management right now. Up is still a long way to go. I honestly am finding it difficult trying to translate vision and mission, target KPI's, and corporate strategies into tactical programs that can be converted into operational activities since there's just soo much disparate activities that need to be grouped and managed together. Somestimes, it just doesn't make sense.

Rockstar Managers

2009-06-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

Every now and then we find managers who exude unconventional wisdom, unconventional approaches, and unconventional ways by which they manage teams, organizations, and projects. Amidst these novelle activities, we often find them excelling in doing pretty well as managers and receive adequate congratulatory remarks from his/her superiors. You might then be forced to ask how do they do it and what makes them capable of achieving what they have achieved.

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the world of the Rockstar Manager.

I am not really sure if there has been a term for this before, but I'd like to call it as such since it so defines these types of Managers. These managers display such qualities present in Rockstars that it is only fitting to use that term to describe them. These are the people who eventually become the Bill Gates and Steve Jobs of their organizations and are often their beloved prodigys.

So what's in these Rockstar Managers that make them so popular (and so darn good).

Unique Persona - I don't want to use the word charm or charisma because its simply limiting the Rockstar image. A Rockstar Manager can either be charismatic or notorious or both at the same time. They have a certain presence that makes everyone know that they are there and that they need to be heard.
Influence - What separates rock musicians from the real rockstars is their level of influence. Same goes for Rockstar Managers. You can have a unique persona but no influence and you end up being a nuisance. Influence is what gives the power to the image. Rockstar Managers know the who's who in the organization - and its not limited to the organizational structure. Rather, it also involves knowing the socio-political structure and bieng able to establish good relationships.
Intelligence - Rockstar Managers are intelligent. They know what they are doing (even if it doesn't look that way). They have adequate knowledge of the work environment and the skills needed to survive in that environment. Just like the likes of Steve Vai or Joe Satrianni (if you don't know these folks - read up on your rock history), these are very intelligent people that make more than your average noise from rock music.
Creativity - Rockstars are non-conformist by nature. And to be able to keep it that way, one has to have a certain level of creativity in him. This creativity helps bring out better ways of approaching projects, unique ideas and solutions, and a whole lot of "new" stuff that can only come from the creative minds of the Rockstar Managers.
Risk Takers - Dare to be bold is the trademark of a real rockstar. Rockstar Managers are willing to take risks because this is the only way for them to know if what they think is right (or works). It just simply matches the persona of a unique and creative person.

And so to summarize the Rockstar Manager, he/she is a person that is willing to take risks for his/her creative ideas that he has carefully thought thru, and has the influence to make that happen and the unique persona to make it look good.

Yes, there are a couple out there that would fall under this category. Its a rare breed. I've seen a couple of unpolished gems our office. I hope to see them become Rockstar Managers someday.

Everything I know about Project Management, I learned from playing Poker

2009-06-22T04:54:00.000-07:00

Well... this might not be exactly true... but it sounded real good. I want to thank my good online neighbor Meggy (http://thoughtsfromaficklemind.blogspot.com) for that idea. I just couldn't get over the fact that she actually had the different Poker combinations posted on her cubicle. Franco was probably the instigator of this.
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Ok, so here are some pretty nice ramblings on the similarities of Project Management work with Poker.

"You play the hand that you are dealt." You will never always get a good hand at Poker (unless of course, you cheat). It's all in how you arrange your hand that matters. In the same way, a Project Manager will never always get the best project team. What matters is making the most out of your team. Get there strengths and use it to your advantage. Project teams are unique, and I can never recall being able to see the same hand in poker show up in another game.
"Know when to check, call, raise, and fold". This is what separates real poker players from the plain so-called poker players. This is putting your hand in action. Different situations call for different responses. Project Managers have an assortment of possible responses to various areas of project management such as Risk Management (do i accept, transfer, mitigate, etc?), Communication Management (do i email, call, chat, etc?), and various other areas. It is therefore important to understand the possible outcome of each response to a project management area.
"Read your opponent(s)". Having played Poker for quite some time now. I am starting to understand facial gestures, mannerisms, and non-verbal cues can truly give light to what the other poker players have. This helps me understand how to respond properly in order to win. In the same light, Project Managers should also be aware of situations that may affect the outcome of his/her Project. Reading your opponents is essentially performing Risk Management.
"Learn to read a Bluff". Yes, bluffing is an integral part of Poker. Poker will never be Poker without this element in. After all, that's what started the term Poker Face. In the course of trying to read your opponents, there will be instances that you will be lead to believe certain conditions exists in your opponents hand that will cause you to do something less favorable (such as folding to a much lower hand). Project Managers should always learn to validate situations, conditions, and project statuses if they are what they are reported as. A validation activity/exercise by PM's always help in ensuring that the PM is always on top of the situation.
"Learn to call a Bluff". A bluff is a way of getting what we want out of opponents. Yes, it is effectively lying - but its all part of the game. For Project Managers, this does not mean that you need to tell a lie. In fact, all this means is influencing people, events, etc. to achieve something that we want from that specific person/team. It does not incur (nor should it incur) lying. What it should have is a mechanism to go influence people positively.

Well, I hope that the next time you play Poker, you can now remember all the important stuff that I mentioned.

changes...

2009-06-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

I feel unhappy
I feel so sad
I've lost the best friend
That I ever had...
...
I'm going through changes...
I'm going through changes...
-ozzy ozzborne

And so goes one of the few slow songs by the legendary frontman of Black Sabbath. Although things are not as gloomy and downtrodden as the song, more often than not, managers - project managers moreso - are faced with changes at a very regular basis. Changes that affect ones professional career both within projects and within the organization itself.

I've thought of putting out my two cents on this topic since we've just recently started off the company's fiscal year, and together with it several changes in both the organization and the way we do business as a whole. I for one moved into the so-called Project Management Office of our organization. And although it may seem like a good spot to be in... I would definitely miss out on all the action. Nothing feels better than being in-the-trenches together with your men and fighting the war.

This however, ain't about war. It's about change management.

Project Managers should very much be open to the fact that change is constant in any project. A Project that does not change is a project that is not moving. We should always expect change to happen in our projects. Changes that involve schedule, costs, scope, resources, location, risks, issues, and a whole lot of other things. This does not give managers the freedom to not do anything or not plan for anything since we are aware that things are bound to change anyways. The whole point here is to manage the change that will occur. That's why its called change management in the first place.

Some tips to remember when managing change

1. Each change is always caused by something. Change doesn't happen because it just did. An event, action, or decision can trigger a change. It is very important to identify what caused the change (or the need to change). It can be as simple as the resources not showing up to work for three straight days or as large as the stakeholder all of a sudden redirects the focus of the project.

2. Changes causes other things to change. In short, a change always has an impact. You can never add to the scope and expect that the end date won't move or that there is no need to add resources. There will always be an impact to the status quo no matter how small a change is.

3. Changes are not always a bad thing. Conversely, nor is it always a good thing. What's important is to understand the merits of the change and as a manager, decide on whether or not to pursue the change. More often than not, depending on the nature of the change, a select group of people (such as the customer) would need to approve of the change before it takes place.

4. Everyone must be aware of the change. This includes the scope of the change, when will this occur (or when did this occur), and how does this impact the individuals concerned.

5. Rebaseline. Once changes are approved. You should bear in mind that the new plan should now take into consideration the approved changes as it could impact the cost, schedule, and scope of the project.

Ciao.