The Joel Test no.11

Published: February 21, 2010 16:00

The application process is there for two reasons. One, for the employer to get to know if the employee is a good fit. And second for the employee to get to know if the employer is a good fit. With any role a new hire needs to address a number of ‘transferable skills’ questions such as ‘can this person communicate clearly’ and ‘can this person work with others’.
However, on top of this each role has specific skillset requirements. It is these requirements that need bespoke methods of identification. The question is, what methods should we use?

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Posted via web from bobscape | posterous

About 2 minutes before the the show was about to be recorded Paul came into my office as said; ” Come on, you are on the show this week. It’s the Christmas Special!”

I was a little concerned that I had had no time to prep. I needn’t have worried.

Checkout the boagworld Christmas special podcast starting me; Rob “the reindeer” Borley.

Back in March, when I first had an attempt at launching this blog, I published an article called “Warm Body Syndrome“. Despite nobody actually reading it at the time (except Sam Barnes; thanks Sam) it is my most popular post via google searches.

As Headscape are back on the recruitment merry-go-round (product marketing or something(?) | tech guy/gal), and some people actually  read this blog now, it seemed like a good time to float this post back to the top again.

Found any warm bodies?

Have a read of  ”Warm Body Syndrome“. Google stats can’t be wrong! It must be good. *smile*

Let me know what you think. Have you ever recruited a “warm body”? Maybe you have been a “warm body”. What was your experience?

A big, if not the biggest, part of my job as a web project manager is dealing with clients. This is actually the part of the job I enjoy the most and see the client as, very much, a part of the project team. I have found that an honest and transparent approach is best when dealing with query’s and problems and involving clients in the general processes of the project (as much as they are able) leads to a smoother road for all concerned.

I have said this before but I see a PM’s role as one of facilitation. I need to enable people to do what they are good at and I need to, wherever possible, stay out of the way. To some extent, this includes client communication.

The ambassador

I recently read a good post by John Reeve; Project Managers: Why every creative agency needs one. In this article he talks about the PM’s role of ambassador. A go-between between the client and the production team. While I agree that this can be necessary at times I see this as only a temporary role.

As PM I need to be aware of all communications. I need to have  a complete overview of the project and understand what is going on when and who needs to do what next. This doesn’t mean that I need to be a middle man. While I still hold on to my technical routes, the chances are, when a client has a question or a problem of a technical nature I will not know the answer.  I will need to go and ask the tech team. Similarly, with a design based question, I generally have no hope without first consulting the design team. So why should I get in way?

Expose your team

We have found it useful to introduce the client to the team at the earliest possible stage in the process. Wherever possible the lead designer and lead tech on a project will be at the project kick-off meeting.  The team will take a lead in conference calls where questions or discussions are to be had about their area of expertise. As long as I am kept in the loop then there is no reason for me as PM act as messenger boy.

When this process works well the client feels more connected with the process and, as they get to know the team, have a greater level of confidence in the the time-scales, quality control and ultimately, the deliverable.

Obviously, some relationships are difficult. This is where the role of “ambassador” goes on for longer than is ideal. As PM it is important to spot and manage these situations so as to still produce the required results and get the job done. I have found this to be a rare scenario.

Openness and transparency as an approach needs to stretch throughout the structure of the project. This includes exposing your team to your clients.

What is your experience?

As a designer or a developer, what is your experience of  dealing directly with a client? As a client, what is your experience of talking directly to production team members or maybe your experience of not being able to? PM’s, do you have experience of this approach going horrible wrong?

We are in the middle of arguably the deepest recession in modern history. When times are tough it becomes a necessity to cut costs and save money. Often the first thing to go are the fun, social, team building activities. After all, such things are not essential, are they?

While I can understand the thinking behind such a step; the work place doesn’t have to be a fun place, it needs to be a productive place. It needs to win contracts, deliver projects, make products, pay the bills. I would suggest that dropping the investment in your greatest resource; your people, is counter productive and short sighted. Yes, you will save money in the short term. But at what cost?

Important resources

Your team are your most valuable resource. A happy team is a motivated and productive team. When times are tough you want them to be behind you. You want your team to be willing to go the extra mile for the cause. For the cost of a curry and beer you might possible be able to find the extra productivity you need to keep everything afloat when times are hard.

It’s the small things that mean that somebody will want to work for you. If you  have a high turnover of staff it costs more money and time. Recruitment, training, orientation are all expensive activities. These activities are things that you want to avoid.

Happy campers

The best way to save money and be more cost effective is to spend a little time and money on morale. A happy team is a cheaper team.

What things encourage you as a member of a team? What makes you happy to go the extra mile? What keeps morale high and you motivated?

Confidence plays an important role in many areas of our lives. You will often here it said of footballer, for example, that they are a confidence player. I know from my own inability to play golf that I become marginally less rubbish if I have confidence in my next shot. Leaders who lead directly and with confidence are people that we want to follow. If you offer somebody direction, with confidence, they will, most likely, blindly follow. And the opposite is also true. Even if you know what you are talking about, if you do not present a confident argument, you will generally be ignored.

The same is true of your team. A team, full of confidence, will be more efficient at finding solutions to your problems.  If confidence is low, time will be wasted while they decide even if they can solve the issue. The idea that; there is no such thing as a problem without a solution, goes out of the window.

When a team questions their ability to solve a problem. The problem is in danger of not being solved.

Building Confidence.

It is important to be active in building the confidence of your team. This includes being on the look out for things which will damage the confidence of individuals.

1. Public praise.
   Be vocal about the successes of your team and the individuals within it. Publicise the good activity that is going on all the time. This is especially important if an individual  has been struggling for confidence. Inform other areas in the organisation of your successes. When a project is completed or an important milestone is reached, spread the word. Send an email highlighting the work and the individuals involved. Twitter is also a great tool for this and especially useful in the web world where what you are working on is often in the public domain. When your team does something well, hold it up for all to see.
2. Do not allow individuals to dominate a team.
   A certain way to knock the confidence of an individual is if they are in a team with one or two unapproachable ‘experts’ . When one member of a team is perceived to always have the best solution others will be less willing offer suggestions.  Remember, a quite individual does not equate to an incompetent individual.  It is important to build the confidence of such individuals otherwise you will lose their valuable input. If you identify this situation your can try to build their confidence and their standing within the team.  Ask them specifically for their opinion. Take them aside and seek their assessment of an issue. Public praise can also be a useful tool for individuals  as well as teams. If somebody doesn’t have the confidence to contribute then you will lose their contribution.
3. Do not set people up to fail.
   Be realistic with the challenges that you set for your team. If you consistently set an unrealistic target which ends with your team not achieving their goals, then their confidence and eventually their effectiveness will suffer. Break larger tasks into achievable chunks. Give people the opportunity to achieve something small along the way to a larger success. Failure is a demotivating experience. If it happens too often it can become habitual. Make sure that your team has a fighting chance of success. Do not set them up to fail.

A confident team is more productive. They are also more innovative in their solutions because they expect to not only achieve their goals but to excel at what they are doing.  It is important to not go too far and breed arrogance and complacency but a team of confident individuals will make your job a lot easier.

Have you had the experience of being in a team that has lacked confidence? What other ways of building the confidence of the team, or an individual, have you come across?

I’m often asked questions about the differences between working with designers and developers. Today an article I wrote for boagworld.com was published which takes a brief look at this question.

Don’t Reduce Your Designers And Developers To Stereotypes