ProjectConnections Columns

Running the Numbers by Kent McDonald

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:32:56 -0700

Knowing your options can be helpful, but not very enlightening if you can't easily see the result of those options on the overall project. I built my financial model in a spreadsheet so I can easily change key input data (additional food and beverage items, detailed audio/visual line items, number of sponsorships, and number of registrants, for example) and quickly see the resulting revenue or loss from the event. Building a similar financial model for your project allows you to revise costs and expected revenues to quickly get an up-to-date picture of how successful (or not) your project will be in terms of value delivery.

Who Am I To Judge? by Geof Lory

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:40:59 -0700

Part of the challenge with diverse teams-particularly during the early phases of a project when they are going through the forming and storming stages-is our natural tendency to judge others. Most project environments, especially in the beginning, are uncertain enough with poor or changing requirements. In this ambiguity it is comfortable to seek some solace in the certainty of our judgments, especially the judgment of others. Judging others provides the mental illusion of control and clarity and spares us the angst and chaotic morass of the alternative.

But judgment also blocks the possibilities that can come from the creative chaos of the uncertainty. The knowledge of what we believe to be true can interfere with the possibility of what could be true.

Earned Value Makes Headlines! (And How You Can Avoid Making Them Too) by Carl Pritchard

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:40:58 -0700

For those of you who missed it, earned value made the news last week (June 4, 2008), including front-page articles in the Washington Post. What happened? Lockheed-Martin was called out for failing to live up to 19 of the 32 criteria of the Cost-Schedule Control Systems Criteria (also known as "CS-squared"). Who cares? We should! As project managers, this has implications that stretch far, far beyond Lockheed and their failings.

Increased Emotional Intelligence and Teamwork Through Snack Foods by Kimberly Wiefling

Wed, 21 May 2008 09:45:02 -0700

Unless you've spent your entire project management career with your face bathed in the light of your computer monitor, you've probably come across the concept of emotional intelligence. Popularized by Daniel Goleman at the end of the last century, emotional intelligence, or "EQ," can be condensed to three criteria: self-awareness, the awareness of our impact on others, and the good sense to make better choices as a result of that awareness. (I'm not recommending increased awareness, mind you, because I was a heck of a lot happier when I thought other people were to blame for all of my problems. But if you want to be an effective project leader you'll probably have to risk it.)

What does "Great PM" leadership look like? by Cinda Voegtli

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:26:13 -0700

I've talked in previous articles about aspects of being a great project manager, including what I view as business-oriented leadership: driving forward and leading the team to ensure that a project is launched, planned, and executed with alignment to business goals and customer needs.

I haven't yet touched much on a different aspect of leadership, which I refer to the "leadership persona" - not just what you do as a leader, but also how you come across to others as you lead the team. Along the line I have heard particular managers labeled as strong leaders based (apparently) on their extroverted motivational styles. Over time I have concluded personally that successful team leadership does not depend on the "rah rah" version of extroverted leadership as a foundational requirement.

The Hardest Word in the Project Management Vocabulary by Carl Pritchard

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:26:12 -0700

For project managers, "no" is often the toughest word in the English language to deploy. We often prefer the classic PM strategy of "Yes, but..." as the softer, kinder, gentler alternative. "No" sounds harsh. Uncooperative. It sounds reticent and recalcitrant. It sounds negative. And yet, for many of us, the time has come as professionals to set "yes, but..." aside and venture into the world of "no."

I say this because I note that with increasing frequency, clients are not taking "yes, but..." as an answer. No sooner do we offer a "yes-we-can-do-that, but-it-costs-you-another-million" response that the customer hears only the first half of the equation. They often seem far more interested in capability than cost.

Customer Focus - The Essence of Agility: What makes a project "Agile"? Part 2 by Alan Koch

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:31:40 -0700

It is all about our customer. All! An Agile team will do everything in their power to maintain continuous (or at least regular) contact with their customer, because that contact is essential to their ability to produce what the customer needs. An Agile team doesn't trust a Requirements Specification to tell the whole story. They know that if such a document was written, it contains errors, interpretations, and key omissions. They also know that even if it accurately represents what the customer thought they needed when they signed off, things are likely to change before the product is complete.

In order to ensure that they deliver what the customer really needs (and needs today), the team includes the customer in team activities as often as possible. The customer's input is important in each phase of the Agile lifecycle.

Great Careers for Great PMs by Cinda Voegtli

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:38:54 -0700

In my previous posts, I've provided my ideas about what constitutes a great PM. This time, I would like to bridge to what these ideas can mean for someone’s overall career. Of course, it seems obvious that if you’re a great PM, you'll get more opportunities. Certainly you’d seem like the person to call for bigger and hairier and more complex projects. But I bring this up because of the unexpected career paths I've seen people take based on a foundation of PM ability. [Each of these people] had a really interesting mix of career experience-a series of positions that was not planned out for any of them, but evolved based on their performance, abilities, etc. From what I know of each of them, their opportunities came about because of their PM Greatness in particular areas that fit their environments and led to excellent performance of the job at hand, and the opportunity for the next great challenge.

User Illusions by Kent McDonald

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:38:35 -0700

Agile advocates like to brag that one of the advantages of agile methods is that they stress regular involvement of the "customer" throughout the life of the project. They generally expect this role to tell the developers what functionality to work on, and in what order, and provide timely feedback on functionality so that the developers can respond accordingly. These methods take things a step further and also stress the need for a single customer providing this information. Some people refer to the concept as the "single wringable neck." This view on customers is rather shortsighted and ironic coming from a community so focused on collaboration.

Pay Attention To Me! by Brian Irwin

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:38:34 -0700

"The project sponsor, the Vice-President of the business unit, remains unresponsive to my requests for information. I sometimes send two or three reminder email queries about the same thing. Is there anything I can do?"