Archives for 2002

Every project should have a sponsor, someone who champions the project from a business perspective and helps to remove obstacles that might harm its overall success.

by Neal Whitten, PMP, Contributing Editor

Project sponsors typically are members of senior management who carry a respectable level of influence and authority and serve as proponents of projects. Project sponsors often are called by different names, such as product sponsor, project director, account manager or business unit manager.

Some projects do not have clearly defined project sponsors. Even more common are projects that have sponsors, but the sponsors’ duties are not defined and documented. If a project has no apparent sponsor or a weak sponsor, the project will suffer a severe handicap whenever senior management support must be obtained.

As a project manager, if your project does not have a project sponsor, you can work to cultivate that role with a likely senior manager. If your project has a designated project sponsor, but the duties are vague, it is in both your and the project’s best interest to define and document a proposed set of duties and negotiate them with the sponsor. Let’s look at a short list of the more significant duties of a project sponsor.

Ensure the project’s strategic significance. The project sponsor endorses and defends the project as a valued investment of organizational resources, an investment that serves the organization’s strategic objectives.

Provide approval and funding for the project. Organizations have more opportunities than funds and people to work them. The project sponsor lobbies for the approval and subsequent funding of the project.

Promote support by key stakeholders. The project sponsor maintains a good working relationship with major stakeholders such as the project manager, client and senior project players from other internal and external organizations and companies.

Support broad authority for project manager and team. The best project sponsors do not micromanage a project. Instead, the project manager enjoys great flexibility to promote best practices in planning and managing the project, and making day-to-day decisions. Decisions related to scope, schedule and costs that affect changes to external commitments must include the project sponsor.

Resolve conflicts. The project sponsor resolves conflicts that require senior management involvement: funding, priorities, external commitments, cross-organizational boundaries and clients, for instance. The project sponsor strives to buffer the project team from political issues. Timeliness to close issues is critical.

Be accessible and approachable. The project sponsor must be available to the project manager and other stakeholders on relatively short notice. The project sponsor should be viewed as a stakeholder who is always willing to listen and get involved as needed–to be used as a sounding board and to provide advice and guidance.

Support periodic reviews. The project sponsor approves the need and frequency of project reviews to appropriately assess the health of the project. Actions then are recommended to immediately address any significant problems that are identified.

Support post-project review. The project sponsor promotes the implementation of reviews upon project completion or following a major phase of a long-running project. A post-project review identifies what went right, what went wrong and where improvement can be made on future projects. The objective is to learn from project experiences so future projects can benefit.

Encourage recognition. The project sponsor, working with management and the project manager, supports the timely recognition of noteworthy individual and team achievements.
The project sponsor provides ongoing, on-call support for the project manager, who, in effect, is the project stakeholder charged with planning and executing the project plan–which leads to successful delivery of the product/service. A close, supportive relationship between the project sponsor and project manager can greatly benefit the performance of the project manager, project team and the overall success of the project.

Now go make a difference!

By paying attention to these “people principles,” project managers can smooth project execution.

by Neal Whitten, PMP, Contributing Editor

The dignity and value bestowed upon and felt by each individual is central to the overall continued success of an enterprise. The best-run organizations–and often those with the highest morale–typically are organizations where members demonstrate a basic respect for one another.

The core principle underlying effective interpersonal communications is the Golden Rule: “Treat others as you would like to be treated.” There is no better rule to follow when working with or serving others such as project stakeholders.

Here is a starter list of seven actions to adopt to foster and improve effective communication among project members.

Exercise tolerance; be quick to assist. More than ever, your job requires you to know more, resulting in a greater dependence on the knowledge and experience of others. We need to exercise tolerance of others when they come to us for help. After all, we will need their help some day. As members of a project willingly share their knowledge and experiences, the collective strength of a project increases. Moreover, “helpers” are frequently the most respected and admired members of a team. Four words to speak if you want to be remembered: “I will help you.”
Caution: Do not voluntarily assist others at the sacrifice of your own commitments.

Make direct contact. Interactive communications is still the best kind. Go out of your way to meet the people on whom you depend or who depend on you. Talk to them via telephone or face-to-face. Invite them to your meetings; ask to attend theirs when appropriate. E-mail has great value but do not overlook the need to build relationships and bonds that only your voice or presence can cement.

Relay your message in the fewest words possible. The higher you communicate up an organization’s hierarchy, the fewer words should be spoken and with better clarity of point. Higher-ups assume you know more but are far too busy to sit still for the unabridged version. They only need the net.

Use tact. Howard Newton, an American advertising executive, said, “Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.” The message you send may not be heard as loudly as the manner with which you send the message. Keep emotion out of a discussion. Focus on the facts at hand. Show people that you are willing to work with them where appropriate and that you are attempting to add value to the product or process.

Be a good listener. Communication is a two-way process. To be an effective communicator, you must be able to send and receive information. Helpful tips include: Maintain frequent eye contact, voice brief responses to show you are listening; don’t prematurely change the subject; ask questions; and restate what you heard. We learn through listening.

Be willing to break with tradition. We live in a rapidly changing world. All of us must be open–more than ever–to new ideas and new ways of thinking. Tradition can be a bad thing. It can cause us to narrow our thinking and to jump to erroneous conclusions. It can cause us not to grow, to be less effective, unable to see that which is possible and even necessary. Be open, even eager, to new ideas and methods. However we performed yesterday, we must perform better today and still better tomorrow.

Ask questions, never assume. Incorrect assumptions that you make on the job can cost your project considerable rework, lost time and, ultimately, lost revenue. Asking a question at the appropriate time can help you avoid missing a commitment, save money, save time and even save face–yours or someone else’s.

Although one person can influence change in an organization, the more members that rally behind a cause, the stronger its impact will be. To this end, consider developing a set of people principles, such as those presented here, to be adopted across your project or organization. Because a project consists of people of diverse backgrounds and experiences, these principles may not be intuitively obvious to everyone. If they were, projects and organizations would not have so many people-related problems.

Now go make a difference!

Don’t “trust” anyone. Question everything. Assume nothing.

by Neal Whitten, PMP, Contributing Editor

The phrase “inspect what you expect” has been around for a long time, but its message goes unheeded for many project managers. Who hasn’t had a project where a team member insists that things are fine? That the delivery will be on schedule and will meet the quality expected? But then the delivery date arrives, and it’s not ready.

Case in point: I was asked to perform a review on a troubled project. The project originally was planned to run about eight months but continued for nearly twice that without convincing data on when it will be complete. After a project review and the resulting recommendations, the project was replanned and estimated to be complete in another six months.

One month later, I asked the project manager, Sarah (not her real name), what were her top three priorities? Every project manager must deliberately manage these daily. (See “The No. 1 Reason for Projects in Trouble,” PM Network, February 2000.) After some thought, she eventually identified her top three. Her top priority was to validate the long list of requirements with the client to ensure that both parties had the same interpretation.

This was a new six-week activity that she had assigned to John; he was just starting the fifth week. I asked if John was on schedule. She said “yes.” I asked how she knew that. Sarah said that John, a senior level project member, repeatedly announced in the weekly project tracking meetings that he is on schedule. Because there were only two weeks left of the six-week activity, I asked Sarah if John and the client would work over the one remaining weekend available, if necessary, to protect their commitments to the schedule. Sarah said that she had full trust and confidence in John. After all, she said, “John is a professional.”

John was four weeks late in completing the activity and did not work any weekends. Moreover, John said the activity “should be completed by next week” for the next four weeks. Ouch!

If your clients or senior management micromanage your projects, it’s for a reason: You invited it by your inaction. When a project member has made a commitment to you either directly or by way of the project plan, what are you doing to ensure that the words, “I am on schedule” are true and meet your expectations?

As the project manager, you are the commander of your ship. If a failure occurs, you are responsible and accountable — even if someone else misses a commitment — the failure occurred under your command.

All eyes are watching you. These eyes belong to the other project members, the client, your boss or some other project stakeholder. They are relying on your leadership, your integrity, your boldness to assert yourself when and where needed. (See “Boldness! You Cannot be a Consistently Effective Leader If You Don’t Have It,” PM Network, January 2000.) Consistently successful projects don’t just happen; they are made to happen.

Project members must know what they are being held accountable for; that is, what you expect from them. Furthermore, these expectations must be measurable. Project members then routinely must report progress against those measured expectations.

As a general principle: Don’t trust anyone. Question everything. Assume nothing. It’s not personal. It’s business. It’s good business. How many times must a project manager get drawn into this trap? Requiring a trackable plan and routine progress reports demonstrates good leadership.

When your instincts alert you that there is something suspect about a commitment, trust those instincts. We all have remarkably good instincts. Too many of us are too soft to act upon those instincts. Be fair, but firm. Inspect what you expect. Your projects will benefit greatly, not to mention your career.

Now go make a difference!

Without passion, boldness and focus, consistent success is elusive.

by Neal Whitten, PMP, Contributing Editor

We are always on the lookout for that silver bullet in project management. We upgrade to “better” planning and tracking software, continually improve documented processes, review lessons learned at the end of projects or phases of projects, routinely seek to improve our knowledge and skills through training and mentoring, and obtain PMI certification or the equivalent. All these things can help, but none can match the power in applying passion, boldness and focus to your duties. This is as close to a silver bullet as I know … and is it close!

What’s so remarkable about these three attributes is that they are within reach of each of us. They come from within. It’s not about one’s educational level, gender, wealth, age, religion, ethnic origin or who you know. It’s about who and what you choose to be.

What do I mean by passion, boldness and focus?

By passion, I mean an intense inner drive or feeling that compels you to achieve a specific objective. It is a steadfast enthusiasm and eagerness you demonstrate in the pursuit of a cause. It is a spirited embracement of a mission. It is behaving as if you own the company and the company is defined by your domain of responsibility.

By boldness, I mean the act of responding to a situation in a manner that may be viewed as daring to some but is essential to effectively address the issue at hand. I do not mean being rude, reckless, insensitive or arrogant. None of these attributes are acceptable to any of us. I mean doing whatever is necessary to achieve the objective, providing it is legal and ethical. It’s about demonstrating integrity and doing the right thing.

By focus, I mean concentrating on a handful or less of the most important problems (also includes risks) that currently exist, even at the exclusion of most other problems. The most effective leaders always know their top three problems and focus most of their time each day on solving these problems.

All too often project managers maneuver in the shadows of their leaders waiting for–even expecting–these attributes to be exhibited. But most of us will be disappointed most of the time. It is not about the ability of those around you to lead. It is about your ability to lead, in spite of what is happening around you.

It’s a lonely job being a project manager–a leader, a teacher, rallying others when you may not be receiving from your superiors the care and feeding you consistently and continually provide others. You are a professional. It is your job. Get a backbone. Believe in something. Make things happen. It’s not about your intentions; it’s about your actions. Your project members expect it of you. Your higher-ups, clients and sponsors also expect it of you. Moreover, they all are within their rights to expect it of you.

Most problems that fester on a project can be linked directly to a project manager that does not consistently exhibit passion, boldness and focus. The most effective leaders are driven from within themselves: their inner signals, their conscience, their integrity. It takes courage and boldness to sometimes stand alone with our beliefs. But true leaders are no strangers to adversity or finding themselves alone with their convictions. We all have a great source of strength within ourselves.

On your project, all eyes are on your behavior and your ability to lead. You should run your project with the same passion, boldness and focus as if it were your own personal business. You just might be surprised at the great potential that lies within you and that wants to be unleashed.

Now go make a difference!

Project members need extra time allocated when working across multiple projects.

by Neal Whitten, PMP, Contributing Editor

Anna, Brian and Carlos report to David, their resource manager. Anna has been working full time on project A, Brian on project B, and Carlos on project C. David decides to reassign them so that each works a third of the time on each of the projects: A, B and C.

The result? David no longer has enough people to work on the three projects. How can that be? Because, in this case, 1+1+1 does not equal 3, it adds up to a smaller number in terms of overall effectiveness. There is a price that a person pays when working on multiple projects. It is a price that is easily and often overlooked.

Typically, a person’s productivity is at its highest when focused on a single task, such as writing a chapter of a book. Once one chapter is written, the next chapter is started. But what happens if the author writes three chapters simultaneously? She begins the morning working on Chapter One. There are start-up delays as her creative juices begin to flow. But now it’s time to put Chapter One aside and focus on Chapter Two. There is real and measurable time required to temporarily shut down the work on Chapter One and set it aside so that it can be resumed the next day.

To focus on Chapter Two, there is start-up time required to effectively readjust her thinking and get up to speed on the new chapter. Again she finally reaches a productive point in writing, but soon it’s time to pack it away and begin on Chapter Three. And so on.

Each day a heavy price is paid for this start-up and shut-down sequence that must be followed for each chapter. A person working across multiple projects goes through a similar but even more time-consuming process because projects typically require far more interaction and communications with others than writing a book. For example, on project A, Anna attends two routinely scheduled meetings each week. Now that she works on three projects simultaneously, she must attend two weekly scheduled meetings for each project. She spends a larger portion of her day being less productive as she attends a greater number of meetings, reviews a greater number of documents, interfaces with a greater number of people, and performs more start-up and close-down activities.

The goal should be to assign people full time to single projects and to have them predominantly focus on one task at a time. This not only aids their productivity, it can reduce the commitment-related risk that a person brings to a project assignment. Project members are responsible for managing their commitments effectively. But it is the project manager’s duty to routinely review the plans of project members to ensure that commitments are being worked effectively.

It typically is the resource manager’s duty to ensure that employees are not spread perilously thin across projects and are making reasonable commitments. This is an example of how a resource manager works on the sidelines to support the success of a project manager and his or her project.

Even though it is not always possible to assign people to single projects, it is important to understand that people working across multiple projects (and tasks) are typically less productive than they would be if they could be singularly focused. Understanding this can help ensure that people are not spread too thinly, potentially harming project outcomes.

Now, go make a difference!

Refine estimates at the end of major milestones.

by Neal Whitten, PMP, Contributing Editor

Most of us have been taught that, at the beginning of a project, we make commitments that carry us all the way to the completion of the project. That’s a reasonable directive if the project is up to three months or so in duration. However, projects that are longer should not have their end dates committed. You read correctly. Once again, I am going to go against conventional wisdom, so put your thinking caps on.

Projects should be managed by major milestones, and major milestones should be set one to two months apart. The closest major milestone is firmly committed. This means that the members of a project will do everything reasonable to achieve that committed date.

All remaining major milestones are estimates, including the ultimate major milestone: the delivery date. They are not firm commitments. They are, however, sincere estimates and every reasonable attempt should be made to achieve them. It is imperative to estimate these dates for planning and business purposes.

Just after the identification of each major milestone in a project plan, an activity called “resize project plan” is added. After a major milestone has been reached, the project manager (working with the project members) determines if the next major milestone and subsequent major milestones are still reasonable to achieve. At that point, major milestones can be re-estimated and the relevant portions of the project plan are updated and rebaselined. This approach to planning and estimating follows the rolling wave concept whereby estimates are refined as better data becomes available.

Many types of projects, but especially software projects, get a bum rap for missing schedules. But think about it: Who in their right mind would commit to an end date before knowing what it is that is to be built or how it will be built? Most of us! But this is old-school, archaic thinking.

I often hear executives say that they can see some benefit to this thinking for noncontractual projects but not for contractual projects. They tell me that there is no point in resizing the project plan at the end of major milestones because the deliverable date is fixed in a legal document. Why perform a useless, wishful exercise?

Projects that require resizing are exactly the ones that are defined in contracts. Why? Because of the culture surrounding contractual projects. When asked, “Are you going to complete on time?” a project manager typically answers, “I have to.” The next question is, “I know you have to, but are you going to complete on time?” On contractual projects, no one feels empowered to question or revise dates. Instead, hope and optimism spring eternal.

Hope and optimism are not enough to make a project successful. Good planning and judgment are required. Contractual projects particularly must be considered for resizing at the end of major milestones to avoid sweeping problems under the rug. Projects need a culture where all problems are visible so that they can be solved effectively. Note that if a project is resized and its problems are brought into focus for resolution, that still does not guarantee that the project can or will be delivered on time. However, not confronting the problems is certain to further delay any chance to achieve the committed delivery date. Resizing helps to minimize the collateral damage that can build up on a project.

Commitments should be viewed as sacred ground. However, if a person believes that a commitment cannot ever be revised–and the commitment is in jeopardy–then the tendency is to deny or ignore that there’s trouble and, therefore, avoid seeking the best corrective action. Better to admit a problem, create a fix and potentially be marginally late than to ignore the problem and suffer far greater damage. Commit to that which you reasonably understand. Estimate for that which you have a weak understanding, and resize when new information is available.

Now, go make a difference!