I understand the latest fad in management styles is the collaborative process. Part of the collaborative process is encouraging multiple people to arrive at a decision as a unit, or on behalf of the unit – where, in times past, there was a “buck stops here” person. Now there is a buck stops here, over there and just about anywhere group of people. While the collaborative process has a place and is effective in many scenarios, it is dangerous when it bleeds over into a non-collaborative project structure. I’m not saying project teams shouldn’t work together to collaborate and solve issues. In fact, just the opposite! Project teams are a TEAM by definition, working together towards a common goal. However, with a younger generation being taught the collaborative process so heavily, it can cause issues when they veer out of their lane and bypass a structural hierarchy or chain of command. The collaborative process is great until a person makes a decision without actually collaborating with the person/persons responsible for that particular area of concern. By the time the “true decision maker” finds out, the decision has been made, announced and partially implemented. Now we have a real mess. Collaborate on that!
Methods of Resource Allocation
I’ve recently been made aware of another method of resource allocation. I’ll throw it out here to see what project managers think. It’s a simpler method than the traditional task-based resource allocation.
Before getting into that, I’ll briefly describe the resource allocation method I am most familiar with. In this method, resources are assigned to project tasks that have clearly defined durations and remaining hours.
The tasks may also have starting and finish dates. The resource allocation algorithm spreads the remaining task hours over the date range defined by the task. If you have too many tasks, you are over-allocated. Too few, and you are under-allocated.
The simpler method I became aware of doesn’t use tasks. It also doesn’t use start and finish dates. Projects are assumed to continue forever, and resources are assigned a percentage of their daily scheduled hours. That’s it, nothing else.
In the simpler method, resources are over-allocated when they are assigned to so many projects that their daily hours are exhausted. They are under-allocated when there are still a few hours left in their day.
The Common Error in Estimating Projects
I recently read an article on the PMI website about bad estimates and project cost overruns. The article was by Dr. .James T. Brown. Dr. Brown talks briefly about the typical political and personal pressures that cause failed estimates. However, one of the more interesting items listed in the article is recent Oxford Review on Economic Policy. The review studies infrastructure estimates and has a comparative graph showing road/bridge type projects vs. IT projects. Guess which one is more commonly underestimated? Here is a link to the article… http://www.pmi.org/en/Knowledge-Center/What-Causes-Bad-Estimates.aspx
Project Tasks and Issues Tracking
You identify the scope and nature of a project. Design the project plan and assign resources and begin the process of real work and plan executions. Many tasks follow a predicted path and glide down the slope toward completion. Others hit speed bumps and issues arise. If you only encounter a few issues along the way, they are fairly easy to manage with emails and spreadsheets. The issues still require special attention and follow up costing time and energy, but manageable. What happens if you 130 issues arise in a short period of time (as is often the case in software development and bug fixes)? Spreadsheets and emails won’t cut it. In no time you lose track of events, issues and milestones. I am pointing out the obvious. But I have counseled hundreds of project managers using outdated tools and methods to track issues. Maybe project management and issue tracking software/tools cost a little money (others cost a lot of money), but believe me, they will pay for themselves many times over in saved projects, efficiency and ultimately the bottom line.
Seven Days in Utopia
The movie Seven Days in Utopia is clearly not up to Robert Duvall’s standards. The story points were awkward and difficult to decipher. One-shot git-er-done scenes and Karate Kid theme didn’t help. But I managed to scrape out the movie’s arc and purpose. It’s about faith and trust in God… and a little golf thrown in.
Buried in the poor directing was a principle that resonated with me. Duvall’s character says, “The game of golf is about conviction.” He continues with, “Watch out for that random idea that comes at you, that will throw you right out of your game. Without conviction, it will make you question your game and shake your confidence. Without confidence, you cannot win.”
It occurred to me that project management is exactly like that. Without a clear strategy that rests on bedrock conviction, random ideas from so-called experts will shake your confidence. You’ll chase a dozen “great ideas” from outsiders and never execute your strategy. Although while that’s true, you must still remain open to new input. It’s a touchy game.
Moral of the story: Develop a solid project strategy and hold your confidence. Follow through with confidence.
Trust Me, I’m a P.M.
An often overlooked step in the project management team is the project/client representative. The person responsible for being the messenger, intermediary between the project team and the client is a critical role. Larger companies pay professionals to strictly fill this role, while smaller companies often let the PM handle that role. This is fine in most cases, unless your PM is not good at customer relations. Customer relations’ professionals spend their entire day thinking of how to build trust, gain confidence, and maintain a relationship. Project managers spend their day doing this on some level within their project team, but it is not their main focus. If you are good at customer relations it will make the project run smoother because the client will have a certain level of trust. If you are not, the project becomes hindered. Why? Because, the client doesn’t have a needed level of trust in you, they begin to question your work. Now the client wants more status meetings. Maybe the client begins to micromanage your project and requires more of the project manager’s time and attention? This can quickly snowball because of one misunderstood statement that breaks a fragile trust. Whoever is communicating with the client, make sure it isn’t General Patton. While he gets the job done, in the project world he would make the job more difficult.
U.S. Losing Competitive Edge in Technology
The recent eWeek story regarding U.S. decline in science and technology (see below) is nothing new. We’ve heard this same story for twenty years. But is anyone listening?
Over the Christmas break, I did my bit to encourage passion in software development, engineering, and project management. I mentored a college student with an Arduio board. (See http://www.arduino.cc/) The Arduino is a microcontroller with inputs and outputs for controlling external devices. It’s big in university engineering departments. Awesome, dude!
We stayed up past midnight wiring circuits and slinging C++ code to exercise the Arduino I/O ports. In a rat’s nest of wires, LED’s flashed, speakers squealed, and relays clattered. Cool! When it was over, the kid had a new passion for product development and engineering principles.
Code ‘til you drop, and then do it again tomorrow! That’s my answer to declining technology in the U.S. And I suppose it’s also my preferred project management style.
Groupthink…Project Killer
Susan Cain just wrote a piece in the NY Times talking about the destructive force of groupthink (article found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/the-rise-of-the-new-groupthink.html?pagewanted=all). This started me thinking how groupthink applies to project management and the synergy created or hampered within a project team.
After reading the article I am more convinced that as a project manager it is important to encourage and draw out people’s experience and opinions. It is imperative that project teams have a voice and strong leadership to maintain project goals while remaining open to the team voices. Otherwise, we have the inverse problem. Instead of shortsighted groupthink that has little innovation and a blind rudder. You get analysis paralysis where the goal is clear but the wheels just spin. Which is worse? Probably about the same…nothing gets done, or it does, but it is completely wrong and misses the mark. What do you think?
Ever Have One of Those Meetings?
I was in an important meeting and the project team pretty much knew that a certain person wasn’t carrying their weight. This person wasn’t a complete let down…but could do more. During the course of our project meeting an issue was raised as to why a task had not been completed. This person became defensive and started pointing fingers and making excuses. I lost it. A normally mild manner person, I let him have it. I gave him the what for and how come. However, I was out of line and spent hours in one on one meetings apologizing to this person and the rest of the team. There is a time to kick someone in the pants and a way to do it. My way that day was wrong. It costs our team more time in apologizing then this person not completing their task. The bottom line is we have to play the game with the team that we have. There isn’t always time to replace someone and many times there isn’t anyone else available…period. My advice…if you aren’t getting the job done, own it and move on. People respect that more than excuses. Secondly, be slow to speak or you may make a situation worse. I know, because I did
Negotiating and Managing Project Expectations
One of the many factors in project cost overruns is due to setting unreasonable expectations. Whether working as a consultant outside a company or as a project manager within a company, all too often we become “yes” men to secure a deal or please superiors. We may win in the short term by getting the job or by delaying management’s wrath by telling them what they want to hear, but, in the long run, both scenarios are losers. As a consultant you land the gig and wind up with bad word of mouth advertising as being late and over budget. As an internal project manager you develop a reputation of being unreliable and/or overly optimistic. Instead, be real and upfront about duration and costs of expected projects. Give pushback to help set reasonable expectations. Maybe someone else will promise the moon? You should challenge competitors’ unreasonable assertions. You may still wind up losing the deal, but in the long run you will maintain your reputation and eventually land more deals because of it. Short term pain for long term gain is tough in this economy. What is your word worth and where do you go to get your reputation back?