Should you be formal or casual during meetings with management?

There is a PM I know called Bob. Bob has a great Project Manager’s position (PM) as the lead PM in his organization. He is the go-to PM on any critical or strategic project and is directly called upon by executive management. As a matter of fact, Bob is stopped in the hallway and called directly by executive management for needed information.

This poses only one dilemma for Bob, he is not entirely sure how to act. He is known to be a formal person during working hours and he feels comfortable doing that. However, some of the executives have spoken casually with him about sports, children and other non-work topics. So this has thrown Bob off a bit. But Bob has come up with his ideas of how to act at work.

For non-work topics, be casual

All work and no play makes for a dull place! Bob understands this and for those executive managers that have approached him on topics we’ll call casual, Bob engages in discussions other than business. Topics like sports, household repairs like painting a room, colleges children are applying to. These are acceptable topics to be casual on as long as the executive managers have begun the casual conversations. Bob also understands the “bartender” rule or topics NEVER to discuss; politics, religion or sex. These topics can lead to heated discussions and Bob does NOT want to be on the wrong end of these types of discussions. For example Bob is an avid football fan and follows a certain team. Bob is often approached by a certain C-level executive about the same team and they have a casual discussion about how well or how poorly that team played on Sunday. This is an acceptable and suitable casual discussion.

For work topics, be formal

Bob also reports to an executive manager that reports to that same C-level executive. While in a project meeting, Bob knows that he is reporting on business of the organization and keeps it formal. Sure, they can laugh about how someone got in a task early when that person suggested more days, but that is an exception, not the rule. When reporting on a project that the C-level executive is interested in, the football chatter does not enter the conversation. Sure, that C-level executive may speak to Bob AFTER the meeting about the performance of their team, but it is after the meeting, not during the meeting. Bob understands that the C-level executive has very limited time and is going from one meeting to another and must focus on topics of the meeting he/she is in at the time. Idle chatter is not the order of business at this meeting time.

As a matter of fact, that goes for any project member on Bob’s project, not just the C-level executive. During the project team meeting, Bob keeps it formal even if one of his team members starts to chatter about something else, bringing that member back to the order of business.

Do not mix these up

What Bob does as well is no to mix the two. He doesn’t want any executive or team member to think that Bob is not serious about his project work or PM responsibilities. That would be professional disaster for Bob’s career and could dampen any opportunity for advancement. Some of the other PMs and Bob meet outside the office and yes, sometimes they discuss business. But Bob knows to keep discussions in confidence and so do the other PMs Bob confides in. If Bob finds out that one PM does not keep discussions in confidence, Bob will no longer discuss business with that PM outside the office and depending on the circumstance, possibly at all. Bob has learned how to navigate the waters of formal and casual discussions with office workers, even at the C-level. Bob is a trusted PM and intends to keep it that way. 

      I am open to discussion at any time on these blogs or anything else related to project            management you would like to explore. If you would like to comment about this blog,            please do so by posting on this blog or by responding in an email at Benny A. Recine.          You may inspire a blog article. I look forward to your comments.

Project Management in a Digital World

In the past, I have written about how an IT Project Manager (PM) has to do more than just manage IT projects. As PMs, we have to be knowledgeable about all the products we are implementing. We have to be aware of the product’s benefits to the organization and why the product is being implemented. As strategic PMs, we have to know the benefits, the cost savings, what problem the product solves, and more.

More and more, PMs are being tasked to implement digital projects. Once again, the PM has to be aware of this growing space and acquire new skills or “dust off”project skills they have not used in some time. For digital projects, there are many additional skills that a PM has to be familiar with. For this blog, I will address a few. These skills may not be the most important in managing the digital project, but they are critical skills a PM needs to be proficient at.

Analytics and Reporting

Similar to location, location, location being key in real-estate, data, data, data are important in digital projects. The PM has to be familiar with the data mining process: how to collect data, decipher it, and then provide meaningful reports to the organization, especially executive management. Obviously Google Analytics is a good first place to begin, but the PM should be working with the Subject Matter Expert (SME) and Business Analyst (BA) on the project to understand the deliverables and the benefits of implementing the product.  As with IT projects, digital projects are usually costly and have long execution phases and monitor and control phases.  Keeping the project team focused and on track will be the PM’s hardest job. Communicating and reporting progress to management will be next.  Also, the PM has to provide executive management with samples of what the analytics will be like during these phases so that the project team receives their valuable feedback. 

Information Architecture

Classifying and auditing information will be paramount to the digital project.  As such, the PM must have team members who are experienced in performing these tasks for the project.  If there is a lack of this experience in the organization, it is critical that the PM communicates this to management so as to be able to acquire this expertisefrom a vendor or consultant organization.  Also, it may be possible for a team member who has performed similar tasks in auditing to be trained in the digital product.  However, the PM has to be able to assess the competency of the team member and report their findings to management. If the team member needs a lot of training, this may be a risk to the project since these are critical path tasks. The PM must be able to show management that these tasks need more experience for the implementation and that hiring a third party is money well spent.

Social Media

In these days of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, the PM has to know how the organization will be leveraging these sites for the digital project implementation.  The organization has to have a strategic purpose on these sites--just being on them is not good enough. The organization must have a direct connection between their strategic vision and how they are leveraging these sites.  In other words, the PM must insist that the organization provide the strategic objectives in using these sites and how they may benefit the organization. Which tool is better suited for the organization and why? Are there resources in the marketing department that are dedicated to the messaging on these sites? These resources should be on the project and provide insight on the product implementation mainly because these resources need to see the benefits of the product.

The PM will be tasked with a successful implementation of the product and the measuring stick for success will be the usage of the product after the implementation. Executive management will need to know that the budget, which includes the time of the project resources, was time and money well spent. If that can be proven, the PM will have delivered a successful project. 

I am open to discussion at any time on these blogs or anything else related to project management you would like to explore. If you would like to comment about this blog, please do so by posting on this blog or by responding in an email at Benny A. Recine. You may inspire a blog article. I look forward to your comments.

Transitioning Into the Next Project

Transition. It is a word that can be both exciting and challenging at the same time and for the same reason. The definition of transition is “the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.” You see, the definition has that word “change” in it and that is what is challenging. We are creatures of habit who like consistency, not change. We basically eat the same foods on a daily basis, watch the same type of TV sitcoms, and associate with like-minded people. Some of us like variety, but most of us like consistency. However, a Project Manager (PM) must be a master of variety. We are hired to manage change, and like it or not, we are rated on how well we do it. So if change  makes us uncomfortable, how do we manage it? How can we practice to become better at transitioning?Let’s review:

Accept that transition is necessary

As a PM, your role is to manage the project, which includes transitioning from one state to another. The issue here is getting comfortable with change and transition. There is an old saying that“the only constant is change.” As PMs, we are agents of change and we are managers of transition. And may I add, not just for our projects. This must be a value that is part of the PM’s persona. If the PM is only an agent of change and transition in his/her projects and not their professional improvement, one can assume that the PM may be a bit of a hypocrite. Strong word, but we PMs must look in the mirror, and if we want to be considered the “go-to” PM, then growth is necessary. And with growth, professional improvement, change, and transition. It is how we personify our work and profession. Managing project transitions will help one manage transition from one company to another.

Accept that you may be uncomfortable managing transition

Even if the PM accepts the role of a change agent and understands that transition is part of life, the PM may not be entirely comfortable with this. This is understandable.However,a bit of discomfort can add to a PM’s professional growth. I believe that once a PM gets too comfortable doing the same thing the same way, that PM becomes obsolete. I would rather be uncomfortable learning something new than be too comfortable and facing the worst type of transition where I am forced to look for a new role. I have a good friend who says that being in transition (career wise) is the new constant. As a PM whohas experienced down-sizing, as uncomfortable as that is, I have usually bounced back because I have accepted that change and transition are now part of one’s professional career. It doesn’t mean I look forward to it, but I do understand that PMs must define themselves as the agent of change and transition.

                         Work to make others comfortable and you will become comfortable

One method I have found helpful is making others comfortable with the change and the looming transition that the project will bring. Whether it is the project team or the end-client, the PM will do a great service by making others comfortable. This can be done in multiple ways:

·       

•            Schedule part of the weekly project meeting to discuss what the end-result will look like when the project implements the product or change.
•       Discuss one-on-one with the most affected individuals their concerns about the change and what the transition will be like
•       Work with the project team to incorporate others in the testing process even before the UAT phase of the product so their comfort level rises.

Once you establish these techniques, change and transition will be accepted with more ease and you will even become comfortable with the transition.

Change is never easy, but your team can make a transition easier for everyone involved, including yourself. 

I am open to discussion at any time on these blogs or anything else related to project management you would like to explore. If you would like to comment about this blog, please do so by posting on this blog or by responding in an email at Benny A. Recine. You may inspire a blog article. I look forward to your comments.

Life Saving Methods that Project Managers should incorporate

I have read an eye-opening book titled “The Checklist Manifesto: How to get things right” by Atul Gawande.  This book was published in 2009 but still has relevance today mainly because of Gawande’s approach of not only getting things done but by getting them done right the first time. He was intrigued by a story he read of a child that fell into a frozen pond and was saved by a doctor that followed checklists. He was also moved to write when he researched about the airline industry and the way it discovered how to make a pilot’s job easier and making the pilot more efficient especially in critical situations. The movie Sully about the pilot Chesley Sullenburger is a good example of what Dr. Gawande  found in his research.

Dr. Gawande makes a distinction between errors of ignorance (mistakes that are made because there isn’t enough knowledge) and errors of ineptitude (mistakes that are made because of not properly using the knowledge we have). So as a Project Manager (PM), I read this with the mindset of how life-savings methods can make PMs better. I am not just speaking about PMs in the healthcare, medical and pharmaceutical fields, but all PMs in every field. So let’s take these two (2) distinctions one at a time.

Errors of Ignorance

Respectfully, this is not hard. For PMs, if we are a Project Management Professional (PMP), we must keep our certification by taking continuing education credits. If you are a PM that likes to challenge yourself, you will take the credits that updates your certification along with credits that stretch your limits, possibly by learning how to PM in another industry or field of study. By doing both, you keep current in fields like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain and other new technologies.

Errors of Ineptitude

Now, this is the hard part. It’s hard because we have all made these types of errors. Whether it’s because we are rushed due to a deadline or because of a mistake that should have not happened. You may ask, why do we need to consider a method of life-savings methods? Because being thorough and accurate is critical for any PM even if they are not working on life-saving projects. Using some of Dr. Gawande’s methods, here is what I suggest as a PM do the following:

·     
          Check and re-check your tasks and work.   Have a second and even a third set of eyes review your work and those on your project team

·        Bring your project team into this line of thinking and process by using it in your project meetings

·       Identify all possible risks, issues and errors

o   With risks, discuss with your project team how to avoid, mitigate, accept or  transfer each risk every time your team meets

o   With issues, discuss all possible ways to resolve them. Do not leave any possibility off the table and do not ignore any solution no matter what the cost

o   With errors, do not identify to point fingers but to resolve them and to avoid them in the future. The PM must ensure that the person(s) responsible for the error feel  comfortable enough to discuss why and how the error was made and how to avoid them in the future.

·     
          Ensure that any team member knows that they can approach you or any team member anytime to bring up any idea, possible risk or issue and most importantly, any error.

·        Once errors are identified, training on them may be needed on how to avoid them in the future. As the PM, ensure that your team members have all the training they need.

These are just some of the steps a PM can take to ensure the project has limited errors. Just like Six Sigma, we want to limit the errors before we get to UAT. The goal here is to make the process and the team better in a continuous fashion. That way, the team never stops innovating.

I am open to discussion at any time on these blogs or anything else related to project management you would like to explore. If you would like to comment about this blog, please do so by posting on this blog or by responding in an email at Benny A. Recine. You may inspire a blog article. I look forward to your comments.

Forward Thinking

As a Project Manager (PM), especially in Technology (IT) or in Professional Services (PS), we have to be forward thinkers. You may be thinking to yourself, don’t we all have to be forward thinking?  Of course we all do, but a PM has to be especially keen on forward thinking, not just about technology in general, but on each and every project. Sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? It will take extra effort, but it doesn’t have to be hard. Here are some suggestions:

•     Every project has issues.Ask questions continuously about how to solve those issues.
•      Link the questions to actions (similar to a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat or SWOT analysis).
•      Rank those actions so that you can determine which one is most likely to be delivered as a solution and the impact of the solution.
•      Implement the solution(s).

Let’s take these one at a time.

Ask questions

During your project meetings, you will be asking about issues and risks that come up. You will also be documenting them for management review. But  you should also be asking, what are the opportunities that arise from these issues and risks, and then listing them as solutions. In this phase you must not be concerned about ranking them.  Similar to a risk/cause analysis meeting, there are no foolish questions or answers and every response is reviewed equally. This is about solving the issues or risks and possibly improving the progress of the project. Also, this is not done during just one meeting.The PM must be vigilant and this process must be continuous.

Link the questions to actions

The PM must then lead the effort in linking the questions to possible actions. This is the second hardest part of the PM’s actions in this effort. Also, the PM cannot do this alone. This is done with the project team and there will be many opinions on what actions can be taken. The PM must be neutral in what he/she believes which actions are linked to which issue or risk. However,the PM may be the tie-breaker, and in this case, the PM must take the emotion out of the decision process and ask the question:Which action is the best for the specific issue or risk?

Rank the actions

Now comes the hardest part of the process. The PM and the project team have to come up with a ranking process for each of the solutions for the risks and issues.  It all comes down to which action has the best impact, not always the biggest impact, on the project. In this case, what is best for the end-customer and the project? Which action will resolve any issue or prevent any risk?Which action will improve the project? I am NOT suggesting gold-plating the project. Obviously, if the action is extra work, it must be presented to the customer for scope and possible changes. Then the PM and the project team have to determine the cost and the impact to the timeline and scope of the project. The importance of this phase cannot be overstated.  The impact and the possible changes to the timeline are critical and must be communicated thoroughly and consistently.

Implement the solutions

Once the change is accepted, the testing commences.Once this phase is completed, the change must be scheduled to be implemented.  Of all the processes I have mentioned above, this will be the most consistent (but not easier) phase. The PM and the project team must follow the same process as implementation of any product. The difference is that, most likely, the project will not be completed with the implementation of these improvements. Yes, this is a phased approach, much like the Agile method of implementing sprints. The PM must be able to communicate the successes of the implementation of the actions and prove the implementation improvements. The PM must show that the actions taken improved the project.  This is all done during the implementation of the whole project and must be done so as to improve the end-product. Once proven, the methodology I have described must be made part of the PMO/PS process.

I am open to discussion at any time on these blogs or anything else related to project management you would like to explore. If you would like to comment about this blog, please do so by posting on this blog or by responding in an email at Benny A. Recine. You may inspire a blog article. I look forward to your comments.

How does a PM manage peers?

One topic that does not come up very often with PMs is how to manage one’s peers. Yes, we have discussions about managing the project team and managing one’s managers or “managing up.” You may ask, “Why should I be concerned with managing my peers? Don’t I have enough to do managing my project team?” Well, yes you do, but if you want to be an effective manager, you have to manage your peers. This brings me to my favorite PM, Bob.

Bob is on a team of PMs that implements software for a specific industry. Bob has been an implementation PM for most of his career and has capitalized on his successes and accumulated a good list of lessons learned from his few project failures. Bob understands how to manage his project team and is aware that he must also manage up. However, what he has learned lately is that he must also manage his peers. Not so much in the way that PMs think of management, but in the sense that he must keep himself informed of other PMs’ issues and problem projects. Why? Because Bob has learned that being successful may mean that you can “inherit” other PM’s failures and be unfortunate enough to be the “go-to PM” for the wrong reasons.

So how does Bob manage his peers?

Bob suggests a monthly lunch with the other PMs

Bob sees that some PMs on his team are not as successful with their projects. So Bob suggests a monthly lunch with his PM team to discuss current projects and issues. He suggests that the PMs do so without management in order to get everyone’s objective and unfiltered opinions without fear of reprimands. (We all know that some of us do not express the complete story of one’s project in a general PM meeting with management in attendance.)

What Bob is trying to do is get the unfiltered issues out in the open for all PMs to comment on. Bob sets some ground rules for the PMs. They are:

·        Confidentiality

·        No personal judgments

·        No back-stabbing.

Bob helps other PMs as best he can

Bob also knows that at times a personal touch is necessary when a PM is having issues with a particular project. If Bob’s schedule allows, he mentions to the PM that that he is available to provide one-on-one advice in confidence. Unless management has made the suggestion, Bob ensures that these personal discussions are kept private, as he does not want to be seen as the “snitch.” Nor does Bob want to be seen as the “shoulder to cry on” PM. He wants to be seen as the PM who can help, within limits of course, and as the PM that has staff management capabilities.

Bob ensures that management is aware of his efforts

With the exception of in-confidence discussions, Bob ensures that his management team knows that he is involved and is invested in the team’s’ success.  Bob is discrete but visible to his management team for a reason. Bob shows that he can be trusted by his fellow PMs and that he is a knowledgeable PM that everyone goes to for suggestions and help. This increases Bob’s worth as a reliable PM and a future manager of PMs. You see, Bob not only believes in the open door management style but also believes in the “open mind” management style. Bob has heard many times the old saying, “What good is an open door, if you have a closed mind.” Bob has been at the wrong end of an open door and closed mind philosophy and it is one of his lessons learned.

Bob also ensures that the other PMs know that their problem projects are still theirs. They must lead their project to success. Bob can make suggestions and in extreme cases even lend a helping hand. But the PM on the project bears the responsibility for their own team and issues.

Bob is successful in his organization because he understands the “rules of engagement” when it comes to managing his peers:

·        Suggest an informal PM meeting without management

·        Suggest an informal one-on-one meeting with PMs having issues

·        Ensure that management values his input with other PMs

Bob is looked on by his peers as a person who can be trusted as well as a resource for project management and Bob does not want to have “red” projects dropped into his lap because the current PM on the red project is not seen as the PM who can complete the project. 

I am open to discussion at any time on these blogs or anything else related to project management you would like to explore. If you would like to comment about this blog, please do so by posting on this blog or by responding in an email at Benny A. Recine. You may inspire a blog article. I look forward to your comments.

The pre-status meeting

I know a certain Project Manager (PM) I will refer to as “Bob.”

Bob knows as a PM, he must be prepared for each project meeting that includes the client, for that is the meeting where the client receives an update on how well or not so well the project is progressing.  However, Bob must make sure that the project team is on the same page in delivering the message to the client.  There must be news of progress or at least news that the client needs to hear and/or make a decision. So Bob decides to have a pre-status meeting with his team to ensure that the message delivered to the client is understood by the team first. So what should Bob do to prepare for the pre-status meeting?

Ensure that the pre-status meeting is on point and brief

Preparing for the pre-status meeting is almost as important as preparing for the client meeting, mainly because the project team members need updates from each other as much as they need to update the client.  First, Bob must ensure that this meeting is no longer than 30 to 45 minutes because the project team members must get back to delivering tasks for this project. So the first rule for both this meeting and the client meeting is to not make this a solution meeting but keep it as a status meeting. That does not mean that some decisions can’t be made. Once again, I cannot stress enough that the project status meeting stays just that, a status meeting. If the project team members begin addressing the issue with possible solutions, this may lead to disagreement and an uncomfortable feeling by the client.  However, most decisions will be about what to present to the client as the next steps if a risk has become an issue. The point here is to have the project team update Bob on their progress on their tasks and to present any new risks or to inform Bob of any issues that have arisen. If an issue has arisen, Bob will not wait until the status meeting to inform the client, as we do not like to present surprises, especially bad ones.

Ensure that all project team members understand the message to the client

Bob guides his project team so that everyone is on the same page, and when the status is delivered to the client, it is one unified message. What the client does not want to see is disparity and disruption among project team members, which diminishes the client’s comfort level and trust in Bob and the project team. Even if Bob has to deliver bad news before or during the client meeting, the whole team is made aware of the message and the solution to the issue or a path to a solution. You see, even if there is bad news, the client wants to hear that the issue is being tended to by the entire team and that they are of the same mind. When this happens, the client may not like that a new issue has arisen, but has the comfort level that it is being addressed by Bob and the project team.

Ensure that the project status meeting

Unless an unexpected surprise pops up just before the client status meeting, the status meeting should have an agenda, a status report, a review of issues and if there is a new issue, what has been found and the next steps. Bob must be in control of this meeting or he will lose the client’s confidence. That is not what Bob’s management wants to see or hear from the client. Bob’s leadership qualities must be used in full-effect as to convey control and a smooth process.

As I stated earlier, there may be a surprise just before the status meeting, but since Bob has the control the client wants to see, those surprises are few and quickly fixed. Having the client’s best interest in mind is what the client wants to see, and the client wants to see that the project is under control. Bob ensures this with a pre-status meeting with his project team. 

I am open to discussion at any time on these blogs or anything else related to project management you would like to explore. If you would like to comment about this blog, please do so by posting on this blog or by responding in an email at Benny A. Recine. You may inspire a blog article. I look forward to your comments.