Have
you ever heard these phrases?
·
“There is just too much paperwork to get
anything done in this organization.”
·
“We have process paralysis in this
organization.”
·
“How can we think creatively if we continue to
suppress creativity with paperwork?”
Most
of us can relate to these phrases, and for some of us, they hit a nerve. As a
Project Manager (PM), I believe that a defined process is much better than
working in an adhoc environment where a PM puts out “fires” instead of bringing
a project to completion. However, we can have the other side of the coin, can’t
we? We can have a PM working mostly on paperwork and process and not being the
leader that he/she should be to the project team and the organization in
general.
If
you haven’t heard these phrases, congratulations! You work in an agile
organization, namely, one that focuses on completing a project without
over-burdening paperwork or process. What I mean by this is that an agile
organization does adhere to some level of process, but is not encumbered by
large amounts of documentation and ONLY driven by process. Some would ask if
the size of an organization matters if that organization is more or less agile.
I argue that it the areas should be in process and creativity.
Agility in Process
Are
smaller organizations more agile in process? Yes, because they have to be agile
to be competitive. However, they tend to be adhoc when it comes to process and
sometimes the fireman figure comes to mind. Smaller organizations are more
concerned about being competitive than they are being process-driven. In a
smaller organization, it is all about winning the next bid or making sure the
project is successfully implemented, no matter how many corners you have to
cut. This can also be said of a research organization, which tends to be large,
for they are about getting the next drug to clinical tests or getting the next
new product discovered. In these types of organizations, there tends to be a
need for completion over process. This can also lead to chaos and no defined
process.
Agility in Creativity
Are
smaller organizations more agile in creativity? Again, yes, because they have
to be stay competitive. However, I know of many large organizations that make
it easier for individuals to be creative by rewards. For example, 3M comes to
mind in that case. However, when it comes to project management, we PMs are
focused on process and process-driven results. Creativity may have to take a
back seat regarding the project, unless we require creative thinking to resolve
project issues. It does become harder to get project team members to think
“outside the box” when they are use to a process-driven method, but it can
happen and I have seen success taken from the jaws of defeat in project teams
that think creatively when asked to.
Is there a balance between a process-driven
organization and a creative one?
Absolutely yes! As a matter of fact, I ask larger
organizations using a process-driven methodology to think about reducing
paperwork as an improvement project. Just because an organization has a process
does NOT mean it must have a single form for every piece of information. Think
about re-using existing forms for different phases. Can the requirements
document be the basis of the user acceptance test cases? Well, why not? Every
organization should be thinking in this matter.
An agile organization may be the answer to many questions
and problems in an organization. One must begin by asking: “Are we adding
documentation, or are we adding value?”
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.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment