Monthly Archive for November, 2009

A project management register - where’s yours?

Published
by
Ron
on November 27, 2009
in project management training, project register and project sponsor
. 0 Comments

I ran a really good 2 day project management training course for a group of staff all from the same department.

The Director came in near the end and we spent some time looking at the number of projects as well as project management issues. He was clear that the time was well spent but would be even better if the work was carried forward.

After a gap of two weeks I called him to check on progress and they had:

• created a definitive list of all departmental projects
• identified who is the sponsor, project manager and who the team members are (something which was not at all clear from an activity we did on the course)
• started to check each business case is still approaprite before developing project plans

The next stage is to confirm the priorities for the project list and confirm delivery dates.

He was feeling happier about ensuring they deliver their projects on time, to budget with the right results and speaking to the staff they felt the same

So, where is your project register, are you clear who is managing which project and the timescales? Have you ensured everyone has attended a project management training course or has the right skills? Have you ensured you have identified the priorities for the projects?

If you have not done any of the above then you will as this Director said randomly deliver projects against loose timetables in no priority order and with little accountability.

 

The Nosey Project Manager

Published
by
Ron
on November 24, 2009
in project, project management training, project managers and questioning skills
. 0 Comments

Yes, I have been accused (proudly) many times of being nosey. Why is this and why am I proud?

When I visit a client they often have a view of what they want. The trouble is it is in their head and it is often difficult for them to articulate. Or they can say what they want but it is in such technical language that few can understand. My role is therefore to ask questions; lots of questions; questions that are often difficult to answer but provide me (and others) with a clearer vision that helps us towards delivery of the project.

I have been told that I ask too many questions and that the questions I ask are really tough to answer and yes, I have been told I am nosey!! I regard that as great feedback. It is a compliment to the great training I have had over many years.

But, it raises a question for project managers; how good are you at asking questions? A good project manager needs among other things to:

• understand the scope of the project
• establish whether the project is worth while doing
• develop clear project roles with team members
• manage and communicate with stakeholders
• understand and manage project risks
• develop solid project plans

All of the above need the project manager to be able to ask questions skilfully (and be able to listen to the answers.)

My own researches show that project managers ask questions but often these are the wrong questions and they do not probe deeply enough. I have tested this on project management events and the result has been the development of a simple tool that I am happy to share with you. This is a document that describes the types of questions and when they are and not useful. It also gives you some pointers on what can encourage as well as inhibit answering.

In my early days as a trainer I had someone look at my questioning skills. They sat in meetings that I attended and I have to say it was a real lesson. I discovered that I used lots of leading and even more closed questions (when I should have been asking open questions). This feedback was really useful and ever since I have prided myself on using powerful questions to get effective answers. So, get your feedback by downloading this useful document. It helps you identify the types of questions to ask and how to identify whether you have asked them!

“He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever” Chinese Proverbs

England’s World Cup Bid - brought back from the abyss?

Published
by
Ron
on November 17, 2009
in leadership. project leadership, project governance, project management skills and project management training
. 1 Comment

“Lord Coe warns over faltering World Cup Bid.” This was the headline in the Times newspaper on November 11. One day later the Board heading up the bid to host the 2018 Football World Cup was slimmed down.

 What has this to do with project management? Rather a lot! 

  • According to The Times Lord Triesman, the bid Chairman was told that “…the bid would be lost unless he is capable of demonstrating stronger leadership”. Comments by people on our project management training courses suggest there is often a lack of leadership from senior managers. It is sometimes unclear who owns the project. This has led to problems of decision making with project managers unclear what decision they can and cannot make. What sort of leadership is there in your projects?
     
  • Size of Project Board. This board has been slimmed down. I commented in a previous article that we have seen project boards of up to 25 people. Yes, this is extreme however we still see Boards well above the recommended 5 or 6 people. How many people sit on your project boards?
     
  • Roles of Board Members. Lord Triesman said on the radio that each person now has a specific role to help win the bid. What specific role does each of your project board members play?
     
  • Structure - the removed board members will form an advisory group to the board. I do not know how this will work in practice however I can tell you this issue is a problem. I have frequently had people on project management training courses who when invited to draw the project structure produce a diagram that is counter to the key objective of having a board -making decisions. Sometimes the diagrams are so complex that they produce a stream of questions and one overarching observation; this project will not deliver. The governance structure is too complex. How streamlined is decision making in your projects? 

I am clearly aware of the political nature of the 2018 bid to host the football world cup. I am also aware it is a significant project for this country to win. It highlights the critical role Boards play in the overall delivery of projects. 

But, are project board members in your company aware of their critical role? 

Projects introduce change….which needs managing

Published
by
Ron
on November 10, 2009
in leadership. project leadership, managing change and project management skills
. 5 Comments

During a project management training course we looked at managing change. Participants were clear that the company did not manage change very well. So, I threw down the gauntlet and asked them how they think it ought to be managed. The result of this work is shown below.

1. Communicate throughout the change. The group suggested that if you wanted to take people along with you then even communicating that ‘you do not know’ would help

2. Wherever possible involve people in the change. There was realism in the group recognising even if you involved people in the changes ahead, some, would not want to engage with it

3. Recognise the new skills and behaviours that people need to adopt, putting budget aside for training and briefing sessions. Some even suggested making the training mandatory.

4. Develop a clear vision about what the company wants to achieve; identifying the business benefits and communicate both the vision and benefits regularly

5. Clearly identify risks. Have individuals take responsibility to effectively manage each risks regularly reviewing each one

6. Test motivation levels - use surveys to check out levels of motivation among staff and develop appropriate actions

7. Recognise that no matter how hard you try, there will still be some people who will not ‘come on board’ (this comment caused quite a heated debate). This led to the next comment…

8. Face up to the fact that you may well have to have those difficult conversations - with individuals and groups. Obtain training and coaching to ensure this is done effectively by managers who have to have these conversations

9. Ensure you have a plan, a plan that is realistic and stakeholders (where possible) have had their input. Avoid complex computer generated charts as some stakeholders may well find these difficult to understand!

10. Clear leadership is needed in any change - from comments the group suggested that it is not clear whether top management supported the changes. Nor could they identify who was leading the change

The debate was really good and involved the whole group on the project management course. I could not resist the temptation to mention the need for people to attend Change Management Courses - which we happen to run!

Finally, I mentioned that I had attended several presentations given by those involved in change and a common suggestion is to deliver the change much quicker than they had originally thought. The lack of speed caused them extra problems

What do you think needs to be added?

Organisational issues that get in the way of effective project delivery

Published
by
Ron
on November 3, 2009
in project management skills, project management training and projects
. 7 Comments

I was doing some diary planning with our company’s Administration Manager, Alison Smith. We cantered through November and December and suddenly we were into 2010; where did the year go?

Finishing diary planning I started to reflect on the year so far. After a few quiet moments one aspect that came through was the obstacles companies put in the way of successful delivery of projects. They may not realise it but they are obstacles. I started to make a list:

  1. There is no project management system to speak of and people can ‘do their own thing’…and no one does
  2. Having overly-complex decision making processes which slows down delivery of  projects
  3. Large project boards - one I came across had a startlingly large 25 people on it
  4. Ill-trained or no training at all for project sponsors and project board members
  5. No ownership of project management by either a senior manger or a function in the business leading to lack of buy in for project management generally
  6. Several risk management processes within the business leaving the project manager to choose which one should be used
  7. Project managers having no authority, needing to defer everything upwards - slowing down decision making (see point 1)
  8. Training those who are not engaged in project work, while those who are cannot get on to a training course
  9. Senior managers who fire off delivery dates and budgets, without any thought as to whether the project can be delivered or is part of the overall agenda. Nor do they give any thought to resources and budgets required

This list is too long and the implications for project delivery serious. Have you any suggestions to add?