Forward Momentum: Delivering Results

By Vicki Wrona, PMP

We all know what brainstorming is and how to do it. Then how come so many people do it so poorly? They think they do it well, but as an observer, I can tell you they don’t. And the ones who are proudest and loudest of their skills are often the ones lacking them the most. Let’s explore what brainstorming is and why so many people find it difficult to do it right and get true benefits from it.

The biggest reason I see is that those leading the brainstorming session are too involved in the outcome rather than the process. This is unfortunate and driven by the fact that we often run our own meetings and do not have the luxury of using an outside facilitator. As a manager or a project manager, if we need some new ideas, approaches or solutions, we lead the team in developing them. The trouble with this scenario is that we own the ultimate decision. That is normally not a bad thing and is part of our responsibility. But in the case of finding new solutions or ideas, if we are going to be held personally responsible for the outcome, we will be much more involved in finding and shaping that outcome. That means that we will quickly break the first rule of brainstorming which is to gather ideas without judging them. We will also limit thinking beyond the norm or outside the box by our team. That will limit the ideas that are stated and developed by inhibiting those who are participating in the process.

Instead, if we had a facilitator, they would own the PROCESS and not the RESULT, and so could neutrally gather those ideas and act as the gatekeeper to stop others from judging, keeping the process open and encouraging.

What do we do if we need to brainstorm and know we cannot bring in an experienced outside facilitator? There are a couple options. One is to assign another team member to act as a facilitator for this issue. Select someone who is not intimately involved in the issue at hand so they are less likely to violate the rules of successfully brainstorming. You may need to coach this person prior to the meeting so they are clear on their role as facilitator and your expectations of the process. Set ground rules with the team before the brainstorming begins so everyone understands that this person will be leading the session and that you are an equal participator with everyone else. The last thing you want is your ideas or comments to squash participation from the team because of your rank or title as manager. They have expertise in areas you don’t and you need that. I prefer this method when possible.

Another option is to acknowledge the potential shortcomings of personally leading a brainstorming session and make an effort to avoid them. However, I have found that even when I have just explained the challenges and pitfalls of brainstorming properly and gotten agreement from the PM that I am coaching that they will try not to fall into this trap, they will do so within the first couple minutes of the brainstorming session. It is human nature to try to manipulate the outcome and to get involved rather than to let it happen. It is very difficult to ‘only’ own the process and not get involved in the decision.

I am probably not telling you anything new. We already know the rules of brainstorming and the role of a facilitator. But a reminder never hurts so we can improve our performance.

Coming up, I will explore a technique you may want to try called reverse brainstorming.

By: Brian Egan

I have been doing research on the subject of project procurement management and ventured onto the PMI website to look for reference materials.  There were surprisingly few books available, considering how important procurement activities are to project success.

A set of three books that seemed particularly relevant were written by Margaret Gilbert.

• Contract Matters – A practical guide to the contractual process;
• Contract Matters – A practical guide for suppliers; and
• Contract Matters – Negotiation.

What I liked

These books are short and to the point.  Gilbert is obviously an experienced contract manager.  Her knowledge of the nuances of developing relationships with suppliers is evident in the tips and emphases included in her notes and examples.

There are very good examples of SOW’s and contract terms and conditions.  Gilbert has packed a lot of material into three short books.

The writing style is very efficient.  No long winded paragraphs, just quick points and lots of examples.

The format of the book is more like a PowerPoint presentation than a text book.

Each book could be read in a day.

What I Did Not Like

The writing is awkward.  The author must not speak English as a first language and no one who does has edited the material.  As a result there are a lot of strange sentences and references which makes the text harder to understand than necessary.

Overall

Anyone who wants a quick snapshot of contract management from the perspective of an experienced professional will benefit from these books.  However, I would look for them in a local library before purchasing.  The writing style and format are not for everyone.

By Darrell G. Stiffler, PMP

For years, the Project Management Institute (PMI) has been touting the virtues of the Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM) as the method to use in the Critical Path Methodology (CPM) construction of a network diagram. The network diagram uses boxes or rectangles, referred to as nodes, to represent activities, and by connecting the nodes with arrows it illustrates the logical relationships that exist between the nodes. However, the illustration of a network diagram in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is OK, but the nodes illustrated are poor. In trying to perform the forward pass, backward pass and calculating float the illustration has no value. Because of the PMBOK vacuum of detail and poor illustration of the diagram node, others have used their own style of node for the critical path calculation. There are many different ways to display the node, and un-standardization has allowed the whole subject to become confusing. I propose that PMI publish in the PMBOK a standard node. This would establish a standard and make it easier for all those creating a PDM much easier.

One of the simpler nodes that I have encountered is what I call the 5 box node (see Figure 1.0). This node model is easy to use if you are experienced in crafting network diagrams. This node contains the minimum of data. The drawback of this model is that information must be written outside the node, such as slack and float and if you are transitioning from a many-to-one relationship the transitioning number must be written on the diagram and then erased after the proper value has been transferred.

Figure 1.0

Another popular node that I have been exposed to is what I call a Vertical 7 box node (see Figure 2.0) The information for the Early Start and Late Start and the Early Finish and Late Finish is entered by either going down or up in the boxes. For example, when you are performing the forward pass, if you are calculating Late Start you enter the Early Start data, add the duration to the Early Start and enter the sum into Late Start, which is the box below the Early Start. Conversely when you are performing the backward pass you enter the data into the Late Finish box then subtract the duration and enter the data in the box above which is the Late Start box. To me this is counter intuitive. When I think in terms of forward pass and backward pass, I don’t think of going up and down. Additionally, when calculating slack and float, there is nowhere on the model to enter the information.

Figure 2.0

I propose that the PMI and the PMBOK use the model seen in figure 3.0. When performing a forward pass or a backward pass, values are calculated left to right or right to left, following the flow of the node and the diagram. All information necessary to make decisions would be recorded within the node. Students find this model much easier to use. Another reason I suggest this model as the standard is because when a practitioner or student decides that they want to create the network diagram this model is available in Visio, with slight modification (switching the Task ID and Duration labeling).

Figure 3.0

If you agree with me, that figure 3.0 is the best approach to illustrating a PDM CPM, let the PMI know. PMI is a great institution and listens to those that are involved. Now if we could just get other organizations to follow that philosophy.