Forward Momentum: Delivering Results

By Craig Covello, PMP

I’m sure it’s been quite a while since many of us who have earned PMP certification actually studied the PMBOK in preparation for the exam.  It is not surprising, then, that we move forward in our careers as project managers utilizing our own style.  Some of that style may be based upon selective PMBOK concepts tailored to our unique personalities and skills sets.  But more than likely, much of what we do as project managers is based upon the corporate culture in which we find ourselves, particularly in larger organizations which develop their own sets of tools and techniques.  Nevertheless, having a point of reference, such as the PMBOK, is useful, if not comforting, because it attempts to foster continuity and standards within our profession. 

To refresh my memory, I recently reviewed old notes taken while attending a PMP boot camp several years ago.  The exam questions were based upon the following areas of project management knowledge: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring/Controlling, Closing and finally Professional/Social Responsibility.  Specific topics found within these areas include project charters, scope management, work breakdown structures, team organizational structures, cost control, quality control, risk management… well, you get the idea.  The list goes on and on.  And although these topics are presented in a generic, project-agnostic format, each is addressed in significant detail.  So much detail, in fact, that sometimes we may lose sight of one of the main roles of the project manager – looking at the larger picture and taking a reality check.  Allow me to explain.

I often work on innovative pilot projects that are proof of concept endeavors with specific objectives, deliverables and relatively brief timelines.  Accordingly, these projects have limited resources, not only in dollars, but also limited in scope, time and particularly limited in staff.  That last point should be underscored, because limitations in staff resources require the project manager to assume many roles and wear many hats.  Sometimes we might act as a second set of eyes for quality assurance.  Other times, we may get involved with finding technical solutions to specific problems.  And of course, we are always managing the project sponsor’s expectations.  So viewing the project from a larger perspective and applying proactive, commonsense judgment is a critical PM talent.  Yes, the templates, methodologies and concepts presented in the PMBOK are important, but remember that these are simply tools to be used at the discretion of the PM.  Projects are comprised of a unique mix of cultures, personalities, objectives and constraints that often cannot be approached mechanically in a “paint by numbers” fashion. 

To illustrate, I once worked on an innovation project sponsored by a rather large healthcare organization.  The vendor selected to provide the technology was a relatively small company with limited staff.  So limited in fact, that many of the vendor’s employees had roles and responsibilities that were somewhat blurred and interchangeable.  That said, it was not surprising that this vendor had some weaknesses in areas of quality control.  So I took it upon myself to act as an impartial Q/A analyst, if only for a few days.  By temporarily offering my services as a pinch-hitter, we were able to identify three or four critical errors in workflow and functionality prior to implementation. It was a reality check utilizing common sense in a proactive fashion appropriate for the scope and limitations of this particular project.  It could be argued that the responsibility for quality assurance belonged to the vendor, but in reality they had their plates full with too many competing tasks.  Only the PM had the larger perspective to assess the Q/A situation and identify the weakness.  And the temporary role assigned to myself spared the project for failure and also saved the healthcare organization from embarrassment.  The reality check allowed me to identify a need that might have been missed under a template approach with tasks checked off.

So make it a practice to take a reality check at least once a week.  Use your unique perspective as PM to ensure that issues are identified and resolved before they become someone else’s headache after implementation.  Don’t get lured into repetitive, templated motion.  In contrast, take time for some serious, objective assessment of the project’s status and health.  This habit requires insight and judgment, but then again, but that’s why project managers are put in charge.  That’s reality.

How do you remember to take a step back and give your project a reality check? How often do you do that?

by Craig Covello, PMP

If you have taken the time to stop and read this article, then it’s probably safe to assume that you might be a project manager.  But to narrow the readership further proves difficult, because project managers come from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds.  Some have technical expertise.  Others may have experience in sales or marketing.  Still others may have backgrounds in finance.  So when you’re speaking of project managers as an aggregate, it can be a rather eclectic mix of varied skills and personalities, which then translate into projects that may be run quite differently depending upon who is assigned the responsibility. 

The “PM” title, however, also has a set of consistent expectations.  Project management is defined around a core set of principles, tools and techniques that transcend organizations and objectives.  For example, most projects have some type of scheduling and budget constraints.  All projects require some form of communication among stakeholders.  And many projects, hopefully, have some type of deliverables, objectives and/or accountabilities.  So when thinking along those lines, project managers may tend to view life in terms of definitions, agreements and expectations.  We move along a path that might be considered a straight line, from the point of origin to the point of destination.  We find ways around obstacles and try to keep our eyes focused upon one or more objectives.  Of course, there are times when some flexibility is required, but a project’s success depends upon a reasonably thorough definition and vision of what is to be accomplished followed by managing the expectations of stakeholders.

It’s probably not surprising, then, that many of us can fall into a “project oriented” pattern of thinking when managing our own personal lives.  So allow me a moment to offer my perspective, one based more on feeling than fact.  It is a perspective that is certainly not meant to paint every PM with the same brush, because as mentioned, we are all unique as individuals, even if we share project management as an occupation. Still, I suspect that some of us tend to think of our lives as “projects”.  We look to the future and try to plan accordingly along a perceived path or “straight line”.  That is the mind set of many PMs. There’s just one problem.  Life really doesn’t work that way.  None of us knows with any certainty what the future holds next week, let alone next year.  And it can be a future full of promise that may go unrecognized if our focus is too restricted.  Because real opportunities continually present themselves without much fanfare or notice.  Look straight ahead and you may miss them.

There was an article published by Reader’s Digest a few years back expressing a very profound concept that underscores my assertion regarding limitations of “project oriented” thinking in our personal lives.  The author tried to determine the attributes of perceived “lucky” people versus “unlucky” people.  As you may have already guessed, the “unlucky” people were the ones who limited their goals and aspiratiosn along a single line.  In striking contrast, the “lucky” people were the ones who headed in the general direction, but were able to recognize opportunity, even if it appeared only in their peripheral vision.  And once opportunities were identified, they were actively pursued, often requiring a change in direction, a departure from the stright line.  So it could be argued that looking at life along a perceived straight line path may not be the best strategy for personal growth and fulfillment.  It limits our ability to recognize and take advantage of the best opportunities that life has to offer.  It can also color our perspective, causing us to view certain events and circumstances as a negative, impeding progress on our straight line, when in fact, the same circumstances and events may actually be a positive if we choose to modify our trajectory.  So lately I’ve chosen to scan  the horizon in order to take advantage of the opportunities that may appear in the periphery.  In some cases, these opportunities may be much better than what I can envision on the line straight ahead.

Remember that life is not a project.  It is a journey.

by Craig Covello, PMP

You may be to young to remember a blues song entitled, “The Thrill Is Gone.” It was written in 1951 by Rick Darnell and Roy Hawkins, and later popularized by blues guitarist legend B.B. King in 1970. Allow me to share a sample lyric:

The thrill is gone
It’s gone away for good
Oh, the thrill is gone baby
Baby its gone away for good
Someday I know I’ll be over it all baby
Just like I know a man should

I’m sure that Mr. King was referring to intimate relationships; however, let’s examine this from the context of project management, because there are some legitimate parallels.

When someone in the company has an idea, they typically embark on a campaign to solicit executive sponsors by generating some enthusiasm. It’s almost an evangelical process. But as with many ideas based upon vision, excitement and desire, the view is typically somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000 feet.  Fortunately, or unfortunately depending upon your point of view, lack of detail is entirely compatible with the executive summary format used to pitch an idea to senior leadership. And once the project is given the green light, the very real process begins of putting together a plan to execute that vision into reality.

If you’ve been a project manager for any length of time, you know that the “project plan” is not synonymous with the project schedule. There are several other components to be developed, including identification of stakeholders and project participants along with roles and responsibilities. That’s where the concept of motivation may require little attention, because at the beginning of the project, most everyone is excited and engaged, or at the very least, somewhat responsive. But as the reality of project execution settles in, typically there may be signs of waning interest among some participants who have specific work to do, either through coordination of others or direct effort.

And that’s where the true, and sometimes underrated, value of the project manager’s role has tremendous impact. It’s no small feat to lead a group of individuals to the finish line, particularly when they have been temporarily assigned to you in a matrix organizational model, a model where participants know that you will not be writing performance reviews or deciding next year’s compensation. So perhaps it’s just human nature to sometimes ratchet down the level of attention and effort as the project progresses.

Here’s a case in point: Recently my wife and I moved to North Texas after 22 years of living in Northern California. We engaged the assistance of real estate agents on both ends of the transaction, selling our existing home as well as purchasing a new home. In both cases, it became obvious that the agents became noticeably less responsive once the offers were accepted for the California sale and the Texas purchase. Phone calls were not returned as promptly, details were forgotten and mistakes were made. In retrospect, the home buying experience was very anti-climatic and somewhat frustrating, all for lack of follow-through. In the real estate agent’s mind, it was all about closing the deal in order to receive the commission. In our minds, however, it was about a smooth transition from one state to another.

In the project manager’s mind, it should also be about a smooth and timely transition between project initiation, project execution and project closure. All details matter. All task due dates matter. That last mile in which many project deliverables are due may become one of the longest miles. Perhaps this is why so many projects, typically ones run by the government, are often embarrassingly late and significantly over budget.

How do you motivate project participants to stay engaged after the thrill is gone? That may be the subject for an upcoming article, because we don’t want the lyrics of BB King to become the prophecy of future projects.

Wouldn’t you agree?

By Craig Covello, PMP

You may remember a little movie titled “Office Space” made back in 1999 starring Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston and David Herman.  Livingston plays Peter Gibbons, an employee of Initech who dreads his job.  Most of Peter’s time is spent avoiding work, which provides enough humor for the storyline all by itself.  But the comedy really kicks into high gear when Peter is accidentally hypnotized, causing him to candidly share his thoughts regarding his own personal work ethic.  Here’s what Peter had to say in a meeting with two consultants who have been brought in to downsize the company:

Office Space movie, Twentieth Century Fox

BOB SLYDELL: Aha! All right. We were just talking about you. You must be Peter Gibbons. Uh huh. Terrific. I’m Bob Slydell and this is my associate, Bob Porter.

PETER: Hi, Bob. Bob.

BOB PORTER: Why don’t you grab a seat and join us for a minute?

BOB SLYDELL: Y’see, what we’re trying to do here, we’re just trying to get a feel for how people spend their day. So, if you would, would you just walk us through a typical day for you?

PETER: Yeah.

BOB SLYDELL: Great.

PETER: Well, I generally come in at least fifteen minutes late. I use the side door, that way Lumbergh can’t see me. Uh, and after that, I just sorta space out for about an hour.

BOB PORTER: Space out?

PETER: Yeah. I just stare at my desk but it looks like I’m working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch too. I’d probably, say, in a given week, I probably do about fifteen minutes of real, actual work. The thing is, Bob, it’s not that I’m lazy. It’s just that I just don’t care.

BOB PORTER: Don’t, don’t care?

PETER: It’s a problem of motivation, all right? Now, if I work my ass off and Initech ships a few extra units, I don’t see another dime. So where’s the motivation? And here’s another thing, Bob. I have eight different bosses right now!

BOB SLYDELL: I beg your pardon?

PETER: Eight bosses.

BOB SLYDELL: Eight?

PETER: Eight, Bob. So that means when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That’s my real motivation – is not to be hassled. That and the fear of losing my job, but y’know, Bob, it will only make someone work hard enough not to get fired.

What does any of this have to do with project management?  In a word; motivation.  And that’s an important concept since project managers are dependent upon performance of the team.  Unfortunately, those same team members are usually on loan to the project manager and often directly report to another chain of command.  Arguably, this matrix management organizational structure may sometimes have an adverse effect on team member motivation and task prioritization.  Why?  Because team members know that the PM rarely makes decisions regarding employee performance reviews, career advancement or salary raises.  So it begs the question; what other factors will motivate the team?  Here’s a short list of possibilities:

1. Work ethic
2. Competitiveness
3. Interest in the project assignment
4. Belief in the project’s goals
5. Avoidance of criticism or conflict
6. Recognition

Items one through four may be ingrained in the person’s personality or habits, and therefore, become compelling factors in team member selection.  The project manager, however, has influence over factors 5 and 6 by setting the tone for the working environment.  And of the two, individual recognition may motivate the team member to excel instead of, to use Peter’s words, “only make someone work hard enough not to get fired”.

Now here is the hard part.  How can a project manager find something good to say about a team member who may not be performing on par with others?  How can the PM avoid sounding disingenuous?  Well, if you look hard enough, you should be able to find one or two attributes worthy of complement.  Expressing your appreciation for those attributes can go a long way in motivating someone to do better, particularly if kind words have not been spoken about the individual in a long time.  It’s also a good way to soften any frank discussions regarding performance improvement.  Of course, there will always be employees with bad attitudes regardless of what you say, but that doesn’t mean they necessarily should remain on your team.  Because the worst thing that you can do is give someone a pass while other team members take up the slack.

It is much better to recognize and build upon team member strengths than foster a cynical working environment that encourages some to “do about 15 minutes of real, actual work in any given week”. Just ask Peter.