Chuck’s Snippets 8.0; page 1 of 4

Chuck Millhollan,

TampaBay PMI Symposium

September 26 - 27, 2008

Friends and Colleagues,

Welcome to “Chuck’s Snippets 8.0!”

I have included highlights of the workshops I attended during the Tampa Bay PMI (PMITB) Symposium. The theme for the symposium was “Advancing the Profession: Energize, Inspire, Motivate.”

If you are interested in discussing any of the specific topics and/or speakers in more detail, please feel free to contact me.

Previous “Chuck’s Snippets:”

Version 1.0: Project World; Orlando, FL; Nov 2006

Version 2.0: Regional Project World; Boston, MA; Jun 2007

Version 3.0: Northeast Florida PMI Regional Seminar; Nov 2007

Version 4.0: National Project World & World Congress for Business Analysts, Nov 2007

Version 5.0: Nashville PMI 2008 Spring Symposium, Apr 2008

Version 6.0: Southwest Ohio PMI Professional Development Mega Event, Apr 2008

Version 7.0: Regional Project World & World Congress for Business Analysis, Jun 2008

My standard disclaimer: While I believe all of the content of the attached summary is extremely valuable, I do not fully accept each premise or believe that all of the concepts would fully apply in every organizational environment. However, these basic principles of effective management, leadership, and project management are definitely worthwhile contributions to our professional development.

Remember…if you do not want me to send you these summaries, slap me down electronically, and I’ll remove you from the distribution list.

Speaker: Mark Adams, ESPNNationalCollege Basketball Analyst

Topic: Play Your Strengths – Real Championship Coaching

  1. Chuck’s comments: Mark’s topic was similar to the approach defined in the book “Now, Discover Your Strengths.” The mantra for his presentation was to identify your resources’ strengths and leverage what they do well. In addition to the highlights from his presentation, I’ve captured a few great “one-liners” (coaching and/or mentoring) advice that he shared during his presentation.
  2. Project managers and subject matter experts tend to get too bogged down in the day-to-day tactics and management of their work. The best-in-class also focus on the bigger picture and strategy too. How does your project contribute to your organization’s strategic goals? Does your team know the vision?
  3. Talent defined: Consistent and near perfect performance of an activity.
  4. A mediocre coach (project manager) can win with a talented team; however, even the best cannot win without talent. In short, find the right people and do everything possible to get them on your project team. If you do not have the luxury of negotiating for project resources, then identify your team member’s individual strengths and put them on the right tasks.
  5. On an individual basis, do not waste your time worrying about what you cannot do well. Know what you can do well and leverage that to contribute to your team. It is the project manager’s job to know what their team members do well. If you put the right person in the right place at the right time, you are building your team to win. If you put a talented resource in the wrong role, your team is not structured for optimum performance.
  6. We do not have time for “potential.” Regardless of what your mother told you, you cannot be competent in almost anything. Discover your strengths and leverage what you are good at doing. Mark used an analogy with Shaquille O’Neal. Shaquille’s talent is playing basketball. More specifically, dunking the ball. The following example is extreme, but gets the point across… What if Shaquille wanted to be a thoroughbred racing jockey instead? Could he have learned to ride a horse with enough focus and practice? Yes. Would he have been as successful as he was by leverage his natural talent in basketball? Probably not.
  7. Project managers should ensure that their teams and their sponsors get credit for project success. Mark used the analogy of a guide leading a team of climbers up a mountain. A project manager should lead their team almost to the top and then step aside to let the team reach the top first and receive the glory. Give your team all the credit for success and personally take all the blame for failure.
  8. Mark encouraged us to beg, borrow, and steal. In other words, take the best practices from your peers and leverage what you can to increase your project or project team’s chances of success.

Speaker: Lee Lambert, CEO, Lambert Consulting Group

Topic: Taking the BS out of WBS

  1. The most prevalent issue that our profession encounters is poor requirements. The WBS is one of the best ways to deal with the lack of clear requirements as we define the work down to the work packages.
  2. Lee’s take on the PMBOK if applied literally: We have created a process that is so complex that we have a good reason not to follow it. Lee advocates a lean approach to project management and building your WBS. Do not plan yourself into a rut. Define the work to a level of detail necessary to effectively manage discrete deliverables.
  3. Remember the PMBOK is the “Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge.” Dictionary.com defines a guideline as a statement or other indication of policy or procedure by which to determine a course of action. A guide is used to assist a person to reach a destination. The key words are “determine” and “assist,” which implies thought and effort in deciding how to best follow. In short, the PMBOK is not a rule book.
  4. We all use “lists,” such as MS Outlook TaskPad and “Honey Do” lists, to set expectations. If a task is added to a list, it develops an expectation that something needs to be accomplished. The WBS is the project manager’s list.
  5. A WBS introduces measurability into your project. If used, you can actually measure progress. If you do not have a WBS that defines the work, chances are you're using the calendar distance to the planned (dictated) finish date to communicate progress. At best, you’re using subjective guesses.
  6. Every work package should have a discrete completion criterion. How do you know when the work is complete? If you cannot tell, you haven’t planned to a sufficient level of detail. If you cannot assign specific responsibility and accountability for the work, you haven’t planned to a sufficient level of detail.
  7. If possible, name the resources for each work package. This is especially true if you’re using subject matter experts for effort estimating. If the expert is more skilled than the assigned resource, your estimates are likely inaccurate. Another option is to have the assigned resource do (or update) the effort estimates.
  8. If anyone has the information that senior leaders need to effectively prioritize work, it is the project manager. Where should the project manager get the information for the work required, resources required (who and when), etc…? The WBS!
  9. Remember, it is easier to manage risk if you have discrete work packages.

Speaker:Lisa DiTullio, Principle, Lisa DiTullio & Associates, Author of Simple Solutions: How “Enterprise Project Management”Supported Harvard Pilgrim Health Care’s Journey from Near Collapse to #1

Topic: Expected Behaviors for Project Team Performance – Road Rules, Not Road Rage

  1. Bottom line: When your team is functioning well and getting along, the work gets done…which can make the team even stronger and more productive. In other words, productivity is a function of how well people work together, which is a function of how well they can deal with their differences. Team building is the project manager’s responsibility.
  2. What makes people leave their companies? More often than not, people do not leave jobs because of the work; they leave jobs because of other people. Do you know how well your team is getting along?
  3. We judge ourselves by our intentions; others judge us by our actions. In short, how well you interact with others, deal with conflict, etc…has a big influence on your effectiveness.
  4. Remember, when things get rough, behaviors start to change. Do not assume that your team members will react consistent with your experiences when they’re under stress. Do you know when your team members are under stress?
  5. In addition to chartering your projects, you should charter your teams. Take the time to define how the team will interact. Suggested elements for a team charter (or Rules of Engagement) include agreed upon:
  6. Basic courtesies – such as arriving to meetings on time, cell phone and laptop policies, etc…
  7. Operating agreements – such as the plan for dropped calls. What are the standard operation procedures if there’s a disconnection?
  8. Processes for problem solving and decision making – for example, when will the team use consensus, voting, consulting, etc…?
  9. Roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities
  10. Processes for conflict resolution
  11. Note: I have a basic team charter that I use for my college learning teams. If you’re interested, send me an email and let me know you would like a copy.
  12. Virtual team recommendation: Send photographs of all the team members to help build a connection.

Speaker: Rick Morris, Author of Project Management That Works – Real-World Advice on Communicating, Problem-Solving, and Everything Else You Need to Know to Get the Job Done

Topic: Turning Around Failing Projects

  1. Advice from Rick: Even when you’re right, you don’t have to tell everyone. No one likes to work with someone that is constantly telling them they are wrong.
  2. If your project is failing, someone knows why. The project manager’s job is to find that person.
  3. Project management has evolved and can change rapidly. Has the project team, upper management, and/or the organization changed to leverage the professions’ best practices? It is the project manager’s job to familiarize the organization with the benefits of project management.
  4. How many of you have been on projects that you knew were going to fail from the start? How many of those projects failed? What did you not intervene? Our job (as outlined in the PMP Code of Professional Conduct) is to provide accurate and truthful representations associated with expected results.
  5. Bigger question: Why are organizations unsuccessful at stopping failing/failed projects? Answer: Incomplete information. The project manager is the first line of defense to support decision making.
  6. Be honest at all costs. Few project managers have ever lost their job for correctly identifying and communicating risks. Many more have lost their jobs for hiding pending failure.
  7. Communicate hard information early when you still have options. The longer you wait…the fewer the options that will be available.