The Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 1 1 The Project Management Change Agent: How to Lead Your PM Revolution PM 2 Project Management Author – “Nuts and bolts” stuff – Practical PM tools & guidelines Project Management Trainer – Customized, onsite workshops – Teams work w/local, real-world projects – “First do no harm…” Michael Greer’s PM Resources – http://michaelgreer.biz My Background: The Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 2 3 Sharpening Galileo's Quill ALMA in Chile “First, Do No Harm!” 4 Session Outline 5 Signs You’re Ready for a PM Revolution 5 Levels of PM Sophistication for: Organizations Project Managers Training and Performance Support Tactics for Your PM Revolution Arguments Against PM Change PM Change "Bombs“ 8 Change-Inducing PM ToolsThe Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 3 5 Session Outline (continued) Tactics for Your PM Revolution (continued) The Bougainvillea & 10 Stealthy, "Vining" PM Practices What Absolutely Won't Work Criteria for Success The Role of PM Training & Certification Start Your PM Revolution: 10 Steps Some Resources That Can Help 6 5 Signs You’re Ready for a PM Revolution Projects repeatedly fail to produce quality deliverables (tangible outputs). Projects repeatedly finish late. Projects often go over budget. People have too many projects and they don't want to work on any more project teams. Projects are plagued by "do overs" and rejection of deliverables by stakeholders.The Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 4 7 Battle Zones for the Revolution Organization’s PM Practices Project Manager Practices PM Training & Support 8 What to Do? Need to evolve, become more sophisticated: As an organization practicing PM As individual project managers In your PM training and performance support So… What do we mean by “sophisticated?”The Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 5 15 Full PM Integration Measurement, Evaluation & Renewal Formal Life Cycles & Procedures PM Process Repetition Survival Purpose of PM Revolution: Increase Organization- wide PM Sophistication! 23 Help PM Integration Measure, Evaluate, Renew PM Plan & Coordinate Multiple Projects Use PM Tools to Coordinate, Make Inspections & Intervene Use PM Terms, Concepts, & Tools to Plan Projects Purpose of PM Revolution: More Sophisticated Project Managers!The Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 6 31 PM Career Path OJT, Guidance & Feedback Hands-on Practice w/Formal PM Tools Local PM Vision & Values Basic PM Terms & Concepts Purpose of PM Revolution: Comprehensive PM Training & Support System 33 Tactics for Your PM Revolution Why an open war doesn’t work Exploding bombs and growing bougainvilleas What absolutely won’t work Criteria for successThe Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 7 34 Arguments Against PM Change Formal PM is burdened with myths: – It’s only for techies. – You need to be certified to do it well. – We’ll have to make complex schedules and reports. – We’ll have to use complicated software. – It will take too much time to plan… we got work to do! 35 There may be a negative history: – It’s been tried before and failed. – Outside consultants imposed “cookie cutter” PM processes. – “Born again” PMPs overenthusiastically pushed all sorts of complicated stuff at us. – Burdensome administrivia overwhelmed us; led to “on paper” successes & failed results. Arguments Against PM ChangeThe Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 8 36 Objection: Projects already take too long! – No time for complex planning and reporting. – Not enough staff to play all those formal roles. – Project managers contribute as workers on the project team. No time for additional PM stuff. – We have a zillion “under way” projects and can’t stop and rethink how we’re doing them right now. Maybe later. Arguments Against PM Change 37 So instead of an open war… A few well-placed bombs…The Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 9 38 An explosive shift in PM consciousness! Senior Managers Sponsors, Customers Experts, Creators, Project Team Project Managers PM Change Agent 39 Some PM Change “Bombs” High-visibility “post-mortem” of a famously failed project Prime customer or end user presents complaints and suggestions for PM improvement High-profile cross-training event where all PM players are forced to work together under pressure High visibility support for a single high-priority project showcasing several PM "best practices“ Swift and celebrated policy change…(Senior mgt. insists: Use some of the 8 Most Powerful PM Tools)The Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 10 40 8 Change-Inducing PM Tools Project Charters Meaningful Sign-offs Project “Post-Mortems” & Lessons Learned “Wide-net” stakeholder involvement (define outcomes, customized life cycles, etc.) Cross-training, w/all usual project players in one room Prototypes & smaller, faster creation cycles Finding/using realistic local planning parameters: – History re: time/effort required – “Best practices" that seem to work – How the competition manages projects An up-to-date, prioritized portfolio of projects 41 Also instead of an open war… (And gentler than bombs!) A carefully nurtured bougainvillea, spreading inexorably …The Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 11 46 A carefully nurtured bougainvillea... PM Change Agent 47 10 Stealthy, “Vining” PM Practices 1. Regular “Post-Mortems” & Lessons Learned 2. “Wide-net” stakeholder involvement 3. Consistently using Project Charters & sign-offs 4. Thoughtfully looking back at past time/effort/quality patterns when creating plans 5. Comparing planned to actual time/effort/quality, then developing accurate estimators for use in planning the next projectsThe Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 12 48 6. Carefully documenting work load on each project, then "rolling up" each resource's work load to see overall load for that resource 7. Using prototypes & shorter, faster creation cycles 8. Using a project portfolio and local criteria for prioritizing projects (and daring to “drop” some) 10 Stealthy, “Vining” PM Practices 49 9. Senior managers committing to stand behind project managers No stealing resources No rethinking deliverables at the last minute No over allocating resources No committing their project teams & project managers to do stuff without consulting their workload and their requirements, etc.) 10 Stealthy, “Vining” PM PracticesThe Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 13 50 10. Developing new skills, vocabulary, and PM culture through: Training, focused on practical… not esoteric PM Training that uses real projects for practice so training time isn't “down time” Training that’s extended to all project constituencies --so everyone's “singing from the same songbook“ Providing coaching, PM career paths & job models 10 Stealthy, “Vining” PM Practices 51 Bomb or Bougainvillea: It’s About Changing PM Consciousness! Senior Managers Sponsors, Customers Experts, Creators, Project Team Project Managers PM Change AgentThe Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 14 52 What Absolutely Won’t Work: Broad senior management mandates, imposed "top down" Externally-created “cookie cutter” strategies from outside consultants New PM tools and practices that aren't vigorously, enthusiastically supported by senior management, project managers, customers, SMEs, and task specialists 53 What Absolutely Won’t Work: Training that fails to connect every PM tool & concept to exactly how it will make things easier for project managers and teams, while helping them get better results Training that is not interwoven with local, real-world projects (during the session and after the session)The Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 15 54 Criteria for Success Whether Bomb or Bougainvillea, it must be: Simple Quickly applied or completed Unobtrusive Clearly linked to good results Embraced by the team as “making sense” Empowering (Enhances sense of control.) 55 The Role of PM Training and CertificationThe Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 16 56 PM is for Everyone… Analogies: The multi-level practice of medicine – Medical researchers, surgeons, family doctors, EMTs, coaches, parents The multi-level practice of physical fitness – Fitness researchers, team physicians, physical therapists, trainers, ordinary people … not just certified professionals! 57 PM is for Everyone… PM in most organizations is a multi-level practice: Project planners & managers Project team members & creators Stakeholders, customers, SMEs Administrative support people And many other staff people… … not just certified professionals!The Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 17 58 PM is for Everyone… So everyone needs some basic training on PM as it is practiced locally. … not just certified professionals! 59 All PM is Local Project outcomes = “unique products or services” Uniqueness comes from the local situation: – Industry & products – Market forces – Best practices of specialists – Local culture – Local mix of project managers, specialists, senior mgt., vendors, etc.The Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 18 60 So PM Performance Improvement Must Be Managed Locally You must consider: Unique, strategic goals of your organization Your career development initiatives Your overall training, performance improvement, mentoring, and coaching efforts (beyond PM) Any local cultural issues that challenge or support PM 61 To Improve Local PM Performance You determine: Your unique PM skill requirements Locally-relevant PM tools, procedures Your PM career path, curriculum, training objectives, coaching, evaluation Whether any external certifications are of any valueThe Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 19 62 You pick and choose: Which, if any, PM organization to inspire your local strategy: – asapm, AACE, AIPM, INCOSE, OGC/APM's PRINCE2, PMI, others? Which external, generic PM competencies, tools, & certifications (if any) matter to you To Improve Local PM Performance 63 Your Organization Outside PM GroupsThe Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 20 64 “… PRINCE2 credentials are significantly lower than all other credentials, while … AACE’s top credentials, the C3PM and the CFCC scored very high… the top ranked credentials are NOT coming from PMI, which is without question the largest and most influential of the professional organizations purporting to represent practitioners of project management, but are dominated by the much less well known organizations…” --Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo’s “Project Management Credentials Compared – A Preliminary Analysis.” /http://www.build-projectmanaggementcompetency.com/download-page/A Note About Certifications 65 My recommendations: The PM Profession should work toward creating a single set of generic, universally-acceptable PM competencies, tools, and certifications. HR and training people, & individuals seeking to upgrade their PM skills should (at least, for the present) ignore the certifications put forth by the PM Profession. They should focus instead on simply using the lists of competencies that underlie those certifications as inputs to their own PM performance improvement processes. (See: “Beyond PM Certification: Achieving PM Performance Improvement” --http://michaelgreer.biz/?p=580 ) A Note About Certifications The Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 21 66 Local people, local culture must drive PM Local PM change agents, HR people, & PM trainers must filter and sort external PM "shoulds" External stuff that seems irrelevant or could be burdensome should probably be ignored The Bottom Line Re: PM Performance Improvement 67 When is live, instructor-led training justified? A live facilitator can help groups process controversial PM issues. Teams share hands-on practice on complex PM assignments w/real-time guidance & correction. Teams need a “safe place” to experiment with new PM processes & tools. Live, Instructor-Led Training The Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 22 68 When is an outside training facilitator justified? Need more depth of experience in PM training and real-time facilitation of project teams as they learn Internal trainers may appear allied with particular, unpopular agendas When you need a “hit man” to gather complaints, facilitate hard political discussions, & present anonymous recommendations to senior management Why an Outside Training Facilitator 69 When is an outside PM performance improvement consultant justified? Local change agent may be perceived as careerclimmbin or aligned with particular political factions External person brings expertise from PM-only focus External person is outside local politics External person brings practical wisdom based on many different organizations, perspectives – the “cross pollination” effect Why an Outside Consultant The Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 23 70 1. Examine “5 Signs You're Ready for a PM Revolution.” How many apply to your organization? 2. Examine “Levels of Sophistication” for Organizations, Project Managers, and PM Training & Support. --How sophisticated is your organization in each? 3. Examine list: “8 Most Powerful PM Tools.” --Which do you need most? … Could you apply now? 4. Consider: Do you have the opportunity to set off a few well-placed bombs? How might you do this? Start Your PM Revolution: 10 Steps 71 5. Review the “10 Stealthy, ‘Vining’ PM Practices.” Consider: --What slow-growing, but valuable, bougainvillea sprouts might you be planting? --How can you nurture them and help them spread? 6. Review and apply “Criteria for Success, Bomb or Bougainvillea.” Start Your PM Revolution: 10 StepsThe Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 24 72 7. Decide: What parts of your local PM performance improvement system are in place and ready to be supported? 8. Decide: What new elements are needed in your local PM performance improvement system. 9. List internal and external resources who might help you with your PM Revolution. 10. List 5 specific next steps you will take to get your PM Revolution under way immediately! Start Your PM Revolution: 10 Steps 73 (eBook) The Project Management Minimalist: Just Enough PM to Rock Your Projects! Video Series: Become a Project Management Minimalist Michael Greer’s PM Resources: Articles, Tools, & Podcasts – many! But these in particular: – Beyond PM Certification: Achieving PM Performance Improvement – “Beyond Sales Training: Designing a Learning Organization” (Step-by-step guide to overall organizational renewal via job models, curriculum architecture, etc.) Go to: http://michaelgreer.biz Some Resources That Can HelpThe Project Mgt. Change Agent How to Lead Your PM Revolution (c) Copyright 2010/11 Michael Greer, http://michaelgreer.biz 25 74 Private one-on-one session with follow-up links, documents via email Private class for your group Customized, on-site training session – Incorporating your unique processes & sample projects, I create customized training – My PM Basics class structure, my team assignments & 2 days live, on-site facilitation active, engaged students Contact me: pm.minimalist@gmail.com or visit: http://michaelgreer.biz How I Can Help Your PM Revolution