 Reforming Project Management |
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Thursday, May 01, 2003
A Rationale and Structure for A Project Management Body of Knowledge
Max Wideman's Project Management Wisdom is always worth checking out. (He claims more than a million visits/month to his website.) Today Max published a guest article by Eric Jenett, one of five people who founded the Project Management Institute back in 1969.
Mr. Jenett first wrote this previously unpublished article back in 1996. He has updated and edited it for publishing it on the web. Mr. Jenett articulate and careful with his writing. It is worth taking the time to read. This is the first of three parts. A Rationale and Structure for A Project Management Body of Knowledge Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Project e-Tip of the Week
People frequently ask me for advice on adopting a lean approach on their projects. I write them, either by email or in Yahoo! discussion groups. Instead, I've decided to offer my advice in this weblog. Each Wednesday I will post a Project e-Tip of the Week. Subscribers of Reforming Project Management will get the weekly Project e-Tip in their Bloglet email each Thursday morning. If you haven't yet subscribed, then just add your email address in the subscription box to the left. That way you won't miss any of the e-Tips.
I have created an e-Tip Archive (look for the link in the navigation bar above and at the bottom of each e-Tip) and Adobe PDF versions of each Project e-Tip to make it convenient to share these with your team mates. I am looking for a javascript function so readers can email a Project e-Tip to a friend. Can anyone help me with that? I encourage readers to submit their proposals for Project e-Tips. If I publish your submission, then I will give you a one-year subscription to Business Book Summaries or at your choice a copy of one of my favorite books. Of course I am the sole decision-maker regarding publishing submissions! Here's my first Project e-Tip
Tuesday, April 29, 2003
The Future of Project Controls
I'm somewhat hesitant to write about this. This morning I received an email newsletter that included advice on How to give negative feedback properly. I can't say that John Reh's ten recommendations are either good or bad advice. Take a look...decide for yourself.
Let's look more closely at what is meant by "negative feedback". When we say "I have negative feedback" what does that mean? It might mean "I don't like you and I'm gonna tell you why." It could mean "I have seen negative consequences and I attribute them to your actions." This might be getting closer. At the heart of it negative feedback is about failing to meet a standard of performance. That standard could be stated or only implied. When we announce we have negative feedback we create a break in the conversation and the relationship. It's an unusual or extraordinary event. My favorite management author is Ken Blanchard author of The One Minute Manager and dozens of other books. (Anyone who has a best-selling book -- over 10 million copies -- for over 21 years has to know something about what he's talking.) Blanchard implores people to focus on positive feedback. In his book Whale Done! he goes into how trainers never use negative feedback when working with dangerous animals. If killer whales can be trained to do the spectacular things that they do with only positive feedback, then why would we want to use negative feedback with the even more dangerous human beings? [smirk] Another way of saying that is be unconditionally constructive in all our conversations. Blanchard recognizes that sometimes we are not satisfied with a particular behavior or performance. In those cases he instructs us to redirect the action. So let's put this in the context of the project setting. Projects are one-of-a-kind endeavors always involving people. The project setting by definition entails novelty. Projects often end "before we know it." For many participants that newness and speed calls on them to learn so that they can perform. Learning fast, making mistakes, discovering what works or doesn't work, are part of the usualness of projects. Of course individuals will at some moment fall short of standards. That is what it means to be a learner. So what are we to do in projects? Am I saying there are no situations for giving negative feedback? Maybe. The most important step to take is to create a space and practices on the project for the free expression of opinion (assessments). Everyone who signs on for (owns) the mission of the project cares about how well we are doing collectively. Are we on track, or not? Are we learning what we need to learn, or not? Are there unexplored opportunities and risks? Each question is answered with assessments, both positive and negative. Some people will tell you to grant permission for speaking our assessments. NO! Granting permission doesn't go nearly far enough. We must create a responsibility for speaking our opinions...in a timely manner...in helpful ways...positive...with openness to modify the assessment based on what others say. Timely (in the moment) assessments are the mechanisms for adjustment keeping individuals and teams moving in concert with each other in fulfillment of the project mission. New and revised actions follow assessments. The wonderful aspect about this is with everyone on the project making and sharing assessments we create a guidance system that goes orders of magnitude beyond what anyone in a project controls role could accomplish. Making assessments -- powerful assessments -- is one of two foundational skills for functioning in the project setting. The other skill is making and securing reliable promises. Negative feedback is old school. Continuous practices of assessment is the future of project control. Monday, April 28, 2003
Mental Models for Project Management
Donna Fitzgerald writes a regular column for Builder.com, The Nimble Project Manager.
She has been writing a series about Peter Senge's book The Fifth Discipline. Her series is very good. Two of the articles are about mental models: How to understand the bias of mental models and Understanding your mental models can help sharpen PM skills. She explains what Senge means by mental models, describes the significance for managing projects, and goes on to introduce techniques and actions.
Fitzgerald contends that the nimble project manager is one who operates with the view that projects are complex adaptive systems. Another way of saying the same thing is project ends and means emerge from the unique interactions of the team members with each other as they respond to an unfolding future. Fitzgerald doesn't refer to projects as linguistic by nature. However, her description of a mental model for project management applies to the linguistic action perspective. The Mental Model of Nimble Project Management
Fitzgerald proposes two approaches for dealing with the bias of our mental models:
One of the best sections in her article is on Chris Argyris' approach for investigating the seemingly intractable personal conflicts. Argyris calls this left-hand column exercise. Do check it out. It works. I have used the exercise for over ten years. Warning: these articles will take some time and attention to appreciate what Fitzgerald is saying. I predict it will be worth it. Sunday, April 27, 2003
Linguistic Action Perspective of Projects
Before I get too far into these postings on the Linguistic Action Perspective, I think I should speak about my prejudice...
Dr. Flores taught me project management. Not for the first time. No. I learned to manage projects at Digital Equipment Corp. Dr. Flores re-taught me project management. To give you an idea of what it was like, imagine you are a golfer, or tennis player, or skier. You perform well, so well that others strive to beat you. Now you decide to start again as a beginner. Really! Imagine the breakdowns that would create. Now, exaggerate that. That was what it was like relearning project management. I was already good at creating work breakdown structures. I could teach the critical path method. I did six major projects in a row on time and 'close' to the budget. (I was over as often as I was under.) Thirteen years ago, Flores turned it up-side down for me. How? By shifting attention from the mechanisms of project management to the conversations of project management. Dr. Flores made these claims: (Some of these are from my recollection. Apologies for any misrepresentation.)
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