TeamBox

It is available as a hosted solution (free account for 3 projects) or as open source to host on your on server. Based on Ruby Gems.

Looks like it has some potential. I will investigate further.

I also like the points being raised on finance. If a project manager is involved in the creation of the business case of the project, it is of great help to have a good understanding of all the relevant financial terms.

Do the work – hands on – In project management this is an area where the line becomes very thin.  A project manager needs to have an understanding of problem he/she is solving, what the solution is all about but needs to ensure not to get involved in the details of the solution.  When you get sucked into the detail of the solution, you loose your focus on managing the project.  Leave the solution to the experts, you only need to manage the process.

Try to act like a mature adult – Oh Yes! This is where managing your own emotions come from as I mentioned here.

“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” – Stephen Covey

and

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill

The last in my series will focus on the item that brings it all together.  Being able to do all the other nine and still be able to focus. How to keep your eye on the ball. This is where some of the bad aspects of Autistic Spectrum disorders could be a benefit.

It is well known that the “rain makers” have the ability to focus like none of us can. People on the autism spectrum normally has a topic that they focus on and go into way too deep! The drawback of this is that they normally end up sacrificing other skills in order to do this. In most cases it is their outward focus that they loose.  Ability to read emotions, communicate with people etc..

When the project is really in a tough spot, the only way to get out is normally to cut out the noise, get to the root cause and then focus on the remedy for this root cause.  To many inexperienced project managers get distracted by the noise and/or emotions. They try to please everybody and in a lot of cases “over communicate”.  It sometimes takes a project manager a couple of tries to develop this skill.  Most “seasoned” project managers have developed this skills without even noticing it.Just like we are taught concentration skills at a young age, so project managers can be taught focus.  Small steps.

However, to much focus is not long term sustainable.  You have to come up for breath every now and again.  Touching base with all your stakeholders and re-checking that we are all still aligned. If you focus for too long you could miss key signs that the world around you has started to change.

The ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee and I will pay more for that ability than for any other under the sun. -  John D. Rockefeller

Here we get to the point that really seperate “any old” project manager from the “Good PM”.  How well can you deal with people.  People is the most dynamic part of any project.  PMI defines a project as an “unique endevear”. Every project that has people involved will by definition be unique if we do not have exactly the same team as on the previous project.

A lot of the previous “good pm” attributes, like conflict management, have people at the core. In order for your project to be successful in any way, you will need to be able to make the best of the people you have on-board.  Being able to relate to people, being able to identify different personality types and how to deal with each of these is crucial if you want to succeed in project management.  Like the previous post, this skill is also something that can be taught in training classes but only be perfected by real life experience.

Recently I have witnessed another case of a brilliant mind that did not have the ability to build rapport with key stakeholders.  Although all the decisions made on the project were technically correct, the inability of the project manager to appropriately deal with the conflict between stakeholders turned the project into a “burning” project where the fire fighters had to come and help. The key cause in this case was the project managers inability to “read” the stakeholders, understand their emotions and deal with it in an unbiased way.

I have also seen the opposite case, where the project manager is such a people person that now work gets done.  Keeping everybody happy was so important that no tough decisions where ever made and all difficult decision got put on hold.

It is normally fairly easy to spot the project managers with bad people skills.  Not to say that bad people skills always equal bad project manager.  There are roles for these people as well. Sometimes the lack of “soft” skills is what is needed from a escalation manager, where being able to take charge, evaluate a situation and make decisions are the critical skills.

Horses for courses!  Just be sure you know the limitations of the project managers that you work with.

“Whenever you’re in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude. ” -
William James

Projects are by definition a conflict situation. In order to balance the triangle of cost, time & quality between all the relevant stakeholders, conflict will happen.  As per the quote above, what makes the difference is the attitude with which you start. In a professional services project I have learned that the most important factor is the control of emotions. When emotions come into conflict it is destined to become a “no win”  for all, thus it is of the utmost importance to keep the emotions out and the facts on the table. Nothing ruins a good fight like facts! For me the control of emotions always start with myself.  I cannot expect others to control emotions if I am not leading by example.
I do believe that conflict management skills can be taught and that all project managers should get this training early in their careers. A lot of different strategies exists but as with most people management skills, the key is the practical experience. How does a project manager build this experience in a save environment? This is one area where I believe that coaching does help. If a junior project manager can be paired with a more experienced person, the skill  can be coached.  Unfortunately we do not alway have the luxury of being coached one-on-one in these types of skills.

Role play is also a good “simulation” tool for real life experience.  Good conflict management training courses normally include a lot of practical exercises during the course of the training.  It also helps to watch how others try and resolve conflict. You learn almost as much from other’s mistakes as from your own.

Most important is to enter the conflict with the right attitude.  if you enter with the attitude of – “let’s find a solution” rather than “let me prove to you that I am right” you are already half the way through. Now if the emotions can be kept under control and the facts discussed in an “open” environment the table is being set for a successful outcome. The basic facilitation skill also helps to keep the conversation under control and going in the right direction.

I have also found it useful to use a mediator in cases of extreme conflict or disagreement.  A person that is perceived by all parties as being unbiased could just be the tie breaker that is needed. The other strategy that does help when emotions get involved, is to call a time out for cool-down period.  Sometimes a simple 30 minute break can make a huge difference.

However, there is still no silver bullet.  You will have to learn this skill by practice!

Remember, any conflict is another opportunity to “make a deal”.

“Never tell a story because it is true: tell it because it is a good story.” – John Pentland Mahaffy

Here is another of the skills that I believe makes a “good” project manager – the ability to present.

Most project managers who work for a profesional services organization will at some point attend a “presentation skills” course of some sorts. How many actually make this a core competence?  All too often I still see a lot of “”death by powerpoint” type sessions. In my opinion – a sure way to loose your credibility as a “profesional”.  Not all of us will be able to present like Steve Jobs (my personal favourite presenter) but we can surely get to the point where we can effectively communicate a message.  I am not going to give a 5 minute course on presentation skills here – enough of those around if you care to search for them.

My personal strategies for presenting:

1. Know your subject – Nothing will make you more nervous than the knowledge that you do not really know what you are talking about. If you do not know enough – get a co-presenter that does know enough.  Presenting in a team can be very effective if planned properly.
2. Know the audience – Try and find out as much as you possibly can about your audience. Who are the key decision  makers, who are their influencers, who can only say “no” and block a decision….  Also check up on their knowledge of the subject you are presenting.  You need to ensure that you pitch your message at the right level to the key people.
3. Have a storyline – make sure that you presentation follows a storyline.  It has to start somewhere (reason for knowing verybody’s previous exposure) and then follow a clear path to the desired outcome.  This is also why you need to have a clear agenda and every now and again explain where you are in this agenda.  It makes it easier for people to follow your message.
4. Use pictures – They say more and also allows you to interact better with your audience. Tray to minimize those bullet points.  They are good for training sessions.
5. Every slide must have a message – be sure that every slide you use has only one message.  Ensure that this message comes out.  Put it at the  bottom of the slide or build an animation.
6. Manage your time – Everybody’s time is limited.  All of us have tight schedules and one meeting that overruns can ruin my day!  Have respect for other people’s time.

Most important – R E H E A R S E – Do not go into a presentation unprepared. When I present a new topic I use a ratio of 4:1 – 1 hour presentation = 4 hours of rehearsal (dry runs included).  If it  is something I have presented before my ratio drops to 2:1.  Never go into a presentation without rehearsing!

Final point – Learn to tell stories and not make speeches!  People listen to stories and “sit through” speeches. Remember how you parents or grandparents told you bed time stories? That is what I am talking about.

A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.
Henry Ford

Continuing on my series of what makes a “good” PM – “Articulate the project’s benefit in a very clear and concise way to business”

It is crucial that you keep the end in mind.  By this I mean, how will the outcome of this project improve things for the stakeholders? I have often seen a lot of objectives in project charters that leave me with the thought “Yes and then?”. Can you explain to your stakeholders in their language what benefit you will add for them. On big projects you would find a business case that mathematically  calculate if a projects is “worth doing”. However, can you as the project manager turn this into a clear message that would keep your stakeholders interested in your project. A good project manager should be able to explain the business benefit of the project’s solution in a clear and concise way.  This implies at the appropriate level as well. Not all people want to know the ROI.

For most people the real question they ask when asking about the value of the project is: 1. What is in it for me? 2. What is in it for my organization? and 3. What is in it for you (and your organization)?

Can you sell your project? Can you keep on selling your project when things get tough?

This keeps on coming back to the basic principle of communication skills. I believe that this is one of the skills that must be taught to new project managers and needs to be developed with existing project managers. Most people can talk but few can communicate effectively!  In most cases I have found my project sponsors to be good teachers of communication skills.  Most project sponsors become senior in their organization because they have mastered the art of communication (at least those that last a while!).

What also ties in with this topic is the concept of value tracking.  Do you know how the value of your project will be measured? It is important that you have a clear definition of how this value is measured at the start of the project.  You then need to establish a clear method of measuring the effect by creating an initial baseline and then periodically comparing the current state against the initial state.  What is also important is the agreement up front on how long this will be measured for.  Will the value realize in year 1 or 5? Also make sure that there is a process in place to keep on measuring even after the project team has been released from the project.  Most project end before the final benefit is realized.

Greg has recently posted an article on how to use MindManager to create a Project Charter.  Being an avid mindmapper I have found this really interesting.  I also see quite a bit of interest in the comments on the use of his template.  I would also be quite interested in Greg sharing with us.

I have used MindManager quite often to create an WBS and a schedule.  Some limitations when it comes to advanced resource assignments but these can be overcome with some add-ins for MindManager. Export to MS-Project is a real time saver.

Does anybody know of a “repository” of Project Management templates for MindManager and/or Freemind? I only know of the template gallery at MindJet’s site.

I am glad to feedback that PMI is currently in the process of incorporating this into the relevant policies.

Stay tuned for more!