domingo, 31 de agosto de 2014
7 Habilidades do Gerente de Projetos Criativo
De um modo geral, cria-se a expectativa em cima de Gerentes
de Projetos para que eles simplesmente resolvam as questões. Nós temos
protocolos a seguir, políticas a encarar e processos que definem o andamento de
nossa equipe. Mas se, no fim do dia, não tivermos feito nosso trabalho – que
significa atingir os objetivos do projeto – ainda assim teremos falhado, não
importando o quão bem tenhamos seguido o protocolo da companhia. Por conta
disto, para ajudar a garantir o sucesso do gerenciamento de projetos, seguem
algumas práticas que – se adotadas – irão tornar nossas vidas mais fáceis e nos
aproximarão do sucesso. Eu tenho certeza que há muito mais do que o que foi
listado aqui, mas minha lista das sete principais práticas destinadas a
gerentes de projetos criativos, é esta que segue…
Liderança
Aqui eu estou me referindo a liderança em relação à equipe e
equipe a nível individual. A habilidade de liderar pessoas, tanto dentro de seu
time, como no contexto da organização, é um quesito fundamental. Mas tão
importante quanto, é a maneira como você trabalha suas habilidades de forma
unificada – como uma equipe em sintonia – com o objetivo de atingir o sucesso
no gerenciamento do projeto em questão. O gerente que falhar nos aspectos de
liderança do e encontrar dificuldades para obter “seguidores”, terá muitos
problemas em seu caminho para o sucesso no mundo do gerenciamento de projetos.
Comunicação
Eu sempre sustentei a ideia de que as habilidades de
comunicação são as melhores características que um gerente de projetos pode
demonstrar em seu trabalho. E isso significa linguagem oral e escrita,
igualmente importantes nessa área e fundamentais para a transmissão de
pontos-chave durante todo o processo. Mantenha a equipe e os clientes bem
informados, garanta que a informação esteja sempre em circulação, se comunique
adequadamente com seus executivos e ninguém sairá ferido.
Resolução de conflitos
Sempre haverá diferenças a serem resolvidas. Quanto maior
for o projeto, maiores serão as diferenças e maior a probabilidade de que grandes
conflitos ocorram. Um gerente de projetos eficiente precisa ter a habilidade de
resolver questões conflitantes e a capacidade de lidar com as diferenças, tanto
entre membros de sua equipe, como com os clientes. Seja compreensivo, mas firme
ao mesmo tempo. O sucesso desse projeto pode estar em jogo.
Delegar
O gerente de projetos que não consegue delegar pode falhar,
fazer todo o trabalho sozinho, ou, mais provavelmente, ambos. Aprenda a delegar
responsabilidades – é quesito essencial para se tornar um gerente de projetos.
A maior parte do tempo você passará direcionando sua equipe, não fazendo as
tarefas relacionadas ao projeto.
Negociação
O gerente de projetos deve ter boas habilidades de
negociação. Solicitações de mudanças no projeto são uma das áreas-chave de
negociação com o cliente. Além disso, também existem outras situações que
requerem essa habilidade, tais como disponibilidade de recursos, decisões de
tecnologia, necessidades de viagens, etc. Um gerente de projetos realmente
ocupado passará mais tempo do que imagina, apenas negociando.
Influência
Um gerente de projetos bem relacionado terá um poder de
influência bastante útil sobre certas pessoas e departamentos dentro da
organização. Isso ajudará a derrubar obstáculos e a adquirir informações ou
recursos importantes para a realização do projeto.
Treinador e mentor
Pense em cada um dos membros de sua equipe como um conjunto
de “mini” gerentes de projetos. Eles possuem suas próprias tarefas e precisam
realiza-las, fazendo o que for necessário. Isso frequentemente significa
redirecionar o trabalho para outros, com o objetivo de receber ajuda para
completar devidamente suas tarefas. Além disso, eles estarão sempre procurando
gerentes de projetos, em busca de orientação e suporte. Neste caso, sua
experiência no setor pode lhes ajudar a desenvolver novas habilidades e, de
quebra, contribuir para que o projeto atinja o sucesso esperado.
Autor: Brad Egeland
sábado, 30 de agosto de 2014
sexta-feira, 29 de agosto de 2014
5 Things Successful People Never Do
There are a million things that contribute to your success:
your attitude, your people skills, and your ability to lead, listen, and take
responsibility, to name a few.
But an important one many don't know about is the ability to
manage emotions and remain calm under pressure, says Travis Bradberry,
president at TalentSmart and coauthor of "Emotional Intelligence
2.0," in a LinkedIn post.
In a more recent follow-up post, Bradberry says that
managing your emotions is as much about what you don't do as it is about what
you do.
He sifted through data from his company, TalentSmart — which
tested more than a million people and found that the "upper echelons of
top performance are filled with people who are high in emotional
intelligence" — to uncover the kinds of things that successful do and
don't do to keep themselves calm, content, and in control.
He found nine behaviors they consciously avoid. Here are a
few of our favorites:
1. They don't live in the past.
"Emotionally intelligent people know that success lies
in their ability to rise in the face of failure, and they can't do this when
they're living in the past," he says. "Anything worth achieving is
going to require you to take some risks, and you can't allow [past failures] to
stop you from believing in your ability to succeed."
When you live in the past, that is what happens — and it's
nearly impossible to move forward.
2. They don't dwell on problems or hold grudges.
Bradberry says your emotional state is determined by where
you focus your attention. "When you fixate on the problems that you're
facing, you create and prolong negative emotions and stress, which hinders
performance. When you focus on actions to better yourself and your
circumstances, you create a sense of personal efficacy that produces positive
emotions and improves performance."
People with high emotional intelligence focus on solutions,
he says. And they rarely hold a grudge.
Why?
When you relive an event or conversation that angered you,
"you [send] your body into fight-or-flight mode," Bradberry says.
"When a threat is imminent, this reaction is essential to your survival,
but when a threat is ancient history, holding onto that stress wreaks havoc on
your body and can have devastating health consequences over time."
Emotionally intelligent people know that stress and
negativity are detrimental to their success — so they avoid holding grudges at
all costs, he says.
3. They don't prioritize perfection.
Successful people don't aim for perfection because they know
it doesn’t exist. "Human beings, by our very nature, are fallible,"
Bradberry says. "When perfection is your goal, you’re always left with a
nagging sense of failure, and you end up spending your time lamenting what you
failed to accomplish and what you should have done differently instead of
enjoying what you were able to achieve."
4. They don't surround themselves with negative people.
Negative people — or those who complain all the time — are
toxic.
"They wallow in their problems and fail to focus on
solutions," he says. "They want people to join their pity party so
that they can feel better about themselves."
It's human nature to feel obligated to listen to complainers
because we don't want to be seen as insensitive or impolite, Bradberry says.
"But there's a fine line between lending a sympathetic ear and getting
sucked into their negative emotional spiral."
He says you can avoid getting drawn in by setting limits and
distancing yourself from those people. "Think of it this way: If a person
were smoking, would you sit there all afternoon inhaling the secondhand smoke?
You'd distance yourself, and you should do the same with complainers."
5. They don't say "yes" to everyone, all the time.
Research has found that the more difficulty you have saying
"no," the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and
depression, he says. "Saying no is indeed a major challenge for most
people. [It] is a powerful word that you should not be afraid to wield."
When it's necessary to say "no" to a request,
successful people don't beat around the bush. They are typically direct and
avoid phrases like, "I don't think I can," Bradberry says.
"Saying 'no' to a new commitment honors your existing
commitments and gives you the opportunity to successfully fulfill them."
Source: Business Insider - Read more:
http://www.businessinsider.com/what-successful-people-never-do-2014-8#ixzz3BmV9wt7M
quinta-feira, 28 de agosto de 2014
Dilbert - Project's Estimates
Source: Stakeholder - https://www.facebook.com/stakeholdernews?fref=nf
quarta-feira, 27 de agosto de 2014
Practices for Project Leadership - Ninth Practice
By Alexander Laufer
Lead, So You Can Manage
In a world perceived as being in "geometric order", projects require only plan-driven management. The cases in this book, however, clearly demonstrate that in the real world of "living order", there is a need for both leadership and management.
Plan-driven management assumes a relatively predictable world and thus relies primarily on planning, control, and risk-management tools. A dynamic environment, where unexpected events are inevitable and the project is plagued with numerous problems, demands both leadership and management. Most of these problems are technical, that is, they can be solved with knowledge and procedures already at hand. Although solving these problems might require great flexibility and high responsiveness, they can still be resolved while maintaining the status quo. They just require good managerial skills. Other problems, however, are adaptive, that is, they are not so well-defined, do not have clear solutions, and often require new learning and changes in patterns of behavior. To address these adaptive problems, the project manager must be willing and able to make significant changes and to challenge the status quo. These problems, therefore, require leadership.
Another aspect that distinguishes between these two roles is that managers engage in routine activities, whereas leaders focus on and generate nonroutine interventions. Using this distinction, it is clear that the epilogue includes three practices requiring primarily routine activities and three that demand nonroutine interventions, as follows:
Practices requiring routine activities:
Lead, So You Can Manage
In a world perceived as being in "geometric order", projects require only plan-driven management. The cases in this book, however, clearly demonstrate that in the real world of "living order", there is a need for both leadership and management.
Plan-driven management assumes a relatively predictable world and thus relies primarily on planning, control, and risk-management tools. A dynamic environment, where unexpected events are inevitable and the project is plagued with numerous problems, demands both leadership and management. Most of these problems are technical, that is, they can be solved with knowledge and procedures already at hand. Although solving these problems might require great flexibility and high responsiveness, they can still be resolved while maintaining the status quo. They just require good managerial skills. Other problems, however, are adaptive, that is, they are not so well-defined, do not have clear solutions, and often require new learning and changes in patterns of behavior. To address these adaptive problems, the project manager must be willing and able to make significant changes and to challenge the status quo. These problems, therefore, require leadership.
Another aspect that distinguishes between these two roles is that managers engage in routine activities, whereas leaders focus on and generate nonroutine interventions. Using this distinction, it is clear that the epilogue includes three practices requiring primarily routine activities and three that demand nonroutine interventions, as follows:
Practices requiring routine activities:
- Plan, monitor, and aticipate
- Use face-to-face communication as the primary communication mode
- Be action-oriented and focus on results
Practices requiring nonroutine interventions:
- Challenge the status quo
- Do your utmost to recruit the right people
- Shape the right culture
As stated eloquently by an anonymous source, "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." Although most of the time project managers perform managerial activities, the few incidences in which they act as leaders are what define them in the eyes of their team members as leaders who they willingly follow.
Thus, distinguishing between management and leadership is helpful when you first begin shaping your attitude and developing your skills, but these roles are intertwined and indistinguishable once you become a successful project manager. What you actually become is a project leader.
This text is part of the book "Mastering the Leadership Role in Project Management - Practices that Deliver Remarkable Results". Author: Alexander Laufer. Editor: FT Press.
For more information and order, visit: http://marketplace.pmi.org/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?GMProduct=00101406401
Practices for Project Leadership - Eighth Practice
By Alexander Laufer
Be Action-Oriented and Focus on Results
What is the most important leg of a tripod? The missing one!
Successful project management stands on the following three legs: people, information, and action. Yet, action is regularly ignored.
Lucy Suchman opens her book, "Plans and Situated Actions: The Problem of Human-machine Communication", with a comparison between the different navigation methods employed by the European and the Trukese navigator:
"The European navigator begins with a plan - a course - that he has charted according to certain universal principles, and he carries out his voyage by relating his every move to that plan. His effort throughout his voyage is directed to remaining on course. If unexpected events occur, he must first alter the plan, then respond accordingly. The Trukese navigator begins with an objective rather than a plan. He sets off toward the objective and responds to conditions as they arise in an ad-hoc fashion. He utilizes information provided by the wind, the waves, the tide and current, the fauna, the stars, the clouds, the sound of the water on the side of the boat, and he steers accordingly. His effort is directed to doing whatever is necessary to reach the objective. If asked, he can point to his objective at any moment, but he cannot describe his course.
Suchman, whose research focus was on "purposeful action", concludes that while the European navigator exemplifies the prevailing scientific models of purposeful action, she believes that ignoring the Trukese navigator is a serious mistake. The project managers in this book concur.
Conceivably, for navigation, neither method is superior to the other. The differences between these two methods might simply reflect different styles of thinking and acting. Yet, from the cases in the book, it is clear that for managing projects, the differences between the two reflect much more than just styles of thinking and acting.
The European method is most suitable when uncertainly regarding the task, environment, and constraints is low, as in an established production process ("geometric order"). However, the Trukese method is more suitable when uncertainty is high and the situation is novel and confusing, such as in the development of a new product using an immature technology or while coping with a disruptive technology ("living order"). The projects in the book employ a mix of these two methods, but there is clearly a greater use of the Trukese method in the early phases of most cases.
The comparison between the working styles of the two navigators highlights the three key components of the current practice:
Be Action-Oriented and Focus on Results
What is the most important leg of a tripod? The missing one!
Successful project management stands on the following three legs: people, information, and action. Yet, action is regularly ignored.
Lucy Suchman opens her book, "Plans and Situated Actions: The Problem of Human-machine Communication", with a comparison between the different navigation methods employed by the European and the Trukese navigator:
"The European navigator begins with a plan - a course - that he has charted according to certain universal principles, and he carries out his voyage by relating his every move to that plan. His effort throughout his voyage is directed to remaining on course. If unexpected events occur, he must first alter the plan, then respond accordingly. The Trukese navigator begins with an objective rather than a plan. He sets off toward the objective and responds to conditions as they arise in an ad-hoc fashion. He utilizes information provided by the wind, the waves, the tide and current, the fauna, the stars, the clouds, the sound of the water on the side of the boat, and he steers accordingly. His effort is directed to doing whatever is necessary to reach the objective. If asked, he can point to his objective at any moment, but he cannot describe his course.
Suchman, whose research focus was on "purposeful action", concludes that while the European navigator exemplifies the prevailing scientific models of purposeful action, she believes that ignoring the Trukese navigator is a serious mistake. The project managers in this book concur.
Conceivably, for navigation, neither method is superior to the other. The differences between these two methods might simply reflect different styles of thinking and acting. Yet, from the cases in the book, it is clear that for managing projects, the differences between the two reflect much more than just styles of thinking and acting.
The European method is most suitable when uncertainly regarding the task, environment, and constraints is low, as in an established production process ("geometric order"). However, the Trukese method is more suitable when uncertainty is high and the situation is novel and confusing, such as in the development of a new product using an immature technology or while coping with a disruptive technology ("living order"). The projects in the book employ a mix of these two methods, but there is clearly a greater use of the Trukese method in the early phases of most cases.
The comparison between the working styles of the two navigators highlights the three key components of the current practice:
- Planning by action
- Management by hands-on engagement
- Focus on results
This text is part of the book "Mastering the Leadership Role in Project Management - Practices that Deliver Remarkable Results". Author: Alexander Laufer. Editor: FT Press.
For more information and order, visit: http://marketplace.pmi.org/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?GMProduct=00101406401
segunda-feira, 25 de agosto de 2014
Practices for Project Leadership - Seventh Practice
By Alexander Laufer
Use Face-to-Face Communication as the Primary Communication Mode
Because a project functions as an ad hoc temporary and evolving organization, composed of people affiliated with different organizations, communication serves as the glue that binds together all parts of the organization. When the project suffers from high uncertainty, the role played by project communication is even more crucial.
Indeed, face-to-face communication is repeatedly shown to be a powerful tool, particularly for novel and ambiguous issues and when building social bonding and trust is crucial. Its strength lies in the fact that it provides timely and personalized feedback by using multiple channels of communications, including eye contact, body language, and facial expressions, which can convey a deeper and more convincing message than any other form of communication. Furthermore, face-to-face interaction provides a valuable opportunity for ongoing responsiveness. By seeing how others are responding to a verbal message even before it is complete, the speaker can alter it midstream and provide necessary clarification. When interaction takes place in a group setting, the number of verbal and nonverbal "conversations" that can be conducted simultaneously is almost impossible to replicate with any other media. Thus, face-to-face communication is the best medium for quick resolution of ambiguity and for building a strong foundation of trust.
In recent years, scarcity of attention has become the key challenge for effective project communication. Herbert Simon, the Nobel prize-winning economist, provides a succinct description of this challenge: "What information consumes is rather obvious: It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence, a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention."
Use Face-to-Face Communication as the Primary Communication Mode
Because a project functions as an ad hoc temporary and evolving organization, composed of people affiliated with different organizations, communication serves as the glue that binds together all parts of the organization. When the project suffers from high uncertainty, the role played by project communication is even more crucial.
Indeed, face-to-face communication is repeatedly shown to be a powerful tool, particularly for novel and ambiguous issues and when building social bonding and trust is crucial. Its strength lies in the fact that it provides timely and personalized feedback by using multiple channels of communications, including eye contact, body language, and facial expressions, which can convey a deeper and more convincing message than any other form of communication. Furthermore, face-to-face interaction provides a valuable opportunity for ongoing responsiveness. By seeing how others are responding to a verbal message even before it is complete, the speaker can alter it midstream and provide necessary clarification. When interaction takes place in a group setting, the number of verbal and nonverbal "conversations" that can be conducted simultaneously is almost impossible to replicate with any other media. Thus, face-to-face communication is the best medium for quick resolution of ambiguity and for building a strong foundation of trust.
In recent years, scarcity of attention has become the key challenge for effective project communication. Herbert Simon, the Nobel prize-winning economist, provides a succinct description of this challenge: "What information consumes is rather obvious: It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence, a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention."
This text is part of the book "Mastering the Leadership Role in Project Management - Practices that Deliver Remarkable Results". Author: Alexander Laufer. Editor: FT Press.
For more information and order, visit: http://marketplace.pmi.org/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?GMProduct=00101406401
Practices for Project Leadership - Sixth Practice
By Alexander Laufer
Plan, Monitor, and Anticipate
Classically, planning and control are portrayed as the backbone of successful projects. According to this outlook, planning establishes the targets and the course of action for reaching them, while control ensures that the course of action is maintained and that the desired targets are indeed reached. Therefore, control involves measuring and evaluating performance and taking corrective action when performance deviates from planes.
The change in the scope of project control has been even more radical. Classic concepts of project control were developed for stable environments in which it was expected that planning would be fairly accurate and implementation would largely adhere to the plan. Accordingly, the primary role of project control was to identify deviations from the plan and adjust execution to conform to the plan. Today, however, the central role for measuring and evaluating performance is to provide quick feedback necessary for further planning. The main purpose of project control is not to answer the question. "Why didn't your performance yesterday conform to the original plan?" but rather, "What kind of feedback can help you learn faster and perform better tomorrow?"
Under conditions of uncertainty, measuring and evaluating performance, which is classically regarded as project control, can serve only as a means to monitor performance. But by no means are these activities enough in order to provide project control.
Successful project managers do not limit their monitoring to events occurring within the typical boundaries of their assigned role. These project managers know that in a dynamic environment, projects succeed only through the constant monitoring of performance and changes outside their formal boundaries.
In particular, many of the most crucial "challenging the status quo" actions were initiated proactively by the project managers, primarily as a result of their constant engagement in ongoing deliberate anticipation. Deliberate anticipation entails focusing attention on identifying irregularities, as well as early signals of possible problems, and being flexible and ready to respond.
Plan, Monitor, and Anticipate
Classically, planning and control are portrayed as the backbone of successful projects. According to this outlook, planning establishes the targets and the course of action for reaching them, while control ensures that the course of action is maintained and that the desired targets are indeed reached. Therefore, control involves measuring and evaluating performance and taking corrective action when performance deviates from planes.
The change in the scope of project control has been even more radical. Classic concepts of project control were developed for stable environments in which it was expected that planning would be fairly accurate and implementation would largely adhere to the plan. Accordingly, the primary role of project control was to identify deviations from the plan and adjust execution to conform to the plan. Today, however, the central role for measuring and evaluating performance is to provide quick feedback necessary for further planning. The main purpose of project control is not to answer the question. "Why didn't your performance yesterday conform to the original plan?" but rather, "What kind of feedback can help you learn faster and perform better tomorrow?"
Under conditions of uncertainty, measuring and evaluating performance, which is classically regarded as project control, can serve only as a means to monitor performance. But by no means are these activities enough in order to provide project control.
Successful project managers do not limit their monitoring to events occurring within the typical boundaries of their assigned role. These project managers know that in a dynamic environment, projects succeed only through the constant monitoring of performance and changes outside their formal boundaries.
In particular, many of the most crucial "challenging the status quo" actions were initiated proactively by the project managers, primarily as a result of their constant engagement in ongoing deliberate anticipation. Deliberate anticipation entails focusing attention on identifying irregularities, as well as early signals of possible problems, and being flexible and ready to respond.
This text is part of the book "Mastering the Leadership Role in Project Management - Practices that Deliver Remarkable Results". Author: Alexander Laufer. Editor: FT Press.
For more information and order, visit: http://marketplace.pmi.org/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?GMProduct=00101406401
domingo, 24 de agosto de 2014
Practices for Project Leadership - Fifth Practice
By Alexander Laufer
Shape the Right Culture
Project culture is what holds the organization together, providing project members with a shared frame of reference, rules of behavior, and an understanding of the do's and don'ts of project life. When project members share the same culture, they develop a set of mutually accepted ideas of what is real in their constantly changing environment, what is important, and how to respond.
The Talmud says: "We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are." Culture differences between project groups are often accompanied by divergent assumptions, values, and perceptions of reality that can have serious implications for project performance.
Unfortunately, these difficulties are not uncommon for projects. Project organization is temporary, with a finite end, and is typically composed of groups from different organizations, often with a range of culture. The project organization evolves throughout the life of the project, where different groups join and leave the project as dictated by the unique nature of the specific project. The limited and relatively short life of most projects, and the typically different cultures and interests of the various groups composing the project, render shaping project culture - one culture of the whole team - very difficult.
It is important to stress that even in permanent organizations, shaping culture is not easy and indeed requires leadership. Professor Edgar Schein of the MIT Sloan School of Management, who is generally credited with introducing the term "corporate culture," distinguishes between leadership and management by arguing that leadership creates and changes cultures, whereas management acts within a culture.
Project leaders need to shape their project culture not only to promote a "teamwork"culture, but also to ensure that the "right" culture fits their unique context. Making such a successful change is often dependent on having the right people and sometimes may be accomplished only by replacing some key people. However, even selecting the right people does not always bring about the desired cultural change.
This text is part of the book "Mastering the Leadership Role in Project Management - Practices that Deliver Remarkable Results". Author: Alexander Laufer. Editor: FT Press.
Shape the Right Culture
Project culture is what holds the organization together, providing project members with a shared frame of reference, rules of behavior, and an understanding of the do's and don'ts of project life. When project members share the same culture, they develop a set of mutually accepted ideas of what is real in their constantly changing environment, what is important, and how to respond.
The Talmud says: "We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are." Culture differences between project groups are often accompanied by divergent assumptions, values, and perceptions of reality that can have serious implications for project performance.
Unfortunately, these difficulties are not uncommon for projects. Project organization is temporary, with a finite end, and is typically composed of groups from different organizations, often with a range of culture. The project organization evolves throughout the life of the project, where different groups join and leave the project as dictated by the unique nature of the specific project. The limited and relatively short life of most projects, and the typically different cultures and interests of the various groups composing the project, render shaping project culture - one culture of the whole team - very difficult.
It is important to stress that even in permanent organizations, shaping culture is not easy and indeed requires leadership. Professor Edgar Schein of the MIT Sloan School of Management, who is generally credited with introducing the term "corporate culture," distinguishes between leadership and management by arguing that leadership creates and changes cultures, whereas management acts within a culture.
Project leaders need to shape their project culture not only to promote a "teamwork"culture, but also to ensure that the "right" culture fits their unique context. Making such a successful change is often dependent on having the right people and sometimes may be accomplished only by replacing some key people. However, even selecting the right people does not always bring about the desired cultural change.
This text is part of the book "Mastering the Leadership Role in Project Management - Practices that Deliver Remarkable Results". Author: Alexander Laufer. Editor: FT Press.
For more information and order, visit: http://marketplace.pmi.org/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?GMProduct=00101406401
Practices for Project Leadership - Fourth Practice
By Alexander Laufer
Do Your Utmost to Recruit the Right People
In 1911, Frederick Taylor, the father of "scientific management," said: "In the past, man has been first. In the future, the system must be first."
People are the make-or-break factor in projects. With the right people, almost anything is possible. With the wrong team, failure awaits. Thus, recruiting should be taken seriously, and considerable time should be spent finding and attracting, and at times fighting for, the right people. Even greater attention may have to be paid to the selection of the right project manager.
Recruiting the right people does not have to mean recruiting the world's most talented "stars." Often this is simply not practical, and organizational politics might make it impossible for the project manager to steal away the best people within the organization because they're already involved in other critical projects or fiercely defended by other managers.
At times, especially, for large projects, the project manager must select a group of leaders for his or her team.
Do Your Utmost to Recruit the Right People
In 1911, Frederick Taylor, the father of "scientific management," said: "In the past, man has been first. In the future, the system must be first."
People are the make-or-break factor in projects. With the right people, almost anything is possible. With the wrong team, failure awaits. Thus, recruiting should be taken seriously, and considerable time should be spent finding and attracting, and at times fighting for, the right people. Even greater attention may have to be paid to the selection of the right project manager.
Recruiting the right people does not have to mean recruiting the world's most talented "stars." Often this is simply not practical, and organizational politics might make it impossible for the project manager to steal away the best people within the organization because they're already involved in other critical projects or fiercely defended by other managers.
At times, especially, for large projects, the project manager must select a group of leaders for his or her team.
This text is part of the book "Mastering the Leadership Role in Project Management - Practices that Deliver Remarkable Results". Author: Alexander Laufer. Editor: FT Press.
For more information and order, visit: http://marketplace.pmi.org/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?GMProduct=00101406401
sexta-feira, 22 de agosto de 2014
Practices for Project Leadership - Third Practice
By Alexander Laufer
Challenge the Status Quo
In a famous essay, Oxford philosopher Isaiah Berlin described two approaches to life using a simple parable about the fox and the hedgehog. The fox is cunning and creative creature, able to devise a myriad of complex strategies for sneak attacks upon the hedgehog. The hedgehog is a painfully slow creature with a very simple daily agenda: searching for food and maintaining his home. Every day the fox waits for the hedgehog while planning to attack him. When the hedgehog senses the danger, he reacts in the same simple, but powerful, way every day: He rolls up into a perfect little ball with a sphere of sharp spikes pointing outward in all directions. Then the fox retreats while starting to plan his new line of attack for the next day. Each day this confrontation takes place, and despite the greater cunning of the fox, the hedgehog always wins.
Based on this parable, Berlin attempted to divide the world into two basic groups: foxes and hedgehogs. Foxes pursue many ends at the same time, yet they do not integrate their thinking into one overall concept. Hedgehogs, on the other hand, simplify a complex world into a single overall concept that unifies and guides everything they do.
In recent years, several prominent management scholars have discussed this parable while attempting to answer the following question: Do successful senior managers behave more like hedgehogs or like foxes? The debate regarding senior managers is still ongoing, but when it comes to successful project managers, I have found that they behave both like hedgehogs and foxes, though they place the hedgehogs in the driver's seat.
Like the hedgehog, the project managers are guided by one overriding purpose: delivering successful results to the customer. They clearly felt a sense of ownership of the project, involving an intellectual and emotional bond with the mission that they were trying to accomplish. For these project managers, the project objectives were not simply the technical definitions of the customer's needs. Rather, for them, project objectives meant first of all project results, and they felt total personal accountability for those results. It also meant that they had the self-discipline required for placing all other objectives and opportunities secondary. It was almost as if they were programmed to follow an inner compass that was always pointing toward true north. However, if they could not reach this goal by following conventional methods, they responded by challenging the status quo. This kind of response requires strong willpower and courage.
Challenge the Status Quo
In a famous essay, Oxford philosopher Isaiah Berlin described two approaches to life using a simple parable about the fox and the hedgehog. The fox is cunning and creative creature, able to devise a myriad of complex strategies for sneak attacks upon the hedgehog. The hedgehog is a painfully slow creature with a very simple daily agenda: searching for food and maintaining his home. Every day the fox waits for the hedgehog while planning to attack him. When the hedgehog senses the danger, he reacts in the same simple, but powerful, way every day: He rolls up into a perfect little ball with a sphere of sharp spikes pointing outward in all directions. Then the fox retreats while starting to plan his new line of attack for the next day. Each day this confrontation takes place, and despite the greater cunning of the fox, the hedgehog always wins.
Based on this parable, Berlin attempted to divide the world into two basic groups: foxes and hedgehogs. Foxes pursue many ends at the same time, yet they do not integrate their thinking into one overall concept. Hedgehogs, on the other hand, simplify a complex world into a single overall concept that unifies and guides everything they do.
In recent years, several prominent management scholars have discussed this parable while attempting to answer the following question: Do successful senior managers behave more like hedgehogs or like foxes? The debate regarding senior managers is still ongoing, but when it comes to successful project managers, I have found that they behave both like hedgehogs and foxes, though they place the hedgehogs in the driver's seat.
Like the hedgehog, the project managers are guided by one overriding purpose: delivering successful results to the customer. They clearly felt a sense of ownership of the project, involving an intellectual and emotional bond with the mission that they were trying to accomplish. For these project managers, the project objectives were not simply the technical definitions of the customer's needs. Rather, for them, project objectives meant first of all project results, and they felt total personal accountability for those results. It also meant that they had the self-discipline required for placing all other objectives and opportunities secondary. It was almost as if they were programmed to follow an inner compass that was always pointing toward true north. However, if they could not reach this goal by following conventional methods, they responded by challenging the status quo. This kind of response requires strong willpower and courage.
This text is part of the book "Mastering the Leadership Role in Project Management - Practices that Deliver Remarkable Results". Author: Alexander Laufer. Editor: FT Press.
For more information and order, visit: http://marketplace.pmi.org/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?GMProduct=00101406401
quinta-feira, 21 de agosto de 2014
Practices for Project Leadership - Second Practice
By Alexander Laufer
Adjust Project Practices to the Specific Context
Malcolm Forbes, the publisher of Forbes magazine, made the following insightful observation: "What is strength in one context can be a weakness in another context. I'm persevering - you are stubborn. I am flexible - you are week. I am practical - you are opportunistic... It depends on the context."
The current practice is a key practice that significantly affects all other practices. Indeed, the rationale behind the design of this book is to help the reader understand how successful project managers deviate from the common "one best way"approach and adjust their practices to the specific context of their project. Avoiding the "one best way" approach does not imply, however, that there are no "wrong ways", that "anything goes," or that you must always "start from scratch." There is always the need to strike a balance between relying on the accumulated knowledge of the organization, on the one hand, and enhancing the flexibility and creativity within each individual project on the other.
It is important to be aware that different contexts are found not only between projects, but also within projects. For example, the dairy project was forced to adapt to three distinct overriding strategies. It started with the development of a state-of-the-art-driven dairy, a "dairy of dreams" as they termed it. When they found that this strategy led to a huge growth in project scope and overall cost, they embraced a cost-driven orientation. Yet, when they learned that their domination in the cup products field was about to be threatened by focus. Each change of strategy meant a change of context and was accompanied by an adjustment in project practices.
The classical model of project management, in which standards are developed for virtually all situations, expects the project manager to serve primarily as a controller: to ensure that team members adhere to the established standard. This role entails only a minimal requirement for judgement and no requirement for adaptation. In reality, the project manager must constantly engage in making sense of the ambiguous and changing situation, and he must adjust the common practices to the unique situation. This process requires a great deal of interpretation and judgment based on rich experience.
Adjust Project Practices to the Specific Context
Malcolm Forbes, the publisher of Forbes magazine, made the following insightful observation: "What is strength in one context can be a weakness in another context. I'm persevering - you are stubborn. I am flexible - you are week. I am practical - you are opportunistic... It depends on the context."
The current practice is a key practice that significantly affects all other practices. Indeed, the rationale behind the design of this book is to help the reader understand how successful project managers deviate from the common "one best way"approach and adjust their practices to the specific context of their project. Avoiding the "one best way" approach does not imply, however, that there are no "wrong ways", that "anything goes," or that you must always "start from scratch." There is always the need to strike a balance between relying on the accumulated knowledge of the organization, on the one hand, and enhancing the flexibility and creativity within each individual project on the other.
It is important to be aware that different contexts are found not only between projects, but also within projects. For example, the dairy project was forced to adapt to three distinct overriding strategies. It started with the development of a state-of-the-art-driven dairy, a "dairy of dreams" as they termed it. When they found that this strategy led to a huge growth in project scope and overall cost, they embraced a cost-driven orientation. Yet, when they learned that their domination in the cup products field was about to be threatened by focus. Each change of strategy meant a change of context and was accompanied by an adjustment in project practices.
The classical model of project management, in which standards are developed for virtually all situations, expects the project manager to serve primarily as a controller: to ensure that team members adhere to the established standard. This role entails only a minimal requirement for judgement and no requirement for adaptation. In reality, the project manager must constantly engage in making sense of the ambiguous and changing situation, and he must adjust the common practices to the unique situation. This process requires a great deal of interpretation and judgment based on rich experience.
This text is part of the book "Mastering the Leadership Role in Project Management - Practices that Deliver Remarkable Results". Author: Alexander Laufer. Editor: FT Press.
For more information and order, visit: http://marketplace.pmi.org/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?GMProduct=00101406401
quarta-feira, 20 de agosto de 2014
Practices for Project Leadership - First Practice
By Alexander Laufer
Embrace the "Living Order" Concept
About 2.500 years ago, Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, argued that the only constant in our world is change. Today, the economic, social, and political challenges of globalization and the rapid technological innovations make this statement as true as ever. Indeed, Peter Vaill, an American professor of management, explains that the complex, turbulent, and changing environment faced by contemporary organizations renders the leadership or these organizations like navigating in "permanent white water."
In using the "permanent white water"metaphor, Vaill calls our attention to the fact that the external environment of contemporary projects is full of surprises, tends to produce novel problems, and is "messy"and ill-structured. However, it was the French Nobel Prize winner Henri Bergson who a century ago proposed a concept of order that today might help us to better see project reality. In his 1907 book "Creative Evolution", Bergson claimed that there is no such thing as disorder, but rather two sorts or order: geometric order and living order. While in "geometric order" Bergson related to the traditional concept of order, in "living order" he referred to phenomena such as the creativity of an individual, a work of art, or the mess in my office.
The project leaders throughout this book demonstrated that they did not rush to impose "geometric order" prematurely. They knew that their projects would inevitably be affected by one or more of the following:
Embrace the "Living Order" Concept
About 2.500 years ago, Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, argued that the only constant in our world is change. Today, the economic, social, and political challenges of globalization and the rapid technological innovations make this statement as true as ever. Indeed, Peter Vaill, an American professor of management, explains that the complex, turbulent, and changing environment faced by contemporary organizations renders the leadership or these organizations like navigating in "permanent white water."
In using the "permanent white water"metaphor, Vaill calls our attention to the fact that the external environment of contemporary projects is full of surprises, tends to produce novel problems, and is "messy"and ill-structured. However, it was the French Nobel Prize winner Henri Bergson who a century ago proposed a concept of order that today might help us to better see project reality. In his 1907 book "Creative Evolution", Bergson claimed that there is no such thing as disorder, but rather two sorts or order: geometric order and living order. While in "geometric order" Bergson related to the traditional concept of order, in "living order" he referred to phenomena such as the creativity of an individual, a work of art, or the mess in my office.
The project leaders throughout this book demonstrated that they did not rush to impose "geometric order" prematurely. They knew that their projects would inevitably be affected by one or more of the following:
- Changes resulting from the dynamic environment
- Surprises resulting from the unique and often innovative tasks
- Difficulties of coping with challenging requirements and radical constraints, as well as with sudden changes in these requirements and constraints
- Numerous unexpected events and problems subsequent to the above difficulties
- Difficulties of coping with these problems due to the unique, temporary, and evolving project organization, which is composed of heterogeneous units
These project leaders were clear able to tolerate the "living order" in their projects, and you, the reader, must as well. Reflecting on the stories in this book should help you embrace Bergson's classification of two sorts of order. It should facilitate your ability to perceive reality as it is, to accept that you can't avoid "living order" in your projects and that you better expect and tolerate it. As a result, you will quickly understand and easily apply the practices to your own project.
This text is part of the book "Mastering the Leadership Role in Project Management - Practices that Deliver Remarkable Results". Author: Alexander Laufer. Editor: FT Press.
For more information and order, visit: http://marketplace.pmi.org/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?GMProduct=00101406401
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