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Maximizing Team Effectiveness

As Project Managers we are responsible for the team we have been assigned. Often we have no input into the selection or replacement of the team. In these situations we need to make sure that we are able to maintain the best people, while improving the effectiveness of the others on the team. I recently read a new book entitled No Nonsense Retention Painless Strategies To Retain Your Best People by Jeff Kortes. Even though the book addresses management issues that may lead to people leaving an organization, there were many good points that would apply to Project Managers as they manage a project team. Some of the must-do actions include: 1. Supervisory Training - Even if the project manager does not hold the title of supervisor or manager, supervisory training can improve their ability to manage others. Uniform, basic and consistent without training like sending warriors out to fight a war with outdated weapons. If the company is unable to provide this, take the initiative to continue your personal growth through training or reading books and/or articles on management topics. 2. Manage by walking around With todays communication technology we are often more apt to sit at a computer (or smartphone) rather than speaking directly with our team members. Because the majority of messages are conveyed through body language, tone of your voice, and other nonverbal cues, this lack of personal contact can lead to miscommunication, confusion and a host of other problems. Obviously this is easier to accomplish when the team is co-located rather than a virtual team, but this one-on-one communication becomes even more critical in the virtual team environment. Not only does the Project Manager have a better understanding of what is happening by watching and communicating with team members as they perform their tasks, but the team members have a chance to get to know the project manager through these interactions. 3. Know and understand each team member It is important to understand each team member, not in a prying manner, but rather to understand what is important to each individual. If you know about a persons life, you will understand what motivates them. Just as it is important to listen to our children, we must take the time to listen to our team members. Make sure that you are available and accessible to your team members. 4. Treat everyone with respect Respect is about how you treat a person. How you demonstrate how you value that person is appreciation. These two actions can set the tone of the team. One of the first actions is to remember the importance of saying please and thank you. It only takes a few extra keystrokes or seconds to include these in every request. Another important demonstration of respect is to avoid jumping to conclusions. It is critical that when situations arise that you investigate the situation by asking questions and listening to all sides of the story. Make sure you not only tell your team members that you appreciate them but also it is important to show them appreciation. I personally always have some little candy bars or other kudos to recognize small achievements and recognition. 5. Convey expectations It is important to make sure and convey what is expected of each team member, and then hold them accountable when they dont meet the expectation. Without both parts of this action, the project manager often sends a mixed message. In order to make sure that the expectations are met, the team members must have the tools and supports that is needed to succeed. This includes examining any barriers that need to be removed to help them get back on track. 6. Remove underachievers When the expectations are continually not met it is critical that the individual be removed from the project. This is one of the hardest tasks that a project manager must perform. If substandard performance continues, it affects the entire project team. At first the rest of the team often takes up the slack for the good of the team, but after a while the bar is lowered and the overall quality of the project suffers. When a piece of fruit in a bowl starts to decay, it doesnt take long for the rest of the fruit to become affected. The same is true of project teams. Even though the book was geared to retaining good employees from an HR standpoint, many of the points are very apropos to the over team environment on projects. Since most of these points were directed at the supervisor or manager, every project manager should take the time to evaluate their team management sphere of influence, and see if some adjustments are necessary.

How Do You Know If Your Project Is on Track?


In my recent speech to a project management special interest group in Silicon Valley, a few participants raised some intriguing questions about how to ensure your project is on track. As its a timeless topic yet vital to success, it seemed appropriate to discuss a few key strategies to tracking project progress. Theres no doubt that those companies who successfully execute projects will be in a dramatically superior position to their competitors. In todays new normal business environment, there is no margin for error; you must deliver project results on time, on budget and with exceptional customer service. So, what are the keys to success? 1) Rigorously track the critical path. 2) Track objectives AND milestone metrics. 3) Ask questions. 1. Rigorously track the critical path Undoubtedly, the best and most common way to ensure success is to track progress on the critical path. Not all tasks are created equal. So long as the critical path remains on track, the project will remain on course. In my experience, if you spend the 80/20 of your time tracking the critical path, youll deliver results. Once youve identified the critical path, it isnt important to be a project software tracking guru. Ive found that simple works. Check in with critical path task owners ahead of schedule. Remind them of the importance. Remove roadblocks. Follow up. Protect the critical path as your prized possession. 2. Track objectives AND milestone metrics Its quite common and relatively simple to track project objectives/ outcomes; however, it is not enough. By the time the project team figures out there is a problem in achieving the objective, it is often too late to resolve. Instead, focus attention on determining milestone metrics. Now the challenge often, it is not easy to determine how to set milestone metrics. For example, in many of my clients projects, the objectives are crystal clear: launch a new product, reduce inventory by 50%, implement organizational change without customer impact, etc. And, once progress begins, it is obvious as to how to track progress if weve reduced inventory by 10%, we are 1/5 of our way to our goal. The issue arises in the timeframe prior to tangible progress.

For example, in inventory projects, there can be 4-12 weeks prior to tangible progress. So, how do you know whether youre on track? Typically, Ive found that asking the folks involved in the day-to-day process and/or tracking of the project outcome yields milestone metrics. They might not realize they have the answer but they do! And, if they still are unsure, provide guidelines and/or categories based on best practices related to the project topic, and it will spur ideas. Milestone metrics will emerge. 3. Ask questions If you manage the critical path with rigor and develop milestone metrics, youll almost ensure success. The only missing link is to ask questions of the subject matter experts. For example, half way between milestone metrics, ask the subject matter experts about progress. It is amazing how accurate their perceptions can be about progress. If a subject matter expert is uncomfortable with progress or thinks there might be a better path, listen! Even if they are not correct 100% of the time, the worst case scenario is that youve minimized risk by taking notice. Ive found that once they see that you value their opinion and are listening to their concerns, youll not only get more feedback but youll also make quicker and smoother progress. Too many projects fail to deliver the intended results. For example, merger and acquisition integration projects typically succeed 20% of the time. Thus, it makes sense for us to not only become a metric fanatic but to also be smart in tracking the right metrics to ensure were part of the 20%!

Using SharePoint to Improve Project Delivery - Project Management Best Practices & Your Project Environment
As I work with different clients, I usually run across the same project management related theme. Project Management is a very mature competency with very well-defined concepts, processes, and tools. There are a lot of resources available to help organizations improve the PM competency, including one of the best professional organizations I have worked with, the Project Management Institute (PMI). However, clients still have projects that fail, or are significantly challenged (e.g. bad quality, scope creep, late delivery, over budget). Clients are frustrated with inconsistent delivery results from project to project. The root cause of project related problems are often linked to shortfalls from a project management competency perspective. Project Management Best Practices To address this shortfall, I generally start the conversation with clients about establishing Project Management best practices. Best practices represent the practical application of the knowledge contained in the PMBOK and other sources of knowledge (concepts, processes, tools). The critical few processes that are integral to the success of the project are listed under each of the phases of the project life cycle in the graphic below. Practical application of these best practices drives a consistent project management approach, and tangible business results:

y y y y

Quicker ramp-up of project managers Easier integration of projects in a multi-project environment More productive project managers (not inventing processes & tools on the fly) Better overall team performance (including measurement of performance)

The Project Environment The other element associated with driving improved project results is the project environment in which we work. Enterprise Environmental Factors and Organization Process Assets are the most commonly referenced process inputs within the PMBOK. They are the things that your team inherits as it launches a project:

y y y

Existing systems (finance, timekeeping, project management) Knowledge bases (repository of information about processes, previous projects, organization) Standards / Guidelines (particularly important in a regulated environment)

y y y

Process, Policies, and Procedures (commonly describe Project Management and SDLC related information) Historical information (artifacts from previous projects) Culture (organization channels, communication vehicles, teamwork)

As I work with clients it is important to understand whether their project environment enables improved project performance, or represents a project constraint. Does the environment enable you to launch and execute the project effectively, or constrain you (weighing you down with baggage and roadblocks)? Some of the questions I ask to determine the answer to this question are:

y y y y

Are the systems tied to the PM best practices, or create incremental steps? Are policies, processes, and procedures fully integrated into the project work to be performed? Is information about other projects accessible? How do people work together? How is information shared? Using a Collaboration Platform to Drive Improved Project Performance SharePoint 2010 is an enabling tool utilized to dramatically change the project environment (within both single and multi-project environments). Creating a more productive project environment helps you launch the continuous improvement phase of your Project Management Best Practices program from a more efficient and effective starting point.

Key elements of a more productive environment include:

y o o o y o o y o o

Collaboration Enhancing your project environment to create more effective interaction between team members. Providing a single source for the truth Upgrading version control for key project artifacts Establishing closed loop communications Streamlining Processes Utilizing a tool to establish or enhance project management related processes. Establish structure via lists and libraries Use workflow and alerts to reduce cycle time associated with reviews/approvals Measuring Performance Capturing the data required to measure project performance, and make the appropriate course corrections. Measurements are a by-product of the work performed SharePoint provides a platform to communicate real-time project performance metrics Best Practices Associated with the Collaboration Platform: The following are the key best practice associated with implementing and maintaining collaboration tools / processes to improve your project environment:

y y y y y

Ownership If team sees the value in the collaboration tools and processes, they will take ownership for updating and maintaining the project site. The value of collaboration is significantly diminished if the project manager is the only person providing updates to the project site. Central source The collaboration tool must represent the single source for current project information. As the project manager, you need to make sure team members use the tool in this manner (e.g., discourage people from maintaining work in progress offline on their own laptop). Version control This best practice ties to the central source of information. If utilized correctly, the collaboration tool helps solve the version control related issues across the project team. On-boarding team members The project team site represents an excellent source of information to on-board new team members. The team needs to make sure the project site is set-up and maintained in a straightforward manner. You do not want new team members to get lost in the information that is available within the team site. Project closeout With a little luck, your projects have a beginning and an end. Decisions need to be made at the end of the project in terms of what happens to the project site. 1. 2. 3. 4. There may be a next version of the product in which case the site would be rolled forward to a new project site. The production information may need to be available on a support site. At a minimum, key project information is captured on a historical project file site. There needs to be purposeful action related to the disposition of project site at the end of the project or you will end up losing valuable project and/or product related information at the end of the project.

Recommended Next Steps:

Depending upon the current maturity of the people, processes, and tools around SharePoint in the project environment, your next steps may vary.

The standard approach related to implementing a collaboration platform to upgrade your project environment includes the following:

y y y o o o o y y y

Identify (or confirm) the critical few best practices that should be emphasized and integrated into the collaboration platform. Establish some standards / guidelines that would be used by each of the teams (and a place where these standards are accessible). Some examples include:

When to create project site What are the standard elements of the project site What meta-data is important for standard reporting or site organization Create templates for key lists and libraries (risks/issues, change requests, status reports document libraries) Depending on the experience of your project team, you may need to provide training for the team on SharePoint. At a minimum you need to get your up to speed on the specifics associated with the implementation of SharePoint within your project environment. Get started => dont wait until everything is perfect before you launch your new project environment. You will never get complete consensus on the standards/guidelines, and there is opportunity costs associated with do nothing. Establish processes to identify and capture best practices in the context of your new project environment. As these ideas are incorporated into the standard best practices they will be reflected as tangible continuous improvements.

Project Management Kung Fu Theater


Growing up in New York during the 1980s, I enjoyed watching what was called The Sunday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater on television. This meant four hours straight of Kung Fu movies, dueling techniques, avenging deaths, dubbed voice-overs, and wonderful noises for punches and kicks. There was also the additional two hours after the movies ended when my brother and I would re-enact the movies on each other (and destroy our house in the process). This article ponders these similarities of these movies to project management to see if it can help Project Managers attain their black belt in managing projects. For those people reading this article who are not familiar with this genre of movies, I will give a brief overview. Each movie was about two hours long and they all had very distinct characteristics: Each had a similar story in that a martial arts student has some wrong done to them (e.g. the killing of a master/brother/father, ransacking of the town/temple by thugs, etc.), then they go away to the mountains to train in some particular technique and would come back and avenge the wrong done to them. The techniques that each student practiced made them super-human by having the ability to fly, smash walls with their fists, take arrows without being hurt, climb trees without using their hands, etc. (Do you begin to see the similarities with Project Managers yet?). The styles of Kung Fu practiced were unique in that they mirrored specific movements and strengths of different animals (e.g. Tiger, Dragon, and Snake) and elements (e.g. Water, Fire, and Earth).

They were all filmed in Chinese and then translated with English voice-overs. This resulted in the actors lips moving (in Chinese) but the words being said in English did not match.

The Different Styles


A common occurrence in the Kung Fu movies was when the combatants would yell out the next style that they were going to use against one another during a fight sequence. These were usually based on animals (e.g. Tiger, Crane, Dragon, and Monkey) and had distinct movements to them. While (most) Project Managers dont shout out their styles or techniques during action in the project, I have noticed that some of the Project Management styles mirror the styles used by the Kung Fu warriors. That is, there are several distinct ways that PMs manage their projects and resources:

Dragon Style
The Dragon style is an aggressive style and is used by a PM who manages by shouting out orders (like breathing out fire). They often use the just do it and dont complain approach. Fear may be used as a motivator for the Dragon because they believe that people should obey them because of their power or title. I rarely see the Dragon on the floor interacting with the team members but rather in the tower looking down and ready to attack. My experience is that Dragons may get the work done in the short term, but they rarely have the motivation or dedication of their team members if this style is over-used. People start resenting the approach and see it as a lack of support and will not be as motivated or productive after some time.

Crane Style
The Crane style requires Project Managers to stick out their necks. Cranes are risk takers who say that anything is possible (often before considering any consequences). These people tend to be more academic and enjoy the challenge of doing something that has not been done before (even if that is not what the project is asking for). I get nervous around Cranes because their ability to deliver on time is often diminished by their unrealistic expectations of what they want to deliver. However, there is value in being a Crane on projects where new thinking is required.

Snake Style
The Snake style of Project Management involves being sneaky around the way in which the project is managed. These are the Project Managers who have major issues but always report their status upwards as green. They sneak their way around dates or deliverables by talking their way out of them. These people are very good talkers so they tend to look good in front of Senior Management. I have seen the Snakes have trouble because by the time they admit real problems the problems are usually enormous. They also lose credibility with their team members if the team does not feel that their problems are being heard or addressed.

Monkey Style
The Monkey style entails being everyones friend. These are the social managers who make it a point to have a relationship which each team member. This results in great camaraderie on the team but it also has its faults. For one, the work may not get done because the PM doesnt want to ruin any friendships by being too tough. There is another level to this style the Drunken monkey, which speaks for itself and usually causes the water cooler talk the following day and results in what may be known as a CLM (Career Limiting Move). Monkeys are fun to be around but may not have the respect from the team when it comes to crunch time.

Cat Style
The Cat is cautious and reluctant to act quickly. They like knowing all the available (and sometimes unavailable) information before making a decision. They take their time in analyzing all of the information. This style can work well for PMs provided that they are careful to make decisions in a timely manner.

When to Use Each Style


There were always two types of Kung Fu Masters those that were experts in one specific style or technique and those who had a fundamental understanding of several techniques. I think the Project Management master must be an expert in all techniques and know when to use them. All of these styles can work, if used in the appropriate way. Some techniques work better in certain situations than others. The PM must be nimble enough to change their style based on the project team and environment.

Practice
Like Kung Fu students, Project Managers must practice their skills in order to attain mastery. Understanding the technical aspects of project management (e.g., issues logs, project plans) will not alone make a good project manager. It is the experience that a PM attains over many years of working on projects that lets them know what works and what doesnt work. None of the movies I watched on those Sunday afternoons ever showed a student just reading a book of Kung Fu and then becoming an expert. They all took a few punches before learning how to block. It is the taking of these punches and kicks that make a Project Manager experienced to know when to punch, when to block and when to duck! It is the difficult project that instructs the most. You cant learn martial arts very well by sparring with a wooden dummy you want it to strike back at you.

Discipline
One of the most memorable movies was the one where the students had to perform several difficult activities within different chambers to attain mastery. They could only move on to the next chamber once the current one was completed. One of these activities required students to hold a scalding hot cauldron filled with boiling water between their forearms for a period of time to test their discipline and skill. Another activity required holding plates of water on their body as they stood in a particular position and not moving for hours. While I would hope that PMI doesnt require any of these activities to get the PMP certification, the metaphor can be used here as well. Because projects usually involve a lot of moving and inter-related parts, Project Managers need a lot of discipline to be successful. There are several frameworks and methodologies for managing projects but it is the PM who must apply the appropriate rigor to using these. It is very easy to skip steps in a process or push things off until later. These are often shortsighted decisions that result in pain later (maybe not as much as the burning cauldron, but it does sometimes feels that way). For example, not having the discipline to plan for all activities on a project will result in rework or missed steps later.

Unexpected Punches
In Kung Fu Theater, no matter how good the master was they always took a few beatings during the big fights before they would make the comeback and eventually win the battle. Having discipline and practice helps to refine the Project Managers skills, but there are always those unexpected

punches and kicks that they must absorb along the way to success. This is where your training will come in handy. Hopefully, you have learned how to take the punches and keep standing. It doesnt make any sense just to train to avoid punches since it is inevitable that a few will be landed on you. Therefore, you should train yourself to take them and keep moving. PMs call this technique risk management.

Breaking Walls
Another favorite episode of mine features a Kung Fu master who had the ability to punch through brick walls. Todays Kung Fu students use wooden boards. The technique for breaking anything is to strike through it and not at it. A martial arts student myself, I was taught to look six inches beyond the target and aim for that point. This metaphor can be extended to project management. The PM must look beyond the problems of the day to be alert of what is to come rather than just striking at each problem. Once they make the plan, they should execute it with all of their focus, striking through the little problems that may stand between them and a successful project outcome. I have found in my experience that a lot of Managers tend to spend their days putting out the fires and not looking beyond them at the end goal. This is short-sighted and usually results in more fires and the endless cycle of firefighting.

Project Management Voice-Overs


For anyone who watched these moves, they know that the most entertaining part of Kung Fu Theater was the voice-overs. Since all of these movies were made in Hong Kong or China, they were in native Chinese. When shown in the U.S., English was dubbed over the dialogue. The result was lips moving in Chinese but words being played in English. Oftentimes, a team member will report a major problem on the team. When this gets dubbed for Management, there is usually a voice-over that changes the meaning of what the team member said. Here are some examples:

Native Statement
The work is half done We pray that we can meet the date The project is going well The project is having problems The project is really having problems The project is now in real trouble

Voice-Over Statement
The work is complete for all intents We have a plan The project is going great The project is going great The project is going great The project has some risks, but will come in on time We need more time than usual to complete it We have some potential show stoppers

The project will never succeed

The team is posting their resumes on Monster.com

It is very important to state information accurately so that expectations can be managed. I have found that it is better to state problems early (with proposed solutions) than to try to put off the information until later. Usually what happens is that the problem then snowballs into something gigantic and then no one understands how it got to be so big and unmanageable.

Conclusion
Project Managers resemble the Kung Fu masters of those golden days of Sunday afternoon television. They are super-human warriors who need to understand the different styles of Project Management and when it is appropriate to use each one. They need to practice their skills and focus on proper discipline. Even so, there will always be a kick or two that gets through and they need to have the stamina to absorb it. They also need to make sure that when their lips move their words match them. One of my martial arts instructors once told me To be the best that one can be, one must always dream of being better. This means that the journey to mastery will never end and that there will always be battles to fight, new styles to learn, and punches to take. Dont forget to keep the cauldrons hot! Don't forget to leave your comments below.

Kerry Wills has worked as a Consultant and a Project Manager for Fortune 500 companies on multi-million dollar technology projects since 1995. During that time, he has gained experience in several capacities; as a Program Manager, Project Manager, Architect, Developer, Business Analyst, and Tester. Having worked in each of these areas gives Kerry a deep understanding of all facets of an Information Technology project. Kerry has planned and executed several large projects as well as remediated several troubled projects. Kerry is a member of Mensa and has a unique perspective on project work, resulting in ten patents, published work in project management journals and books, and speaking engagements at over twenty Project Management conferences and corporations around the world. Kerry is a passionate speaker who has a reputation for delivering entertaining presentations combined with vivid examples from his experiences. Kerry recently published a book called "Essential Project Management Skills" which can be found at all major on-line book retailers. Kerry runs a Project Management blog on http://kerrywills.wordpress.com

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