Planning is essential regardless of the size or type of project.

In my last guest post for the Tom’s Planner Blog – Why Plan | Project Planning, part 1– I explained how project planning helps us to predict and prepare for difficulties.

Plan With Post-It Notes

To recap, project planning is an essential management activity that provides everyone involved in a project with information – understanding – on:

• What is required
• How it is done
• Who does what
• When things will happen

Read the complete article and let me know what you think: Product Based Planning | Project Planning, part 2.

The product-based planning technique – defined in the PRINCE2 handbook – makes it easier to estimate effort, resources and time needed to deliver the project. Moreover, product based planning puts quality at the heart of planning because each completely and unambiguously defined. Planning is essential regardless of the size or type of project.

Thanks for reading.

If you would like me to write a guest blog you please send a DM to @TristanWember or visit my contact page. Thanks.

Related articles

• Why the PID Is a Waste of Time | Project Initiation (martinwebster.eu)
• Why Plan? | Project Planning, part 1 (martinwebster.eu)
• Project Management topics (martinwebster.eu)

Complex Behaviour Governed By Simple Rules

In my post Dolphins, Not Whales I talked about the role projects have when implementing beneficial change. I argue that sustainable change is achievable when people are engaged and urgency is increased. Dolphins, Not Whales is about encouraging quick wins – breaking large scale change into smaller manageable chunks.

I’m engaged in a large scale endeavour that promises to deliver significant benefit to a number of organisations. It’s true that a lot of effort has gone into preparing the vision, strategic plans, business case, specifications, design documents and so on. This got me thinking… Should we take a good-enough approach or try to plan every little detail?

Organisations are often depicted as machines. For example, the surgical team within a hospital or firefighters responding to an emergency follow the machine metaphor. In these circumstances it’s right that they work like a well oiled machine. Failure of one part can be catastrophic!

However, the machine metaphor doesn’t fit the rapidly changing organisation where creativity and innovation are the norm. Business change is complex. Strategy emerges. Strategy evolves.

What the organisation needs is flexibility. The ability to adapt and flex as context changes.

Back to my question… Should detailed strategic plans be replaced by documents that simply describe the general direction an organisation is heading? And should this approach also apply to business planning?

I guess I’m thinking (or saying) that I’m no longer confident that detailed planning guarantees an outcome. That the modern organisation is significantly different to the traditional machine-metaphor organisation. It is a complex system.

Do organisations spend too much time analysing and over-specifying things when they design and plan business change? Maybe complexity is bested by simplicity? As I’ve said before, successful change requires momentum (or a sense of urgency) and the creation of short-term wins. Keeping things simple help us achieve this. What do you think?

Thanks for reading.

Image: antmoose.

Related articles

• Dolphins, Not Whales | Sustaining Change (martinwebster.eu)
• A Model of Change Management | Kotter’s 8-Steps Model (martinwebster.eu)
• Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning (pro2sell.com)

His comments had me thinking. Why do many project management practitioners and organisations place much importance on the PID? Why is the PID a prominent feature of project initiation?

The project initiation document has become an end in itself not a means to an end.

The PID Is a Means to An End

The project initiation document or PID is a term and product of PRINCE2. Yet the current edition of the PRINCE2 handbook does not describe the PID as a single document. What’s more, the second edition only mentions it in passing with 3 entries showing in the index. The first edition includes eleven references.

Nonetheless, each makes it very clear that assembling the PID is about bringing together documentation produced during project initiation.

Has the project initiation document become an end in itself not a means to an end? Should project managers and project sponsors stop thinking about the contents of the PID and focus on initiating the project?

How to Initiate a Project

The beginning of a project is an important time. It is the time to make a preliminary assessment of opportunity, the benefits, costs, and the likely impact on business. It’s a time when questions are asked and possible solutions identified. A time to challenge why the project is needed.

Project initiation is also about scope and planning. What must the project deliver? When must it deliver? And who needs to be involved?

Initiation is about finding answers to these questions. Questions that cannot be answered by one person. Indeed, it is the project manager’s job to find the answers. To ask the right questions… to ask the right people the right questions!

Only when the answers are known is project initiation complete. Only then can the project confidently move to the next stage.

Project documentation must hold the answers to these question. The initial business case and project plan do. They explain why the project is needed and how things will happen. They record risk, define scope, and document the project organisation.

If you want to assemble these document into a project initiation document that’s just fine. However, make certain you’ve asked all the right questions first!

Thanks for reading.

Image: J+B=Us.

Related articles

• Why Plan? | Project Planning, part 1 (martinwebster.eu)
• The Project Control Cycle (martinwebster.eu)
• How the Business Case Defines Your Project (martinwebster.eu)

Dolphins...

However, many organisations have problems with the way they tackle change. These problems are usually related to people, processes, systems, technology or structure. Change is complex. And the pace and scale of change today can overwhelm organisations.

Projects are key to creating beneficial change. They are the vehicles for creating, managing and implementing change. Those organisations that recognise project management is a core capability (or competence) are most likely to find success.

Successful business change projects have the following characteristics:

• A single project team. A team that is business-led. One that comprises of all the required resources from the business, human resources, information technology etc. Ideally, team members should be collocated and allocated to the project full-time. This encourages communication and helps to build strong relationships.
• Business change is about delivering benefits. The project team is responsible for  delivering clearly specified benefits to the business and not for creating systems, structures nor introducing technologies. There should be no other success criteria! Projects should always be driven by benefits that support strategy.
• Executive management describes the business need – why the project is necessary – from the outset. Their mandate will also specify the time-scale within which the project must deliver the benefits. What’s more, successful organisations set a challenging schedule and stick to it – even when expert opinion  suggests this is unachievable. Change should be delivered with urgency and in no more than nine months.
• Detailed analysis has the effect of putting the brakes on change. Therefore, the idea of time-boxing is used to push the project team to make decisions about what is really needed. Successful businesses break tradition and create a sense of urgency when delivering change.
• Large scale change needs momentum plus a sense of achievement and bags of optimism. Time-boxing encourages quick wins ensuring results are achieved quickly. Instead of detailed analyses and the preparation of a hefty business case or full requirements specifications the project team is moved to change and learns what is really required through a series of iterations – breaking large scale change into smaller chunks and success stories.
• Thus, large scale projects are broken down into a series of shorter steps or phases. Each step will deliver benefits and move the organisation to sustaining change. It is urgency that sustains change and this is only possible when results are achieved rapidly. Not only does this give recognition and encouragement to those working hard to accomplish change it also builds faith in the change effort.

...Not Whales

David Feeny – a prominent British academic and authority on business transformation – first introduced me to the concept of dolphins not whales. It effectively shows people how sustaining change should be implemented. That is, creating a climate for change by increasing urgency and engaging and enabling the organisation through short-term wins.

Dolphins, Not Whales

Dolphins, not whales is a great way to grasp what is at the heart of change. When leading change use this to win hearts and minds.

Thanks for reading.

Images: CastleIslandPhoto, NOAA’s National Ocean Service and Martin Webster.

Related articles

• Kotter’s 8 Steps of Change, part 1 (martinwebster.eu)
• Kotter’s 8 Steps of Change, part 2 (martinwebster.eu)
• Kotter’s 8 Steps of Change, part 3 (martinwebster.eu)
• Structural Cybernetics and IT Organisational Redesign (martinwebster.eu)

Teamwork

A new year signifies a new start for many. So why not take the opportunity to change or improve your leadership style?

Leadership is less about you and more about the needs of the people you are leading. Adapt your style to suit the needs of the team and the situations it faces – also see 5 Models for Leading Change | Leading Project Teams.

If you want to get the best from your team in 2012 I’ve got seven tips to get you started. As you review this list think about your behaviour and how this affects the people around you.

A leader is defined by his followers.

Happy New Year!

1. Build the Right Environment for Your Team

• Let your values guide you; be an authentic leader
• Focus on your people and on the team’s purpose; don’t let distractions unsettle the team
• Make sure everyone knows what is important and what must be achieved; plan and set meaningful objectives

2. Choose Your Team Wisely

• Pay very close attention to recruitment; appoint the best people available
• Match peoples skills to every task; play to peoples strengths
• Encourage knowledge sharing and teamwork; build this into your team meetings
• Put your team plan into action and monitor progress
• Get the best from each team member; set expectations and manage performance

3. Listen to Your Team

• Pay attention to how you are perceived;
• Walk in your team’s shoes; understand their experiences and difficulties
• Open your eyes to participation; delegate and empower more often

4. Aim High

• Put the customer at the heart of what you do
• Encourage your team to embrace new ways of working
• Help everyone through periods of change

5. Share Successes…

• Show the team how and why they make a difference
• Recognise and celebrate achievements
• Do right by those who do right; it’s not always the easiest path

6. …and Deal With Poor Performance

• Confront performance problems early
• Coach the team, especially those in the middle
• And don’t forget to credit your top performers

7. Perform

• Set a good example: walk the talk
• Establish guidelines and accountability
• And remember, everyone counts!

Thanks for reading.

Image: rocketlass.

Related articles

• 5 Features of a Successful Leader (martinwebster.eu)
• Happy New Year and Lead Well (lenbrzozowski.wordpress.com)
• Leadership Thought #275 – Leader’s Lead (edrobinson.wordpress.com)
• 5 Models for Leading Change | Leading Project Teams (martinwebster.eu)
• 5 Features of a Successful Leader (martinwebster.eu)

• The Project Leader – My take on project leadership.
• Forming: Building a New Team – I’m building a new team from scratch in 2012. This is the beginning of my story.
• Discovering Your Purpose and Identity – This year was a journey of discovery that landed me a new job.

I’ve enjoyed developing my writing this year and will continue to do so in the New Year. Look out for my posts on the invisible leader, advising upwards and problem solving. Please sign up for my blog or follow me on Twitter to make sure you don’t miss a post.

Happy New Year: 2012

Finally, I’d like to thank my regular readers for their support and encouragement in 2011. Happy New Year!

Thanks for reading.

Image: Ludie Cochrane.

Martin Webster

December 2011 has been a difficult and challenging month and I’ve found little time to blog regularly. So I thought I’d end the year – my first year of blogging on project management, change and leadership topics – with a selection of my most popular posts.

5 Tips to Motivate Your Project Team – change introduces uncertainty. The project leader must learn how to keep the team motivated.

How to Prepare a RACI Matrix – this is a short and succinct definition of the responsibility assignment matrix with instruction on using the tool correctly.

Kotter’s 8 Steps of Change, part 1  (1 of 3) – a series of posts on John Kotter‘s people-orientated model of change management.

I’ve enjoyed writing immensely this year and will continue in the New Year. I’ll be writing more about team leadership, stakeholder engagement and managing change. Please sign up for my blog or follow me on Twitter to make sure you don’t miss a post.

Finally, I’d like to wish the many new friends I’ve met online a very happy and fulfilling New Year.

Thanks for reading.

Related articles

• Kotter’s 8 Steps of Change, part 2 (martinwebster.eu)
• Kotter’s 8 Steps of Change, part 3 (martinwebster.eu)

Many people get hung up on project planning. Some say they don’t have the time to prepare one. Others think they are unnecessary. They assume the project plan is a complex document; one that accounts for every minutes of every day.

Planning Helps Form the Basis of Understanding

This week I wrote the first part in a series of guest posts about project planning for the Tom’s Planner Blog. The first part – Why Plan? | Project Planning, part 1 – deals with the importance of project planning and aims to dispel some common myths.

Read the complete article and let me know what you think: Why Plan | Project Planning, part 1.

Effective planning provides a foundation for your project and tackles these pitfalls head on. Project planning is about defining scope – what will be done (and by who) and what will be left out. What’s more, project planning, if started early enough, will support an assessment of value – the business benefits – and help work up ideas into the business case. Likewise, the project plan is the basis for communication and gaining senior management support.

Thanks for reading.

If you would like me to write a guest blog you please send a DM to @TristanWember or visit my contact page. Thanks.

Leadership

However, when I think about someone who consistently delivers on projects I don’t think of the times they produced a great Gantt chart or the quality of their progress reports. No. I think about their qualities, attitudes and behaviours. Their leadership skills. Their tenacity. The way they inspire and motivate people. The way they take action.

Whilst I’m not knocking the need for a disciplined approach to project management processes – they are important – I do think we place too much importance in these methods and certifications. Sending someone on a five-day course doesn’t make a project manager. Creating standard document templates doesn’t guarantee success. Projects continue to fail. They fail to meet the needs of the business. Fail to come in on time. Or they cost too much.

There is a mismatch between what is perceived to be important and what works. What we need is project leaders.

Projects are vehicles for business change; they are key to creating benefit. Clearly project management is a core competence for any organisation implementing change. Yet I wonder if those directing and managing change grasp this?

Is this why success is often so elusive? I think so.

Project Leadership

Project managers come in all shapes and sizes. They come with different experiences, skills and strengths. But they are often treated as a one-size-fits-all resource. They’re not. There are four types of project and as many types of project leadership.

Leaders are defined by their followers.

Some projects are evolutionary and some revolutionary. Some have clear goals. With these it is clear what is needed and how to do it. Others are inherently foggy. This is a project where there’s no clear understanding of what to do nor how to do it. Whether the project is about improving operations or responding to a change in business circumstances it is clear that every project has different characteristics that need different leadership skills.

Therefore, choose project managers according to the sort of behaviour, skills and attributes needed to run the project. If the project is akin to painting by numbers choose someone with experience and the ability to plan and deliver. On the other hand, if the project is more like a walk in the fog you need someone who is calm, has excellent communication skills and builds trust.

Leaders are defined by their followers. If we correctly match project with project manager we are more likely to succeed. We are more likely to find the right project leader!

Thanks for reading.

Image: Ed Gaillard.

Related articles

• Developing a Project Process Framework using the Capability Maturity Model (martinwebster.eu)
• How to become a lazy project manager in a few steps (ittakes.wordpress.com)

Planning Helps Form the Basis of Understanding

Many people get hung up on project planning. Some say they don’t have the time to prepare one. Others think they are unnecessary. They assume the project plan is a complex document; one that accounts for every minutes of every day.

In this series of posts I aim to dispel these myths. I will show you that project planning is an essential activity that happens to result in some really useful documents – documents that will help you to achieve your goals.

plan vb. to make plans; to have in mind as a purpose; intend

Project planning helps us form the basis of understanding. In other words, planning is an aid to predict and prepare for difficulties, and to identify what needs to be done to succeed in our endeavours.

What’s more, project planning helps us to answer a variety of questions with confidence. For instance

• Can it be done?
• Will it be finished on time?
• How much will it cost?
• Is it viable?
• Will it work?
• How can we be sure if it will deliver the right benefits?
• What if we change something?
• How much progress have we made?
• What if someone is ill or unavailable?

If you’re still not convinced of the value of project planning let me remind you of the main reasons projects fail. If you think it has something to do with complexity or the use of technology you’d be wrong. In fact projects fail because

1. Their scope isn’t managed effectively – poor project planning
2. People lose sight of the original goal – a weak business case
3. Top management aren’t supportive – little engagement with stakeholders

Effective planning provides a foundation for your project and tackles these pitfalls head on. Project planning is about defining scope – what will be done (and by who) and what will be left out. What’s more, project planning, if started early enough, will support an assessment of value – the business benefits – and help work up ideas into the business case. Likewise, the project plan is the basis for communication and gaining senior management support.

What’s In the Plan?

The project plan is a management document. It is prepared by the project manager during the earliest stages of the project and refined as the project proceeds. The plan should include the following information along with resources and costs

• Stages – periods of a project when work is done
• Work packages – a grouping of activities with defined scope, time-scale and cost that only one person is responsible for delivering
• Activities – components of work that must be delivered to complete the project
• Milestones – major events with zero duration that normally depict the start of a stage
• Deliverables (products) – output produced by the project and defined in the business case
• Reviews – a checkpoint where a deliverable (or the entire project) is evaluated against the business goals
• Interdependencies – when a deliverable can only be achieved when a deliverable from another work package (or project) is completed

Typically cost and resource plans are presented in tabular format. In contrast, project schedules are most conveniently presented as Gantt charts.

The project schedule provides a detailed view for the day-to-day management of the project and a summary view for presenting to the project sponsor and senior management.

In the next part I will show you how the elements of the plan may be built up from a list of products to be produced by the project. Once this is done, and dependencies between activities are readily identified, the resources needed to carry out the activities may be scheduled.

Thanks for reading.

Future articles

• Product-Based Planning | Project Planning, part 2
• The Project Schedule | Project Planning, part 3

Related articles

• Do You Schedule Time to Stay on Top of Project Plans? (ghazzpro.wordpress.com)
• Why Plan? (martinwebster.eu)
• How to Monitor Project Progress (martinwebster.eu)
• The Project Leader (martinwebster.eu)