An Introduction to People-centric Project Management

Author: Ed Engman

Co-Author: Raghid El-Yafouri

As humans, we tend to complicate things. A project plan, for example, starts with a simple set of activities. But gradually we add more instructions, anticipating the issues we have encountered in the past.  We end up having to manage the plan, instead of having the plan manage the project. Simple processes eventually become bloated processes.

Let’s take a real-life example. A new marketing agency has developed a slick advertisement that leverages images in the user’s social media account.  As we start to deploy, we realize that the advertisement doesn’t work in older web browsers – in fact, it doesn’t work in the client’s standard web browser.  As experienced project managers, the next time around, we add a requirement to ensure that future advertisements are tested thoroughly in ALL web browsers. This requirement is integrated into all project management artifacts before the next project is executed.  We may not actually encounter a performance issue in the future, but we add instructions to mitigate the risk.

We add more instructions to our once simple processes.

What is the underlying cause of our process bloating?

Trust.

Traditional Project Management Approaches

Waterfall was the first project management methodology where all the known activities required to complete a project were defined, dependencies identified, and activities sequenced. We then managed the activities on a linear basis.  Over time, the number of artifacts required for Waterfall increased. Managing detailed project plans, risk registers, change management processes, and the endless stream of PMI-recommended artifacts — well intentioned to increase the probability of project success — became cumbersome.  We were focused as much on the completion of administrative work than on doing the actual job.

Project Managers revolted.  Agile, a fresh, simple methodology relying less on documentation and more on trust became fashionable. Agile seemed great; change management was built into the process.  A self-managing team had their fingers on the pulse of the organization and could make sensible course corrections every two weeks.

But as time went on, Agile became bloated.  Leadership, leery of deadline alterations, wanted to know if their resources had the organization’s interests at heart.  How did the company know if these resources were not out to soak the company for unnecessary hours?  How do they know that things were getting DONE?

To accommodate, the Agile process was modified.  Stricter deadlines were applied to ensure deliverables were met, regardless of valid changes of direction. “Certified Scrum Masters” were employed to ensure the project was being run according to the Agile process. In the end, Agile ends up as Waterfall divided into two-week sprints.

Why do these once-simple processes devolve into administrative obstacle courses?

Because the organization is saying, we don’t trust you.

So operating methodologies, whatever the original design, become process behemoths, growing exponentially because of the lack of trust.

What is People-centric Project Management?

Now imagine if the organization could assemble a team of subject matter experts that the project manager could trust explicitly–not only wizards at their craft, but dedicated to the success of the organization?  And resources that “play well together” to boot?

Well, you’d say to yourself, I’d tell them what to do and then just let them do their thing.

Of course, you would require some minimum amount of management before setting the project in motion — finding a balance between too much process and too little is the challenge.  So we take our queue from the world of Product Management. Using the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) approach, we identify and document only the necessary deliverables required for execution. The deliverables are exposed transparently to the organization and monitored regularly. However, people remain at the core of the approach.

People-centric Project Management (PcPM) is a set of simple principles enabling the execution of project deliverables by capable and committed resources. It is essentially finding the right team players and letting them do their thing.

Unlike traditional project management which manages individual projects using a process, PcPM is people focused. PcPM relies on the expertise of the resources executing the deliverables (Deliverable Owners), and less on the traditional processes used in managing projects.

The PcPM Principles

The PcPM approach is NOT a methodology, but a set of principles, simplifying project management by relying on the capability of Deliverable Owners — the resources responsible for completing the deliverable.  These are the principles:

• Competency of Resources: Deliverable Owners are the Subject Matter Experts responsible for executing the project deliverables. It is imperative that these resources are knowledgeable, capable, and aligned with the goals of the organization.

2. Autonomy and Accountability of Team: Understanding the objective, the Project Manager, acting both as leader and coach, identifies the internal (within the organization) and external Deliverable Owners and works with them to develop a high-level plan and coordinate a successful project outcome. Accountability is shared with all members of the team, including the Business Sponsor, Project Manager, Deliverable Owners, AND all resources within the organization that contribute to the project.
3. Clarity of Purpose: The Project Manager and Deliverable Owners have the right to review the plan, ensure the approach is correct, and change course when required.
4. Deliverable-Based Breakdown: High-level deliverables developed by the Project Manager and Deliverable Owners are identified and set in sequential order.
5. Transparency of Communication: Full visibility into the progress of all project deliverables.
6. Simplicity of Administration: To ensure PcPM stays simple, there are no special roles, no additional processes, and no certifications required. Any bright project manager can read the PcPM in fifteen minutes and understand ALL there is to know about PcPM.

The Principles in Action

The Project Manager works directly with Deliverable Owners to break a project into its discrete deliverables.  These deliverables are assigned and managed by the Deliverable Owner and a due date for each deliverable is established.  For example, a deliverable to complete the back-end development work for a new operational process is managed by the technical resource, or resource manager, responsible for doing that development work.

After deliverables are developed, they are tracked using a tool that graphically displays status.  The display is shared with the organization.  Steps are taken by the Deliverable Owner to resolve issues and delays.  PcPM is therefore a self-managing approach.

Traditional project management tools, like change control processes and risk registers, are replaced by simple conversations.

Next Steps

We recommend that organizations interested in PcPM pilot the approach with a small team of their best resources to observe and manage project progress.  These resources must understand that they are the catalyst for project success; traditional hurdles, like resource inexperience or unavailability are challenges that they need to resolve. The approach would then be deployed gradually for other projects within the organization.

Conclusion

People-centric Project Management seeks to simplify the management of projects by deferring to subject matter experts.  The approach is designed for mature organizations with conscientious resources who recognize that they must help resolve issues caused by other teams.   Full visibility of project progress will enable other company resources to help focus the organization by addressing specific deliverable issues.

We invite your feedback.  Please contact us via our website at: https://peoplecentricpm.com/