Author: Andrew Miller

Andrew Miller’s Monthly Blog

The PMI PMBOK guide defines a project as “a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product, service or result.” (PMBOK guide, 3rd edition) So we all know what a project is…..it has a beginning, an end and something unique in between. However, those of us that have worked on large implementations, especially those where new processes or systems are being implemented, know that there is sometimes a fine line between project close and organization open. What I mean by this is that many projects these days focus on reengineering, or optimizing, or consolidating, or centralizing, but the common theme is that the organization does not look the same after the project is complete. Resources are re-deployed or let go, manual processes become automated and organizations focus on more value-added activities. So where do the project manager’s responsibilities end?

As a project manager, how can you lead an organization through a large transformation implementation without defining the new organization or at least participating in its development? My experience is that this is “bonus work” that the project manager performs, because most companies do not think of it up front when staffing the project team. Project managers are brought in to lead the team through the implementation, but someone must perform the tasks once the project ends…..that is where the operational team comes in. A good PM will be thinking about the operational team right from the get go, even while developing the project team. A good PM will be identifying where knowledge transfer needs to occur later on and a good PM will be advising their organization or client that these decisions need to be considered earlier – not later – in the project timelines. No one wants to complete a successful project implementation only to realize that there is no one to perform the ongoing work. Regardless of how successful the implementation may seem, if that is the case, then the PM has failed.

An easy way around this is to think operationally right from the start. Ask questions like: What should the organization look like when the project is over? Who will support the systems and processes? Who will carry the torch when the PM disappears? Then and only then, can one achieve serenity and success as a PM, and that success takes the form of a stable organization instead of one in flux, scrambling to determine roles and responsibilities.

 

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Andrew Miller is President of ACM Consulting Inc. (www.acmconsulting.ca), a company that provides supply chain and project management solutions. Andrew is PMP certified and has led a variety of clients through complex systems implementations and organizational changes. He is an Instructor of the Procurement and Contracting course, part of the Masters Certificate in Project Management program through the Schulich School of Business Executive Education Centre (SEEC) in Toronto. Andrew has an International MBA from the Schulich School of Business with majors in Logistics and Marketing. He can be reached at [email protected].

 

Andrew Miller’s Monthly Blog

I am going to let you in on a little secret. There is one area on which few projects spend the appropriate amount of time and all projects should: communication.

Now, you might be thinking to yourself that this is a ridiculous comment because on projects we are communicating all of the time in meetings, through email, on the phone. Have you ever been on a project where you got towards the end of the project and one of the stakeholders delays further work because they were unsure of the direction of the project? What about dealing with a multi-facility implementation where employees at different facilities have a different expectation of what is being delivered? How about implementing a fancy new software system only to find out that the way the system works will not support the daily operations of the business that purchased it? I am sure that most if not all of you have experienced something like this.

It is very easy, and in fact necessary, to say on every project that communication is going to be the key to a successful completion of the project deliverables. But do we really give it the attention it deserves? Do we spend the time to develop a communication strategy and determine what mechanisms can be used? Do we spend the time to do a detailed stakeholder analysis to determine who the stakeholders are, what influence they have, what message they want to hear and how often? Do we then turn that information into a detailed communication plan outlining what we are going to say to whom, how often and in what format? And once we have gotten that far, do we assign responsibility to another/others to ensure that the communication plan gets executed, and then follow-up to ensure that expectations are being met? I think you can guess what my answer will be. Most projects do assign communication a high priority, but once deadlines are being pushed back and workload is increasing, communication is the first thing that falls off the radar screen.

It is one thing to communicate; it is another thing to communicate effectively. The best PMs are not the ones who communicate the most, but they are the ones who communicate the best, and get everyone else to buy in to and communicate their message.

 

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Andrew Miller is President of ACM Consulting Inc. (www.acmconsulting.ca), a company that provides supply chain and project management solutions. Andrew is PMP certified and has led a variety of clients through complex systems implementations and organizational changes. He is an Instructor of the Procurement and Contracting course, part of the Masters Certificate in Project Management program through the Schulich School of Business Executive Education Centre (SEEC) in Toronto. Andrew has an International MBA from the Schulich School of Business with majors in Logistics and Marketing. He can be reached at [email protected].