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Author: Robert Wysocki

OUTSIDE THE BOX Forum – HPM Framework Professional Development Plan

Written by Robert Wysocki on . Posted in Articles. 2 Comments on OUTSIDE THE BOX Forum – HPM Framework Professional Development Plan

In the previous 6 chapters I have suggested several scenarios where a professional with some combination of PM and BA skills is needed.

I searched the major players on the internet for the PM/BA positions they list. The results were surprising and are reported below. With all of the above taken into account, what are the next steps? Where do BA/PMs and PM/BAs come from? What training and education are in place to support their development? What about career paths and the training and education needed to support successful career growth?  This chapter presents a comprehensive career and professional development planning model.

In this final article we will look at how the PM/BA Landscape is used as the foundation of a Career and Professional Development Program for individuals and their managers as well as how the organization can support these efforts.

What is a Professional Development Program?

A good pdp will answer the following questions:

                     where am i?

                     where do i want to go?

                     how will i get there?

                     how am i doing?

I’ll call this plan a Professional Development Program (PDP).

The PDP planning horizon usually spans a full year with reviews on a quarterly basis or as needed. The temptation is to schedule them in conjunction with an annual performance review process. That is not a good idea. In practice it is usually better to keep the PDP and performance review processes six months out of phase with one another. Having a performance evaluation and career planning session done concurrently isn’t advisable. The performance review is not safe harbor for the individual. In a performance review they are under pressure and in a defensive position. In a career planning session they are in dream mode and don’t need any pressure imposed on them from some other activity imposed upon these sessions.

Where am I?

This part of your PDP defines three cells:

The highest level cell whose skill profile you exceed

The most important part of this description is your skill/proficiency profile. These are not just with reference to the skills needed or used in carrying out the tasks and assignments of your current position. Rather the skills profile covers all skills. Just because your skills profile exceeds the required skills profile for say the Senior Manager PM/ba cell doesn’t mean your current position occupies that cell.

The cell of your current position title

You may not be in the best fit cell. In the final analysis it is a matter of supply versus demand and the nature of your assignment. For example, you might have the appropriate skill profile for a Senior Manager PM/BA position but there are no openings for such a position. Instead you are in a position in the Manager PM/BA cell. The more important question is where do you want to go and that is answered in another part of your PDP.

The cell of your current assignment

Continuing with the previous example your position title is in the Manager PM/BA cell. Depending on a variety of circumstances you could be assigned to a position in anyone of the following cells: Senior Manager PM/BA, Manager PM/ba, Manager PM/BA, Senior Manager BA/PM, Senior Manager BA/pm, Manager BA/PM or Manager BA/pm. So that the circumstances surrounding your current assignment could be such that you are actually occupying a position in a cell whose profile you greatly exceed or don’t meet for that matter.

Where do I want to go?

While it may seem trite, I like to ask everyone that comes to me for career advice “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The answers are amusing:

I don’t want to grow up.

Employed.

I want your job.

In all seriousness this is a basic question that must be answered before any career plan can be built. The answer isn’t a lifetime decision either. Rather it is the place you would like to be professionally based on what you currently know and understand and what the business situation is likely to be as your career and job preferences mature. You can change your mind every Tuesday if you like. The important thing is that you have a career goal and a plan to work towards it.

The process for answering the question is through a relaxed conversation with one of your mentors. Your manager should be one of your mentors. Your manager is your best source for understanding where the opportunities lie for your short-term career prospects. And you should seek them out for that advice. Longer term prospects are best commented on by those who have a strategic perspective on the future and where the staffing opportunities lie. One of your mentors might be a person who occupies the position you seek as a career goal. You should seek their advice for that.

Both your manager and any senior level manage whose advice you seek should be able to translate your career goals into a cell or sequence of cells that form a career path eventually leading to your ultimate career goal.

How will I get there?

At this point you know where you are (the cell you are in) and where you want to go (the cell of your career goal). So your next step is to build a career path for getting there. In fact you could build several career paths that all lead to the same destination. One of those many career paths will be the one you pursue in greater detail.

And that is the answer to this question. The answer however will be given one step at a time. That step will be the PDP for the next planning cycle – probably 12 months. During that time you will put a four-part PDP plan together.

How am I doing?

Your PDP should be written so that it can be used to track progress. Just like you would develop an acceptance test in the form of a checklist so also should your PDP performance tracking be in the form of a checklist. These checkpoints should be done quarterly.

In addition to tracking progress against the plan on a quarterly basis so also should you consider revising your plan on a quarterly basis. These could be as simple as taking advantage of an opportunity that wasn’t known at the last checkpoint and which you would like to include in your PDP. Or they could be a little more comprehensive and focus on changing your career path or even your career goal.

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PDP Contents

A PDP is the heart of every career and professional development effort. Your organization has a major role to play in PDP implementation and support and that is discussed in the next section. A PDP should contain a long-term career goal and a short-term career goal. The short-term career goal should cover the next planning horizon – most likely annual. It will be a detailed description of what is planned in order to achieve the short-term goal. The long-term career goal will be less detailed.

By way of introduction I think that a good PDP is a plan developed by you and your coach/mentor/manager and consists of the four parts briefly defined below.

Every position in every cell will have a minimum skill and competency profile required for the position. These are the target profiles your PDP will aim for as you plan your skill development activities and the resulting career advancements. To qualify for a specific position the individual must first define the skill and competency gap between their current and desired position and then build a PDP using the four components described below to remove that gap. That would position the individual to move to the desired position when a vacancy arises. Your mentor(s) should be available to help with plan development and other career advice.

Experience Acquisition

This part of the PDP describes the acquisition of further experience mastering the skills and competencies needed in the current position. The further experience is also related to qualifying for entry into a higher level position in the same or a neighboring sector. There may be certain areas that should be the focus of that additional experience – perhaps an area of noted weakness that needs improvement. So this is a “do more of the same” part of the PDP with the above considerations taken into account.

Here are two examples of Experience Acquisition as they might be represented in the PDP

  • Seek out project assignments that have more of a business analysis focus than you have been doing.
  • Support professionals who are more senior to you and have a business analysis skill that you need to improve to better meet current position requirements.

On-the-job training

First of all training does not imply attending a formal course. Training can be very informal. For example, just attending an activity facilitated by an expert in the skill area of interest and observing what happens. Watching how someone does something is a learning experience.

On-the-job training is undertaken to increase the proficiency of skills and competencies needed to improve performance in the current position. If performance in one or more skill areas is below a nominal performance level, then training may be required to bring that performance up to acceptable levels. Training need not be expensive and certainly does not have to be time consuming. There are several opportunities right under your nose. For example,

  • Offering to help a colleague with one of their tasks to improve your skill to perform that task on your assignment
  • Attending a workshop to improve a current skill you are using on your job
  • Volunteering to join a project team that will further challenge you to take your skills to the next level

You just have to pay attention and be on the outlook for them. For example, John is a BA/pm Manager and has just been assigned PM for the Order Entry/Fulfillment Process Improvement Project. John has had limited experience managing improvement projects and he wasn’t too confident he could handle this project. There had been several projects in the past to improve the Order Entry/Fulfillment Process with little success to report. John’s career goal was to become a BA/PM Senior Manager and eventually a Consultant to the Order Entry/Fulfillment Process. So he asked Michelle, a PM/BA Senior Consultant to help him improve his project management skills from the perspective of the BA on a process improvement project. Here are two examples of On-the-job Training as they might be represented in the PDP:

  • Look for opportunities to observe and support the project management work of BA/PM professionals
  • Take courses (on or off site) to enhance the project management skills required of your current position

Off-the-job training

The purpose of off-the-job training is to increase skill proficiencies to the level needed to qualify for the next position in your career plan. In other words it is not relevant to meeting any current skill proficiencies associated with current job requirements.

For example, Harry is a BA Task Leader. His long-term career goal was to be a BA/PM Consultant. His short-term career plan was to become a BA/pm Associate Manager. Since his project management skills are very limited he needs to get started on them. He is good friends with Larry who is a BA/PM Senior Manager. Larry is respected among the BA community as one of the best project planners and Harry felt that Larry had a lot to offer him. Larry was more than willing to be Harry’s mentor and also to help him learn project planning. Because he was so well respected for his project planning skills Larry was in high demand and always very busy. Harry approached Larry and asked him if he could help Larry out in some way in return for which he could observe Larry. To Larry that offer was a no-brainer and so he took Harry under his wing. Harry shadowed Larry and began learning project management from the ground up. When Larry retired Harry took his place as a BA/PM Senior Manager and one of the organization’s best planners. Harry was now one step away from his long-term career goal. Here are two examples of Off-the-job Training as they might be represented in the PDP:

  • Take courses (on or off site) to add business analysis skills that will be required by your targeted position in the PM/BA Associate Manager cell
  • Look for opportunities to observe and support a professional practicing the business analysis skills you will need in your targeted position.

Professional activities

This part of a PDP addresses participation in activities that are not necessarily related to any current or near-term career goal. Rather they are just experiences that relate to your long-term professional interests whether they are project management or business analysis related. They aren’t necessarily directly related to these either. They might be related to better understanding your company’s business. For example,

  • Reading the literature on your profession or your company’s lines of business
  • Better understanding your competitors and how you might leverage your project management and/or business analysis expertise to improve your company’s market share
  • Involvement in PMI and/or IIBA at the national and chapter level
  • Conference attendance and networking with other PM and BA professionals

Here are two examples of Professional activities as they might be represented in the PDP:

  • Read books and journal articles on topics relevant to your targeted position in the PM/BA Associate Manager cell
  • Attend meetings and conferences offering seminars and workshops relevant to your targeted position in the PM/BA Associate Manager cell  

OUTSIDE THE BOX: Forum HPM Framework Project Manager Position Family

Written by Robert Wysocki on . Posted in Articles. 3 Comments on OUTSIDE THE BOX: Forum HPM Framework Project Manager Position Family

The Project Management Position Family (PMPF) is a lifetime career planning, development, and support tool for the on the move professional.

The professional first encounters the PMPF when they are about to enter the workforce. They may have just graduated from college or just completed a tour of duty in the military. Whichever is the case, they are looking for their first professional position or for guidance on how to prepare for their first real job.

Project Management Position Family Functions

The PMPF is a complete environment for career planning and professional development. It not only helps the professional define their current and target position but it will also identify the training and development needs as they progress along a defined pathway leading from their current to their targeted position. The PMPF provides the following functions:

  • Establish your current skills profile.
  • Define your target PMPF position.
  • Create a career path from current to target position
  • Establish a strategy to move to the next position in your development plan.
  • Complete on-the-job development activities
  • Complete off-the-job development activities.
  • Update your current skills profile.
  • Revisit your target position and career path.

The Architecture of the PMPF

The PMPF consists of a database and an expert system that uses the database to provide the functions listed above.

It is best to think of the PMPF data infrastructure in several layers. At the highest level, and the level that the individual interacts directly with, is a matrix with six columns (sectors) and five rows (position levels).

Sectors

The PMPF is defined using the six sectors shown in the table below. For this application of the PMPF, T stands for project management. In other applications T will stand for Information Technology. The B stands for any business process. So, the architecture defined in Figure 1 is a robust architecture.

 

Sector Label

Characteristics of this Sector

T

These professionals understand technology and can discuss it in great detail. They are not particularly interested in the business applications of the technology but enjoy working with the technology as an end in itself.

Tb

These technology professionals understand the language of business but they are not able to take a proactive position in solving business problems. They are able to react to requests from the business side for technology solutions.

TB

These technology professionals are equally comfortable discussing technology and business. They can be expected to proactively suggest technology solutions to business problems. They know how to exploit technology for business value.

BT

These business professionals are equally comfortable discussing business and technology. They can be expected to proactively suggest business solutions using technology. They know how to exploit technology for business value.

Bt

These business professionals understand the language of technology but they are not able to take a proactive position in using technology to solve business problems. They are able to react to suggestions from the technology side for solutions to their business problems.

B

These professionals understand the business and can discuss it in great detail. They are not particularly interested nor do they understand technology applications to their business.

Figure 1: PMPF Architecture

Position Levels

For project management applications the PMPF is defined using the five position levels shown in Figure 2 below.

Position Level

Characteristics of this Position Level

Individual contributor

 

Project manager

 

Manager

 

Director

 

Executive

 

Figure 2: PMPF Position Labels

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Role Levels

Imbedded in the PMPF cells of the PMPF matrix are 11 role levels (0-10) shown in Figure 3 below.

LEVEL

STAFF

CONSULTANT

MANAGEMENT

0

Trainee

 

 

1

Assistant Technician

 

 

2

Associate Technician

 

 

3

Technician

 

 

4

Senior Technician

 

 

5

 

Assistant Consultant

Supervisor

6

 

Associate Consultant

Assistant Manager

7

 

Consultant

Associate Manager

8

 

Senior Consultant

Senior Manager

9

 

 

Director

10

 

 

Executive

            Figure 3: PMPF Role Levels

Figure 4 is a generic description of this layer of the PMPF Landscape. 

Figure4

Figure 4: Generic Role and Role Level Structure

From this figure you can see that the PMPF defines a dual ladder career path. At the project level the individual has two choices for moving forward. One is to continue as an individual contributor by following the consultant track. The other is as a manager by following the managerial track. But this is only a surface level characterization of the PMPF. The PMPF is much deeper and broader as the next section describes.

The PM Position Family Landscape

Figure 5 is the presentation layer. At this layer, the PMPF presents the individual with a graphic picture of the position landscape. The figure below is a depiction of that layer. 

 Firgure5

Figure 5: The PM Position Family Landscape

Every position that exists or will ever exist can be mapped into a single cell in this landscape. This graphic will be used to map the individual’s current position, target position, and the pathway that will be followed to reach the target position.

Strategic Value of the PMPF

While the PMPF can be used for the planning of a single career development plan for a project manager it can also be used for an enterprise strategic plan. To do this we require two PMPF landscapes. One is the current inventory of PMPF positions. The other is the PMPF landscape of some future date where the demand for such positions is needed to staff the strategic plan. The differences between the cells will estimate the over supply or under supply of each cell in the landscape. These will be the guide for approving project resources requirements or suggest career development plans that will be needed to meet under supply situations. The supply/demand situation can be estimated for any future dates and career development programs put in place to achieve balance of supply and demand. No such system exists today to develop the staffing requirements to meet future needs.

OUTSIDE THE BOX: Forum HPM Framework Project Support Office

Written by Robert Wysocki on . Posted in Articles. 4 Comments on OUTSIDE THE BOX: Forum HPM Framework Project Support Office

WARNING! When it comes to enterprise project management offices, Occasional Project Managers (OPM) are often on the outside looking in.

They need a project support office that provides a number of specialized services, including customized tools, templates and processes as well as targeted coaching and training.

They are not interested in standards or compliance to standards.

The traditional Project Management Office (PMO) is a standards-based and practice compliant monitoring unit. In most models it is accountable to senior management for compliance and performance monitoring, and to project teams for a variety of functions and support services. It can exist at the enterprise level or within a division for larger more complex organizations. The Career Project Managers (CPM) uses processes and practices that are under the control and stewardship of the PMO. A variety of functions and support services are available to the CPM.

Those functions and support services include:

  • Project Administrative Support and Resource Allocation
  • Methods and Standards
  • Software Tools and Training
  • Consulting and Mentoring
  • PM Training and Education
  • Ensuring project management protocols are followed
  • Creating organizational project management policies and procedures
  • Project Manager Professional Development (in partnership with HR)

These eight areas are inclusive of the functions and support services that should be offered by a fully functional Project Support Office (PSO) to the enterprise, the business units and the CPMs. This is all well and good, but the OPM needs a PSO that is quite different from the PSO defined above. The PSO can provide a number of functions and support services to business units at the request of an OPM, but these support services must be tailored to the needs of the OPM. In addition to supporting the OPM, there may be occasions where a business unit manager may request intervention assistance for troThesubled projects. There are no compliance monitoring functions as is the case with the PSO for the CPM.

Both at the enterprise level and division levels the PSO supports both the CPM and the OPM. The two levels of support are very different, but both are important and necessary. The functions and support services offered by the PSO for the OPM can exist within the Enterprise-level PSO. These functions and support services can be alternatively tailored versions of what is offered to the CPM or they might be totally unique to the OPM.

The PSO can be tailored to the OPM. Business Units are islands unto themselves and so the Community of Practice does not exist for inter-unit communications. The Policy & Standards link is minimal as compare to the link that existed for the CPMs. As you can see when comparing the two illustrations, the support to the OPM is quite different. The “community of practice” is often not available or non-existent to the OPM. Recall that the OPM is not a traditional project manager and may not have any regular or direct affiliation with the PSO. Although the project sponsor or business unit manager may offer the PSO as a resource, the OPM may be viewed as an outsider to the official PSO. As stated in a previous edition of this article, the OPM is often an accidental or incidental project manager. This leaves the OPM in the unenviable position of being on “the outside looking in” to the PSO.
As a result of some of the issues identified above, the PSO often takes on a passive role with respect to their support of the OPM and the OPM project team. Three areas deserve to be mentioned.

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Vetted Portfolio of Tools, Templates and Processes

For the CPM this portfolio is broad and deep. It is a documented portfolio that is constantly growing and evolving to meet the complex project management needs of the enterprise. For the OPM the project management needs are quite different. We presented those in Part I. Common sense, intuitive, and ease of use are the cornerstones of their portfolio. This is a challenge to the PSO whose processes and practices are often more closely aligned with the 5 Project Management Process Groups and the 10 Knowledge Areas, which in turn aligns with the needs of the CPMs they support. The OPM is a new and unfamiliar addition to their customer list.

There are three ways the vetting process works for the HPMgr:

  • The PSO reviews and vets HPMgr developed tools, templates, and processes. This service is an insurance policy for the HPMgr and their management. It assures that the HPM hasn’t put the practices into harm’s way.
  • The PSO repurposes CPM tools, templates, and processes and vets them for OPM use. Here the PSO takes the initiative and suggests tools, templates and processes that might be a good fit for OPM use. The OPM and their management should review and approve what the PSO has submitted.
  • The PSO reviews the OPM’s project plan to ensure there are not any critical gaps or oversights. This may be more crucial for the OPM than the HPM. The PSO may spend more time reviewing the project plan developed by the OPM than that of the HPMgr if experience and knowledge levels are known or readily apparent. In either case, the OPM benefits from the oversight of the PSO. The OPM gains the reassurance that their project plan is accurate and valid. The OPM has the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience without the risk of error by leveraging the guidance, oversight, and mentoring from the PSO. The effective PSO may prove to be the training ground for developing OPMs into CPMs.

Coaching and Consulting

The OPM is not a CPM and they will encounter situations beyond their ability to manage. The OPM needs to acknowledge this fact and muster the courage to reach out for help. The PSO can provide the necessary help; however, they must understand that the typical OPM is not a CPM. As noted above, the PSO must have an understanding that the OPM themselves may have varying degrees of knowledge and experience. The help must be collaborative and not directive. Finding and implementing solutions is a participative endeavor. Although some “hand holding” may be required, the PSO must take great care not to appear condescending. Those that work within the PSO must be aware of their non-verbal towards the OPM; keeping in mind that the OPM often had the project thrust upon them by a sponsor or business unit manager that had thoughts of project completion over the OPM’s prior project management experience. In the same breath, some OPMs may be highly experienced and will resent the PSO if too overbearing. As indicated, soft skills, collaboration, and proper engagement will serve both those working in the PSO and the OPM to have the best chance for a successful partnership.

Targeted and Customized Training

To reach across the industry verticals the training is best defined by project type. We discussed the three types in Part III. There are few opportunities for the OPM to acquire training. Those that do exist may include the following: Attending one or two day project management seminars found at local colleges or through training institutions such as Fred Pryor or Skill Path; Joining local PMI Chapters and networking with other CPMs, OPMs, and other professionals who are interested in project management; Reading entry level PM books that offer alternatives to strict PMBOK based philosophies (albeit few exist); Pursuing mentoring from more experienced OPM Chefs or understanding CPMs who wish to share their knowledge and skills with the newly drafted OPM or OPM Cook.

PSO Support Services for Business Unit Managers

When a business unit manager detects performance problems they need help and should be able to reach out to the PSO for some type of intervention. That intervention could take the form of coaching, consulting, or even short-term training. The OPM needs to see that intervention as a collaborative effort to correct the performance problem. If the OPM sees the intervention as a threat, all potential learning will be at risk as well as the success of the project.

OUTSIDE THE BOX Forum: The Hybrid Project Management Framework

Written by Robert Wysocki on . Posted in Articles. 5 Comments on OUTSIDE THE BOX Forum: The Hybrid Project Management Framework

“Only 1 to 2% of organizations are currently at a (CMMI) Maturity Level 3, where there is a consistent process that is consistently adhered to.” Mark Mulally, 2017

From the above quote one might wonder what the other 98% of the organizations are doing.They probably use approaches that range from some informal “Do It Yourself” model to a carefully crafted and monitored adaptation of a commercial model. The Adaptive Framework [Wysocki, 2010] is a robust project management environment that thrives on business challenges and creativity of the team, with the change process as the driver to solution discovery and the courage of conviction.

WHAT IS A HYBRID PROJECT?

The project landscape is shown in Figure 1. The complex project quadrants are the primary focus of this article. The work of Mark Mulally [Mulally, 2017] concluded that fewer than 2% of organizations practice project management at CMMI Maturity Level 3. Don’t you wonder what the other 98% are doing? I’m going to describe that at a high level.

 Wysocki Feb25

Figure 1: The Complex Project Landscape

The Hybrid PMLC model applies primarily to the projects that fall in the complex project quadrants. Testimonial worldwide data suggests that over 80 % of all projects fall in the 3 quadrants of the complex project landscape. Many complex projects do not fit existing PMLC models. The project managers know this and attempt to adapt PMLC models to fit the specific situations and conditions of the project. Adaptations do not work very well. These customized approaches are the Hybrid PMLC models. You won’t find them in the literature because they are unique to the needs of a specific project and often include organizational business processes. Few will be documented and if they are they are probably proprietary.

WHAT IS HYBRID PROJECT MANAGEMENT?

So, what are those other 98% of project managers doing if they are not practicing project management at Maturity Level 3 or above. For some it will probably be a “Do It Yourself” effort. Let’s hope that number is very small. At the other extreme will be those who must comply with a model designed by their Project Management Office (PMO) and monitored for compliance. In between these two extremes is what I am calling Hybrid Project Management (HPMgt). This is intentionally phrased to be a robust statement of what constitutes HPMgt. It is not a model. Rather it is a framework that is used to design a model that aligns to the characteristics and environment of a specific project.

 Wysocki Feb25 3

A Robust Hybrid PMLC Model

Figure 2 is a robust and high-level depiction of the Hybrid Project Management Life Cycle (PMLC) Framework. These three phases apply regardless of the model or approach you might envision for managing your project. This framework is more useful than Agile or Extreme Models in those situations where very little is known about the solution or the specifics of the goal. The framework will lead you through the uncharted waters of any unique project. There will be many situations where the commercially available models or those in use in your organization do not fit the project situation for any number of reasons. The Hybrid PMLC Framework has been designed for just those situations. Keep in mind that solution discovery is still the focus of these Hybrid Models. Each iteration in a Hybrid Model must address not only task completion for newly defined functions and features, but also further solution definition through function and feature discovery.

 Wysocki Feb25 2

Figure 2: A Robust Hybrid Project Management Model 

Ideation Phase

The Ideation Phase of the Hybrid PMLC Model is a high-level activity because not much is known about the solution. For the Hybrid PMLC Model, the Ideation activities merely set the boundaries and the high-level parameters that will be the foundation on which you proceed to learn and discover. The Ideation Phase answers the following questions:

  1. What business situation is being addressed by this project?
  2. What does the business need to do?
  3. What are you proposing to do?
  4. How will you do it?
  5. How will you know you did it?

Set-up Phase

At this point in the Hybrid PMLC Model, planning is done in general for the entire project and in detail for the first or next iteration. That planning is based on:

  • any changes to the project or its performance
  • the current environment in which the project is being conducted
  • competitor changes, emerging technologies, new products/services, shifts in demand

High-level planning might be part of the Ideation Phase. Based on the known functionality and features that will be built in the coming cycle, a detailed plan is developed. This plan utilizes all of the vetted tools, templates, and processes defined by the organization.

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Execution Phase

The Execution Phase will often include establishing team operating rules, the decision-making process, conflict management, team meetings, and a problem-solving approach.
During project execution there will be some oversight monitoring and controlling functions pertaining to the current iteration. A cumulative history of project performance metrics should also be maintained. These metrics should inform the project team about the rate at which convergence to an acceptable solution is occurring. Frequency of changes, severity of change, and similar metrics can help. As part of that control function, the team collects whatever learning and discovery took place and records it. All change requests go are also retained for later processing.
At the close of the project lessons learned, validation of success criteria, installation of deliverables and a post-project audit will occur.

The Hybrid Project Manager

The HPMgr will encounter project management situations where some type of hybrid approach will be needed. They have two options: adapt an existing PMLC model to the specific needs of the project or create a unique management approach using the tools, templates and processes that they are familiar with or have used before.
Business units will often use OPMs in standardized repeatable projects that fall in the traditional project quadrant. From past projects the OPM will have acquired the necessary skills to manage these projects. But your business unit will also have projects that fall in the complex project quadrants, and for these a CPM may be required. Except for large organizations the CPM cadre may be aligned with a Project Support Office (PSO) and be available for assignment to projects.
To a certain extent, your business unit’s project portfolio will be constrained by the mix of OPMs and CPMs. For many, that cadre may only contain a few OPMs. Future project prospects determine current professional development decisions. Your business unit manager will want to keep the OPM cadre aligned with the current and future project portfolio demands they expect for their business unit.
As an OPM you may not have a choice as to the type of OPM you want to be. Your job requirements will dictate the type of OPM you have to be. In a small business unit there may only be one position that includes project management responsibilities. Whoever occupies that position will have to develop the necessary OPM skills. In assigning an OPM to a project, the business unit manager may not give much consideration to the cadre of OPMs and CPMs they manage. If it is a project needing a manager and you are an OPM. End of decision!

Following and Creating Recipes

So, with all of that in mind, would you rather follow a recipe or know how to develop a recipe? According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, a chef is “the head of the kitchen; a cook who is in charge of the kitchen, as in a restaurant; is a head cook.” Conversely, a cook is a person who prepares food for eating. These definitions give us “food for thought.”
The OPM cook will need to lead the project and often a small project team. However, the OPM cook may not yet have the experience and knowledge to teach, model the correct behavior, and understand reality. These skills are things that are acquired over time. Typically, there is no substitution for time and tenure. However, we want to provide a framework from which the OPM cook can accelerate the learning curve to a level of leadership that allows them to surge forth as OPM chefs possessing the ability to manage change and lead through adversity in an agile manner.
To a certain extent an OPM chef is a mentor to an OPM cook. The OPM chefs, albeit, more experienced, still need a framework from which to apply their experiences and knowledge in a standardized manner that allows for change. The tools, templates and processes within the OPM framework will provide the standard for both the OPM cook and the OPM chef while still allowing for the ever-changing landscape of the OPM project.
Now let’s explore further this idea of the creation of recipes or the following of recipes. Webster’s defines a recipe as a list of materials or directions for preparing “a dish or drink”; any procedure for accomplishing something.
As an “at home” cook myself, I need that “list of materials or directions” and the procedure for assembling the same. But there is something else I need. What do I do when I am in the middle of the recipe and I discover that I do not have any baking soda? Can I substitute baking powder? Having tried this, I know the outcome is not the same. I lack the experience to know if I can make a substitute, or do I have to put my project on-hold and make a run for the missing material.

Characteristics of the Hybrid Project Manager

Yet despite the fact that the number of OPMs far exceeds the number of CPMs, their needs have been almost totally neglected. This is not acceptable, because as a group of professionals, their contribution to business and organizational projects is immeasurable. Most small-to-medium-sized businesses and organizations do not have the budget to support a cadre of CPMs and therefore leverage the OPM to accomplish a variety of projects and initiatives.

What Does a Hybrid Project Manager Want?

An HPMgr wants to use a “path unencumbered by fixed processes” and under their complete control. They avoid nonvalue-added work and by nature are “lean practitioners”” whether they know it or not. However, without some structured guidance their “lean practices” might unknowingly put them and their business unit in harm’s way. Their project management processes are not fixed but are adapted by them to the nature of the project at hand. Convention and established practices are of little importance. What is important is to complete their project to the satisfaction of the project sponsor, usually management. Ideally their project management environment is characterized by the following 12 general parameters:

  • A Portfolio of Intuitive Tools, Templates and Processes
  • Minimal Documentation and Reporting
  • Minimal Nonvalue-Added Work and Waste Avoidance
  • A Lean Systems Perspective
  • Flexibility and Adaptability of Tools, Templates and Processes to Meet Project Needs
  • An Operational Understanding of Traditional, Agile and Extreme Project Management Processes
  • Available Coaches, Consultants and Mentors as Required and When Requested
  • A Supportive PSO not a Compliance Monitoring PMO
  • Meaningful Stakeholder Involvement
  • A Collaborative Engagement with Subject Matter Experts
  • A Partnership with the Business Analyst
  • Risk Assessment and Mitigation Strategies

NOTES

Mark Mulally, 2017. All is not the same in the World of Project Management, ProjectManagement.com,

Wysocki, Robert K., 2010. Adaptive Project Framework: Managing Complexity in the Face of Uncertainty, John Wiley & Sons.

OUTSIDE THE BOX Forum: A Hyper-Performance End State

Written by Robert Wysocki on . Posted in Articles. 5 Comments on OUTSIDE THE BOX Forum: A Hyper-Performance End State

A hyper-performance end state is an end state that can be visualized but probably never attained.

It is an ideal state. But it can be worked towards. It has four components:

  • A Hybrid Project Management Framework. This is a three-phase framework including Ideation, Set-Up and Execution Phases. It includes a feedback loop from the Client Checkpoint Step at the end of each cycle during Execution that goes back to the Set-Up Phase to review progress against plan and decide if the HPM Framework needs to be reinstituted for further revision. The Framework present unique PMLC Models for every project. That suggests that a continuous process improvement program should be implemented along with every project.
  • An Enterprise-wide Project Support Office (PSO). The PSO is the bedrock of a hyper-performance project management environment. The PSO is supportive whereas the PMO will have been more focused on compliance enforcement. The PMO is the first attempt at an office to establish standards and an enforcement process to assure standards compliance. Support to meeting these and other project needs was added later. The PSO is a new office. Its focus is support as requested by project teams and their managers. It aligns to the standards for support but not compliance.
  • A Complex Project Management Position Family. The project management position family defines the staffing resource for projects. A Project Management Position Family is needed across all positions involved with projects. The range is from task member to project director level. It includes non-professional position, professional positions, managerial positions, consultant positions, and executive level positions.
  • A Career & Professional Development Program. Achieving a hyper-performance project management environment requires not only an appropriately skilled cadre of project managers but also one that aligns with the long-term demand for such skilled personnel. These personnel are developed in-house rather than hired from the outside. Long term projections of inventories of staffing numbers can be calculated for planning projects, programs, and portfolios staffing requirements.

We will discuss each of these in detail in the following four articles. This article introduces the end state. A hyper-performance end state is an ideal environment but a goal worth working towards. It may never be realized but that doesn’t change its desirability as a valid goal. This article is a five-part article which describes the hyper-performance end state and the four components that define it. It is well worth the effort to read what it looks like and to consider implementing one.

Introduction to a Hyper-Performance End State

Implementing a hyper-performance environment and culture in an organization is not a plug-and-play exercise. The conditions can be implemented but the result is not guaranteed. It is not only subjective but is also a characteristic of an individual project rather than an environmental feature. Implementing an HPM Framework with a hyper-performance configuration can range from a non-event to a major cultural upheaval often burdened by several obstacles and resistances. It all depends on the current state of project management processes and practices in your organization, how risk-averse and change-averse a culture is in place, and what vision is held of the end state of project management. Before you jump into the fray with a textbook version of a plan you need to understand and appreciate these complicating factors.
In this article we will help you explore the realities of implementing an HPM Framework and offer a practical implementation plan for your use. In this article we build a model and a portfolio of tools, templates and processes for the successful management of complex projects and the delivery of business value. In effect we will build a plan for transforming your organization into this reality.
The HPM Framework is the operating project management process for a hyper-performance end state. It is a robust framework that can be adapted to any project. That adaptation occurs in three stages. The First Stage is an Ideation Phase to define the end state. The Second Stage is a Set-Up Phase to design a PMLC specific to the unique needs of the project. The Third Stage is an Execution Phase. It is quite similar to the execution phase of a TPM with one exception. That is the inclusion of a Client Checkpoint that occurs as the final task in a cycle. It may refer you back to the Set-Up Phase for adjustment of the PMLC Model for the future cycles.

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OVERVIEW

Recognize that hyper-performance is more attitudinal and behavioral than a condition that exists or state of being that has been put in place.

Understand that the organization can only set the conditions that support hyper-performance and then let what happens happen.

This article presents a deliberate process for migrating from whatever is the current project management framework in your organization to a desired end state for managing complex projects. The transition process is not a fixed recipe but rather is unique to every organization but always includes the following steps:

  1. Understanding the current state of project management processes and practices
  2. Envisioning the desired end state for project management processes and practices
  3. Formulating the transition plan to move the organization from its current state to its desired end state
    1. Define the organization’s ECPM Framework
    2. Establish a continuous process improvement program
    3. Plan the transition
    4. Implement the transition

The first two steps are data collection and definition steps. These steps define the “as is” and “to be” states. The hinge pin is the third step – the “how to step” which is an outline of a comprehensive plan for establishing a hyper-performance environment for project management. Every organization will have to complete these steps specific to their organization and make this transition sooner or later. Some have already done so, but many are mired in the confusion and need outside help. For those with a long history of practicing traditional TPM, evolving to an APM and xPM environment will probably seem chaotic and uncontrolled. The complex project mindset is very different than the traditional mindset and some project management practices will have to be relearned. Other practices will have to be learned for the first time. For those who are new to project management, they have an opportunity to form robust practices right from the get go. Whichever situation you find yourself in, the transition will be a daunting one, and its impact on the organization will be significant.

Every ECPM instantiation and implementation is a unique journey.

The desired end state project management environment must be a robust environment. It must include a vetted portfolio of tools, templates, and processes to support every type of project the organization can expect to encounter. That includes the TPM processes that might be in current use. Your TPM processes and practices will probably remain intact. So the transition adds or refines project management methodologies rather than replacing them. The transition also includes new processes that integrate all of the project management methodologies that result from the transition. The robustness of the final project management environment comes from the fact that the specific project management approach you use for a given project is derived from the project characteristics itself rather than any preordained “management recipe.” Project management is reduced to “organized common sense” rather than to pre-specified recipes. In other words, just as projects are unique, so is the best-fit management process for each of those projects. While all of this may sound like a lofty goal, such an environment can exist and must exist. It is the gateway to a hyper-performance environment. We have had the opportunity to work with several clients to help them create their robust environments. On balance ECPM works and it has proven that it works.
Given that projects are rapidly evolving to a state characterized by increasing complexity and uncertainty, project management processes and practices must also evolve to remain effective in that evolved state. If this is obvious to your organization and it has decided to make the transition, I congratulate you for that decision. You have made a courageous step in the right direction. But also understand that, even if done correctly, the transition will be anything but easy. It will require a new mindset about project planning and management, the nature of projects, and how to achieve the expected business value that justified doing the project in the first place. This chapter explores the best strategy I can offer for making that transition. The strategy is a cautious strategy one that is based on deliberate planning and execution. Above all else, this strategy minimizes the risk and disruptive nature of the pending organizational changes as much as possible. The velocity and extent of change is driven by the organization’s culture rather than by any timed schedule of events. That is important to every transition to an ECPM Framework. In the end, the transition must be an evolutionary transition and a good fit culturally.

WHAT IS A HYPER-PERFORMANCE END STATE?

A hyper-performance end state is one whose performance exceeds all levels one would expect of an end state. It rarely has occurred. In fact, it is a performance goal that can only be worked towards but never reached. There is only one enabler of hyper-performance – a continuous process improvement program. And the metrics that measure that progress are performance and business value based. We have anchored that performance in the Declaration of Interdependence (DOI) and the IRACIS.

The execution of that continuous process improvement program falls entirely within the scope of responsibility of the Project Support Office (PSO). Its goal is that hyper-performance and should be the sole measure of its effectiveness.