Tag: Career

How do you know if you are the type of person who should be a project manager? Are you a reactive, fly-by-night, last minute, kind of disorganized person? Or do you obsess with upcoming deadlines, keep a to-do list, get your stuff done ahead of time kind of person? Do you even know?

I have always considered myself as a somewhat disorganized, last minute approach, somewhat lazy kind of person. But I have been told that I am not, so maybe that just shows how bad we are at judging ourselves. And when I look at the facts, they seem to disprove my own opinion. Here I am, three weeks before this blog is due, sitting at 10 pm in the evening trying to get a head start. Why? Because I am going on a two-week vacation and I don’t want to think about work then.

Does that make me a good project manager? Not sure. There are a lot of other factors involved, but I think it shows that I am a risk averse PM. And while that does not guarantee success, I do think that it helps. I tend to review my main commitments on a regular basis and see if there is something that will cause me to miss them. If I feel I have plenty of time, I will tend to procrastinate and do nothing (other than maybe play guitar and read crime novels). So, with my own schedules I tend to use the Finish-Finish approach. What does that mean? That I start things as late as possible while still being fairly sure I can complete them. And I do think that is a good approach?

If you start things too early you run the risk of things changing on you. Resources, customer, scope, or a number of other things. If you start too late, you tend to end late and miss out on that gigantic bonus (or set of movie tickets depending on who you work for).

So I like to plan for things, but also to keep a reactive mindset and change the plans as the circumstances warrant. A finish-to-finish plan depends on that. If you want to start activities as late as possible you must be quick to react to changes in the environment. And adjust. So… with three weeks to go I would normally watch TV and have a beer now. But with a looming vacation in Sweden and not wanting to spend any time thinking about project management then, I adjust my plan and finish it early.

Of course… I could have just blown off the whole thing. I don’t think there is a large group of readers who would have become despondent. But my ego does not allow that. I want to be in print. And ego is another important trait of a good PM.

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There are so many high quality people in the job search process todays – after all, unemployment rates continue to increase, even though at a slower rate. Tell this “comforting” statistic to the exasperated job seeker. For example, California’s unemployment is 12.2%.

It is obvious that traditional job search methods no longer work. Instead, it is essential to stand out in the crowd (and the crowd is quite a crowd these days!). In talking with a former colleague and supply chain expert earlier today, I discovered that she has achieved significantly more success since adopting project management principles in her job search process. These principles have resulted in higher response rates, increased interviews and follow-up calls. Now, this can be a comforting result.

So, what are the keys to success in transforming your current job search process into a project management approach?

1. First, remember, just like with project management success, relationships are the key to job search success. By the time a job shows up on one of the various job websites, it is often too late. Instead, you need to find out about the potential job through your network. There is no greater critical priority than nurturing your relationships and providing value. Do NOT expect to receive value; instead continually think of ways to provide value. This is identical to the first principle to the best project management successes I’ve seen throughout my career – start with the people. For example, in one client project, we reduced inventory levels by 40% through a combination of 70% people/ 30% process. Also, remember to expand your network – consider recruiters, Linked In contacts, equity groups, attorneys, etc. Sticking to one is no longer sufficient. You need to have a well-nurtured and expansive network. It is amazing what can be achieved when your first thought are your relationships.
2. Develop a simple task list and timeline. Similar to a project timeline, develop a simple task list and timeline for your job search. Don’t become bogged down in complexity, software options etc. Instead, ensure you have thought through all your tasks, dependencies, and time commitments. For example, include all the database searches you perform on a daily or weekly basis, include the time required for company research and/or key contact research, include calls and meetings with your network, include follow-up calls, etc. The more you are able to clearly define the tasks, task dependencies and time requirements, the better equipped you’ll be with a plan to assist in achieving results.
3. Prioritize: My former colleague and friend originally thought the process would take four hours a day maximum – after all, it doesn’t seem too complex or time consuming. Until the first week…….then it became apparent that it is more than a full time job – just without pay! Thus, it is essential to prioritize. In today’s world, there are 100+ applicants for a particular job. Therefore, if you are # 101 to submit, you are out of luck in many cases, as companies have to cut it off somewhere. And, if you have a potential of 10 hours of job searching per day to achieve in an eight hour day, it is critical to prioritize the jobs and activities most critical to your desired end result. Again, this is no different from project management – priorities often times are clarified through the critical path. In my experience, if you are focused on the critical path, you have achieved the 80% of the 80/20.
4. Follow-up: Imagine if a company receives 200 resumes and applications for one job. Without follow-up, you will have submitted the application in vain. Again, similar to project management, use absolute focus on the top priorities and the critical path, and use rigorous follow-up. Also, do not rely solely on email. Multiple forms of communication are required in today’s environment.
5. Track progress with a continuous improvement philosophy: After 100 applications, it can get quite confusing which job is which, which key contact is which, who you talked with when, etc. Therefore, it is not only essential to track progress so that you know where you are in the process and can adjust accordingly, it is also essential to track progress and take notes of conversations, email follow-up, etc. Constantly look for areas of opportunity and continually adjust and improve. Remember, to stand out in the crowd, you must be on top of your game.

It is a bit out-of-the-box; however, why create entirely new processes to succeed in the job search process? Instead, leverage existing, proven project management methods for success.

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‘Progress isn’t made by early risers. It’s made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.’ Robert Heinlein (1907 – 1988)

The latest Standish Group report shows more projects failing and fewer successful projects.

‘This year’s results show a marked decrease in project success rates, with 32% of all projects succeeding which are delivered on time, on budget, with required features and functions’ says Jim Johnson, chairman of The Standish Group, ‘44% were challenged which are late, over budget, and/or with less than the required features and functions and 24% failed which are cancelled prior to completion or delivered and never used.’

So what is going wrong out there? Why are your projects being challenged in this way? Are your project managers perhaps working too hard to be successful for you?

The Challenge

The whole world is challenged, that’s for sure!

On one hand, we face the Global Recession, with all the impact this is having on people and business. On the other hand, we are a dynamic, resourceful and ever evolving world that demands change as part of its survival. Change demands projects and projects demand project managers.

W have a history littered with significant project failure, although there have been spectacular successes as well The Standish Report 2009 clearly shows that history may well be repeated in many cases.

Now it is even more critical to succeed, and succeed with a higher level of certainty than in the past. Future projects, as well as those underway now, will be expected to deliver higher business impact, and they will be under closer scrutiny and greater pressure from senior management

And guess who will be the one under the most pressure! You, and the project managers in your organisation. You need the best project managers you can find and you need these project managers to work in the most effective way possible.

Enter the World of ‘Productive Laziness’

So how can you ensure that your project managers work in the most effective way to deliver successful projects?

We all know about the 80/20 rule, let’s start there.

The Pareto Principle (also known as the 80/20 rule) states that for many phenomena, 80% of consequences stem from 20% of the causes. The idea has rule-of-thumb application in many places, but it’s also commonly misused. For example, it is a misuse to state that a solution to a problem ‘fits the 80-20 rule’ just because it fits 80% of the cases. The implication is that this solution requires only 20% of the resources needed to solve all cases.

The principle was in fact suggested by management thinker Joseph M. Juran and was named after the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed that 80% of property in Italy was owned by 20% of the Italian population. The assumption is that most of the results in any situation are determined by a small number of causes.

So ‘20% of clients may be responsible for 80% of sales volume’. This can be measured, is likely to be roughly right, and can be helpful in future decision making. The Pareto Principle also applies to a variety of more mundane matters. One might guess that we wear our 20% most favoured clothes about 80% of the time. Perhaps we spend 80% of the time with 20% of our acquaintances, and so on.

The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, can and should be used by every smart but lazy person in their daily life. The value of the Pareto Principle for a project manager is that it reminds you to focus on the 20% that matters.

Woody Allen once said ‘80% of success is showing up.’ I’m not so sure about that. I have seen projects where there was a project manager around, but you would never have believed that from the project’s progress, or lack of progress.

It is better to recognize that only 20% of the things people do during their working day really matter. Those 20% produce 80% of the results.

So, you should get your project managers to both identify and focus on that 20% during their working day and drop the other 80%. This is the first step to becoming even more effective – less is definitely more. Make them into Lazy Project Managers, avoiding working long hours on tasks that don’t matter, but doing a more productive job on those that do matter.

Science Behind the Laziness

It’s no good just being lazy; you have to be better than lazy, you have to be lazy in a very smart way.

Productive laziness is not just about being lazy, it requires something more and that is a powerful and magical combination of laziness and intelligence. Smart lazy people have a real edge over others in society and are most suited to leadership roles in organizations.

This theory has existed for many years and applied in a number of interesting ways. One of the most famous of these was in the Prussian Army.

Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke (1800 – 1891) was a German Generalfeldmarschall. The chief of staff of the Prussian Army for thirty years, he is widely regarded as one of the great strategists of the latter half of the 1800s, and the creator of a new, more modern method, of directing armies in the field.

Moltke had a particular insight and approach to categorising his officer corps, something which lives on to this day within many armed forces, and something which can apply to all forms of leadership.

If you consider the two ranges of individual characteristics, those that go from diligent through to lazy, and those that go from non-smart through to smart (yes, I am being politically correct here) then you end up with the four character types in the diagram above.

General von Moltke divided his officer corps into these four distinct types, depending on their mental and physical characteristics. He ended up with (and he never had to be politically correct being born in the 19^th century and being chief of the Prussian army) type A: mentally dull and physically lazy, type B: mentally bright and physically energetic, type C: mentally dull and physically energetic, and type D: mentally bright and physically lazy.

Type A officers, who were mentally dull and physically lazy, were given simple, repetitive, and unchallenging tasks to perform. They had reached their career peak in the army. That said, if you left them alone then they might just come up with a good idea one day, if not then they won’t cause you any problems either.

Type B officers, who were mentally bright and physically energetic, were considered to be obsessed with micromanagement and would, as a result, be poor leaders. Promotion was possible over a period of time but not to the status of commanding officer of the German General Staff. These officers were best at making sure orders were carried out and at thoughtfully addressing all the detail.

Type C officers, who were mentally dull but physically energetic were considered to be somewhat dangerous. To Moltke, they were officers who would require constant supervision, which was an unacceptable overhead and distraction. Because they might potentially create problems faster than could be managed, these officers were considered too much trouble and were dismissed. No career there then!

Which brings us to type D officers; these were the mentally bright and yet physically lazy officers who Moltke felt could and should take the highest levels of command. This type of officer was both smart enough to see what needed to be done but was also motivated by inherent laziness to find the easiest, simplest way to get it done. Put in a more positive way, they would know how to succeed through the most efficient deployment of effort.

So, smart lazy people have a real edge over others and are most suited to leadership roles in organizations. Being a ‘Lazy’ Project Manager is all about applying these principles in the delivery and management of projects. It is assumed that your project managers are not stupid, so they are already on the right hand side of the diagram. What you now need to do is hone their lazy skills in order to rise to the top right hand side of the diagram. Do this and not only will your projects be more successful, you and your project managers will also be seen as successful and top candidates for future leadership roles.

‘Whenever there is a hard job to be done I assign it to a lazy man; he is sure to find an easy way of doing it.’ – Walter Chrysler

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Peter Taylor, despite his title of ‘The Lazy Project Manager,’ is in fact a dynamic and commercially astute professional who has achieved notable success in project management, program management and the professional development of project managers: currently as head of a PMO at Siemens PLM Software, a global supplier of product lifecycle management solutions. He is an accomplished communicator and leader; always adopting a proactive and business-focused approach and is a professional speaker for City Speakers International. He is also the author of ‘The Lazy Project Manager’ book (Infinite Ideas 2009) – for more information see www.thelazyprojectmanager.com . You can also subscribe to a series of free audio podcasts on iTunes (The Lazy Project Manager).

For millions of technical professionals, unemployment can present some frightening realities. But it can also present valuable opportunities, if you know where to look.

ESI International’s Stand Out Scholarship is making a half million dollars in career development learning funds available for out of work project managers, business analysts and general business professionals.

“We feel strongly about supporting our colleagues in the project management and business analysis communities who are unemployed and are competing in a volatile job market. By making learning programs more accessible for those who can especially benefit from them now, we have a unique opportunity to turn a negative into something very positive,” says ESI International President & CEO, John Elsey.

ESI’s SOS tuition assistance can make it easier for you to enhance project management and business analysis skills and build a more competitive resume that stands out from the crowd. ESI courses available through the scholarship program are offered across the United States. Curriculum paths include:

• Project Management
• Program Management
• Business Analysis

Candidates accepted for the Stand Out Scholarship from ESI may apply and receive tuition assistance for up to three courses, including those applicable toward an ESI Associate’s Certificate or ESI Master’s Certificate. Awards will cover the majority of ESI’s tuition for approved Project Management, Program Management and Business Analysis courses. The scholarship program runs through December 31, 2009, or until the full $500,000 is awarded. Read more about Stand Out Scholarship eligibility requirements below and contact ESI with any questions you have about the program or application.

Download scholarship application

Eligibility and Program Highlights

• The $500,000 scholarship fund will be available until the earlier of December 31, 2009 or such time that the scholarship fund is discontinued by ESI International.
• Applicants must be either a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and be currently unemployed and show acceptable proof of unemployment (notification of eligibility from your unemployment office, letter from previous employer, copy of unemployment check(s) and/or benefits).
• Applicants can apply for and be awarded scholarships for up to three courses, enabling students to earn an Associate’s Certificate to add to their resume.
• Applicants are responsible for paying the difference between the full tuition price in effect at the time the session begins and the amount of the scholarship award. This difference is currently $250.
• Scholarships are granted toward tuition only. In the event that the applicant chooses to travel, any travel and miscellaneous expenses will be the responsibility of the recipient.
• Interested individuals must complete and submit an application in order to be eligible for a scholarship.
• The scholarship can only be applied to training in Project/Program Management (PMC) and Business Analysis (BAP) courses (i.e. public classroom, e-Training or virtual classroom).

Arlington, VA – For busy project managers and business analysts, looking up key terms, phrases and acronyms quickly and easily, just became easier. ESI International has announced the launch of a free Online Glossary. Using as a base the successful Dictionary of Project Management Terms by J. LeRoy Ward, PMP, PgMP, Executive Vice President at ESI International, this online reference tool makes the popular book’s definitions of more than 3,400 terms available from any web-enabled device.

“LeRoy Ward proves himself to be the Noah Webster of project management,” stated Carl Pritchard, PMP, EVP, Principal, Pritchard Management Associates in Frederick , Md. , and a world-renowned author and consultant in project management. “He provides a comprehensive, clear, incisive assessment of the body of terms in project management, rich with both technical and idiomatic terms.”

The online glossary covers traditional project management terms, acronyms and organizations, as well as broader business terms. Later this year, ESI will expand the tool to include business analysis terms for both requirements development and management as well as project management professionals.

With this free tool, seasoned practitioners and managers, as well as their successors, will be better equipped to navigate the ubiquitous language of project-speak. “The larger the field, the more terms are needed to operate within it,” said Ward. “Adding an online element for PM and BA terms was a natural extension for speed, convenience and ongoing relevance.”

The Online Glossary can be accessed free at www.esi-intl.com/glossary.

05/09