Tag: Program Management

5 Tips to Find and Develop Your Leadership Voice

Written by Frank Hamilton on July 29, 2019. Posted in Articles. 4 Comments on 5 Tips to Find and Develop Your Leadership Voice

You might be surprised how much a single person can influence the overall image of a whole corporation.

Look at the powerhouses of each big company: Steve Jobs and Apple, Stan Lee and Marvel, Bill Gates and Microsoft, Elon Musk and SpaceX. Every time any of them did anything, it would influence the way people viewed the company these people stood or still stand at the head of.

This is exactly why it is so important to develop a unique leadership voice and stand by it. The way you hold yourself will influence the well-being of your company. But it’s not always easy to understand what makes you special and how you can use it to attract people to your business. Here are five tips on how to find and develop your leadership voice.

1. Identify Your Leadership Voice

The first thing you have to ask yourself is: What is my leadership voice?

It sounds easy and quite plain, but that question is the equivalent of “Who do you want to be when you grow up?” The only exception is that you ask it when you are already grown up.

Media has been covering the various stereotypes about being a leader. Some show corporate leaders as heartless beings, while others seem to just be jerks. In terms of female stereotypes about leadership, women are supposed to be stern, cold, and virtually unreachable, neither by her colleagues nor by potential suitors.

However, these required characteristics for being a leader seem to be changing with time. Nowadays, leaders are often the ones who joke a lot and try to keep an upbeat atmosphere in the team. If you want to know more about becoming a leader in our modern age, be sure to read this article about 5 Secrets to Leadership Success in the Age of Digital Disruption.

So, who do you want to be: a cold-blooded businessman or a down-to-earth boss? It’s really up to you to decide, but you should keep in mind that this decision will ultimately influence all of your choices in the future.

2. Select People Who You Admire

The next step is perhaps one of the most entertaining ones. Once you have a general idea of what kind of leadership voice you want to have, you need to find examples of this very leadership voice.

One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t necessarily need to have only one role model. In fact, the opposite is true. By selecting different people who you admire, you will then be able to model your own leadership style around their best traits. You might have only two or three idols, but the list can go on to dozens.

To find the people you admire, look in different places. These can be industry professionals, celebrities, businessmen, or even your own friends and family. A lot of people admire and look up to their parents.

Once you’ve selected these people, investigate and try to pinpoint what makes them who they are. Detect their leadership voices and understand how they created them. Try to read or watch their interviews, read their writing, and even talk to them if you have the chance.

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3. Write Down Appealing Characteristics

After carefully analyzing the people you admire, take a piece of paper and write down their characteristics that appeal to you. These can be as small as their habit of jogging in the morning or as large as their philanthropy.

As identified in the article How to Develop These 7 Leadership Skills, there are seven key leadership skills that you will absolutely need:

Communication: Communication is an integral part of almost any position, but it is vital to succeeding as a leader. Proper communication can go a long way, so you must make sure that your communication skills are topnotch. Listening to what your colleagues are saying is important, but getting information across to them is too.
Mentorship: A great leader often plays the role of a mentor for his subordinates. Remember that by leading your company, you set an example to others who strive to achieve the same things you did. But being an example is not enough. In addition to that, make sure to provide your mentees with the information and knowledge they will find helpful. Tell them about your mistakes and let them learn from them.
Humility: One of the key elements of appearing human is admitting your mistakes when you make them. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge the fact that you are wrong as it will show your colleagues that you are willing to take responsibility for your actions.
Delegation: Leaders are there not only to inspire others to do things but also to assign these things to each separate member. By delegating the various tasks to others, you show that you are able to see a bigger picture and make everyone work as a team.
Problem Solving: Directly related to delegation is the leader’s ability to solve problems. There will be many times when you have to find a way out of a complicated situation, but you must not panic. Instead, use your problem-solving skills to find a solution.
Goal-Oriented: Being goal-oriented means not only having a concrete aim but also giving a purpose to your team members. A good leader will know what he wants to see in the future and will motivate others to work hard to achieve this.
Innovation: Being a good leader doesn’t mean using the same tricks every time. On the contrary, a good leader is someone who can adapt to the new circumstances, propose innovative ideas, integrate modern technologies, and be an overall progressive person.

4. Find Natural Strength In Yourself

By this point, you are probably exhausted and thinking of how you will be able to manage all of these aspects of your leadership voice. And so, this is the time to review everything you’ve written by this point and ask yourself whether you really need everything.

Obviously, pretending to be someone you are not is complete nonsense and will only make you unhappy. However, you can be a better version of yourself rather than someone else completely. By improving your good qualities, you will be able to become the best version of yourself you could ever be.

Try to find that inner natural strength. Think of what you have in common with those traits you wrote down. Then, set a goal for yourself on what sides you’d like to improve.

5. Test Your Leadership Voice

Now that you know who you want to be, it is time to train yourself and become this someone. Practice and get better at all of the traits you want to possess. Try out these 5 Weekly Self-Assessment Tips to Improve Your Leadership Skills.

Once you feel like you’ve improved, test your leadership voice in low-risk situations. For example, you can organize something with your friends or family. Don’t go right in and try out your abilities on important business meetings or conferences until you are sure that you are ready to settle with the voice you’ve chosen.

Conclusion

All in all, finding your leadership voice is not as difficult as it seems. Once you know what you who you want to be like and understand your abilities, you will be able to conquer the world with only your charisma and leadership skills (and maybe a little bit of effort and dedication to your work). In any case, don’t be afraid to experiment until you find something for yourself and settle down with it. The more confident you are about what you are doing, the more successful you will be.

Question Everything: Accept and Manage Uncertainty

Written by George Pitagorsky on February 27, 2019. Posted in Articles. 5 Comments on Question Everything: Accept and Manage Uncertainty

“If you think you are certain, rub your eyes.” Rumi

I am reminded that it is easy to be deluded into certainty. Powerful clients and executives may insist upon guarantees. Laws may be passed that mandate deadlines and budget caps.

Aside from change and impermanence what can we be certain of?

Is it certain that a product being developed at a high cost will be profitable or that an expensive vacation will be enjoyable? Can you be certain that a vendor will deliver a quality product that you need to meet your project objectives on time? Can you be certain that your goals are worthy of the effort to be made to achieve them? Can you be certain that you are doing a good job without feedback from others and objective measures of success? Can you be certain that you will still have your job tomorrow or, even, that you will be alive tomorrow?

Yet, we need to set and achieve goals and have a good, solid sense of self-worth and our capacity to play our roles. This is particularly important while playing the role of a project manager who must manage expectations to achieve success.

We can manage the reality of uncertainty by acknowledging that there are degrees of probability and by getting candid feedback from others. We need to become comfortable with uncertainty.

Self Confidence and Being Certain

Not long ago my eight-year-old granddaughter was given the honor of reading her response to a quote from Michelle Obama to the entire school.

Obama wrote “Always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals.”

Granddaughter said, “This quote is important to me because it reminds me to not listen to what other people say about me and believe that I am whatever I want to be and just be myself and what other people say about me are not true.”

The part about not listening to what other people say, struck me as being all too prevalent as an attitude that pervades projects, politics, business and personal life. People fixate on beliefs and are unwilling to test them in the light of objectivity. Their certainty in their belief powers their actions and may help them succeed, but it creates a barrier to going beyond blind belief to test the value of their belief.

There is something to say about listening to what others have to say and seeing if it may be true. Not everyone is always able to objectively see themselves or their work without feedback from others. Robert Burns wrote
“Oh, would some power give us the gift
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us.”

Managing Uncertainty is an Art

Uncertainty is a factor that increases as complexity increases and as there is ambiguity about goals, objectives, roles, responsibilities and the availability of adequate resources. Managing uncertainty is an art that is fundamental to optimal performance.

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Managing Project Plan Uncertainty

Over confidence in project plans and lack of confidence in one’s ability to push back are success factors. Back in June 2017 I wrote that
“As I point out in my book, Managing Expectations: A Mindful Approach to Achieving Success, it is irrational to think that a plan will truly reflect the outcome with 100% accuracy. This is particularly true for complex projects and for plans that are made well in advance of actual performance.

“Managing and performing under uncertain conditions is a challenge. … Some people act as if they think that there is 100% assurance that the planned end date will be met within budget, while producing a quality outcome. Often, they deny the implications of current conditions and stick to the plan, no matter what.”

Is Planning Futile?

There is another paradox. Plans are subject to change, and they are also critical to success. Planning is not futile just because plans are not 100% accurate.

Plans seem to communicate certainty, but they do not determine outcomes. Skillful managers highlight and continue to remind stakeholders that while the plan and the constraints it sets do influence performance, there is uncertainty.

Take the time and effort to open the planning process to input from performers and other stakeholders. Be open to criticism, making sure that the criticism is founded on more than opinion and belief. Regularly assess current conditions and adjust. Mange risk.

Risk and Contingency Plans

Risk management is the principle factor in getting the uncertainty message across. You risk failure if the people who raise questions about potential negative outcomes are eliminated from the planning process and risks are ignored.

Success is measured by the degree to which expectations are satisfied. Acknowledging uncertainty enables the planners to be ready with contingency plans and to effectively manage expectations.

For example, in one project the ability to meet a mandated deadline to change an IT application to reflect newly agreed upon contractual terms was questioned. This questioning was greeted with the realization that a Plan B to address the required change with a manual procedure was required. The work to create the manual work around solution was planned in parallel with the IT development work so it could be ready just in case it was needed. A false sense of certainty based on the belief that IT development deadlines would be met because they were mandated from on-high can lead to great disappointment.

In another example, exterior work on a large building was planned to end in the Spring so that common outdoor space would be available for use during the good weather. The contractor signaled early in February that completion was likely to be in September. Building management had the time to reset residents’ expectations and to negotiate with the contractor to see how the work could be expedited. Had the contractor failed to notify management of the expected delay, perhaps because he was afraid to disturb a false sense of certainty, lateness would not have been averted and there would have been no time to address the issue.

Question Everything

Question your beliefs. As Rumi says, “If you think you are certain, rub your eyes.” Think again, get feedback, test your beliefs. Can they stand up in the face of criticism and questioning? If so, then hold to them. But if they do not hold up to scrutiny, change them.

OUTSIDE THE BOX Forum: A Hyper-Performance End State

Written by Robert Wysocki on February 13, 2019. 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:

Understanding the current state of project management processes and practices
Envisioning the desired end state for project management processes and practices
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.

Strategic Project Selection

Written by Mark Romanelli on February 8, 2019. Posted in Articles. 7 Comments on Strategic Project Selection

As project management professionals, we spend a lot of time sharpening our PM tools and mastering the techniques needed to handle all types of projects.

That same level of structure and consideration can also be applied to selecting projects for organizations. Not every project is a good idea. In the best of cases, we might have several good projects to select from. By applying a structured approach to project selection, project managers can increase the chances of selecting potentially successful projects with the most positive organizational impacts.

The Need for Strategic Project Selection

All organizations operate under limitations. In an ideal situation, organizational leadership could initiate an unlimited number of projects in order to create a multitude of outcome benefits. Unfortunately, resources are limited. Time, financing, human resources, material, and skills are just a few of the top items on a long list of constrained organizational resources. The constraints of the organization force choices in all areas of operation, including project selection. There simply isn’t enough of what is needed to go around and undertake every potential project.

Because of these limitations, project selection needs to be approached in a structured, strategic way. The goal should be to select projects with the most benefit to the organization; the greatest efficiency for the resources used. Exactly what that means will be different for every organization. It may even change depending on a given situation. By having a number of different selection tools and techniques at our disposal, we will be in a better position to select the best projects to undertake.

Seven Techniques for Structured Project Selection

There are lots of ways to decide on which projects to select. Here are seven basic techniques for picking projects to undertake. All of the methods listed here can be used alone, or in combination with other techniques.

Financial Analysis

Sometimes, the decision on which project to select comes down to only one thing – money. When this is the case, projects should be selected based on which option creates the most financial benefit for the organization.

Fortunately, there are several various financial analysis tools that can be used to determine which project provides the most benefit. Two of the most common are Return on Investment (ROI) and Payback Period. ROI is a direct measure of the return of capital produced by a project relative to the amount of capital spent on or invested in a project. ROI is calculated with the following equation:

ROI = (Gain from Investment – Investment Cost) / Investment Cost

The higher the return on investment, the more desirable the project.

The payback period of a project examines how long a project will take in order to recover the amount of capital invested. It asks the question; how long will it take for a project to generate enough income to pay for itself? The simplest calculation for payback period is to divide the amount of capital invested in the project by the amount generated (or saved) by the project per period of time (months, years, etc.). Using payback period, the project with the shortest time to recover invested capital should be selected.

Additional examinations covering a wide range of complexities can be used to select among multiple project options. In the majority of cases, project selection comes down to the idea that projects selected have an opportunity cost. The capital invested in a project could also be invested in other projects. Deciding which opportunity to select, based on financial analysis alone, should provide the best possible outcome based on the specific financial needs and objectives of the organization.

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Strategic Alignment

Projects can be a powerful tool for achieving the strategic objectives of an organization. When an organization has clearly defined strategic objectives, projects should be selected to help further, or deepen, that strategy.

In doing so, projects should be selected based on their ability to support organizational strategy. For example, if an organization has stated their mission is to provide superior customer service, projects that enhance customer service should be designed and selected. If an organization is focused on innovation as a source of competitive advantage, research and development projects might be the best options to pick.

Problem Solving

There are instances in organizations where conditions can be improved or situations resolved through the implementation of particular projects. This is the concept of using projects to solve organizational problems. When this is the case, projects are selected to remove hindrance and impediments to smooth, efficient, organizational operations.

Taking Advantage of Opportunities

Smart managers are always on the lookout for new opportunities to take advantage of. Opportunities can be identified to further a number of different organizational goals, from increasing profits to entering new markets or developing new products and services. But identified opportunities rarely take advantage of themselves. In many cases, projects can be designed, selected, and implemented specifically to take advantage of opportunities identified by organizational leadership.

Fulfilling Requirements

In a dynamic business environment, the one constant is change. Industry, regulatory, and market conditions often create changing requirements. When this is the case, new organizational projects are sometimes the best way to go about fulfilling new requirements.

A recent example was the implementation of the European data protection laws (GDPR) that went into effect in 2018. In order to achieve compliance, organizations had to undertake projects of all types, such as enacting data security procedures and planning employee training sessions.

Time Frame

If deciding ‘what’ is a question of ‘when’, then the time frame for a project should be the main point of consideration in selection. This can be considered in two ways; time of implementation and total project life cycle time.

Time of implementation looks at when significant portions of the project are to be implemented. For example, are the organizational resources required for a project available when the project is planned for. Feasibility is another consideration; a local sports organization in Austria would be better off implementing a project to plan a triathlon to take place in summer, rather than in winter.

Total project life cycle time considers the total time of the project from selection and initiation to final closing and shut-down. This type of time frame is considered if there is a limited period of time available for the undertaking of a project.

Weighted Scoring Model (Decision Matrix)

Weighted scoring models are useful when the decision on project selection comes down to not one, but several factors. In this case, a weighted scoring model (AKA Decision Matrix) can be the best tool to examine, rate, and select among multiple options.

A weighted scoring model is developed by determining which factors are important to an organization in project selection. Those factors are then assigned a relative level of importance or value (weight). Then, the factors are examined and rated for each available project option under consideration, with the rating multiplied by the relative weight of the factor. The project with the highest total score is the one selected. The illustration below provides an example.

As project managers, it’s not always the case that we are able to select our own projects to work on. But when we can, either in the capacity of project managers or business leaders, the strategic selection of projects can be an important tool to further the success of all types of organizations. This is especially true as the trend continues in the direction of projectized models of organizational operations.

No list of selection methods can be complete or all-inclusive; not even a single best method exists. Still, the seven methods listed here provide a good start. Even when conditions and demands are different for various organizations, project selection should be done with the same level of consideration that goes into managing them.

Top 5 Myths in Project Management

Written by Bola Adesope on December 20, 2017. Posted in Articles. 4 Comments on Top 5 Myths in Project Management

You don’t know what you don’t know”. I have often heard many people ranging from top executives, business managers to the guy at the lowest cadre say different things about project management.

Some of the times, I have been at the center of those discussions. There are two major reasons for these submissions. Either ignorance or wickedness, with huge data supporting the former. To this end, I have compiled, in my opinion, the top 5 Myths in Project Management

Myth no 1: ANYBODY, JUST ANYBODY, CAN MANAGE PROJECTS

There is a disturbing statistic that underscores this myth. You often find managers and top executives arbitrarily assign the role of a Project Manager to just anybody in an organization. The belief is, there is really nothing technical in Project Management. To disprove this myth, let us first look at what Project Management is. According to PMI, arguably the most respected and universally accepted authority is the field, as documented in the PMBoK Guide, Project Management is the application of Skills, knowledge, tools, techniques to project activities to deliver the objective of the project or meet the project requirements. Putting that in perspective, to be able to manage projects, an underlining requirement is that one must possess the skills, knowledge, tools, and techniques for managing projects, and a second requirement is the application of those skills, knowledge, tools, and techniques. Remember a fool with a tool is still a FOOL. If you are not trained in project management, if you do not have the knowledge, skills, if you can’t use the tools and techniques, you have no business managing projects. In fact, the word Project Manager is the most abused lately

Myth #2: A PROJECT MANAGER MUST BE A TECHNICAL PERSON or an SME

Very few topics stir argument every time I facilitate training or Speak at conferences on Project Management. One constant trigger is when I say “A Project Manager is not expected to be a Technical Person”. I understand that it does help a great deal if the Project Manager has some knowledge of the technical space in which the project falls into, but this is not a requirement at all. This is why there are SMEs on projects and the project manager constantly meets with and seeks advice from them. Remember the technique called “Expert Judgement?”
Matter of fact, there is the tendency to become too granular in the technicality of a Project if the Project Manager has detailed technical knowledge of the project. Effective Project Management thrives on communication, documentation and interpersonal skills, and these skills are not the forte of technical people.

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Myth ‘#3: DOCUMENTATION IS NOT NECESSARY, OR CAN BE DONE LATER

Unfortunately, this myth comes not only from executives and business managers but also team members. When this category of people fails at the first argument, they tend to shift ground and say Documentation can be done later, but the truth is “LATER NEVER HAPPENS”. Once the final product is approved by the client and signed off, the team is immediately reassigned to another project. The Agile Manifesto, which some have used as the main excuse, never said Documentation is not important. It simply says “working software over comprehensive documentation” and at the end, Agile Manifesto says “while there is value in Comprehensive documentation, we value working software more”. Two points I would like to stress in the manifesto. 1: The manifesto never said documentation, it only says comprehensive documentation and that it very correct. Depending on the nature, size, complexity or the environment of the project, some projects do not require comprehensive documentation but rather minimal documentation. But there must be documentation. 2: The manifesto never said there is no value in comprehensive documentation, it only says there is more value in getting the product out.

Documentation is boring, it is tiring, it is difficult. But just like insurance, it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

So, to correct this myth, understand the documentation requirement of the project and give it the required amount

Myth #4: AGILE METHODOLOGY IS THE BEST.

Often, people ask me which is better between agile and the traditional waterfall. My response has always been, both methodologies have their own strength and weakness. The normal practice has historically been that the client explains what he or she wants and magically disappears till deliverable due date simply because he has other commitment and has employed you as a Project Manager to take care of the attention and other details. Yet this same client wants you to adopt Agile. Interaction and Collaboration between the team and the user community (client) are the backbones of Agile Methodology. Understanding the requirement of the project will determine which methodology to adopt. There is no bad or good methodology. Instead, we have an appropriate and inappropriate methodology.

Myth #5: THE HALLO THEORY

Edwin Thorndike defined Hallo Effect as the cognitive in which an observer’s overall impression of a person, company, brand, or product influences the observer’s feelings and thoughts about that entity’s character or properties. While this has been somewhat valuable to Marketing, adopting such in Project Management, where someone who has done very well in their technical field is assigned to be Project Manager, has been constantly discouraged. This is very common in corporate organizations.

These are the Myths I could come up with. Constant education will help address these myths and correct them.

In your opinion, what are the top myths in Project Management