Tag: Project Management

Best Of: The 10 Most Common Project Management Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Written by David Baker on October 2, 2024. Posted in Articles.

If you find yourself repeatedly failing to meet essential project deadlines or KPI’s, you might be making one, or more, of these very common project management mistakes.

Making an error in the workplace is inevitable. In fact, there’s a high probability many of us have made the same mistakes, and while at the time it can feel like an utter disaster it is the ability to recoup and learn from our failures that ultimately makes us better at our jobs.

Unfortunately, as project managers, even our smallest mistakes can have much larger implications further down the line, sending us over budget and past deadlines. Although each project will have its complex set of issues unique to it alone, across the industry there are some predictable and recurring factors we can address, that often doom a project to failure before it is gotten off the ground.

1. Assigning the Wrong Person to Lead the Project

Too often candidates are determined to lead projects due to factors other than their suitability or experience. Not that a lack of workplace experience cannot be made up of other factors, but taking charge of running a project is a difficult task, and often requires specific experiential skills or knowledge.

While it is true that skilled managers can lead across subject matters, for large scale projects with complex attributes, a greater number of team members, or a targeted technical knowledge requirement, it is much better to source the most experienced leader, rather than just the one who’s available.

Place as large a focus on assigning the correct manager for the job as you usually do to allocate resources, and place a higher priority on choosing a manager whose skill set more closely matches the project requirements.

2. Lack of Communication

Communication is essential in every relationship, but never more so than when between you and your project team. Not communicating properly, or at all, with your team and client, is one of the quickest ways to send your project to the grave.

By creating a culture of open communication, and setting out some simple communication strategies from the outset, such as regular check-ins and deliverable reviews, you and your team will have a clear view on your projects progression, and be able to proactively spot and resolve any issues coming up on the horizon.

Similarly, by engaging better with your team, you can keep your client in the loop with real-time project updates and avoid the awkward due date deliverable talk.

3. Mismanaging Team Members Skillsets

As important as it is to choose the right leader for the project, it is equally as important to choose the right team members and to take the time to understand exactly how their particular skillsets will fit into the larger scope of your project.

An excellent project manager analyses the project needs and utilizes his team in agreement with their strongest attributes.

If you do not have the luxury of handpicking a team to suit the project, then be sure to you sit down with your team before you begin and discuss their experience and competencies. Don’t be afraid to get specific. It is not enough to just know one of your team members has experience in web developing, filter out their specific disciplinary strengths and weaknesses and optimize their workload accordingly.

4. Too Broad a Scope

Anyone who’s been in the business long enough has experienced a project with a scope that appears to increase continually, while the price remains stagnant. Although this kind of scope creep where the project focus changes continuously over the length of the project should be in no way viewed as an inevitable part of the project process.

Scope creep often happens when the real outcome of the project is misunderstood by or is not consistent with the client, management, and the project team. This is why developing a clear scope statement at the outset of your project is so important.

A carefully thought out scope statement should include a clear and firm definition of the project goal, deliverables, what is both “in” and “out” of scope, and project constraints. Simultaneously, you must develop a system of strict, universal and well-documented approval processes so that any subsequent changes to scope, budget, schedule, resources, and risk are vetted and approved.

The scope statement should regularly be referred to for making future project decisions, and outlining a shared understanding of the project, and should never be created in isolation, but instead with the input of your entire team. Not only will they have knowledge, experience and valuable insights, but they will then be more aware of how and when to implement the process throughout the project

While it is true that project scope must have some degree of malleability placing checks and balances against changing any aspect of the scope allows you to make more considered decisions and control of rampant scope creep.

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5. Over-Optimistic Scheduling

The importance of creating a realistic schedule for your team, and the project, cannot be understated.

It is too easy to create an over-optimistic schedule designed to impress the client but is completely infeasible. Not only is the probability of finishing the project with an acceptable, quality product very unlikely, but attempts to meet these dates will cause unnecessary stress for both you and your team, schedules to slip and throw your whole project out of whack.

The project schedule directs the project team on the what and when of their actions. For your client, it projects significant milestones and the due date of key deliverables, as such, it is important that you treat the creation of your schedule as a collaborative effort.

By checking in with your team on project effort and time estimates, and your clients own schedule, you can strike a compromise by which to meet your client’s expectations, and your team has the breathing room to finish the project to a high quality.

6. Lack of Detail in the Project Plan

A project plan is one of the essential elements of a successful project outcome, yet the most misunderstood when it comes to project management.

A project plan does not just mean ‘project timeline.’ While an expected chronology of your project is a major component of your plan, a project plan requires a much deeper level of information regarding all elements necessary to the planning process from the specification of the new project to the budget, schedule, and quality metrics.

When done correctly, a project plan acts your very own route planner. By providing insufficient detail in your project plan, you are not only opening your team for confusion about the full requirements of their time or tasks but leaving yourself without clearly defined metrics to measure the success of your project and management strategies.

Take the time before you start your project to identify all the activities and related tasks required to meet the project’s scope statement successfully and all your project deliverables including the estimated time duration and the assignment of a resource that will be held responsible for completing each task. Keep in mind, that the plan you make at the start may not be the one you finish with, but learning to create a clear project plan and knowing how to discuss its key components is crucial to your project’s success.

7. Not Recognizing Your Team’s Successes

Team morale and productivity go hand in hand, and refusing to recognize your team’s successes, often has a detrimental effect on both. Sometimes it is too easy to focus on the end game, metrics, and numbers, and forget the employee that pushed them to success.

The small successes, the short-term objectives, and daily goals, any extra effort to contribute to advancing the team’s mission is, where the individual shines, and should be celebrated.

Develop a performance review system as part of your project management plan, and ensure that performance on projects is measured, reviewed and recognized as equally as it is in their day to day responsibilities.

8. The Wrong Project Structure Used

Project management is not one size fits all, and while you may have had great success with a particular project structure before, it is dangerous to get too comfortable with one approach and ignore each project’s variables.

Let’s take size, project teams with a larger number of individuals, around 8 or above, will find it difficult to report to the same project manager. Just as, you, the project manager will find it overly challenging to maintain communication and follow ups with too many team members reporting directly to you. If parts of the project are undertaken in different regions of the country, communications may suffer from a lack of clarity and jar with the larger project structure.

It is key to assess each project individually and adapt communication strategies and reporting protocols to suit each new approach.

It may be useful to educate yourself and your team in umbrella project management methodologies that teach adaptable, industry standard project structures, so each project structure retains an efficient cohesiveness and familiarity.

9. Being Reactive Instead of Proactive

Your project is running correctly, aligning with your scope and project plan, but then something unexpected comes along and disaster hits. The project gets derailed. Even though you and your team mobilize quickly, identifying the best options and solutions based on experience, you have got no opportunity, nor time, to test these solutions viability. Acting reactively, management by crisis only leaves your project vulnerable to further failure.

Risk Management is the process of identifying, analyzing and responding to risk factors throughout the life of a project, and developing a stable basis for decision making in regards to those risks. A robust risk assessment provides controls for possible future events and is proactive rather than reactive.

While it is impossible to know every likelihood of every potential occurrence, by undertaking a thorough risk assessment before you execute your project plan, and continuously re-focusing that assessment throughout your project, you can reduce the likelihood of a disastrous event occurring, as well as its impact.

10. Being Resistant to Change

Although most this article has been spent pontificating about the importance of preparedness, clarity, and structure, the ability to be flexible and adaptive are qualities intrinsic to your project’s success.

Despite your extensive risk management and project planning, it’s likely the functionality of your project is going to change daily, whether it’s the small things such as missed meetings, employee absence, or a change in direction that requires you to develop a new approach or resource, and being rigid about your processes only ensures that your project is unlikely to see completion.

Being flexible isn’t something you can plan for. Remember that your project is an ongoing process, keep an open mind, and trust that you and your team will be competent enough to come up with a suitable solution.

Kanban Software to Streamline Your Workflow

Written by Vartika Kashyap on September 11, 2024. Posted in Articles.

Managing a team and juggling various tasks are really stressful. Being in a manager position is like handling chainsaws- intense, risky and requiring precise control. But fear not! There’s a powerful tool that can transform this chaotic workflow into a smooth and well-organized workflow: Kanban software.

Think about visualizing a team’s work with a clear division and organized board that tracks each task’s status without any loss. And there lies the magic of Kanban.

In this post, you will discover the versatility of Kanban software and how you and your team can use it to skyrocket performance.

Understanding Kanban Software

Kanban is a popular tool that helps in agile leadership and boosts team efficiency. It is a crucial methodology used by many project management tools. Let’s understand Kanban with an easy example:

Let us assume you are in a restaurant, specifically its kitchen. You do not want a pile of orders overwhelming the chefs all at once. Instead, you manage the flow of visualizing and organizing the orders in front of the chefs. Each order is tracked through various stages, from ‘To Do’ to ‘Done.

In short, a Kanban board might be called a digital sticky note board with columns such as “To Do,” “In progress,” and “Done.” It works as follows:

Visualizing work: Tasks are organized and categorized, making it easy for everyone to see the current status and stage of each task.
Limiting Work in Progress (WIP): By managing the number of tasks in progress, Kanban prevents team members from becoming overwhelmed and ensures smooth transitions.
Continuous Improvement: Kanban encourages teams to refine their processes and focus on bringing incremental improvements to the project.

The Best Kanban Software for Your Needs

While there are various tools and software that offer Kanban as an inbuilt feature, we have sorted out a list of top software that have built Kanban to the next level.

According to Verified Market Reports, the market size of Kanban software is estimated to hit $10.9 billion before the end session of 2027. It is growing at a CAGR of 15.3% during these forecast periods.

It shows the high efficiency and adaptability of the Kanban software for project managers. Now let’s know a few top tools that offer Kanban as a pro feature:

ProofHub

ProofHub is a project management and team collaboration software. ProofHub’s Kanban board is like a dynamic canvas in which all related project activities are visible in a balanced way. Kanban board provides a comprehensive view of your project’s progress, showing who’s accomplished what, where each task stands, and the timeline of activities. It is, therefore, easy to drag the tasks for work progress, allowing an easy way to distinguish completed tasks and those that are still pending. Also, this tool has additional functions like customizations and security, ensuring your projects are not only organized but protected.

ClickUp

ClickUp helps streamline the entire workflow with its Kanban feature. It helps maximize work efficiency and manage work smartly. It saves time for managers and allows them to focus on urgent and essential work. ClickUp has 25,000+ reviews on G2, showing its global popularity.

Asana

Asana offers a customizable Kanban workflow management dashboard. It helps foster team collaboration, checking the work stage in real time, toggling between views, and automating workflow. Asana has been trusted by Deloitte, NASA, United Way, The New York Times, and Spotify.

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How to Choose the Right Kanban Software?

Well, let’s resemble your Kanban tool with a Unicorn. 🎠

It has a very sharp horn that denotes task prioritization.🦄

It has a rainbow color tail that moves your task from to-do, doing, and to do.🌈

It has soft, wide feathers which are ready to take off towards your dream. 🪽

But the paradox is that there are so many Unicorns standing in front of you; how can you choose the right one for you?

Finding the ideal Kanban software

It’s time to know a few effective ways to find the ideal Kanban software that suits fit.

Know Your Needs: Learn what you truly need from it as a software. Is it for a small team or a large firm? Start by aligning your expectations with the tool’s capabilities.
Look at Your Options: Many software solutions claim to be a Kanban board. Create a list of what you want from Kanban software and match your list with your targeted tool.
Try Before You Buy: Opt for a free trial or request a demo to test and understand the software and ensure that it fits your needs. Test the software or look for a free trial.

Essential Features: The right features to look for in a Kanban software

There are a few must-have features inside Kanban software. Check the list below to know:

Boards: Where you’ll keep your tasks organized. (as if the containers are for your sand).
Cards: Tasks that can be moved through different stages.
Columns: Indicate stages in the task process
Swimlanes: Grouping tasks for better organization
Collaboration Tools: Features to get your team involved.
Reports: Insights on how the task progresses and areas for improvement.
UI/UX: Facilitate users to navigate an interface effortlessly.
Training: An intuitive platform that requires little training and easy to navigate around
Price: Ensure that the cost falls under your budget.

Benefits of choosing the right Kanban Software.

Having a Kanban tool for project and team management comes with numerous benefits. Here are a few of them:

See the whole picture

It collects every task-related activity in one place and makes it more like a board where you have an overview of all of them. It lets you monitor the current stage of a task and see whether it is remaining or completed.

Keep things moving

It lets you ensure that work is constantly progressing on the right track. Once something isn’t working correctly, for example, some obstruction in the river bed like this rock, you can quickly locate it and set it right.

Avoid overload

It lets you specify that as much work as possible can be done simultaneously. This prevents one from overworking a team member and possibly getting stressed out.

Better teamwork

All the actions are transparent to everyone. Thus, it makes the work of teams more efficient and helps share ideas among the teams.

Track progress

It also allows managers to track the progress of a particular project over time. This assists you in identifying whether you are making progress or not.

How does Kanban help in managing teams and tasks?

Clear roles: The team is aware of their tasks. It reveals the capacity as to who is doing what in the organization.
Easy updates: It is more informative to know that when an employee completes a job, he or she relocates the Post-it note. All the workmates observe the update at the same time.
Balanced workload: The Kanban system can also ensure that there is work for everyone to do; in other words, there must not be too much work to do.
Focus on what matters: This provides an opportunity to prioritize the tasks in them since all of them are seen.

However, Kanban software is like a helper for your team; it helps keep everything in order and does not let you get distracted easily.

Conclusion

Kanban software can drastically change the team’s approach and performance. Kanban assisted in improving the operations by creating visibility to the workflow, avoiding multitasking and promoting constant improvement while increasing the business’s productivity.

Thus, with the help of the Kanban methodology and proper tools, organizations can enhance their project management and become more successful.

Managing Software Testing

Written by Martin Fenelon on September 10, 2024. Posted in Articles.

You cannot test quality into software.

Some project managers make the mistake of stepping back when software testing takes the forefront in their projects.

It may be due to a lack of hands-on testing experience, concerns over the increasingly technical nature of software testing, or a willingness to let the QA Lead drive the bus for a short period. None of these reasons are valid. Regardless of their roles prior to becoming PMs, they can and should continue to lead the team during testing. In the next few articles, we’ll focus on helping PMs better understand how to guide their teams to delivering better software. Testing the software is just one part of that journey.

Let’s clear up some misperceptions. The purpose of testing is not to attempt to break the software, nor to find every possible defect, but to demonstrate that the software will fulfill its intended purpose with a reasonable level of confidence. As highlighted by the quote above, software quality must be built into the project and development process from the beginning rather than being added through testing. Testing allows us to confirm that the expected quality is there and to find and correct those places where it is not. Remember the definition of software quality that we are using:

Quality code is code that in order of importance, does what it is supposed to do, is bug free, and is well-crafted.

– Stephen Vance

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) definitions for verification and validation apply during this project phase, so their formal definitions may inform discussions about software performance under testing.

Verification: The determination by objective, repeatable methods that an item satisfies its stated requirements.*

In other words, the software works as it is intended to work, and it meets the requirements it is connected to.

Validation: The determination by objective, repeatable methods that an item can be used for a specific purpose.*

In other words, the software is suitable for purpose, meaning the requirements correctly describe the business need that the software satisfies.

(*Adapted from The Project Manager’s Guide to Software Engineering’s Best Practices, by Mark J. Christensen and Richard H. Thayer, IEEE Computer Society Press, Los Alamitos, CA, 2001.)

Every test should be traced back to a requirement, either functional or non-functional. If we cannot trace a particular test back to a requirement, we need to question why that test is needed and what purpose it serves. To ensure that we are not wasting time with unnecessary tests and that we are performing the required tests in an appropriate manner and sequence, we start by developing a test strategy. The test strategy defines what will be tested, how it will be tested, and what results are needed to determine that the system is ready for production.

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Once the test strategy is established, one or more test plans are created to meet the goals of that strategy in a methodical, effective, and efficient manner. Test plans describe the purpose of the test, entry and exit conditions, and specifically where and how the system will be tested. Once we have test plans, we can dive into the detailed planning of each test or series of tests. This usually results in test cases, definitions of test environments or regions, test interfaces, test data, and so on.

While the project manager is not responsible for creating any of these documents or artifacts, they should be closely involved in their development, review, and ultimate approval. They will have a significant impact on the project schedule, including task duration, task sequencing, key gates, and their location in the schedule. Quality assurance and testing schedules must be coordinated with those of the other teams within the project and typically external to the project (for example, the infrastructure team). These, in turn, impact the budgets and resources that go into the project plan. There may be significant risks or issues that will need to be addressed via specific testing, such as a new external interface or a set of complex calculations, with solutions that must be clearly described in both the testing and overall project plans.

The project manager is not expected to be an expert in software testing design or execution, just as they are not expected to be software engineers. They are expected to be familiar with the role, purpose, and types of testing required by their project under the delivery methodology being followed. PMs should ask thoughtful questions, ensure open issues are properly resolved, and participate in walkthroughs of key quality assurance and testing deliverables. We’ll briefly go through common ones in the following sections. While PMs should not be the ones driving the team through testing, they need to ensure that it is being done and done effectively. Some tips on how to do this are covered below.

The key point to remember is to be proactive, not passive, with these deliverables and tasks. Although quality cannot be created by testing, testing should identify where quality is lacking so it can be improved. Thorough testing supported by appropriate metrics will find and eliminate most defects and improve confidence that the team is delivering a high-quality system. This section highlights key considerations and leverage points for PMs to help them get the best results possible. There are separate books, whitepapers, and training courses that go into software testing in greater depth. Don’t hesitate to refer to them if desired or if you encounter a particularly unique or difficult testing issue.

Next Up: Types of Software Testing

Concerned about all the news stories about significant software failures over the past few months? My upcoming book, Building Better Software is focused on providing Project Managers an easy-to-follow guide for successful software development projects.

Six Sigma in Project Management

Written by Nionila Ivanova on August 22, 2024. Posted in Articles.

Have you ever wondered how some companies consistently deliver top-quality products and services while others struggle to meet basic expectations? What sets the best apart is often not just their technology or talent but the methodologies they use to manage and improve their processes. One such powerful methodology is Six Sigma.

Developed by engineers at Motorola in the 1980s, Six Sigma is a data-driven approach focused on process improvement and quality management. The name “Six Sigma” itself refers to a statistical term that measures how far a process deviates from perfection. In Six Sigma, the goal is to limit defects to 3.4 per million opportunities. In simpler terms, it’s about getting things right 99.9997% of the time!

In this article, we’ll explore how Six Sigma integrates with project management, the methodologies it uses, and the tools and techniques that can make your projects more successful.

Key Principles of Six Sigma

At its core, Six Sigma revolves around a few key principles:

Customer Focus: Everything starts with the customer. Six Sigma emphasizes understanding customer needs and expectations and then tailoring processes to meet or exceed those expectations.
Data-Driven Decisions: Six Sigma relies on data and statistical analysis to identify problems and measure progress, ensuring that decisions are based on facts.
Process Improvement: Six Sigma encourages teams to constantly look for ways to refine processes, eliminate waste, and increase efficiency.
Employee Involvement: Six Sigma requires active participation from all levels of the organization. Everyone is encouraged to contribute ideas and take ownership of process improvements.
Proactive Management: Instead of reacting to problems after they occur, Six Sigma promotes a proactive approach. It helps teams identify potential issues before they become major roadblocks.

As for project management, using Six Sigma in this field helps foster a culture of continuous improvement, where every team member is empowered to look for ways to enhance the project’s outcomes. This focus on quality and efficiency not only helps in achieving the project’s objectives but also builds a foundation for long-term success.

Six Sigma Methodology

Six Sigma offers two primary methodologies – DMAIC and DMADV – each serving different purposes but both aimed at improving processes and ensuring quality.

DMAIC Process

The DMAIC process is the most widely used methodology in Six Sigma, especially in project management. It stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. Here’s a quick breakdown of each phase:

Define: Identify the project goals and customer deliverables. In this phase, project managers define the scope and objectives, ensuring everyone is aligned on what needs to be accomplished.
Measure: Gather data to understand the current performance level. This involves identifying the key metrics and collecting relevant data to establish a baseline for improvement.
Analyze: Dig into the data to uncover the root causes of defects or inefficiencies. This phase is about understanding why the process isn’t meeting the desired standards.
Improve: Develop and implement solutions to address the root causes identified in the analysis phase. Here, teams brainstorm and test various strategies to enhance the process.
Control: Monitor the improved process to ensure the changes are effective and sustainable. This step includes establishing control plans and continuously tracking performance.

DMADV Process

On the other hand, the DMADV process, also known as Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), is used when a new process or product is being designed from scratch. It stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Verify:

Define: Similar to DMAIC, this phase involves defining the project goals and customer requirements.
Measure: Collect data on critical factors that could impact the quality of the new process or product.
Analyze: Evaluate the data to develop design alternatives. This phase focuses on ensuring that the new design will meet customer needs and business objectives.
Design: Develop detailed designs for the new process or product. This involves creating prototypes and conducting simulations to test the design’s effectiveness.
Verify: Test and validate the final design to ensure it meets the necessary standards and performs as expected in real-world conditions.

Choosing between DMAIC and DMADV depends on the nature of the project. If you’re improving an existing process, DMAIC is your go-to approach. If you’re creating something new, DMADV is the way to go.

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Six Sigma Tools and Techniques in Project Management

Six Sigma is a toolkit filled with a variety of tools and techniques that help project managers and teams identify problems, analyze data, and implement solutions.

Here’s a quick look at some of the most popular tools used in Six Sigma projects:

1. Pareto Chart

The Pareto Chart is based on the Pareto Principle – also known as the 80/20 rule – which states that 80% of problems are often due to 20% of causes. This chart helps project managers visually prioritize issues by showing the frequency of defects or issues, making it easier to focus on the most critical areas first.

2. Cause-and-Effect Diagram (Fishbone Diagram)

Also known as the Ishikawa Diagram, the Cause-and-Effect Diagram helps teams brainstorm potential causes of a problem and organize them into categories. This visual tool is particularly useful for identifying the root causes of defects or inefficiencies in a process.

3. Control Charts

Control charts are used to monitor the performance of a process over time. By plotting data points, project managers can quickly see whether a process is stable and within predefined limits. This tool is crucial for maintaining control over a process and ensuring consistent quality.

4. Process Mapping

Process Mapping, also known as Flowcharting, involves creating a visual representation of the steps in a process. This tool helps teams understand how a process works, identify bottlenecks, and find opportunities for improvement.

5. Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

Root Cause Analysis is a technique used to identify the underlying reasons for a problem or defect. By asking “why” multiple times, project managers can drill down to the fundamental cause of an issue and develop effective solutions.

6. Statistical Analysis

Six Sigma heavily relies on statistical analysis to make data-driven decisions. Techniques such as Hypothesis Testing, Regression Analysis, and ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) help project teams analyze data, test assumptions, and validate their findings.

Six Sigma Certification Levels and Their Role in Project Management

Six Sigma is also a structured training and certification system that equips individuals with the knowledge and skills to lead and implement Six Sigma projects effectively. In project management, these Six Sigma certifications serve as a roadmap for career development.

Let’s take a look at the different Six Sigma certification levels and how they align with various project management roles:

1. White Belt

White Belts have a basic understanding of Six Sigma concepts and terminology. They assist with change management and participate in local problem-solving teams that support larger projects, making them valuable team members on any project.

White Belts often serve as team members who support data collection and process improvement activities. They are usually new to Six Sigma and are eager to learn from more experienced colleagues.

2. Yellow Belt

Yellow Belts have a deeper understanding of Six Sigma principles and can assist Green and Black Belts in data collection and analysis. They play a crucial role in identifying processes that require improvement. They also assist project leaders in implementing process changes and can lead smaller projects or initiatives under the guidance of higher-level Belts.

3. Green Belt

Green Belts have a solid understanding of Six Sigma methodologies and tools and can lead smaller projects or serve as team members on larger projects led by Black Belts. Green Belts are responsible for analyzing and solving quality problems and are actively involved in process improvement.

Green Belts often manage individual projects within their areas of expertise. They lead teams, apply Six Sigma tools and techniques, and are responsible for delivering project results.

4. Black Belt

Black Belts are experts in Six Sigma methodologies and are capable of leading complex projects. They mentor Green and Yellow Belts and are responsible for managing multiple projects across different departments.

Black Belts are focused on strategic process improvements and are key to driving significant changes within an organization.

5. Master Black Belt

Master Black Belts are the highest level of Six Sigma certification. They have extensive experience in Six Sigma and are responsible for training and mentoring Black Belts and Green Belts.

Master Black Belts play a strategic role in the company. They oversee the implementation of Six Sigma methodologies across the enterprise, provide expert guidance on complex projects, and ensure that Six Sigma initiatives align with the company’s overall strategy and objectives.

Conclusion

Six Sigma has proven itself as a powerful and versatile tool in the world of project management. By embracing its methodologies, tools, and certification programs, organizations can significantly enhance their process efficiency, reduce errors, and consistently meet customer expectations.

As project managers, integrating Six Sigma principles into your practices can transform projects and the way your team approaches problem-solving and quality management. So, are you ready to take your project management to the next level with Six Sigma?

Owning the Rules of Project Management

Written by Kathleen Booker on August 7, 2024. Posted in Articles.

Project management (PM) developed over time and will continue to evolve as innovative technologies and practices are embraced. Rules of PM are sometimes brandished around as if they are things that never waiver, things that are a must-have. These include scoping the project, creating the project charter, asking for stakeholder input, managing budgets and timelines—and the list goes on. But rules need to be malleable; they need to adapt to the project.

First Things First

No doubt, it’s hard to let go of things we learn, things that courses, seminars, webinars, and experience teach us. Things our gut says to pay attention to. There are times, though, when those things fade into the background like a sunset dissolving into the western horizon. Everything about project management should unfold according to the project’s needs and not based on rules defined by instructors and books. We need to be accommodating.

After earning my project management certification (whew!), and after a few hours of in-house PM training geared to enlighten various management and professional teams about the value of structured project management—and company-designed forms to use—my ethos was one of a rule enforcer (kind of an inherent trait of mine anyway): This is how it’s done. This is how to ensure the project will be successful!

I can honestly say that this rigid mindset did not get far. I am not going to say that I threw a hissy fit when someone refused to follow a certain “rule”, but I voiced my concern. Someone in management challenged me with the question: Why is it so important that things be done this way?

My response was: Because this is proper project management. This is what I learned from PMI (the Project Management Institute), and this is what we learned in-house.

Sidebar: The people involved in this matter were in the same in-house sessions as I was.

I knew what I was doing, right?

Wrong … sort of.

I am a detail-oriented person, and I believe in structure and rules. Those traits can be too stringent and can get in the way of managing a project from the stakeholders’ perspectives. I needed to unlearn—well, maybe adapt—my inherent beliefs if I wanted to survive as a good project manager. I needed to satisfy the stakeholders needs, and not my own.

At the end of the day, the “rule” was not going to be followed for this project (and mostly all projects since then).

Did I feel defeated at first?

Yes.

Did I get over it?

Yes.

Every company will have its own unique way of managing projects. Each project will demand its PM to lead it in a way that suits the scope, goals, stakeholders, timeline, budget, and, more importantly, the company’s culture and style. Your corporate culture is not something you can be taught in a PM course. You must know it and make it part of your PM skills.

Communication

You need to know your stakeholders and what they need from you. Communication needs are not one-size-fits-all. Emails, status reports, and meetings need to be tailored to your audience. As examples:

The sponsor wants a weekly high-level status report.
The technical team lead requires a thirty-minute face-to-face meeting every two weeks.
The business manager only cares about monthly budget and timeline updates.
The functional subject matter experts team doing the project work needs weekly meetings.

Managing a project involves stakeholder registers and communication plans which ensure everyone is informed when and how they want to be.

It is important to note that communication with third parties is crucial. Vendors and suppliers, at least in my experience, are not psychics. They must be listed on your stakeholder register and assigned the same level of value as those in your company. No secrets! If there is a change in the timeline or resources, it is beneficial for them to know so they can adjust accordingly.

Objectives, Scope and Deliverables

We need to keep perspective when it comes to project scope and objectives. Complex projects may require occasional check-ins with team members and sponsors when new learnings trigger a flurry of “what if” questions. There almost always are unknowns, things we cannot predict, that could change some facet of the project. Nothing is set in stone, and things about a project can be adjusted if necessary.

Always keep risk management in the forefront when it looks like an aspect of the project needs adjusting. Assess the impact of the change and make sure that all requests are feasible.

The Requirements Traceability Matrix

When I first learned about the Requirements Traceability Matrix, I at once felt a bond that almost matched my love for Excel (I cannot envision a world where I could live without Excel, at least not in a business setting). I created a version of an RTM I found online that I liked, and then I adapted it to my needs. It really helped get me through a large, multi-year project. No one else referred to it. Everyone thought it was overkill.

A rule of thumb – use what works for you but expect that it may not work for anyone else on your project team. And that’s okay. If it keeps you focused on the tasks in the pipeline, the successes, and the near misses, that is what is matters.

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The Plan

Let’s not forget about the project plan. Regardless of the size of the project, you need a plan. What are the tasks? When do they need to be complete? What is contingent upon something else? What is the status of each task? Have communications gone out as planned?

Plan the work, work the plan—that was something my instructor at UMUC (now UMGC, University of Maryland Global Campus) told us one day during class. Those words still stick with me today, even when it’s related to personal projects and tasks. For me, this is a golden rule. No caveats.

Prioritization

Prioritizing your work is tantamount to success. And that means assigning priority to non-project work, too! I am not a full-time project manager. Along with my projects, I run supply chain models, pull data for various analyses and GHG reports, and take care of monthly reports and transportation management system support.

When you feel like you are overwhelmed (and it will happen), it’s good to step back and assess your priorities. Usually, that is done throughout the day as emails arrive in your inbox, impromptu meetings pop-up on your calendar, the phone rings, and a myriad of other things vie for your attention. STAY CALM and think rationally. Things will get done! Make sure to communicate if anything needs to move to the backseat instead of being in the driver’s seat.

The bottom line is that it is okay to make the rules up as you go along. Each project’s requirements will be different—sometimes only slightly while other times a major overhaul is needed. Be adaptable and responsive to the static and changing needs of your stakeholders and the project in general. Enjoy the plethora of challenges presented by project management.