CHAPTER 2

Value Proposition of Project Management

Objectives

Present an understanding of the strengths of project management and how it brings enhanced competence to an organization for serving a business purpose effectively.

Create exposure to the value proposition of project management for general understanding and to lay a strong foundation.

Show the interdependence of strengths that are captured when the systems are developed in their entirety.

Highlight the efficacy of the project management approach in its entirety for strategic advancement. A piecemeal approach may lose the real benefits.

The following strengths are discussed;

Systems for Business Value

General Business Values

Organizational Competitive Edge

Measurable Results

Ease of Structural Complexity

Results-Driven Management

High Performance

Organizational Self-Improvement

Culture of High Performance

Effective Communication Channels

Dynamism for Change

Project management helps realize business outcomes through the success of projects, and in essence, that is how an organization drives success for strategic implementation.

It is a disciplined and structured approach that starts at the portfolio level, where the strategic vision drives initial investments and establishes value measurements. A fully aligned project, program, and portfolio management strategy encompasses the entire organization, dictating project execution at every level and aiming to deliver value at every step along the way.

An Economist Intelligence Unit report showed that 80 percent of global executives believed that having project management as a core competency helped them remain competitive during the recession.

Findings from Project Management Institute’s (PMI’s) Pulse of Profession^® report, published in 2015, demonstrate a clear path forward through a focus on the following fundamentals that underlie the success of project management systems.

 

•Culture. High-performing organizations fully understand the value of project management and of creating a project management mindset.

•Talent. High-performing organizations are significantly more likely to focus on talent management, establishing ongoing training, and formal and effective knowledge transfer. This is of particular importance in project management, where technical skills are enhanced by the leadership and strategic and business management capabilities are nurtured through experience.

•Process. High-performing organizations support project, program, and portfolio management through standardized practices and by aligning projects and programs to the organization’s goal.

 

2.1 Systems for Business Value

The application of project management frameworks and best practices builds systems and strengthens the processes for business advancement. The systems in place help to check, modify, and replace the processes for desired results additionally set in continuous improvement.

 

Organizational Systems

Project management systems are the specified way of doing things and are applied to every single part of the business. You need to develop the “best process” for every area of transformation for desired results and explore that best way to write it down in the form of a script. From then on, everyone who works toward transformation of that part need only observe the script to repeat results.

The process of input–transformation–output is improved with changing circumstances and matching with required efficiency. There are SOPs (Standard Operating Procedure) for every part of business advancement.

Project management systems enhance the opportunities for better control, improvement, and efficiency. You can turn your attention away from performing each function and instead work on finding and training other people to perform them.

Standardization may be practiced, as, for example, developing the “best way” to answer the phone, and then writing that way down in the form of a script. From then on, anyone who answers the phone need only observe the script to answer it in the “best way.” When a team member leaves the company, the next one just needs to stick to the script. The scripts are prepared for every important business function.

You can verify at any time that the team is following the systems, and then you may find necessary improvements with the development of more systems for advancement. This is what working “on” your business, instead of “in” your business, is all about.

 

Systems Add Business Value

Project management systems help reproduce best results and advancement to desired outcomes of every initiative. The systems-based advancement enhances the competence of an organization and helps to work in proactive mode driving the change.

When a franchise is bought, it’s not just buying a brand name, but also the specific systems that led to the franchise’s success. Systems are the exact reason why McDonald’s is such a success—most McDonald’s franchises run exactly the way every other McDonald’s does, regardless of who owns or manages any individual branch. If you develop systems for your company, you are opening up the possibility of turning your company into a franchise, creating a lucrative opportunity for added value and future growth.

Putting systems in place, all carefully recorded in an operations manual, makes business far more valuable. A lack of systems means to “FFEL”—furniture, fixtures, equipment as well as location. Offering systems means selling a turnkey business that has been a proven success. The latter is worth a lot more money, meaning a much higher return on hard work, learned improvement, and creativity on systems than one might otherwise have.

 

Project Control System

It is an independent function in project management that implements verification and controlling functions during the process of advancement for a project in order to reinforce the defined performance and goals. Project controlling is:

 

•The defined hierarchy of responsibilities for exercising controls

•The development of project information technology and determination of a project key performance index system (KPI)

•The creation of infrastructure for the supply of the right information and its update

•The establishment of a way to communicate disparities of project parameters

•Divergence analyses and generation of proposals for potential project regulations

•The establishment of methods to accomplish an appropriate project structure, project workflow organization, project control, and governance

•Creation of transparency among the project parameters

 

These tasks are achieved by applying the following methods and instruments of project controlling:

 

•cost-benefit analysis

•cost-trend analysis

•investment analysis

•value-benefit analysis

•risk-profile analysis

•milestone-trend analysis

•expert surveys

•simulation calculations

•surcharge calculations

•target/actual comparison

•viability of project comparison with changing circumstances

 

Project control is an important element that keeps a project on track, on time, and within budget. It begins early in the project with planning and ends late in the project with postimplementation reviews, with each step in the process thoroughly involved. The advancements in a project are audited or reviewed while in progress. Formal audits are generally risk or compliance based, and management will direct the objectives of the audit.

An examination includes a comparison of approved project management processes with the actual management of the project. Each project should be assessed for the appropriate level of control needed: too much control is time consuming, while too little control is very risky; need-based control serves the purpose.

The control process is independent, and an audit firm may be involved throughout the process to catch problems earlier on so that they are fixed more easily. An auditor serves as a controls consultant as part of the development team or as an independent auditor as part of an independent audit.

Organizations use systems development processes to help ensure that systems are developed successfully. A formal process is more effective in creating strong controls, and auditors may review this process to confirm that it is well designed and being followed in practice. A good formal systems development plan outlines:

 

•Strategies to align with the organization’s broader objectives

•Standards for new systems and evaluation of quality of change

•Project management policies for timing and budgeting

•Procedures describing the process

 

The strength of knowledge-based project management has evolved to help deal effectively with the challenges of management of business and industry at all levels, noted in the following:

 

A)Strategic level

B)Operational level

C)Tactical level

D)Organizational level

 

The interdependence of global and socioeconomic difficulties has provided an opportunity for organizations to reassess and rebuild their growth strengths with project management approaches for competence building and implementing change within a changing environment.

When tailored, or “fit,” to an organization’s culture, project management brings value by improving:

 

•The execution of strategy, through repeatable, reliable performance, and standardization

•The integration within the organization, through elimination of “silos” and better communication and collaboration

•The learning that occurs when a projectized organization explores new products, processes, and markets

•Closing the gap in building competence for translation of strategy into reality

 

2.2 General Business Values

Implementing a common set of project management processes takes effort and resources. However, the value of project management to the organization is much greater and includes:

 

•Better expectation setting through up-front estimating, planning, and project definition

•Faster execution through the reuse of common processes and templates

•Fewer project problems encountered with the utilization of proactive project management processes

•Better organizational decision-making through more effective project communication

•Greater client satisfaction and less rework by building a higher-quality product the first time

•Trust building among stakeholders that saves time in action and thus reduces cost

•Synergizing the implementation of the project, creating high performance

 

Project Management helps the majority of organizations with a spotty reputation for delivering projects within expectations to overcome the following:

 

•Consistently completing projects late, over budget, or not meeting agreed-upon requirements

•Weak standard processes and techniques used inconsistently by project managers

•It is usually applied in a reactive manner and not seen as providing value

•The time required to manage projects proactively is not built into the schedule

•Projects are “successful” despite a lack of planning and project management, through heavy stress and overtime work by “heroes”

•Overcoming hurdles with high-performance culture that creates speed and strength

•Human factors managed through leadership culture that aligns with the endeavor

 

2.3 Organizational Competitive Advantages

Project management across the organization helps create a strategic value chain that gives an edge over competitors, particularly in high-risk sectors and markets. Continuous improvement processes facilitate building domain knowledge and organizational learning that enhance competence and add to competitive edge.

Being able to deliver projects on time and within budget often determines whether a company will get the next job or whether its new product hits the market.

According to an Economist Intelligence Unit survey, 90% of global senior executives rank project management methods as either critical or somewhat important to their ability to deliver successful projects and remain competitive.

 

“A strong project management discipline brings exceptional value to the business, because when there is a demand for a product, we are the ones who deliver it,” says David Buisson, PMP, program manager at Headland Project Management Ltd., which is currently managing the Terminal 3 redevelopment project for British Airport Authority (BAA) at Heathrow Airport in London, England. “We are a key part of the business, and we adhere to the same rules, rigor, and commercial goals as the rest of the organization.” Keeping the project on track requires strict management of metrics and project goals that extends across the project team and out to suppliers, contractors, the client, and the stakeholders. Mr. Buisson and his team are keenly aware of the business impact that results from their progress in the terminal project.

“If we don’t do a good job, passengers may choose to fly through a different airport, or retail outlets see declining sales,” he says, “But when we are successful and passengers are happy, the company is successful.”

 

2.4 Measurable Results

There’s nothing like hard numbers to bolster the case for project management.

David Buisson continued: “It’s hard to imagine how you would go about delivering a project without program and project management discipline. They define the business value of each project in measurable terms before it can move from the exploration stage into the planning stage. This helps focus the project team on the end goals of the project, offers a metric to measure ROI, and helps the company avoid investing in projects that aren’t tied to business results.

Defining the value also aligns the business units with the project goals to ensure everyone impacted by the project and its outcomes buys into the process and commits the necessary financial and human resources. “Do not launch a project unless the business units involved are engaged”; cross-team alignment is a critical component of successful project management strategy. “It ensures they get a voice throughout the process, instead of spewing for the requirements at the beginning then complaining when they don’t get a solution that meets their needs. The team is able to track changes in customer order deliveries compared to baseline prior to the project”.

The focus is on metrics, data, and standardization of processes to deliver better results.

The new streamlined project management framework sets standards for project deliverables, including tracking and communicating schedules, setting measurable delivery goals and milestones, performing stage-gate reviews, and conducting quality measures. Having a solid base in standards established at the portfolio level, project managers and their teams have the flexibility to determine precisely which processes are needed—and which are not—to get the job done.

The professionals engaged in the system of Project Management are able to plan career advancement in line with arising demands for project implementation and skills requirement. They are able to find a good fit: “The certification gives the book smarts, and the experience gives the street smarts.”

The Project Management Office (PMO) also reduces the scope of projects whenever possible, encouraging project teams to hone in on key deliverables that can be achieved in a shorter time and delivered in a more iterative process. “Software development project plan when estimate goes beyond six months duration, the recommendations are to look for ways to reduce scope or break the scope into two projects.” That way, the customer receives incremental value earlier on and reduces the chance that the customer will want changes or that the business case will have changed. However, it is recognized that some projects may need to go longer than 6 months.

 

Building Organizational Competence

Organizational competence building is a demanding initiative and carried out through application of project management structure and standardization of best practices for consistency in the desired results.

PMI’s Pulse of Profession research revealed that the application of project management approaches effectively builds the competence of the organization not only to withstand the business challenges but also to sustain growth. The organizational structure developed for implementing the projects facilitates the following:

 

•Strategic advancement

•Structure for accountability

•Communication channels

•Change management and governance and control of resource application

 

Strategic Advancement

Translation of strategic goals in portfolio management helps in finding the right projects that lead to implementation of strategy. The matter of finding the right projects is a winning factor that is performed with the application of best practices assembled in The Standard for Portfolio Management—Third Edition.

 

Structure for Accountability

The project management frameworks such as portfolio management, cascading into program and project management, establishes the linkage, interdependency, and logical connectivity, with each having defined deliverables. The Project Management framework facilitates assignment of responsibility at each level to a team of professionals. The structure provides transparency in assigning responsibility and the required accountability that drives the system forward in the defined strategic direction.

 

Communication Channels

The portfolio/program/projects for a defined goal channelize the flow of information in the required pattern and time to reach a desired outcome. Thus, enhanced facility and defined channels make for effective communication with all stakeholders. Without consistent communication between the project teams and the stakeholders, details may get lost, risks go unnoticed, and issues fail to get resolved in a timely manner. A project manager ensures that things stay on track to meet the project’s deadline.

 

Change Management, Governance and Control of Resource Application

Project implementation is essentially a change process, and the project management structure not only helps manage change effectively and efficiently, but also facilitates the timely application of resources and the governance of advancement in a strategic direction. Further benefits of project management structure are as follows:

 

1.Steps missed/duplicated. The defined channels and clarity of relevancy help keep the focus of governance on the task at hand and avoid missing steps and repeating or duplicating actions. With that oversight, activities are completed with a timely focus on outcomes that eliminates unnecessary rework.

2.Monitoring of budgets. A huge issue is to stay relevant with the budget. In the progression of a project, the team’s ability to determine how much money was spent and to find spending matched the estimate remains a challenge. It’s imperative that one can coordinate with the team to figure out how the remaining work will fit the original budget, or discuss with the client the risk of exceeding the allocated budget, well in advance.

 

Higher performing organizations are several times more likely to be successful at implementing change than those with lower project management knowledge and maturity. This is attributed primarily to the lack of understanding of the value that project management delivers to the business. This achievement is being measured through reduced costs and risks, greater alignment of goals with business intent, and overall higher success rates of projects and programs.

PMI’s 2015 Pulse of the Profession global survey of 2,800 respondents shows that high-performing organizations adhere to proven project, program, and portfolio management processes.

The survey finds that when projects fail, businesses are impacted. Organizations perform at their peak when they invest in the culture, talent, and processes of project, program, and portfolio management.

 

PM Approach Creates Organizational Values

A)Systematic Advancement. A business goal is translated into a portfolio of projects where interrelated and interdependent projects are grouped together into a program for enhanced benefits of implementation. Portfolio/program/project provide a line of sight for governance and control, channels of communication and flow of information, costing group and evaluation of incremental advancement.

B)Results-Driven Management. Incremental advancement helps to evaluate the outcomes with the desired results and make correction well before landing into a point of no return, thus saving wastage of resources and minimizing cost.

C)Defined Hierarchy of Responsibilities. Clarity of role and responsibility enhances the interest of professionals in their task and encourages them to give of their best.

D)Governance and Control. A clear line of sight of scope and challenges leads to enhanced governance and control of resources, minimizing duplication and wastage.

E)Transparency. It promotes ownership of responsibilities and the implementation of steps to achieve the desired results and shine before the management for recognition.

F)Self-improvement System. The process of capturing lessons learned provides a strong tool to correct actions in process or change in methodology that brings a wealth of experience at every level of actions and aids continuous improvement with innovation and creativity, a prerequisite to maintain a competitive edge.

G)Team Work. Clarity of portfolio-goal helps each team to pursue their incremental desired outcome to reach interim deliverable. The mind-set for working in a team is very important for high performance.

 

2.5 Ease of Structural Complexity

Project management frameworks provide structures that functionally do away with complexity in advancement for strategic implementation, governance and control of resources, effective communication, and talent management.

Each goal for strategic advancement in a portfolio is translated into projects to be turned into reality. A portfolio provides line of sight on endeavors for reaching a goal and facilitates communication, necessary prioritization, planning, resource application, talent management, governance, and control. The interdependent and interrelated projects in the portfolio are grouped together in a program for efficient implementation. Some projects that remain outside of the program still need to be executed to reach the goal. The management chain for the control of goals or portfolio is defined on prioritizing for strategic importance.

Each goal with all programs/projects in one group of the portfolio facilitates an approach to monitor the progress at any time and to evaluate the efficacy of advancement in the right direction with ease, relevance, and simplicity. The grouping is illustrated in Figure 2.1.

 

Figure 2.1 Each goal defined in a portfolio includes programs and projects

The clarity established for each goal helps in the evaluation of relevance with changing circumstances for desired outcomes of the goal or any of its units in progression. Excess complexity impacts negatively, slows down progression, demotivates and demoralizes teams, and destroys profits.

In 2011, the Global Simplicity Index studied complexity in the 200 biggest companies in the world and concluded that, on average, 10percent of annual profits were being wasted through excess complexity.

It is not surprising that leaders of organizations see complexity as one of the biggest challenges they face and work on leading simplicity. To sustainably reduce complexity, both the structural complexity and the behaviors (i.e., the cultural side that creates complexity) need to be addressed.

 

2.6 Results-Driven Management

The systematic approach of project management is carried out through processes in a chain series, where each process is essentially inputs → transformation → outputs, and every output is an input for a succeeding process. The interrelation of each output with a succeeding input is carried out successfully only when the desired results are achieved in each process. The results are derived through transformation, and that is how the whole chain of results-driven management is carried out on projects/programs implementation.

The system promotes effective management. The ingredients of results-driven management are as follows and are also illustrated in Figure 2.2:

 

Figure 2.2 Vehicles of result-driven management

A)Avoid conflicts and negativity. The effectively managed team focuses on desired results with care of human factors, particularly to manage conflicts and address negativity upfront.

B)Motivate. It is managed effectively with each team member ensuring high engagement.

C)Foster positive behavior. Managing negative emotions and doing away with the underlying causes help to foster positive behavior of team members.

 

General behavior in project management is important, where teams are required to help project progression with a focus on results-driven management. The interim results that add to completion of the final deliverable are equally important. The team capability is enhanced with management of the factors noted above.

 

High-Performing Culture

The disciplined approach of project management builds infrastructure and a professional, supportive environment for high performance. The requirements of a high-performance culture are met with “project management shared beliefs, values, attitudes, goals, and actions, at all levels in a portfolio and organization. It also facilitates the focused approach on the execution of agreed actions” (PMBOK Guide)

Application of project management approaches supports high-performance cultures, as reflected by teams that are very engaged, managers focused and respected, and the organization reaching desired outcomes exceptionally well. But to sustain it, there is a strong need for team engagement, successful motivation, and enhancement of enthusiasm with the right leadership.

Project management systems particularly help organizational culture for high performance with the following:

 

A)The transparency exercised in assigning responsibility and establishing accountability, expectations, and desired outcomes enhances the confidence of the C-suite. Effective communication is built between executives and project teams where the performance of team members is well projected with individual and team KPIs. The clarity in functions is supported by project management systems for organizational performance.

B)Consistency in policy helps avoid preferential treatment for a few and discrimination against others, such as favored promotion, access to restricted privileges, and undue bias or favoritism fade out and immediately affects morale and proves the mettle of others. High engagement, participation, and ownership are the key factors contributing to a successful organizational culture. The desire of team members to have a say in decision-making and their growth potential is maximized through skills-building sessions, and their sense of ownership, responsibility, and accountability increases to contribute to business.

 

Values-Driven Culture

Values-driven organizations are the most successful and exert a powerful influence on a team member’s behavior and attitude; values are at the very core of all human decision-making. When you work in a culture that aligns with your personal values, you feel energized; you are motivated and committed to the welfare of your colleagues and the success of the endeavor. Releasing this level of energy is critical to building a high-performance culture and advancement for successful business.

It is true that leadership practices transform into culture and high performance achieved through an alignment of core values. Your personal values need to be aligned with those of the organization in order to enhance your engagement, and this means that you are working not only for the organizational business purpose but also for the satisfaction of your values.

Values are fundamental to achieving business outcomes, and the means through which their impact is mediated is as follows:

 

•Values help drive culture

•Culture drives team-member fulfillment

•Fulfillment drives customer satisfaction

•Customer satisfaction brings the desired end results

 

Making a Difference with Focus on Values

With due recognition of the significance of “VALUE,” an organization is expected to ensure that the value of business purpose is aligned with that of professionals in terms of the following outline:

 

V – Volatility, the hurdles created by disruption

A – Awareness of the unmanageable disruption

L – Learning of the process of team building

U – Understanding the importance of alignment of values

E – Enhancement of Engagement of team members

 

The following approach may be noted as a means of going forward imbued with professional values aligned with those of an organization:

 

A)Identify a professional’s personal principles, values and beliefs, preferably while hiring

B)Combine everyone’s values

C)Integrate core values in everything done

D)Ensure every process is value driven

 

Develop a Strategy

A culture strategy is formed by shared belief systems and values that are intended to support both business strategies and personal development. A values-driven culture supports the human behaviors that bring about enthusiasm, passion, and commitment—behaviors that are critical for success. The components of strategy are as follows.

 

A)Vision of Future. What needs to be achieved and how

B)Shared Values Aligned with Systems and Processes. What values need to be upheld in systems and processes for advancement of tasks

C)Critical Success Measure. What success will mean in every endeavor

D)Walk the Talk. What is being preached must show in actions

E)Accountability What punishment may follow from not upholding the values

 

2.7 Sustaining High Performance

High performance is sustainable through the steps listed here, and also depicted in Figure 2.3:

 

Figure 2.3 Supportive ingredients for high-performing organizations

A)Organizational self-improvement

B)Culture of high performance

C)Effective communication

D)Dynamism for change

 

Organizational Self-Improvement

Organizational Improvement

The practice of SMCI—standardizing, measuring, controlling, improvement processes—helps self-improvements for continuous enhancement of excellence when a system is established for capturing lessons learned on a project.

Further self-improvement is an individual requirement, and although no specific set of rules is applicable, because every individual has different goals, a few common steps may be noted.

 

1.Accept. Acceptance is not the same as capitulation. Acceptance helps to acknowledge the existence of a problem and puts things in perspective, providing a sense of direction. A problem cannot be resolved if it is not believed to exist.

2.Make a plan. A plan is the most important part of successful self-improvement. Be specific about what you want to do, and outline practical steps for its implementation. The plan must be adaptable to any unforeseen changes that come in the way. Stubbornness is different from resilience; understand and be flexible about plans, but never lose sight of the big picture. Periodically reassess the plan, and make the changes necessary to avoid stagnation. Also reassess the target from time to time as you might have already reached it and it is time to set newer goals.

3.Seek help. Self-improvement requires that you involve your family, friends, mentors, and peers in this life-changing process and see the difference, whenever and wherever it is required. There is no shame in seeking assistance from those who care.

4.Implement and celebrate. Take all the practical steps outlined in the plan formulation. The incremental target into a goal must be realistic to take steps. This will enable steering clear of frustration. Recognize and celebrate every success, regardless of how insignificant it may be. Some people are so focused on the eventual goal that they forget to celebrate small successes along the way and cause frustration.

 

Remember, it is only you who have the power to make the desired difference in your life.

 

Competing Plans for Survival Work in Your Subconscious

The mind is a powerful problem-solving machine, which works overtime creating competing strategies for coping with life. Specific organs of the brain trigger competing emotions, each offering a distinct evolutionary approach to solving problems.

These intelligences sense patterns and respond on the basis of millions of years of evolutionary experiences. They also remember successes and failures over a lifetime.

The emotions of anger, fear, or dread have competing plans. Anger seeks to destroy obstructions. Fear seeks to escape. Dread freezes you into inactivity. Each emotion operates in a narrow compartment within the mind.

 

Culture of High Performance

Team building, connecting the right competency for the right job while satisfying and keeping a check on readiness and human aspects, leads to high engagement and inherently to a culture of high performance on the job.

According to the Denison model—a model of corporate culture that addresses these issues—there are four interwoven corporate culture traits:

 

•Mission, which defines the long-term direction and purpose of the organization

•Involvement, which measures the company’s ability to drive commitment and to develop ownership with employees

•Consistency, which defines the values, agreement, and coordination that hold the company together

•Adaptability, which measures the company’s ability to read and scan the business environment and to respond to change

 

Organizations having project management systems are strong in adaptability and have an edge in innovation and creativity, while excelling in mission and consistency. They have a high measure of stability, return on investment, and return on sales. Organizations measuring high in all components have a dramatic financial advantage over others that are weak in these areas. Others at the bottom perform just as you’d expect: They’re sluggish, wasteful, and out of touch with their customers.

However, there are seven key elements in sustaining a high-performance culture that fits well with organizations practicing project management approaches, as shown in Figure 2.4.

 

Figure 2.4 Culture of high performance

#1 – Constructing a Winning Story

Storytelling is a powerful tool to drive organizational change and performance improvement. Project management helps change management through project implementation where leaders are able to construct a winning picture to motivate their team and achieve more than they thought is possible. What winning looks like is defined with desired outcomes. The project manager is given a clear picture to look across the entire organization and define what it looks like from a variety of perspectives.

 

#2 – Internal Communications

Project management helps internal communication through defined channels, with trust building kept on the top of the agenda. Clarity is focused when the team members hear the message; it helps them believe it, understand the meaning, their interpretations of it, and how they internalize it.

 

#3 – Member Engagements

Transparency in responsibility and authority help to build commitment that leads to engagement. Members who are engaged put their heart and soul into their job and have the energy and excitement to give more than is required of the job. Engaged members are committed and remain loyal to the organization.

Team members tend to rise to the standard set for them. The more you expect, the more they will achieve.

 

#4 – Ownership Mentalities

Project management structures help team members understand the boundaries in which they can operate, as well as where the organization wants to go; they feel empowered with a freedom to decide and act and most often make the right choices. Within their domain they are supported to think and act like “owners.”

 

#5 – Connecting with the Bigger Picture

Project management structures help team members to be a part of a compelling future, knowing the importance of desired outcomes and where they fit into the big picture, or the strategic goal. It is motivating for the team members to find a relationship of their targets with the organizational goal. When team members don’t understand the roles they play in an organization’s success, they are likely to become disengaged. No matter what level of hierarchy a team member belongs to, one should be able to articulate exactly how one’s contribution feeds into the broader strategy of the organization.

 

#6 – Project Management Culture

PMI’s definition of project management culture is: professional commitment, project team integration, work flexibility, and viewing others in terms of work performance. The team members have focused on the application of project management practices and processes, where leaders act in the same way so that they shape and communicate a vision; they also spell out a picture of the culture they are striving for.

Project management processes are just a set of guiding principles or values, but the best seem to go further by establishing preferred behaviors that support these values, improving performance through transparency.

 

#7 – Defined End Results

Project management is results-driven in that it focuses on end results and exercises control in inputs for processes, with the selection of the most effective transformational methodologies for making advancements.

 

Effective Communication Channels

The project management framework at the portfolio level provides a hierarchy of responsibilities and channels of communication for advancement in a strategic direction. Each project contributes to a goal in the portfolio either through a program or directly and is managed through the stakeholders identified for each implementation process.

Communication is the pivotal factor knitting together the team—sharing information, thoughts, and feelings through speaking, writing, or body language. Effective communication requires that transmitted content is received and understood by team members in the way it was intended. The project management structure provides channels of effective communication that include creating a common perception, changing behaviors, and acquiring information. The broad line approach is as displayed in Figure 2.5.

 

Figure 2.5 Communication management

Leadership in project management strives to develop collaborative communication, which is the ability to make effective decisions and apply emotional intelligence in the day-to-day interactive process between leaders and their respective team members. The responsibility of a leader is to become truly analytical about utilizing communication and facilitating an objective environment in how it is to be received.

A project management framework in place helps a key concept: It is important to remember that communication is equivalent to perception. In communication via any means, it is primarily important to evaluate whether the communication process is within the recipient’s range of perception and whether the recipient is willing to receive it. The project manager is in a strong position to evaluate factors such as the receiver’s emotional state, perceptual filters, and ability to analyze feedback and successfully decode the message.

Project managers recognize that the only successfully communicated message is what the receiver actually understood.

The project manager communicates complex concepts using a highly defined, specialized language, such as work breakdown structure (WBS), charter, risk plan, responsibility assignment matrix (RAM), earned value (EV), and budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP). These terms and acronyms have specific meanings and help project management practitioners to converse effectively concerning the technical aspects of a project.

The specialized project management language assists project managers in understanding, then applying knowledge in a particular project. Just as the technical language for managing a project helps to define outcomes, the language of leadership assists a project manager in understanding and applying communication skills in a way that creates trust, manages conflict, invites commitment, and embraces accountability while producing the right results. Successful project managers have both project management and leadership skills.

Project managers understand both the role of a leader and the importance of leadership communication skills.

Both are prime factors in achieving the right organizational results. Success as a project management practitioner requires a balance of subject matter competence, interpersonal skills, and conceptual abilities that produce an expected result. Project managers demonstrate their competence by “applying project management knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques” during all project phases to reach a desired outcome. The interpersonal and conceptual skills are more difficult to demonstrate.

The communication issues displayed in Figure 2.6 are common hindrances that need to be managed effectively.

 

Figure 2.6 The issues in communication

 

Manage Communication Issues

Too Little Communication. It may lead to a complete loss of direction and purpose, which is fatal for desired outcomes.

Too Much of Communication. It may confuse the team who loses interest and may lead to disengagement.

Wrong Type/Style of Communication. It may create friction and mistrust in interrelationships.

No Communication .It is the extreme of mismanagement that evades trust necessary for working together. Miscommunication also falls into this category.

Interpersonal communication is the pivotal competence for managing a project and ensures efficacy with due care. It is aimed at producing responses such as the following:

 

A)Understanding the exact meaning and intent of the written and spoken message

B)Being understood by others

C)Gaining acceptance for oneself and one’s ideas

D)Producing change or action

E)Active listening only completes communication; the parameters are:

 

A—attention

C—concern

T—timing - appropriate

I—involvement

V—vocal tone

E—eye contact

L—look

I—interest

S— summarize

T—territory (manage space)

E—empathy

N—nod to show understanding

 

Assertive Communication

A project professional, as an assertive communicator, knows how to clearly articulate thoughts and express opinions. You engage others by asking intelligent, powerful questions, and you actively listen to what people say. You remain grounded yet can dance in the moment without getting thrown off or erecting defensive barriers.

You have good boundaries and won’t allow yourself to be taken advantage of, and, at the same time, you communicate respectfully with others, not taking advantage of them or communicating with them in an aggressive or passive-aggressive manner.

Project professionals never ignore the impacts of the communication, which we now discuss.

 

The Communication Impacts

These entail the impacts noted in Figure 2.7 on the team to move in the right direction and reach the desired outcomes. The ingredients of impact are as follows:

 

Figure 2.7 The impacts of communication

I M P A C T: I—improve, M—mindfulness, P—provide, A—access, C—control. T —target

Clarity in Purpose. It provides an understanding of the purpose of the task, how it fits into the project deliverable, how it contributes to a portfolio-goal and how it helps the strategic advancement. The bigger picture adds to engagement.

Create Positive Relationship. Adds to trust, which enhances interrelationships

Support Engagement. The enhanced clarity of purpose supports engagement, which is vital for innovation and creativity in process

Facilitates Innovation. The high engagement of team members leads to innovation and creativity in processes

Facilitates Learning. The high engagement of team members leads to improvement in work that brings continuous learning

Promotes Teamwork. The high engagement of team members helps create the mind-set needed for working together to achieve the desired outcomes

Enhances Interest. The high engagement of team members increases interest in helping one other achieve the desired outcomes and overcome any shortfall of input for achieving success

Further, the following model may be applied in emergency situations when time is of the essence for the required information to be communicated.

 

SBAR—Model for Fast and Effective Communication

The Championship Communication Triad of prompt, direct, and respectful communication, which may be adopted in emergency situations on fast-track projects under time constraints.

A nursing communication model that every business leader may adopt and adapt that is known by its acronym SBAR: Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation.

SBAR was originally created for the nuclear submarine industry.

In 2002, health-care company Kaiser Permanente’s vice president of safety management, Doug Bonacum, adopted and adapted it for the company to improve communication between nurses and physicians. According to a 2007 Kaiser Permanente newsletter, “SBAR is designed to convey vital information in as little as 60 seconds.”

Why limit this succinct communication strategy to the nuclear submarine industry and the medical profession?

Everyone reading this can benefit from this style of communication in emergency advancement.

Here’s a short example from a patient briefing:

 

Situation Hello, this is Tom from Medicine and Surgery at xyz. I’m caring for Mr. Lee in Room 3. I’m calling regarding his pain control.

 

Background Mr. Lee is a 22-year-old who had surgery to repair a fractured ankle 2 days ago. He has had very minimal pain control since his surgery. He has an order for Tylenol 650 mg every4 hours for minimal to moderate pain and Morphine IV, 1 to 4 mg every2 hours for severe pain. He does not have any allergies to medications. This is the first time he is having any type of surgery or significant injury.

 

Assessment Mr. Lee ranks his pain as a 9/10, with the quality of being sharp and radiating to his midcalf area. He is reluctant to get out of bed, even refusing to sit in a chair at the bedside. His pedal pulses are equal, the surgical site is abc, and all of his vital signs are stable.

 

Recommendation I think that Mr. Lee would benefit from some longer-lasting pain medications. What would you prefer to order? Are there any exams or lab work you would like to order? What should I call you for in the future regarding his pain control?

This SBAR model can absolutely be applied to virtually any communication where situations need to be conveyed and next steps determined quickly.

This approach provides the information necessary to facilitate a two-way dialogue that builds trust in critical relationships.

What applications do you see for the SBAR model in your world?

Project managers identify the communication preferences of all project stakeholders and share them with the team. They create a matrix listing all and specific communication preferences for each.

When you meet with team members to understand their preferences, use the time as an opportunity to learn about new collaboration tools that you can apply to the project as well. Finally, the best way to make sure the team adopts new forms of communication is by proposing, not imposing. Meet challenges of communicating with Generation-Y and the generation gap. Do not bridge it; just fill it in.

 

The Generation Gap

Marge Combe, VMC Consultant, Blog “The Generation Gap – Don’t Just Bridge it; Fill It In” November 6, 2014. Source: http://blog.vernalmgmt.com/the-generation-gap-dont-just-bridge-it-fill-it-in/. Adapted the following;

“There are four critical steps to making a personal commitment to breaking through the generation gap – no matter which side of it you are.

 

1.Engage more often with colleagues who are not your age. We tend to seek out and talk with people who are most like us, but we learn most from those who are not. There’s a surprising level of fear about initiating cross-generational conversations. “I don’t know if a veteran at my company would be open to talking to me,” said a young woman. “They’re so busy. I don’t have a specific request.”A Baby Boomer was no less reluctant: “I don’t feel like the young people want to hear from me. I don’t like to push myself on them.”

The first step in filling in the generation gap is sincerely inviting the open-ended conversations, trusting genuine receptivity, and accepting uncertainty about where they’ll lead.

2.Set aside the roles. Be conscious to set yourself on an equal footing, rather than playing to societal roles. As identified by consultants Abraham & Hicks, Baby Boomers tend to take on parental roles: “I’m the parent. I got here first. I know more than you do.” And our experience of the panel discussion exposed that younger generations tend toward seeing themselves as visionaries: “I’m in tune with the new order. I see things you don’t understand.”

3.Ask more than you tell. Start from a place of genuine curiosity rather than assumptions about what the other generation brings to the table.Ask open-ended questions around a common issue to draw out each other’s insights, hopes, and ideas for workable solutions.Agree to a protocol of not ‘telling’ unless asked. Call the question if you detect your colleague is operating from an assumption about your generation.

4.Acknowledge the contributions that build a joint future. The veterans established a platform on which the young generations can build – or from which they can leap! Before they build or leap, they need to understand the value of that platform. The older generations need to acknowledge that their platforms are only as good as the times they serve, and they need to recognize the contribution of the young in reassessing the times. Only then can they, together, reconsider the needs of the future.

 

Filling in the generation gap is a compelling project; once begun, it feels less like work than like a mission. And like a mission, it inspires and motivates both the younger and the older participants. Will you begin your own personal commitment to fill in the generation gap?”

 

Dynamism for Change

Project management systems help in the development of high-performing teams possessing clarity of purpose and defined channels for communication that lead to dynamism for change. Project management structures enable a focus on change management and proactive handling with human factors.

Project managers’ involvement in the selection of team members with specific strengths helps in aligning the right skills with the right job, and that adds value in the advancement to desired outcomes. Enhanced levels of engagement in projects through sharing the big picture adds value in the strategic advancement of the organization. The high levels of engagement lead to strong commitment, higher motivation, and enthusiasm.

Project managers find a position to assess whether resistance to change is a reflection of opposition, or merely a result of inertia. Even when they hold a sincere commitment to change, many members are unwittingly applying productive energy toward a hidden competing commitment. The resulting dynamic equilibrium stalls the effort in what looks like resistance but is in fact a kind of personal immunity to change.

Project managers look at competing commitments in detail and go through a process that helps members overcome their immunity to change. The process may sound straightforward, but it is by no means quick or easy. It challenges the very psychological foundations upon which people function.

Project managers may at times feel like they are playing the role of a psychologist, but in a sense, managers are psychologists. Helping team members overcome limitations to become more successful is at the very heart of effective project management.

 

Summary

Application of the project management approach captures strengths for effective strategic implementation. There in a portfolio the systematic and disciplined approach of project management brings clarity of direction to a common goal and defines who is contributing what. It facilitates interdependent and collaborative functioning of the team.

The channels of communication are established in a portfolio, which helps in making faster decisions, building trust, and pursuing the goal collectively.

The approach creates dynamism for change and provides a supporting environment for the team to find potential heights of performance.

Transparency of the system helps each team to know how its contribution is creating value.

 

References

Marge Combe, VMC Consultant, Blog “The Generation Gap – Don’t Just Bridge it; Fill It In” Nov 6th, 2014. Source: http://blog.vernalmgmt.com/the-generation-gap-dont-just-bridge-it-fill-it-in/

PMI - Pulse of Profession® report, published in 2015.