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Free PDU Webinar: “Is Project Management The Next Management 2.0?”

As many of you know, Roeder Consulting serves the project management community with one free webinar each month which the PMP can use to claim 1 free PDU.  It brings us great pleasure to announce the next free webinar:

When:  Tuesday, November 13, 2012 11:00 am
Eastern Standard Time (New York, GMT-05:00)

How Long: 1 hour

Description: “Is Project Management The Next Management 2.0?”
Steve Leybourne, PhD – Boston University

This session addresses the various shifts in project management over the last few years, and poses the question; “Is Project Management the new Management 2.0”. There are significant parallels between recent publications positing the requirements of a new model of management, and developments in project management that have occurred over the last few years. This session will also introduce a ‘revised’ model of project management that seeks to address some of these changes, and offer some suggestions about issues that will become more relevant to the project manager in the future.

Author Biography:
Steve Leybourne is a full-time member of the faculty at Boston University, where he teaches at postgraduate and Executive level, and continues his research into project-based change, improvisational working practices, and behavior within the project domain.

To Register: To Register for this month’s webinar, go to our free pdu webinar page on the Roeder Consulting website.

 

Get Better Results With Live, Interactive Project Management Training Online

Roeder Consulting’s online training leverages leading technology to enable you to acquire a more advanced project manager skill set from your desktop at home or in your office.

Our online project management training is available in two formats: Online On Demand Project Management Training and Online Project Management Training With a Live Instructor.

Our online project management training is known for its engaging content filled with real-world case studies and updated material. We utilized the world class content from our acclaimed in-person programs, and re-formatted and adjusted the lessons to optimize learning for an online environment.

See what are students are saying:

“The presenter was excellent at answering tough real-life questions and bringing his experience into the classroom.”

“Classes are convenient with work. Because they’re on-line I can go right back to work.”

“The cost is reasonable, very reasonable. The course would be recommended.  The topics are relevant.”

“Roeder’s classes are effective. Once you have your PMP, you’re just looking to get your PDUs without taking too much time. Roeder is good because they keep you engaged and the class participation offers more perspective.”

Ask a Project Manager at Roeder Consulting: Why Re-Baseline a Project?

Question:  I was asked the other day to re-baseline a project.  Can you add some clarification on what instances might force this to happen?

Answer: From Keith Jenkins, PMP, MBA

I’ll give it a try… Establishing a new baseline is usually considered when underlying fundamentals of the project change. The change can happen at any point within the project lifecycle. When PMs are asked to establish a new project baseline, there is immediate focus on the project schedule but do not forget to include the budget since it will also change.

A PMO usually has a list of what conditions cause a re-baseline to occur.  For those PMs working in companies where no PMO exists, you might want to start to develop a list for yourself.  Here are some initial thoughts:

Events That Require Re-baseline of Project:

1. Force Majeure (Acts of Nature):
2. Scope change (including external mandates)
3. Acquisition or elimination of facilities
4. Locations cut from scope (think multi-facility implementation)
5. Design changes
6. Approach change
7. Business drivers change (budget, deployment schedule, time constraints, business priorities, etc.)

Events That Don’t Require Re-baselining of Project:

1. Risk is encountered and mitigation steps need to be enacted (handled thru risk mgmt plan)
2. Risk is encountered and contingency dollars need to be spent (handled thru risk mgmt plan)
3. Project cost projections are above a certain threshold  (project variance handled thru supplemental funding)
4. Project is under budget or schedule (is a project variance)
5. Vendor is late on deliverable (a project variance)
6. Resource is pulled from project (either project variance or handled thru risk mgmt plan)
7. Re-sequence of implementation schedule (unless it costs more) (usually handled with Decision Record)

Understanding what category an event might fall under is helpful in determining whether to re-baseline a project. As you work on planning for a project, I always like to take a general list like above and see if there are specific situations within the known project that I can add to that general list. Hope this helps.

If you have a question, please let me know at headquarters@roederconsulting.com

Advanced Project Stakeholder Management – Course of the Month

Stakeholders in a project make decisions, provide input, deliver work, and impact if your project will be a success. Stakeholders may be the project team, functional management, a project sponsor, and most importantly, the customer. Anyone who participates in the project or is impacted by its results is a stakeholder. Each stakeholder has an essential contribution to make and all stakeholder expectations need to be met. It’s the responsibility of the project manager to understand how to identify, manage and clarify stakeholder direction.

This dynamic course teaches you the ins and outs of project stakeholder management. Roeder Consulting applies cutting-edge science to real-world expertise to deliver tangible techniques for project stakeholder management.

For more information and/or to register for this online course, CLICK HERE

Are You Feeling Restricted as a Project Manager?

Our highlighted question of the month at Roeder Consulting fits in nicely with the September free webinar.  Do you feel restricted as a project manager, like this individual?  Does it affect your job satisfaction? Join us to discuss your job satisfaction as a project manager on Tuesday, the 11th of September.  Read about our monthly free webinars and register here: http://www.roederconsulting.com/webinar.php

 

Question:  I started working at a company that I believe has very restrictive PM processes and it hinders my ability as a PM to deliver on certain types of projects. Is this normal?

Answer: From Keith Jenkins, PMP, MBA

Unfortunately, without knowing the context of your project(s), the industry, and the standards implemented, your situation might be perfectly normal. Your perception of restrictive might be normal for someone else. There are usually valid reasons for the “so called” restricted processes.

PMs sometime feel restricted when they come into a company where a more mature project environment exists. This type of environment usually has more processes, tools, and governance in place. PMs not familiar with this type of environment may have to generate more project materials, get more approvals, etc. and it gives the appearance of restriction. In my context, “Restriction” is one of two things: Asking PMs to do something for a project even though it provides no value to company or limiting their adaptability / creativity / decision making.

Does this mean companies, even with mature PMOs can be overly restrictive? Absolutely and it frequently happens. From my experience, PMOs do a good job of initially defining procedures, defining how tools are used, governance, etc. but PMOs fail to monitor the relevance of these processes overtime. Lack of monitoring is usually brought on by shifting priorities within the PMO itself. Due to changes in company strategy, market influences, government regulation, etc. these processes / paperwork requirements become obsolete. This creates an environment where PMs are required to follow processes that no longer produce value to the project and become both restrictive and time consuming. Think about it as filling out paperwork that NO ONE reviews or takes action against.

Companies and PMOs also have to ensure they provide a PM with just enough rope to hang themselves. The successes and failures experienced during a project are the only way a company will grow competent PM talent. There has to be flexibility in the process so PMs can grow their managerial skills. The concepts of adapting approaches based on the situation, thinking outside the box to solve problems, or just exercising decisions making are core management concepts. If too restrictive, talent will not grow and flourish.

The Bottom Line:
When PMs are required to complete useless paperwork, follow obsolete processes, or processes that add absolutely no value, most mature project managers will find ways to subvert these constraints without negatively impacting their project or their end-users (i.e. customers). You then end up with some PMs performing well and others struggling because they are in fact following the rules. The system begins to experience diminishing returns. No two projects are ever the same, period. Even if they address the exact same deliverables, you typically end up with different stakeholders, customers, cross-functional teams, etc. each bringing a different dynamic to the planning and execution process. Companies, PMOs and those mentoring PMs need to ensure there is both flexibility within the system and the decision-making process. To use a football analogy:  While a defense has a game plan, it still needs to empower players so they can easily adjust their approach based on the situation at hand.

Restrictions are typically needed to gain and maintain some type of control. The problem occurs when these restrictions are not monitored and become needless constraints. The best thing you can do is mentor PMs on how and when to change their approach and empower them to make decisions based on situations at hand. Don’t forget to go back to the PMO and inform them of useless constraints!

Got a question? Email to: headquarters@roederconsulting.com

Are You a Project Manager Dealing with Skeptical Stakeholders?

Earning Buy-In
by Tres Roeder, PMP, MBA

Project Managers are constantly called on to gain support for their ideas. Whether it’s “selling” project objectives to a skeptical stakeholder, encouraging a human resources executive to provide more people for the project team, or convincing a vendor to support a change in scope, projects are one opportunity to earn support after another.
The savvy project manager understands that earning this support is an ongoing process. The process starts with including people in the project. People support what they create. They second step is to observe how people are reacting. Finally, in the third step, the project manager responds based on what is observed. This three-step process is called “The Circle of Support.”

Note that responding comes only after the project manager has included and observed. This is because the proper response varies by individual and by situation. Like anything related to the human side of change, The Circle of Support does not guarantee buy in. It does, however, increase the probability of success. Successfully following each step of the process increases the odds of success.

Learning the Circle of Support and its sub-components is easy. Mastering it takes a lifetime.

If you’d like to see the latest comments on this discussion thread and/or offer your insights go to the Roeder Consulting Linked In Group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Roeder-Consulting-1-Community-Project-2800285

Click here to view previous project management articles from Roeder Consulting.