- Whether to mention a pregnancy in a job interview
- A possible meeting protocol
- What are an end-user's responsibilities?
- Another take on opening PCs, or not
- Getting some process going
- Selling a more open environment to management
- Running an effective meeting
- Licensing rules for virtual machines
- The ROI of metrics
- Legal challenges to virtual machines
July 16, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Paint-by-numbers project management
Dear Bob ...I'm not a subscriber, but, the CEO of my company regularly sends us one of your articles, it seems you have plenty of common sense, because I usually agree with you (seems I "think" I have plenty of common sense also).
Anyway, we have a few Project Managers in our organization who have the "check the box" syndrome. It doesn't matter if the requirements handed to development cannot be measured and are thus untestable, there was a meeting and something exchanged hands – check the box, it's done. It doesn't matter that the code handed from development to test won't install, there was a meeting, and hand-off occurred – check the box, it's done.
This is always frustrating and of course, comes to a head at toward the "scheduled" deployment date.
Any thoughts?
- Afflicted with troubled projects
Dear Afflicted ...
The short version of how to solve this problem, if it's just a few among many, is to hire better project managers.
What's very likely happening, if it is just a few, is malicious obedience. It isn't at all uncommon to find some in this role who are forced to attend project management methodology training and find that it's too structured for their tastes. And I sympathize, as I've attended project management training that I've found is too structured for my tastes. The difference is that <BLATANT PLUG WARNING> I was in a position to do something about it - to develop my own version.</BLATANT PLUG WARNING>
Sorry. Anyway, here's how some of these folks respond: Rather than adopt what makes sense to them and ignore the rest, or to give it all an honest try, they follow the form while ignoring the substance. This lets them "prove" that the techniques don't work.
I don't want to suggest that this behavior is in any way conscious. More often, it doesn't quite break the surface of the brain. Instead, it's of the form of "I'll show them."
Another possibility is that these folks are simply optimists - a fatal characteristic for project managers that lets them fool themselves into believing that Everything is Just Fine. Optimists are simply not suited to the project management discipline.
They belong in Marketing.
If it's more than a few project managers, though, your company has a more systemic problem. If that's the case, it's likely that your business sponsors don't understand their role, and they, or some in the project managers' leadership chain, have created an environment that punishes project managers who raise issues and otherwise honestly report project status. So they sweep problems under the rug as long as they can.
Of course, given that you work for such a highly enlightened CEO, I doubt that's the problem.
- Bob
Posted by Bob Lewis on July 16, 2006 07:01 AM
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Hi Bob,
Baseline PM skills will be a common place requirement for most employees in 21st century organisations. Grades of PM ability will exists at all levels in business.
Sure, there will be painful exceptions to this (lets keeps those optimists in marketing), but complex, manageable, work environment's are possible.
The idea that there are 'shades of grey' in Project Management experience and ability is a management principal who's time has come. Technology can support these various shades and move us all a step closer to the 'frictionless' office.
Posted by: Dan Walsh at July 17, 2006 03:04 AMHi Bob,
IMPO, the last place you want the optimists is in marketing. The reasons so many projects fail is because the marketing folks are making promises to the customer which are impossible to deliver on, and then before the ink on the contract has dried, throw them over the wall to the Project Managers, hoping for a miracle to occur.....
In our company, the MARKETING folks ARE the project managers, and instead of their compensation being linked to sales commissions, the majority of their compensation is linked to the profitability of the project.
Let me assure you, we have very few failed projects!!!
BR,
PDG, Jakarta, INDONESIA
Hi Bob,
Another great post !
I have seen this kind of Project Management behaviour most places I have worked over the years and is a symptom of a much bigger problem. The organisations in my view where this behaviour is common and in my view only way to survive as a Project Manager have the following key cultural characteristics :-
- Projects /programmes of work are started without technical /project feasibility studies.
- The business sponsors are completely oblivious to the risk /issue profile of the project /programme initiated.
- There is often among the business people a conspiracy of optimism where it is made clear that talking about project reality (risk /issue management) is a sure fire way of getting you FIRED.
- Very few IT projects /programmes have in the past been successful in REAL TERMS. (Many surveys indicate 70% IT Project Failure rate per annum)
- No independent project auditing. This is important so that successful /failed projects can be clearly identified cutting through the propaganda /spin. This keeps project managers and staff on their toes. They have no way of hiding the truth.
Organisations with these kind of characteristics are all too common. I only recently came across this culture and much worse at the UKs largest TV broadcasters. Truly shocking !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In these kind of IT project environments the only Project Managers who can survive are Spin Managers. What you are describing is an example of delivery spin. On the surface, the boxes are checked and the staff are too frightened to say anything other than everything is A-OK. Anything less would be disloyal, defeatism, negative behaviour and ultimately lead to your P45.
If anyone is interested in turning their organisations into a company conducive to the delivery of consistently successful IT project delivery then you need to read my post with attached checklist on how to beat SPIN MANAGEMENT :- . http://www.claretyconsulting.com/it/comments/spin-management-checklist/2006-06-27/
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Three books. Three ways to change the world, your life, or at least Bob Lewis' bank account. Leading IT: The Toughest Job in the World distills the world of IT leadership into eight learnable skills and gives you concrete, practical techniques for each one of them. Bare Bones Project Management: What you can't not do makes project management manageable, even for first-time project managers with no formal training in the discipline. ManagementSpeak: What managers say/What they mean … well, it won't help your career, and won't make you a better manager. Mostly, it will make you chuckle, guffaw, and maybe even chortle. Make friends - it's the perfect gift for anyone who has ever suffered through one of those meetings. Order your copies today! |
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