Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy

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1 The Complete Project Manager Building the Right Set of Skills for Greater Project Success Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy Page # 1 The Complete Project Manager Page # 2 We are organic based creatures, enormously capable but seldom perfect As in life itself, unlimited combinations possible for the molecules surrounding complete project managers Many ways to assemble successful outcomes based upon additional skillsets New possibilities emerge by various combinations of skills Profession of project, program, and portfolio management truly benefits from new developments among people inhabiting its space. Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy 1

2 A Curious Example Page # 3 Alice in Wonderland, 2010 (as an example of a complete project manager) Curious, and curiouser It's a completely new story. Alice returning; no longer 10 but 17. Since gone, Red Queen has taken over Wonderland Alice comes across wild characters. Becomes part of force fighting oppression of Red Queen Heroine has to step up in a new way she never expected... and save the day. We have our champion. You are Alice; I'd know you anywhere. Mia is incredible, perfect for the role. Needed somebody that has a gravity to them; Mia had a quality of being both a young and an old soul at the same time. Her experience is finding herself again. Finding that she has the strength to be more self assured. He wouldn't be there if it weren't for me. From the moment I fell down that rabbit hole, I've been told what I must do, who I must be. I've been shrunk, stretched, scratched, and stuffed into a teapot I've been accused of being Alice, and of not being Alice. But this is my path, I'll decide where it goes from here. I make the path. This is impossible. Only if you believe it is. This is only a dream; nothing can hurt me. Oh ya. e.g. Alice in Wonderland Molecular Vision Integration Leadership/ Management Personal Market / Customer Knowledge Humor Change Management Complete PM Project Sales Conflict Management Environment Organizational Page # 4 Political Negotiating Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy 2

3 Introduction Page # 5 Leadership / Management Leading a Team Setting a Direction: Creating a vision of the project, with implications for the roles and contributions of team members Managing a Team Planning and Budgeting: Developing a plan for the project, including objectives, critical path, milestones, and resources needed Page # 6 Aligning People: Seeking commitment by communicating and interpreting the vision together and translating the roles and potential contributions into expectations for team members Influencing and Inspiring: Encouraging and assisting individuals to actively participate by establishing open and positive relationships, by appealing to their needs, values, and goals, and by involving, entrusting, recognizing, and supporting them Organizing and Staffing: Determining the tasks, roles, and responsibilities required for the project; and assembling individuals with appropriate knowledge, skills, and experience Controlling and Problem Solving: Monitoring and evaluating the progress of the team through observation, meetings, and reports; and taking action to correct deviations from the project plan Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy 3

4 Where is Your Focus? A. Solving problems B. Correcting weaknesses C. Building upon strengths D. Expanding capacity Page # 7 Focus on Your Strengths Shift to strengths Staff your weaknesses Create an edge expand capacity! Suggestions: Work on yourself Work on your priorities Work on your strengths Work with your contemporaries. Page # 8 Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy 4

5 Make Fun a Priority Page # 9 A project manager s toolkit is more complete when fun is on the agenda, and every day includes laughter. Life in general and projects specifically seem to flow better and accomplish more when people have fun doing whatever they are doing. Humor in business is not about clowning is about demonstrating that you are a warm, responsive, intelligent and considerate person. People want to work together again when they know the experience includes having fun. Ready to Negotiate? Page # 10 Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy 5

6 Negotiation Styles Hard (controlling) o Hard bargaining is adversarial you assume that your opponent is your enemy and the only way you can win is if he or she loses. So you bargain in a very aggressive, competitive way. Soft (giving in) o Soft bargaining is just the opposite. Your relationship with your opponent is so important that you concede much more easily than you should. You get taken advantage of in your effort to please, and while agreement is reached easily, it is seldom a wise one. Principled (win/win)... Page # 11 Ref: Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton's best-selling book, Getting to Yes (2011) Getting Prepared Page # 12 Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy 6

7 The Rules of Negotiating Page # 13 Page # 14 A. What sponsor? B. Sponsor started the project but then disappeared until C. Sponsor was too distant to be helpful D. Sponsor tended to micromanage the project E. Sponsor was moderately helpful F. Sponsor made it clear what was needed and assisted in every way to make that happen G. Sponsor defined the project, identified constraints, funded the project with adequate resources, made timely decisions, resolved conflicts, and supported the project team Negotiating Partner Sponsor Benchmark: Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy 7

8 Views of Politics Politics will be present anytime an attempt is made to turn a vision for change into reality A common view is what happens with negative politics: o a win lose environment, o in an under handed, or o without your knowledge of what's happening approach People feel manipulated, and the outcome is not desirable from their point of view Secret discussions more prevalent than public ones Project managers who shy away from power and politics are not being all they can be A big pitfall people fall into is not taking the time to fully assess what they are up against learning how to operate effectively in political environments. Page # 15 Authentic Leadership in Action A fundamental solution within the process of creating a political plan includes applying tools of influence and persuasion, being authentic, and acting with integrity Authenticity means that people believe what they say Integrity means that they do what they say they will do, and for the reasons they stated to begin with. Page # 16 Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy 8

9 Develop a Political Plan Since organizations by their nature are political, complete project managers become politically sensitive Create a political plan that addresses: o the power structure in your organization, o levels of stakeholder impact and support, o who forms a supporting or guiding coalition to make the vision become reality, and o what are the areas of focus that constitute a strategic plan o decision making processes in your organization. Page # 17 Prepare a Political Plan (1) Page # 18 Assessment of environment We are a loose-tight organization with a moderately weak project culture. Power is relatively diffused and no one person dominates team meetings. People with initiative can step up and succeed but few of these efforts are coordinated across the organization. Ineffective and inefficient processes are a big problem. Description of political jungle The tigers stay out of our way. The lions roars are not heard very far, and the bears seem to run the show, doing their own thing. Venomous attacks can come from anywhere, especially when traversing in new territories. Stakeholder roles Sponsors are assigned but do not actively support projects unless asked. Team members lack full commitment to the project because of other distractions. Senior management is just beginning to understand the value of project and program management to the vitality of the organization. Potential issues Too many projects threatens successful completion. Requirements change when managers cater to special interests. Vague understanding of roles & responsibilities creates confusion and leads to missed milestones. Few commitments exist to follow through on project plans. Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy 9

10 Prepare a Political Plan (2) Page # 19 Approach to stakeholders and issues Need to get tigers involved in supporting program management and a project portfolio process. Need to harness the lions to roar in concert by focusing on a limited set of strategic goals and corresponding projects. The bears will continue to perform as long as we do not disturb them too greatly with complex processes or detailed checklists. Strategic response, such as positioning and steps A small project office reporting to the general manager can facilitate the introduction of simple portfolio and project management processes. Get the attention of the lions by pointing out the consequences in the market if we fail to systematically coordinate our efforts. Neutralize negative [venomous] behaviors by an open approach to all issues and the free flow of information. Action plans Interview all stakeholders. Prepare proposal. Line up upper management support. Define the project sponsor role and conduct training for new sponsors. Develop an environment where excellence in project sponsorship contributes to competitive advantage. Select strategic efforts leading first to small wins before rolling out more broadly. Get explicit commitments from all stakeholders. Remember to be authentic and act with integrity on every interaction. See web site Offerings for template A [Perfect] Organizational Storm Page # 20 Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy 10

11 Toxic or Green? Page # 21 Mistrust Failures to communicate Burdensome reporting requirements Misguided metrics Cutthroat tactics Negative political practices Trust among colleagues and management Cooperation instead of competition Shared vision Common sense of purpose People fully communicate Respect, creativity, influence Take Aways Recognize toxic elements that detract from organizational performance Identify green elements that engage people using their innate talents Take the initiative to apply your talents, even when the environment is not ideal Engage in a relentless pursuit of leading practices and for people who can apply them Regularly assess yourself and others about your attitude and aptitude to embrace green environments Recognize that some people are not yet willing to support a project environment that requires changing current practices Be persistent in developing improved working conditions. Page # 22 Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy 11

12 The Complete Project Manager Page # 23 Features, Benefits and Advantages F B A C Benefits What will be achieved Advantages Why and how a better outcome Close Get explicit commitments Page # 24 Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy 12

13 Assess and focus on your strengths Reframe your attitude Ask for what you want Be politically sensitive Get explicit commitments Integrate skills from multiple disciplines Have fun! Summary Thoughts Page # 25 Guidance the smallest person can change the course of the future. All you have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to you. Page # 26 e. g. Lord of the Rings Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy 13

14 What s Next? DO IT! Page # 27 Summary Page # 28 Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy 14

15 References Page # 29 super trooper ENGLUND Project Management Consultancy englundr@englundpmc.com Star Trek Randall L. Englund Englund Project Management Consultancy 15