Project Management and Fun: they can go together

July 31, 2009 — Bruce McGraw

On my blog, I have talked about some of the difficult tasks a project manager must perform and some of the routine management tasks that help keep a project on track. I guess in my trying to tackle the serious issues of projects and management I may have come across too negative.  However, project management can also be fun – not fun in the sense of skiing down a mountain or running through the sand, but enjoyable nonetheless.

  • Celebrating success can be fun
  • Growing your employees can be fun
  • Building relationships with people you work with can be fun
  • Creating solutions can be fun
  • Getting and keeping others excited about your project can be fun
  • Having a celebration after a very difficult system launch can be really fun

Knowing this, I was delighted to come across this excellent article by Brad Egeland from the July 13, 2009 PM Tips called: When Project Management is Fun

Brad offers some key insights into the aspects of Project Management that he considers fun – perhaps you will also. Brad observes that he is most productive when the work is fun. Fun for him involves the freedom to accomplish objectives, using cool technology and the opportunity for some hands-on. I think you will enjoy reading Brad’s entire list in “When Project Management is Fun”.

What are the characteristics of projects, teams, and organizations that make work enjoyable for you? Please Please, share some ideas so we all can become better at Having Fun!

 

Posted in General Project Management. Tags: , . 3 Comments »

Collaboration tools for Virtual Project Teams

July 24, 2009 — Bruce McGraw

Wow – lots of feedback on the last week’s post “Project Management: Keys to managing a remote project team”!  Thanks for all the comments and stories.  Based on the questions I am expanding on the topic today.

As I mentioned last week—and it is worth repeating—the key to successfully managing remote or virtual teams is COMMUNICATION. That includes voice, texting, and email and also sharing documents, project history, and status information preferably in near-real-time. I am impressed with the myriad tools available on the web to support team collaboration. Many of these tools are free or cost little compared to traveling to sites or leasing office space for everyone on the team.

That having been said, there are some useful cautions on collaboration tools as mentioned in Wayne Turmel’s article “Remote Working: The Truth about Collaboration Tools” posted on BNET. A couple of important observations in Wayne’s article:

  • Technology rarely solves a business problem by itself
  • Everyone on the team needs to know how to use the tools—what you like is what you know how to use
  • The collaboration tools won’t help if they are not used consistently and frequently

Here are some resources I have looked at to get you started in finding the set of collaboration tools to facilitate communication on your project:

1.  SharePoint is the premier tool from Microsoft. Microsoft’s Office SharePoint Server 2007 called “MOSS” is an integrated server platform that provides web content management, enterprise content services, and enterprise search features. It provides an integrated suite of server capabilities for sharing and managing information. A sub-set of SharePoint is included within the license of Windows Project Server. Another great feature of SharePoint is that it supports the creation of websites, wikis, and document sharing.

I have personal experience in managing all sizes of teams using SharePoint and love its flexibility and scalability.  It also provides a good structure when utilizing data and collaborating among many teams and projects.  ToolBox for IT summarizes SharePoint as follows: “SharePoint Portal Server is a portal server that connects people, teams, and knowledge across business processes. SharePoint Portal Server integrates information from various systems into one secure solution through single sign-on and enterprise application integration capabilities. It provides flexible deployment and management tools, and facilitates end-to-end collaboration through data aggregation, organization, and searching. SharePoint Portal Server also enables users to quickly find relevant information through customization and personalization of portal content and layout as well as through audience targeting.”

SharePoint Server is neither inexpensive nor is it easy to learn and integrate into your development and information sharing processes. However, those professionals who use it regularly and comment on various IT blogs say positive things about MOSS’s contribution to communication and productivity. SharePoint is powerful and supported by Microsoft Partner companies and Technical Services.

2.  Campfire is a web-based group chat tool. Unlike traditional chat or IM that is designed for one-on-one communication, Campfire supports interaction among several participants. The service provides password-protected chat rooms for intranet and extranet communication. The service works through your web browser, so there is no special installation or configuration required. Campfire is iPhone compatible.

Features of Campfire include: multiple rooms that may be organized by project, task, or topic. Permission for each room can be set and you can invite an outsider for temporary access to any room. You will see who is in chat mode in any room to which you have access. You can also have an audio alert when someone is active in one of your chat rooms. A chat history is maintained so that you can go back and review chats when you were not on-line. Campfire also lets you upload files for sharing and images can be placed directly into the chat.

Campfire has a four level pricing model:

  • Basic is $12 per month supports 12 chatters with standard security and 1 Gigabyte of storage
  • Plus for $24 per month supports 25 chatters with enhanced security and 3 Gigabytes of storage
  • Premium for $49 per month supports 60 chatters with enhanced security and 10 Gigabytes of storage
  • Max for $99 per month supports 100 chatters with enhanced security and 25 Gigabytes of storage

3.  Basecamp is brought to you by the same folks as Campfire. Basecamp supports document sharing across a single or multiple projects. Basecamp supports a message board, project document sharing, time tracking, milestone tracking, a project dashboard and shared to-do lists. Like Campfire, there are four pricing models in Basecamp ranging from $24–$149 per month, covering 15–to an unlimited number of projects, and supporting between 3–50 users. All pricing options except Basic support time tracking.

4. Zoho Office Suite: According to Wikipedia, The Zoho Office Suite is a Web- based online office suite containing word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, note-taking, wikis, CRM, project management, invoicing and other applications developed by AdventNet Inc., an Indian-based company. Some applications, such as Zoho CRM and Zoho Projects, require a fee to be used; other products may be used with only registration. Zoho Office Suite includes the following tools: Writer, Sheet, DB and Reports, Show, Projects, CRM, Creator, Wiki, Planner, Notebook, Mail, Chat and Meeting.
Users can collaborate and edit documents with Zoho and then store and manage them in Microsoft® SharePoint®.

More tools for collaboration and communication:
5.  EditMe  lets users create, edit and share websites in minutes including support for wikis, web publishing, and online documentation. EditMe has pricing options that range from $4.95 per month to $49.95. Each plan allows unlimited users but varies on the storage space and traffic per month.

6.  PBWorks  offers collaborative page editing, document management and file sharing, history and audit trail, automatic backups, enhanced security including: access controls, page and folder-level access, IP white-listing and black-listing; search across pages , point-and-click editor that supports images, files, colors, and fonts  with the ability to edit the page source and customize HTML. Project collaboration using PBWorks costs @20.00 per month per user.

7.  Approver.com lets users view documents, create a document online, upload a document from your computer, create a workgroup, publish documents online and link to documents from your intranet. Cost? But registration is free.

Useful Links:
Well I could continue but I think you get the point – there are tools to help you collaborate effectively.  Here are a few other links I haven’t called out which might be of use.

Wayne Turmel’s article “Remote Working: The Truth about Collaboration Tools” in BNET.
ToolBox IT answers 50 questions users and potential users of Microsoft SharePoint may have.
SharePoint 2007 Review – Six Pillars of MOSS from CMS Wire
How to’s for SharePoint from Microsoft Technical Services
Campfire  home
Basecamp information on sharing document and project information
Summary of features for: Zoho Office Suite on Wikipedia
Zoho Company information
“25 Web Sites to Watch” according to PCWorld – see comments on Approver
The Online Collaboration Tools Guide from ReadWriteEnterprise compares Zoho, Google Docs, Syncplicity, and Box.

Thanks for all the suggestions – for everyone reading this I encourage you to leave a comment with a tool name or your experience in collaborating on a team.

Posted in General Project Management, project management office, Tools. Tags: , , , , . 15 Comments »

Project Management: Keys to managing a Virtual or remote project team

July 17, 2009 — Bruce McGraw

IT development and services is a technical area that is well-suited to remotely located teams. These project teams are called Virtual Teams and made of of team members who are located in dispersed in different physical locations. Team members may be working from home, in other cities in the U.S., or even internationally. The freedom of working remotely has benefits for both employees and organizations including:

  • High desirability for many employees— keeping them with the project and happy with the organization
  • Lower business cost since office space and overhead are covered by employee rather than employer
  • Access to a greater pool of talent  – across wider area of the world
  • Employees have flexible hours to get their tasks completed—they like that
  • Employee time is not wasted commuting through traffic—more time for work
  • Helps the environment by keeping cars off the road

However, being the project manager of a team that includes remote members has additional challenges that must be met and managed to keep the project on track. In my experience these challenges can be dealt with successfully given understanding, planning, and well-defined project specifications.  A few years ago I had the pleasure of doing research on managing virtual teams.  The first step was determining what a “manager” was supposed to do.  The diagram below is a representation of the areas and skills that must be addressed by any good manager. 

Skills needed to manage teams including remote teams.

Skills needed to manage project teams including remote teams

(Enlarged View)

Keys to managing remote project teams

The number one key is communication. And you need to know upfront that communicating with a virtual team will take more of your time as project manager than working with a local team. If it is at all logistically possible, you should try to have your first team meeting face-to-face. In teleconferences, even video conferences, the socialization and trust building that happens face-to-face is missing.

Communication support can be broadened to include shared project documents and workspace like Microsoft SharePoint (see link below on Microsoft’s SharePoint and collaborative tools) or Azure Cloud Computing.  Although you can expect a significant increase in your email, instant messaging and texting traffic, I have found that talking to individuals is still more effective than texting or voice mail, and should be preferred whenever possible. Because the informal water-cooler communication that provides valuable but unplanned sharing is absent on virtual teams, finding an on-line alternate like social networking is useful (Like blogs, Wikis, LinkedIn, facebook, twitter, SharePoint personal sites, etc)

REMINDER: Don’t forget the impact of time-zone differences.

As project manager you must assure a coherent representation to the entire team of the mission, customer needs, tasking and schedule. You accomplish this through written and verbal communication at the kick-off meeting and every day after that. Communication at weekly staff meetings should include an agenda that is distributed before the meeting, facilitated interchange during the meeting, and summary/action items distributed to the entire team quickly afterwards.

Planning in the context of a virtual team requires more thought on task assignments. To the extent possible, tasks should be independent with clear goals for input, process, and output. Encourage team members to communicate frequently with others whose work integrates with theirs. Serve as a role model for this in addition to active reminders and feedback.

In the beginning of the project become knowledgeable of the technology aids that can help keep the team communicating and cohesive. Beyond standard text, voice, and video communication, you can use wikis, knowledge management software, Webcasts, meeting managers, shared white boards, and documents. The advent of cloud computing can also add real-time communication support.

In addition to the called out items for Leading, Organizing, Controlling, and Coordinating in the above graphic, you will find many bits of wisdom and tips for success in the useful links below.

Useful Links:

 

Posted in General Project Management, Leadership, management, staff. Tags: , , , , , . 9 Comments »

Role of Project Managers in Change Management

July 10, 2009 — Bruce McGraw

Because change is an organizational constant affecting everyone, we assume everyone knows about change management.  However change management requires more than the natural flow of change in an organization. Change management (emphasis on the management) begins with a desired behavioral outcome and works methodically toward that goal by re-shaping an organization’s culture or way of doing business.

Change management — it’s hard to do
If you have ever tried to change your own behavior—quit smoking, stick with a diet, exercise more, relax, spend more time with your family—you know is it a constant challenge even when the reasons to change are extremely persuasive. It is even harder by a factor of 10 when trying to change the behavior of an organization. But it can be done and project managers have a significant role to play in making the change successful.

Why is change so difficult?
“It involves overcoming initial resistance or inertia and shifting or dismantling the existing ‘mindset’. Defense mechanisms have to be bypassed, fears recognized and dealt with.”  (Article by: Joaquim P. Menezes in ITWorld Canada). Continuing in his article on Why Managing Change is Difficult, he reports that: “Last year, in an IBM survey of 765 CEOs, more than 80 per cent admitted their organizations haven’t been very successful at managing change in the past.” OK – so Why?

  • The known is comfortable
  • Change requires thought ; many behaviors are automatic and require no conscious effort
  • Some people resist change in principle
  • Change is scary—you don’t know what you will win or lose
  • You may fail in the new world order

How project managers can facilitate (manage) change
Your role will differ depending on whether the change is your idea or is coming from higher in the organization. What you can do and the most effective way to do it also depends on the nature of the change. Is it a change in process or a change in culture?

Process change lends itself to proof of concept and numerical evidence. If a new way to organize a team, define a project, or use a new tool set is the change you want to manage, you can develop persuasive documentation and examples to prod people along. You can also provide training and support to smooth the transition to a new way of doing business.

  • Gather data on before-and-after that is relevant to your project objectives
  • Provide a role model
  • Recognize and reward examples of the desired new behaviors
  • Be a teacher or mentor
  • Remember that learning new processes and tools takes time—practice patience

Changing corporate culture is more challenging. 
Folks who have been around project management for a long time—perhaps they even have a bit of gray in their hair ;-) have seen sweeping culture changes in both organizational management styles (Theory X, Theory Y, Theory Z) and organizations in general (more women and minorities in powerful positions, 24/7 availability, rising individualism, remote access to staff, services and training). Or, the need to change may reflect new economic or social realities or the requirements of new organizational leaders.

When organizational leaders want cultural change, they look to their key staff, such as project managers, to get onboard and support the change. Project managers become change managers, too. The Project manager’s role requires:

  • Understanding the required cultural change and its rationale
  • Learning how the success of the cultural change will be measured and sharing that information with your team
  • Developing a plan that includes objectives, explanations, communication, and measurable goals
  • Brainstorming with your staff on methods, techniques, and behaviors to come into compliance
  • Pushing gently in the new direction while acknowledging previous behaviors
  • Teaching and mentoring using encouragement, stories, and a sense of humor
  • Seeking assistance from change management experts either in your own HR department or asking for outside training
  • Balancing rewards and discipline—always remembering that change is difficult and frightening for some people
  • Giving feedback and being open to getting feedback

USEFUL LINKS:
ITWorld Canada
Why Managing Change is Difficult by Joaquim P. Menezes
Managing Cultural Changes in Your Organization by Dr. Kenneth D. Shere, The Aerospace Corporation
Management: Theory X, Y, and Z

 

 

Posted in General Project Management, Leadership. Tags: , . 1 Comment »
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