the JANOP blog2012-05-21T01:50:50ZJANOP CPOCopyright 2012, JANOP CPOSPHPBLOGProject Management Lessons Learned from 24
Since there’s the possibility that a few of you have never heard of the award winning, eight season run, plus a movie, series 24. Not sure how, but I’m sure you’re out there. It was an American television series that included 24, 1 hour long shows. Each season followed the life of Jack Bauer during 24 hours of his life as he attempts to stop all kinds of evil terrorist plots including presidential assassination attempts, nuclear threats, bombs going off, cyber sabotage, and just all kinds of stuff folks were trying to do to bring this country down. And all the activities are shown in real time, sometimes overlapping. Very cool stuff.
For those who are familiar with and a fan of 24, as I am, know that the main character, Jack Bauer, was someone who could get the job done. It seemed that without Jack, the folks in charge of saving the country would not have succeeded by any stretch of the imagination. While I was sitting there watching it, I was thinking, man I wish I had Jack Bauer on some of my projects back in the day. I wouldn’t have had nearly as much trouble as I did if he had been on my team. And secretly, I kinda hope there is a Jack Baueresque person that really exists, saving us from all the evil against the US. Improbable, I know, but I can dream.
Now that we are all on the same page, here are the lessons I learned from the 24 television series.
1) Every decision made during the project needs to be in alignment with the primary objective or project goal. Always keeping the primary objective in mind, and matching activities against it, will ensure you stay on track. This is done most effectively with a Project Plan, and other project documentation. However, before you can align your activities with the project’s objective, you have to understand what your objective is. If you aren’t clear about the objective, you’ll waste time that your team members probably don’t have. This will soon cause you to lose participation from the resources you need most. Time is a precious commodity you cannot get back, once spent. Use it wisely, and stay focused on the primary objective.
2) If you examine the actions of the main character, Jack Bauer, carefully, you will notice that although he took extreme actions to get the job done, he always stayed true to the good within him. Sometimes we, as project managers, are put in a position that forces us to do things we don’t agree with to get things done. You have to know what you are willing to live with, which is a decision only you can make. If you are faced with a decision that will go against your beliefs and/or values, don’t do it. Keep in mind that this is a very loaded statement, which may require a reassignment or resignation. Because, when it comes down to it, you still have a job to do, and the company still expects you to perform your job. However, there is usually more than one way to do things. Just find another way to get the job done effectively, while still staying true to yourself. Make sure you speak to your leadership, and have their support though. In the same respect, you may have to do what you know is right, even if your project team members don’t agree with it at the time. When these situations arise, and they need to be few and far between, you must be sure that you examine all other options objectively before you take action. However, your objective opinion needs to be backed up by subject matter experts and extensive discussion with the project team to understand their perspective and objections. You cannot get the project done, without the project team. If after examining all the options you feel that you must go against the majority consensus, do it. But, make sure you document very well, explain to your team why you decided to move in a different direction, and let them know that you respect and value their opinion.
3) One of Jack’s greatest assets was knowing who he could trust, and who he could depend on. As a project manager, it is imperative that you be able to do the same. Not everyone assigned to your team is going to be on your side. Nor is everyone assigned to your team working with you or toward the same goal. You have to be able to know who you can trust, and further who can get the job done. That way if you find a teammate is actually hindering progress, you can quickly reassign tasks to other teammates.
4) A vast majority of project failure is due to an inexperienced Project Manager. It’s actually the second greatest cause of a failed project, and can cost a corporation millions of dollars a year. Not every wrong decision can be corrected, and all it takes is one wrong decision to kill a project. Pride, fear, and assumed power can be dangerous causes of clouded judgment. As a Project Manager, you have to be a good decision maker. There’s just no way around it. If you find that you’re struggling in your role, seek out a mentor, or at the very least, ask advice from your co-workers and subject matter experts. If you find yourself consistently making the wrong decision, you may have to be truthful with yourself and find a position more in line with your strengths.
5) It may seem unfair but, even if you achieve the goals or primary objective set forth, you still have to deal with any consequences from the actions taken to get there. Though Jack’s actions saved the country many times over, these same actions caused him to lose the woman he loved, contact with his family, and forced him to fake his death and live his life in exile by the end of Season 4. Talk about consequences of your actions.
6) Even if your project is going along well, and everything is on track, one small activity or decision can cause the whole project to go downhill. No matter how prepared you are, or how much you communicate with your team and stakeholders, something can still go wrong. In order to be prepared you must build in flexibility in case the unknown happens. Especially in case new information is revealed later on down the line, that causes you to change direction slightly in order to achieve the main project goal successfully. Time and time again, the characters in 24 had to be flexible, put aside any personal feelings they held, and work together with the information they had to achieve a common goal. That’s hard to do, and thankfully most of us will never have to manage any save the country types of projects, but none the less, we still need to make sure that we stay prepared, flexible, and focused. How flexible you can be will usually depend on the type of projects you work on, and your leadership. Many feel that flexibility is a waste of resources, if you never use the flexibility that has been factored in. But try to be as reasonably flexible as you can.
So, in summary. Remember to always keep the project goal or primary objective in mind, stay true to yourself, make and keep trustworthy allies that know how to get the job done, the person leading the project will ultimately determine the success of the project, regardless of how successful the project implementation, consequences still exist, and be flexible, because a lot can happen in a day.]]>http://www.janop.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry110825-1150112011-08-25T00:00:00Z2011-08-25T00:00:00ZThe Human Risk Factor - When it's "your bad"!
Even with knowing and accepting this truth, I have found that the most annoying human factor that exists is the personal "user error". Especially, when you are convinced that you are doing it correctly and/or you know what you're saying to be the ultimate truth, and you're jumping down someone else's throat to get it fixed immediately.
There's just something about when that "duh" moment fades, and you realize all the fussing you've been doing is due to no one else's fault but your own.
I know I can't be the only one.
It's okay...put on your big girl/boy underwear and go apologize to that person you just yelled at. They'll understand, because everyone has one of those days. Just try not to make a habit of it.]]>http://www.janop.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry110715-1343272011-07-15T00:00:00Z2011-07-15T00:00:00ZProfound Communication
Did you know that a third (1/3) of project managers spend at least 20 hours in meetings every week, and an even greater percentage spend approximately 2 hours a day reading and responding to e-mails?
So, basically you are spending at least 6 hours of your day in meetings and reading e-mail. How crazy is that? No wonder 8 hour work days seem somewhat impossible.
If you can't, with a great deal of accuracy, express your ideas, decipher all the messages you get bombarded with on a regular, and regurgitate the ideas of others, it will be virtually impossible to run your project successfully. Why? Because, you'll be spending all of your time trying to manage mass disorder caused by miscommunication.
Before we go any further, let me just set one thing straight. Being able to speak well doesn't make you a good communicator. Sorry. You can use the most impressive words that Merriam-Webster has compiled, but if no one knows what the heck you're saying why even bother opening your mouth?
Communication is not about how many big words you know, or how proper your speech. Don't get me wrong, it is important that you speak with some level of intelligence, but not to the point where you can't get a clear message across because you can't get past trying to speak eloquently.
There are many types and methods of communication that you must be familiar with if you are to be a profound communicator.
They are:
Interpersonal Communication Presenting Written Communication Nonverbal Communication Communication via Telephone Facilitating
As not to overwhelm you, because we can go on forever speaking on this topic, I will just touch on each of the above types/methods of communication and give you some tips on how you can improve upon each of them.
Interpersonal Communication is considered the most effective form of communication, because it involves speaking one-on-one or face-to-face with another person. Delivering your message face-to-face makes you more believable and the person on the other end of your message more receptive to what you are saying. He/She has the opportunity to see your facial expressions and hear the inflection in your voice. In essence, believability makes it easier to get your message across.
TIP: It is not always possible to deliver your message one-on-one. You should never interrupt someone and demand attention they cannot give at the moment. Being rude can cause friction, and cause the person to be less receptive to your future visits.
Presenting at one time or another is unavoidable if you are going to be a successful Project Manager. Even providing a status update to your client(s) or sponsor(s) is considered, to some extend, a presentation. Whether you are giving your presentation to a virtual audience or an audience locally, your presentation needs to be clear, informative, concise, and engaging.
TIP: Most important take away about presenting is, make sure you are well prepared and triple check that your presentation is both informative and engaging. An awesome message will never make it across to an audience who has glazed over eyes.
Written Communication spans greatly. Some examples include e-mail, memos, letters, formal business documents, and instant messaging. This form of communication gets people in the most trouble in that it is extremely tempting to get too relaxed when composing e-mails and instant messages. Don’t get caught in this trap. Sending messages that are too informal could give people the wrong impression about your level of professionalism.
TIP: Some key points to keep in mind when composing written communication are: do not use ALL CAPS; use appropriate punctuation (no unnecessary exclamation points); take the emotion out of your message; complete your sentences; check your spelling and grammar.
Nonverbal Communication accounts for about 65% of the message others derive from your communication. Over 50% is from body language, and another 10-15% is from tone and pitch of your voice, facial expressions, and gestures.
TIP: To be a profound communicator, this is the area to master. Some tips to take into account are: stand or sit up straight when speaking; maintain natural eye contact (you aren't trying to stare them down); try not to fidget; remain highly enthusiastic and confident; make sure the message your mouth is giving matches the message your tone, pitch, face, and body are giving.
Communication via Telephone is the second most effective method of communication, next to face-to-face conversation. Remember when speaking on the phone to remain professional, always return missed calls, stay on topic, watch your tone and pitch, and ask questions to confirm your message is understood and that you understand the other person's message.
TIP: Telephone communication is the next best thing to face-to-face communication. Use it often, when interpersonal communication is not viable.
Facilitating is one of the major roles of a Project Manger. That being said, it is expected that you perform this role skillfully. As a facilitator your primary task is to ensure everything flows smoothly. Being a facilitator does not mean that you schedule forever long meetings so that you can give the project team status on everything you have done on the project, or that you are the only person giving opinions, suggestions, and input.
TIP: To be an effective facilitator you should: be an active listener; encourage dialogue; encourage an environment of respect; stay on task; start and end on schedule (it is okay to finish early if you don't have anything else to cover); ensure accurate and timely documentation.
Communication is essential for Project Managers to be successful. With the fundamentals outlined above, profound communication is within your reach.]]>http://www.janop.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry110630-1714052011-06-30T00:00:00Z2011-06-30T00:00:00Z