Project Management Journal http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php Copyright 2010, Talibah Adenouga Talibah Adenouga en-US SPHPBLOG 0.4.7.1 Getting meetings back on track http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry071030-003953 Career Saving Tip #80:

The next time your meetings begin to go off topic, try using a statement similar to the ones below to get the meeting back on track.

Statement 1: "That is wonderful dialogue, but it's a little off topic from what we are currently discussing. Let's table that discussion for now, and come back to it later. If we run out of time today, we'll start with that topic during our next meeting."

Statement 2: "Thank you very much for bringing that potential issue to the team's attention. Right now we're talking about [insert the topic]. In interest of time, let's finish discussing this, and then we can begin discussing the issue you mentioned in more detail."

Statement 3: "I believe you brought up a very valid point and want to make sure we have enough time to address it. So, I've written it down and if you'll allow us to finish up this discussion, we'll move right into discussing your topic."

Statement 4: "We have a very full agenda today, and I want to be respectful of everyone's time. Let's try to get through the agenda first, and depending on where we are with time, we can discuss your topic before the end of our time together."

NOTE:

The sample statements above are for situations when the topic brought up is a valid one for the project, just brought up at a poor time during the meeting. If you have a situation where your team members are discussing something completely unrelated to the project, you must redirect in a much different manner.

Some steps you can take to get your meeting back on track when dealing with team members who are either having "side bar" conversations or who bring up topics for discussion that are clearly irrelevant to the project are:

Step 1: Ask in a very calm and professional manner that the person(s) hold their conversation/topic until after the meeting.

Step 2: In a more stern, yet professional and still calm, manner remind the person(s) that you are all there to reach a common goal and that in interest of time they really need to hold their conversation until the meeting has ended.

Step 3: Cause the team to go to break (depending on how long the meeting is you may have to cause the team to reconvene at a later time) and speak with the person(s) directly regarding their disruption and apparent disregard for the team's time and success of the project. You may also need to involve the persons' supervising manager at this point.

Step 4: If you've gotten this far and the behavior continues you should pursue the replacement of that person(s) on your core team.

Be sure to document everything, so that it does not come back to bite you later.

Talibah Adenouga, PMP
Founder of JANOP
tadenouga@janop.com
www.janop.com ]]> http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry071030-003953 Talibah Adenouga Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:39:53 GMT http://www.janop.com/pblog/comments.php?y=07&m=10&entry=entry071030-003953 Crazy day? Laugh it off. http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry071006-092554
--------------------

Joke 1: Quoted from unknown author


A project manager and two programmers are working on an urgent project. One day they decide to walk to the nearby beach during their lunch hour. Halfway up the beach, they stumble upon a lamp. As they rub the lamp a genie appears and says “normally I would grant you 3 wishes, but since there are 3 of you, I will grant you each one wish.”

One of the programmers says, “I’d like to spend the rest of my life living in Hawaii, in a huge house, with no money worries and surrounded by beautiful women who worship me.” The genie grants his wish and sends him off to Hawaii.

The next programmer says, “I would like to spend the rest of my life living on a huge yacht cruising the Mediterranean, with no money worries and surrounded by beautiful women who worship me.” The genie grants his wish and sends him to the Mediterranean.

Then finally the genie asks the project manager, “And what would your wish be?”

The project manager replies, “I want them both back after lunch."

-------------------

I thought that was absolutely hilarious. I hope you enjoyed it too. Kudos to whoever came up with that joke.

Talibah Adenouga, PMP
Founder of JANOP
tadenouga@janop.com
www.janop.com ]]> http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry071006-092554 Talibah Adenouga Sat, 06 Oct 2007 16:25:54 GMT http://www.janop.com/pblog/comments.php?y=07&m=10&entry=entry071006-092554 To go forth or not to go forth...that is the question http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070915-085735
You should hold your Go / No Go meeting at least 2 weeks prior to the launch date of your project. You should document the time and date of when this meeting was held, the name of the persons who attended, each person’s Go / No Go vote, and each person’s role or the group they are representing. On the meeting invitation for your Go / No Go meeting, you should request that those who cannot attend reply to your e-mail with their vote. Then keep the response provided or follow up with that group if no response is given.

You can use the Go / No Go Register example, accessible via the "related link" below, as a tool to help you record the votes from team members on whether you should move forward with the launch of the project.

Remember to document the votes of the project team members, and their role during the project. The last you want is for a team to get upset with you about something you implemented and not be able to show them that their team's representative was fully aware and agreed to move forward with the project.

Talibah Adenouga, PMP
Founder of JANOP
tadenouga@janop.com
www.janop.com ]]> http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070915-085735 Talibah Adenouga Sat, 15 Sep 2007 15:57:35 GMT http://www.janop.com/pblog/comments.php?y=07&m=09&entry=entry070915-085735 Closing out the project http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070823-082737
At a minimum, the project binder should include the following:

- Project team roster or a list of individuals on your core team, including their role during the project

- A copy of all the detailed meeting minutes you created

- Requirements Document

- Issues or Status Log

- Project Timeline

- Risk Document

- Project Budget

- Lessons learned

- Go / No Go Document

- Outcome of the project

- Post implementation issues and resolution steps taken

- Any additional documents or information you feel necessary, such as exceptional activities taken that were "outside of procedure/process" but necessary for implementation of the project and clear executive/leadership approval of such activities.

Formally closing out your project with a close out binder is very important if you want to seperate yourself from the project after it's been implemented. It is also important for those times when you have to quickly explain why you did certain things that may seem questionable at first glance.

The last thing you want is for someone to ask you a question about the project three years down the line, and you either cannot remember or have to spend hours, even days, trying to find supporting documentation for what you did and why...especially if there is a potential legal issue.

So, be sure to take a little time to create your close out binder. You'll be glad you did.

Talibah Adenouga, PMP
Founder of JANOP
tadenouga@janop.com
www.janop.com
]]> http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070823-082737 Talibah Adenouga Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:27:37 GMT http://www.janop.com/pblog/comments.php?y=07&m=08&entry=entry070823-082737 How to Manage Conflict http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070731-032254
Healthy conflict, such as disagreements, can be beneficial to your project, because it can bring to the surface new and innovative ideas that may not have been identified otherwise.

Conflict becomes a problem the moment it stops being a discussion where two parties are sharing differing opinions based on fact, to two parties having a heated argument based on emotion.

Conflict should not be suppressed. However, both healthy and negative conflict should be addressed immediately.

Whether you encourage those involved to share their conflicting views in a respectful manner or you have to step in and resolve the conflict before it becomes counterproductive, make sure you acknowledge and address the conflict in some way.

The first step to resolving any issue is a proactive one. So, you should strive to reduce the risk of unhealthy conflict arising by maintaining an environment of respect, trust, and open communication.

Since conflict may still arise, even in an extremely positive environment, here's how to handle it.

You should intervene to resolve conflict:
- before the persons involved begin to personally attack each other
- when the disagreement begins to turn into an emotional debate
- when it starts affecting the project and the other team members in a negative way

When you intervene to resolve a conflict, you must:
- listen carefully to both sides
- remain neutral
- ask open-ended questions to encourage dialogue
- observe the emotions of the persons involved
- help the persons involved see things from each other’s perspective
- help the persons come to a compromise that suits both parties

Although you may have to address conflict during your meeting, to prevent it from escalating, make sure you follow-up with the persons “offline” by speaking with them when there is no audience. Remember, your objective is to encourage an environment of team work, not to embarrass the team members.

Consider speaking with each person individually, and then talk through the conflict with them collectively. This will make your efforts to resolve the conflict much more effective.

Remember to maintain an environment of respect, trust, and open communication, in an effort to reduce conflict. When conflict does arise, be sure to intervene quickly and respectively.

Talibah Adenouga, PMP
Founder of JANOP
tadenouga@janop.com
www.janop.com
]]> http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070731-032254 Talibah Adenouga Tue, 31 Jul 2007 10:22:54 GMT http://www.janop.com/pblog/comments.php?y=07&m=07&entry=entry070731-032254 Career Saving Tip # 58 http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070630-175052
Pretend that you are a reporter, and the meeting you are attending is your ground breaking story. Take lots of notes and ask the right questions at appropriate times. Afterward, write or record a “news release” on what was discussed or presented.

Then, when you’re done, present the finished product to your leadership. Be warned … you will definitely want to think hard before presenting your "report" to leadership. If it’s good, doing this kind of report on a regular basis could end up being one of your assumed responsibilities … or you might get your feelings hurt if your finished product is lacking (nice way of saying bad).

If you don’t have the time or drive to do something like this ongoing, nor the patience to deal with people bothering you about when the next report is going to be released, keep it to yourself.

This little trick will not only give the appearance that you are engaged and have initiative, but it is also a great way to improve your written communication skills; which is a key skill for all Project Managers to have.

Hate the idea of writing or recording a report or “news release”? Then try to do something else creative.

The objective is to get engaged so that you are perceived as someone who is always attentive during meetings, rather than the one who is always falling asleep.

NOTE: If you sit in close proximity to others during the meeting, doodling or drawing pictures unrelated to the subject of the meeting (ie: a sketch of your boss with horns on his/her head) may not be the most effective way to express your creativity.

Boundaries are limitless, so get creative, get engaged, get recognized, and get paid.

Talibah Adenouga, PMP
Founder of JANOP
tadenouga@janop.com
www.janop.com
]]> http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070630-175052 Talibah Adenouga Sun, 01 Jul 2007 00:50:52 GMT http://www.janop.com/pblog/comments.php?y=07&m=06&entry=entry070630-175052 How to Build and Maintain an Effective Team http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070523-100329
Some key steps for building an effective team are:

Understand the objective of your project
Identify potential stakeholders
Create your potential core team
Hold a kick-off meeting
Encourage an environment of respect, trust, and open communication
Learn how to manage conflict
Remain organized
Build up your team

Now that you have the steps, let's take a closer look at each of them.

- Understand your project’s objective. Before you ever attempt to formulate a team, you have to know why you need the team. 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.

- Identify potential stakeholders. Once you understand the objective of the project, you can begin identifying some of the groups or people that would be affected by the project. It is vital that you clearly identify impacts, formulize quality requirements, and ensure the right tools are developed with your stakeholders in mind.

NOTE: Be careful not to get stakeholders and team members confused. They are not always the same.

Stakeholders are those individuals and groups that are directly impacted by the execution of the project. Many times, stakeholders can affect the outcome of the project.

Team members are those individuals who participate in the execution of the project. Some of your team members may be stakeholders, but you can also have team members that have no direct impact on the project. Such as a notes taker, or conference organizer.

- Create your potential core team. Even if you don’t know all of the key people you should have on your core team, you can take your list of potential stakeholders and begin asking subject matter experts (SMEs) who they feel would be crucial to implementing your project successfully.

NOTE: Many project managers struggle with not knowing who the right people to talk to are, or the appropriate people to include on a core team, especially when the project manager is new to the group. Don’t be deceived, not knowing who the key people are is no excuse for poor project management.

- Hold a kick-off meeting with potential core team members. When the resources do not belong to you, it is essential that you speak to the immediate supervisors of those people, prior to inviting them to your meeting. This will ensure that you have the appropriate person on your core team to represent that group, and the support of that person’s supervisor.

NOTE: During your kick-off meeting clearly communicate the objective of the project, identify and document the roles and responsibilities of those in attendance, and ask for any additional persons that may need to be involved.

- Encourage an environment of respect, trust, and open communication.When your team members trust you and feel comfortable with voicing their ideas and opinions, without facing judgment or being ridiculed, they are more willing to let their guard down and share information and thoughts openly and often.

NOTE: Trust and open communication abound in an environment where there is respect. Don’t allow anyone to talk down to, talk over, interrupt, nor perform any other form of disrespect toward others during your meetings.

- Learn how to manage conflict. Conflict arises when two groups or individuals have strong views that are in opposition, and neither wants to abandon their position. When it does arise, managing conflict is not easy.

Healthy conflict, such as disagreements, can be beneficial to your project because it can bring to the surface new and innovative ideas that may not have been identified otherwise.

Conflict becomes a problem the moment it stops being a discussion where two parties are sharing differing opinions based on fact, to two parties having a heated argument based on emotion.

Conflict should not be suppressed. However, both healthy and negative conflict should be addressed immediately.

NOTE: Whether you encourage those involved to share their conflicting views in a respectful manner or you have to step in and resolve the conflict before it becomes counterproductive, make sure you acknowledge and address the conflict in some way.

- Remain organized. If you, as the facilitator and manager of the project, aren’t committed enough to arrive to meetings on time, stay engaged, and follow-up on any of the action items you may take, how can you expect your team to do any different?

- Focus on building up your team. For any project to be successful, your team needs to know how to work together.

Some great ways to build your team are:

Show and voice your appreciation.
Put together a team building event.
Use G-rated humor at appropriate times.
Reward and recognize team members when benchmarks are reached.

Keep the following in mind and you will be far on your way to building and maintaining your effective team.


Talibah Adenouga, PMP
Founder of JANOP
tadenouga@janop.com
www.janop.com ]]> http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070523-100329 Talibah Adenouga Wed, 23 May 2007 17:03:29 GMT http://www.janop.com/pblog/comments.php?y=07&m=05&entry=entry070523-100329 Keys to Success http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070427-101255
You need to have high expectations for yourself if you want to succeed. You need to wake up everyday, especially if you are in an unfavorable situation at work, and repeat to yourself a statement similar to the one below.

“I know I am more than capable of reaching heights unimaginable. My current situation is just a stepping stone toward greatness. I will not let anyone’s negativity or low expectations keep me from reaching my potential, because I believe in me.”

Now that you have equipped yourself with a positive and distinct statement that fits your personality and gives you encouragement, lets get into what it takes to be successful.

In order to be truly successful you must:

Determine what success is for you.
Expect to succeed.
Have a plan.
Respect others.
Learn how to communicate well.
Never stop learning.
Know how to manage conflict.
Make allies, not enemies.
Dress the part.
Show initiative.
Maintain a fair balance between work and personal life.
Be true to yourself.

These are the keys that you need in order to be successful in both your personal and professional life.

It is very important to note that before you can become successful, you have to decide what success is for you…rather than what others feel your success should be.

If you define what success is for you, set goals to achieve that level of success, and stay encouraged you will be well on your way to achieving that favorable or desired outcome you have set for yourself.

Here's to you and your success!

Talibah Adenouga, PMP
Founder of JANOP
tadenouga@janop.com
www.janop.com
]]> http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070427-101255 Talibah Adenouga Fri, 27 Apr 2007 17:12:55 GMT http://www.janop.com/pblog/comments.php?y=07&m=04&entry=entry070427-101255 Developing the Project Plan http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070327-192904
This document needs to include the date each milestone or major activity is to be completed, and the owner of each. Your project plan also needs to be created at the beginning of the project, and a baseline version approved by the team as soon as possible.

Although you will probably not know all of the major activities required to implement your project in the beginning, it is important that you create a draft of the activities you think may need to be tracked via a formal document.

Take some time and really think through what you know about the objective of your project. Look at some historical data from similar projects. You can even have a few informal meetings with knowledgeable individuals you can use as a sounding board to make sure you aren't completely off base. You'll be surprised how good a draft you can develop if you put in a little effort.

With this draft you will be able to speak with subject matter experts (SMEs) and stakeholders to flesh out the project plan. If you don't make some level of effort to develop a rough draft, you may give a bad impression which will make it harder for you to obtain the support of the persons you need to implement the project.

After you have fleshed out your draft with your core team, and some other SMEs that may not be a part of your team, you should give the document a baseline status. Your timeline / project plan should not undergo many edits, if any, after it achieves baseline status.

You should document the actual date your project activities are completed. If the actual completion date differs from your baseline date at anytime, you'll still have documented the date it was supposed to be completed for historical purposes.

It is also a good idea to notate where things are deleted or added, and why. That way you aren't standing there looking crazy, trying to go through the crevices of your memory, when someone asks you why something you deleted isn't in the document...and trust me, someone will ask.

A few key items to include in your timeline are:

- a unique ID that your team can reference when giving an update
- the name of the task
- when the task should Start
- when the task should Finish
- the actual date the task was completed
- any tasks that need to happen before other tasks can begin
- the owner of the task
- percent complete of each task

You or the Project Sponsor you represent may decide to track or maintain more than what has been outlined above in your project plan. This is absolutely fine. These are just the items I have found to be vital, and a good foundation to build upon.

It is completely possible to run a project without a project plan or timeline; it's just not very smart. So, do yourself and your project team a favor... document milestones and important tasks, keep up with the status, and you'll be that much closer to a well managed project.

Remember, it doesn't matter what you call it, it just matters that you develop it.

Talibah Adenouga, PMP
Founder of JANOP
tadenouga@janop.com
www.janop.com

]]> http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070327-192904 Talibah Adenouga Wed, 28 Mar 2007 02:29:04 GMT http://www.janop.com/pblog/comments.php?y=07&m=03&entry=entry070327-192904 Profound Communication http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070227-182341
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.

Talibah Adenouga, PMP
Founder of JANOP
tadenouga@janop.com
www.janop.com ]]> http://www.janop.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070227-182341 Talibah Adenouga Wed, 28 Feb 2007 02:23:41 GMT http://www.janop.com/pblog/comments.php?y=07&m=02&entry=entry070227-182341