Doing More with Less

OK, so like the rest of us you have now lost headcount, lost other resources and have been told you have to do more with less.  What do you do?

You could have a temper tantrum and shout “It’s not fair.”  I know plenty of managers who are doing the grown-up equivalent of that.

You could quit.  On the other hand, times are tough and you might be better off keeping the job you now have.

You could bring your team together and in the most positive manner possible, explain that they now need to do some process improvement and learn how to be more efficient and more effective in the work they do.

What an idea! (more…)

The PM as saleperson?

I was recently working with some relatively young (well, pretty much everyone seems to be younger these days) software developers beginning to make a transition into project management.  As we were going over some of the PM responsibilities and tools, one of them asked, “A lot of this sounds like selling.  Don’t we want to stick to the hard facts?”

Whoa.  For a moment I was floored.  Was I telling them to sell?  Was I, a hardened and cynical manager, being squiffy?  Didn’t I ask these very same questions a long long time ago?

Before my brain re-engaged, one of the engineers spoke up and essentially said, “I have to sell my ideas all the time, otherwise I end up doing dumb things.”  Immediately, another developer responded, “But it’s such a waste of time!  If we would just spend the time to lay out all the facts, most decisions would be obvious.”  Then the discussion took off with at least two camps representing those views.

I am a big fan of facts.  Without them decision-making may become a strange game and less about achieving effective solutions.  On the other hand, three things occur to me: (more…)

talking about risks

One often-used lament I hear on projects and in project management classes is, “No one here wants to deal with realistic schedules and budgets.”   Interestingly, there seems to be two perspectives on this phenomenon…

First, from the “worker bee” perspective, there is a sense that “management” always “discounts” the estimates.

Second, from the “management” perspective, there is a sense that the “worker bees” always “pad” the estimates.

Hmmm… of course, both are “right” — which leads to an escalating round of “I know that they know that I know that….”  It is no longer a case of estimating, but of game playing and/or power trips.

There are many issues to address (estimation methods, fact-based decision-making, Critical Chain, PERT, etc.), but I’d like to look at just one: communicating and perceiving risk. (more…)

Hope?

As I write this, the US is in a presidential transition.  President-Elect Obama won, at least in part, on a platform of hope and the rallying cry, “Yes We Can.”

Hope?  In the face of all the obvious difficulties?  Yes we can?  Really?  Aren’t they just fuzzy words?

As a project manager, part of me is a hard-headed, pragmatic realist — in fact, bordering on (if not full on) cynicism.  I’ve had my time railing against pollyanna optimism in schedules and making snarky jokes about  managers who won’t see a risk until it bites them in the butt (sometimes it takes a more critical part of the anatomy before registering).

On the other hand… (more…)

Whose time is it?

   Global projects.  Teams in five different time zones.  Team members traveling.  “We will meet again on the telcon at 5 on Tuesday.”

When?  Tuesday your time?  my time?

Some of us may have a calendar system that automatically can communicate and translate date/time.  Wonderful (and horrible in other ways that we won’t go into here).

Unfortunately, there are still many “opportunities” for confusion.  Ok, maybe it’s not the most critical concern, but many of us have lost time and money (and perhaps sanity) by dropping something critical due to a “late”  call, or a “missing” deliverable. (more…)

Starting Out in Project Management

I get many questions from people who want to enter into project management as a profession. After all, my blog is pmStudent. One of the most common questions is “how do I get started”? I received an email from a reader recently with this question, and so I would like to share some thoughts with everyone else, too.

Let me start off by saying that there are many, many ways that very successful project managers got their start. I can tell you about my personal experiences and share some pointers. This is all just my opinion, (just like the rest of everything I write!) so take it with some skepticism. (more…)

The Power of Negative Thinking – Engineering Management in Reverse

Most of my work revolves around the power of creating breakthroughs through extreme optimism and hideously positive thinking for which “hyperbole” simply isn’t a big enough word. I frequently rant and rave about the hazards of know-it-alls who poo-poo every idea and wield their negativity like a scythe, cutting down anything new or imaginative in its path. But the popularity of negative thinking is undeniable, and, like most veteran business leaders, I’m a pro at it. I was reminded of this when I recently received a note from a guy I used to work for at HP who, after reading my book, mused “It seems a bit cynical. Is that intentional?” Jumpin’ Geezus on a pogo stick! Yes, of course it’s intentional! Any human being who’s been a manager in the corporate world for more than a couple of hours and hasn’t become a tad cynical simply hasn’t been paying attention.

Negativity for its own sake is an annoyance at best, and a soul-sucking experience similar to what I imagine a psychic vampire would produce. But in the right hands, it’s a weapon of mass construction, freeing the mind of half-hidden dark thoughts, and an on-ramp to the superhighway of results in your business. Jump in, strap in and hold on ‘cause we’re going to take the curves up on two wheels. (more…)