PMBOK Archive

Zombie (Stakeholder) Management Strategy

– September 21, 2010Posted in: Project Management

Today we’re going to learn a little about zombie stakeholders.

Now, I know you’re a little apprehensive. You don’t believe in zombies. You believe your stakeholders are just a little bit different. Well, I’m sorry to break it to you but that’s not a stubborn human wanting to arm-wrestle you for that last danish. That there’s a zombie! How else do you explain that persistent stubbornness? Now, stakeholder zombies are a little different from regular zombies. Rather than brains, these zombies are highly unique and you much adapt to each one independently.

The Undead Stakeholder

Myths and Realities

Here are some specific background data. The first is a fictitious virus called “Solanum” that creates a zombie. The virus is spread (such as through an open wound, when coming in contact with infected blood or saliva), and treatment is limited (usually amputation). Now, there was a mutation of the Solanum virus around the time PMI was created. This mutant virus was known as Solanum-3c (Solanum-3-constraints). Chances are it will only infect your stakeholders but you, as a project manager, may still be a carrier. In reality, stakeholder zombies walk among us. You just have to be on your toes when you’re around them. They will try to infect you. Don’t let it happen.

Weapons and Combat Techniques

The weapons at the average project manager’s disposal aren’t quite a dramatic as those used on regular undead. For regular zombies, a common M1 carbine and the machete are highly effective. For stakeholder zombies, finding out what’s important to them will stop them dead in their tracks. Different stakeholders have different needs. Zombie stakeholders are no different…with the exception of tattered clothing and a greenish skin tone. If they say Brai…cooooooost, focus on cost. If they say Brai…delivery date, focus on the delivery date. All zombies want brains first. They can’t help it. But, after that, find out what is important to your zombie stakeholder and make a note of it.

On the Run

If you’re dealing with regular zombies, you need to know rules and necessities of traveling through zombie-infested territory. If you’re going to drive a car, make sure you have keyless entry and the windows are rolled up. Do NOT touch the zombies! If you’re dealing with zombie stakeholders, don’t run. If anything, get as close to them as possible. If given the choice of interacting with them over the phone, through email, or in zombie (in person), choose to interact with them directly. The more attention you give them, the quicker you can react to them and their needs.

On the Attack

Though some believe in avoiding zombies at all costs, which you should, there are strategies and tools to eradicate zombies from an area. For zombie stakeholders, we don’t want to eradicate them. Rather, we just want to make them happy. Find out what makes them happy! Now attack.

Conclusion

Though you don’t want to get close to regular zombies, you should try to engage the zombie stakeholder. Know what’s important to them. Understand their needs. I’ve made the mistake of sitting in a status meeting with regular zombies. I asked what they wanted to see in the next release. The answer? Brains. I asked how could I streamline communications? The answer? Brains. I drank my coffee and ran.

Don’t think the Solanum-3c virus is limited to stakeholders. Elizabeth Harrin over at A Girl’s Guide to Project Management wrote an excellent post on zombie project managers. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Graphic: The Daily Pennsylvanian

Popularity: 3%

Tags: PMBOK, PMI, Zombies

PMP Application Process and Reading Instructions

Derek Huether

– September 2, 2010Posted in: Project Management

An interesting thing happened when I was approached by a coworker asking for assistance in completing his PMP application. His concern was he would be audited and word around the office was that I had been audited by PMI and did just fine. Both facts were true and I was more than happy to assure him that as long as he was factual about what he put in this application, he would have nothing to worry about. All the same, he said he would feel more comfortable if I would review what he wrote.

He admitted that what he was going to show me wasn’t his actual application, but rather, he was working on a spreadsheet to make sure he had his bases covered. Good idea, I said, show me what you have. What he brought up was an Excel workbook, provided by another coworker who had recently attended a PMP boot camp. I noticed right away that he had 7 projects listed totaling over 10,000 hours. What really caught my attention was the breakdown of hours across the process groups. Below is an example of one of the projects. Names and titles have been changed but the hours were not.

Company	Project Title	Job Title	Start - End	Total Hrs	Initiate	Plan	Execute	Control	Close
Acme	Foo	Sr. PM	11/04 11/05	2000	100	500	1000	300	100

I asked him how he came to such exact amounts per process group. He pointed to help text listed in the bootcamp-provided workbook.

In the following worksheet, we will try to compile the hours you spent on each Process Group for each of your project. Eventually, you will need these hours to fill in the PMP Application… Let us assume that this is the typical project manager job with about 85% of the hours involving tasks similar to those in the Typical PM Task worksheet. Assuming this was a typical project manager task with a rough distribution of 5% of these hours in Initiation, 25% of hours in Planning, 50% of hours in Executing, 15% of hours in Controlling, and the remaining 5% in Closing.

When I asked him to explain what I was seeing, he stated he had worked on the project for a year and took a 2 week vacation. (2,000 hours). Then he said something that surprised me. Well, the worksheet said to put percentages in so that’s what I’m doing. My response was “Noooooo, that’s for a “typical” PM doing “typical” PM tasks. I told him was listed in the help text was a calculated average and only there as a guideline. In addition, I clarified, I didn’t think he could map 100% of his time to deliverables.

I told him that he needs to look at mapping his work experience to the process groups like he would if he were identifying and scheduling activities of any project. (Reference the PMBOK for items in blue)

Define Scope (Section 5.2 – Page 112)
Create Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) (Section 5.3 – Page 116)
Define Activities (Section 6.1 – Page 133)
Sequence Activities (Section 6.2 Page 136)
Estimate Activity Durations (Section 6.4 – Page 146)

Now, you may disagree with what I proposed but I hope you understand my frustration after seeing something like this. First, he didn’t read the instructions correctly. Second, his primary concern was being audited, not meeting the fundamental requirement of detailing work activities. This brings me to my final point. Before defining scope, you need to collect requirements (Section 5.1 – Page 105).

I’ve come to find out, he doesn’t even want to get the PMP. He’s being pressured by his company to get the certification. The whole situation could be fodder to half a dozen posts or articles. I don’t know what part bothers me more, that he missed the assumptions listed by the PMP boot camp or the fact that his company is pressuring him to get a certification that he doesn’t want.

I wish him luck.

Popularity: 4%

Tags: Audit, PMBOK, PMI, PMP

Week of the Elephant

Derek Huether

– August 27, 2010Posted in: Project Management

I’m not sure of the origin, but as I was watching an adventure race years ago, I heard an awesome quote. One of the contestants was asked how he was able to trek a 300 mile course, navigating so many obstacles through so much adversity. His reply was “even an elephant can be eaten, if you do it a bite at a time“. Though I try not to whip that quote out every time one of my colleagues appears stuck on a project, I do like to bring it out for special occasions. I think this may be one of them.

3 things happened this week, that rate the reference: Work during the day, school, and work during the night.

By day, I’m an adviser to a Federal Project Management Office. I’m not in a position to tell government employees what they should or should not do. It’s my job to advise and support them in any way I can. This week, they asked me to attend an invoice meeting. This wasn’t a surprise. Upon reviewing the vendor’s invoice from last month, I wasn’t satisfied the Billing of Materials (BOM). There was a lot of stuff ordered and I am very particular about asset management. I recommended a 7 figure short pay. I don’t think it’s important to be specific about the amount. My client decided to do a 6 figure short pay. At the 2 hour meeting, we went line by line and the vendor offered corrective actions for items I recommended not be paid. I accepted some of their proposed corrective actions but they still need to deliver on some promised if they want all of the invoice paid. One month down, another to go.

Our son started Kindergarten this week. We weren’t sure how he was going to take to it. Until Monday of this week, we were convinced he was going to be crying at the bus stop, wanting to say home with Mommy. We figured he’d come around in time. Monday arrive and so did the bus. He ran aboard almost before we could give a hug and a kiss goodbye. He returned some 8 hours later and ran off the bus with a big smile on his face. The adventures that boy had! Here it is Friday night and he’s fast asleep. One week down, 16 years to go.

At night, I find myself reading the PMBOK® or project management blogs and writing PHP, CSS, and JavaScript. Back in March of 2009, I realized I wanted to create something to help project managers on a grand scale. That’s when I started doing mockups and wireframes for what was to become the HueCubed engine and PMPrep Flashcards. One year later we launched version 1.0. This week I worked on 2 new jQuery elements and tonight deployed v1.2.12. The web application has been progressing nicely and both customers and affiliates are signing up. Though I never thought we’d get to v1.0, I now do an iterative build and deployment at least once a week.

For those interested, I still have plans for a PMPrep Exam Simulator web app and Prince2 Flashcard web app. And yes, we’re going to be doing an iPhone application.

Graphic: South African Tours and Travel

Popularity: 11%

Tags: CSS, Family, Flashcards, HueCubed, Iterations, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, PMBOK, PMO, PMP, Quote

A PMI Dog Pile

Derek Huether

– August 24, 2010Posted in: Project Management

Upon reading a piece featured on PM Hut, Certifications Don’t Make Project Managers, I was compelled to comment…twice. So, what’s the short story? I’ve been reading more and more articles from people who seem to be down right hostile toward the Project Management Institute (PMI). Richard Morreale, the author of the article, wrote

The Project Management Institute (PMI) and the Association of Project Management Group (APMG) are two of the biggest reasons that projects fail.

Dr. PDG added

In short, IMPO, PMI and to a lesser degree, APM and APMG have become nothing more than the AMWAY or Mary Kay Cosmetics of the project management world

Here’s the long story. I enjoyed the article, to include the comments from the likes of Robert Kelly, PMP and Dennis Stevens (fellows I admire). I’ll admit, I’ve been getting a little incensed recently after hearing stories of people who appeared to have gamed the system and got certification with no real education or experience other than a PMP boot camp. But, most of this is hearsay. I have been approached by people, asking for my help, who want the certification for no other reason than to bolster a résumé. I do believe these cases are extremes and hopefully isolated incidents.

Based on your motivations and character, the outcomes of getting your certification can be completely different. I got my certification because, at the time, I thought it was the only way I would be taken seriously. I was dealing with a stakeholder who was being completely unreasonable. She had a PMP and ignored everything outlined in the PMBOK. Clearly, she had her own agenda. Mine was a quest for knowledge in my profession and to hone my skills as a project manager. This quest has exposed me to several different approaches, to include Scrum and Kanban. I think I am a better project manager than I was several years ago because I am receptive to new ideas and approaches and don’t necessarily walk around preaching one as PM dogma.

So, where am I going with this? I think if your mind is open to it, you can learn a lot from preparing for the PMP exam. I also think you can learn a lot from taking a level 400 class in Project Management at a University. But, you have to be motivated by the desire to learn and satisfy your customer’s wants and needs. Don’t think a certification will get you that dream job or make you a PM expert. It will come back and bite you. Sometimes being a PM means working on a project with specific knowledge area focus. But sometimes you will be exposed to full lifecyle management, dealing with every process group. Either way, it’s not all textbook.

I think Dennis Stevens put it very well in his comment:

a PMP is like a recent college grad, a medical resident, or a 16-year old who just got their license. They have some situational awareness from having participated in projects, have been educated in the fundamentals and share a common language. But they are not prepared to be CEO of a business, an emergency room surgeon, or a cross country truck driver.

Some will argue that guns don’t kill people, people kill people. Just the same, PMI and APMG don’t cause projects to fail. Sometimes it’s the PM, sometime it’s the customer, and sometimes it’s something that wasn’t on your risk register and should have. The noble thing to do is to try to fix the problem. Mentor an associate PM. Give a talk on your area of expertise. Tell people how you failed on a project so they don’t make the same mistake. I think if we all put forth a little more effort, in helping each other become better project managers and leaders, the results could be transformative.

Popularity: 2%

Tags: APMG, Certification, Mentor, PMBOK, PMI, PMP, Prince2

PMBOK and detailing leadership

Derek Huether

– August 5, 2010Posted in: Project Management

I read an article the other day over at Project Manager Planet. This work by Herman Mehling was titled “Project Manager or Project Leaders – What’s in a title?“ It’s a simple enough question but can have a complicated answer. Herman points out that, for some, the titles are virtually synonymous.

What can be confusing about the English language, at times, is different words can sometimes have the same meanings. In this instance, that is not the case. These are not synonyms!

Upon reviewing the PMBOK on the word, I found an uncanny absence. It’s really only mentioned a few times in the entire book!

Page 26
Project Managers…this high profile role requires

flexibility, good judgment, strong leadership and negotiation skills, and a solid knowledge of project management practices.

Page 240

Successful projects require strong leadership skills. Leadership is important through all phases of the project life cycle. It is especially important to communicate the vision and inspire the project team to achieve high performance.

Page 417 Appendix G

Leadership involves focusing the efforts of a group of people toward a common goal and enabling them to work as a team. In general terms, leadership is the ability to get things done through others. Respect and trust, rather than fear and submission, are the key elements of effective leadership. Although important throughout all project phases, effective leadership is critical during the beginning phases of the project when the emphasis is on communication vision and motivating and inspiring project participants to achieve high performance….

If it states on page 240 that successful projects require strong leadership skills, why is it not more thoroughly listed in the 4th edition? If it’s critical in the beginning phases, as listed on page 417, why is it not detailed? Since “expert judgment” is listed as a tool & technique throughout the body of knowledge, I think PMI missed an opportunity to include “acts of leadership”. Perhaps we should start by renaming the 4th PMI process group from Monitoring & Controlling” to maybe include & Inspiring.

Thoughts on the topic?

Image Source: Flickr James @NZ

Popularity: 1%

Tags: Leadership, PMBOK, PMI, PMP