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This month, a very interesting book that I anticipated was released: "The Plugged-in Manger: Get in Tune with Your People, Technology and Organization to Thrive" by professor Terri Griffith, a seasoned management and technology expert. Terri describes a game-changing approach to management that is based on the concept of being plugged into each one of the organizational dimensions – people, technology and organizational processes – simultaneously. Oftentimes, managers underemphasize one of the components – say, they address the people and organizational processes, but overlook the technological dimension. Or conversely, some consider technology to be a lifesaver per se. The balance of people, technology and process is something that I think is really important for any organization, and I often referred to this triangle in my previous posts. So it was a pleasure for me to meet Terri and discuss this topic, as well as find out more about her new book. Naturally, our conversation went way beyond defining who exactly a "plugged-in manager" is, as we proceeded to talk about the role technology plays in modern business. To know more about the concept of a plugged-in manager, the best ways to leverage technology and to discover some curious examples from Terri's experience, as well as mine, I invite you to listen to the podcast with our conversation.

For your convenience, here's also a transcript of the interview below. In your work, do you put more emphasis on people, processes or technology? Do you consider yourself a plugged-in manager?

P.S. You can get your own copy of “The Plugged-in Manger: Get in Tune with Your People, Technology and Organization to Thrive” on Amazon.

Andrew: Hi everyone, it’s great to hear you on our podcast today. And let me introduce our honored guest. Terri Griffith is a professor in Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business. Located in the heart of the Silicon Valley, she studies how we mix together the technology of work (everything from telepresence to the size and type of tools a crew would use to build a fence), the way we organize to do this work (virtual teams, collaborative leadership, innovation strategies), and the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the people we work with. Terri has just released a new book called “The Plugged-In Manager: Get in Tune with Your People, Technology, and Organization to Thrive.” The book addresses an important topic that’s very relevant to what I usually write about: how we become more productive, how we work together both in the same office and in virtual teams. Terri, it’s definitely an honor and pleasure to have you here today with us.

Terri: Thank you very much!

Andrew: Let me jump straight into the questions. And the first one, I think you can already guess what it is. Could you tell the listeners who exactly the plugged-in manager is and how he or she is different from most managers we see.

Terri: First I’ll say that anybody can be a plugged-in manager because I think individual contributors, as well as managers, teams and even organizations, can be plugged in. They make sure that, as they think about an organizational practice, as they think about getting their work done, they think about the people — so what the skills are that the people have, how long they’ve been in the organization, the kinds of things they like to do. They think about the technology tools that they have available to them. So, like you said in the introduction, everything from telepresence to collaboration tools, to the kinds of tools we would use to build a fence, all those are the different kinds of technologies that we have at our disposal. And then what are the organizational process issues that we need to address as we think about the work that we’re trying to get done. A plugged-in manager is somebody who’s going to think about all three of those at the same time and going to understand that you have to mix them together. So if we’re going to use a particular technology tool, we may have to provide some training, and it may work out better if we have a certain kind of individual that we’ve already hired.

On the other hand, if we have a bunch of expert employees, we may not have to provide so much training. So the people would reduce the amount of organizational processes we might have to deal with, even though we were choosing a pretty sophisticated technology. I think the big difference is plugged-in managers, plugged-in organizations, they don’t seem to think about there being a magic bullet — that if I just had that technology, or if just hired that one person, or if just changed this one organizational process. They know that’s never going to work, it’s always going to be some combination of the people, the technology and the organization that really make something work well.

Andrew: I absolutely agree with you. This triangle of people, tools and processes is definitely crucial. And in my career, I’ve seen a lot of organization overemphasizing or underemphasizing part of that. My opinion is that people definitely are the cornerstone in that. Because, obviously, people make the choices on tools and processes, but other components, nevertheless, are also very important. Do you share the same view in terms of priorities between those three?

Terri: I’d say those priorities are right, but I’m thinking about Andrew McAfee’s new book “Race Against the Machine” or even Jonathan Zittrain’s book, where they talk about how a lot of our work is being taken over by the technology itself. You know, an algorithm might be choosing what articles are going to get presented on a newspaper, rather than an editor. And so, at the tail end of the whole distribution of how we might think about how the choices get made. I’m going to say people play the biggest piece because they are generally the ones doing the work. But I think as we move into the future, we’re going to have to keep a pretty open mind. Is it a technology that’s making this choice for us? And it may be the case that, originally, it was people who wrote the code that is making that choice, but it’s going to become more of an open question as we move forward.

Andrew: Yes, that’s definitely an interesting view. I’m a big fan of AI (artificial intelligence), so definitely one thing that I see on the market today is the concept of the big data, right? That we accumulate more and more data, and we come up with more and more sophisticated algorithms to process that data and build intelligence out of that data. So that’s an interesting angle.

And one other insight that popped in my mind is that, obviously, some people are key to the success. But then processes and tools actually help them influence other people on the team. It’s kind of an interesting flow where you may have a champion, somebody who is either creative or smart or experienced or versatile in change management. And then, through the use of tools and technologies, they actually multiply that knowledge or culture power. Going back to the plugged-in manager and to your definition, do you see many managers right now who you could say are really plugged-in, or is there still a way to go for all of us?

Terri: I’m not sure about you because the technology your company is putting out is pretty plugged-in, in my perspective. But I’m a little bit sad to say that it’s more rare than it is common for me to get into a conversation with someone and to immediately be able to say: “Wow, that person gets it, that person’s completely plugged-in.” We collect a lot of data about this, and we continue to collect it because we want to make sure we have a tool that will help us assess different levels of how plugged-in you are, and then hopefully we’ll be able to change the kind of training and workshops to be based on the kinds of results that we’re getting. While a lot of people think they are plugged-in, when we actually put them in situations where we want them to make choices, often they are biased toward taking the shiny technology. And they’ll go rank a technology solution higher than a solution that includes the technology, the organization and the people.

We’re doing whatever we can to make that change, and we would like it to be really common for somebody to sit down and say: “All right, we have a new team project we need to do. What are the technology tools we are going to use, who are the people that we need to have on this team, and what’s our process going to be? Is it going to be a very face-to-face kind of process? Is it going to be more virtual? How are we going to approach the problem? And just have it be super common that everybody goes through that kind of three-point checklist of people, technology and organizational process. But I’m not seeing that yet.

Andrew: I like Gartner’s hype curve. They do an aggregate, but even when we look at the particular person or organization, oftentimes what happens is they get excited about a shiny tool, but they hope that the tool will solve their problems by itself, and they don’t make their organizational challenge, and then it drops, and they become naysayers. They become the other part, and they develop a culture of “everything is already invented.” Then I talk to those people and ask them: “Do you remember the time when we didn’t have mobile phones, Skype, e-mails, so it makes them think. If you put it in perspective, technology does change our life. You can’t delegate everything to the technology. You have to control the process, but technology does change our life in a big way. Starting from something that we consider everyday, like giving a phone call and air travel and obviously e-mail and everything else. As we look at it, more and more work becomes informational work. And that actually goes hand-in-hand with that trend of the big data that we’ve just touched because it reinforces it. There’s more and more informational work, the information systems become more and more sophisticated, and there are more and more helpful tools.

Back again to the plugged-in managers, I think this concept is very important. But why do you personally consider this is a game-changing approach to management?

Terri: I think it goes to the number of organizational changes, either technology changes or organizational process changes that fail. And the number hasn’t changed in decades! We’ve been collecting data about organizational change failure for a long time. The number hangs around 50%. So 50% of all organizational changes, either technology or process changes, don’t do what the people who set out to implement them think they are going to do. And generally it’s because they don’t manage the implementation process very well. Oftentimes, what they’ve done is they thought: “Well, if I just make this one silver bullet adjustment, and I parachute this change in, everything is going to be different.” And it just doesn’t work that way. As a result, that’s just painful as a professor of organizations to stand up in front of a class and say, “Here are all these ideas about great things you can do to improve your organization, but by the way, 50% of the time they are not going to work for you,” I would like to see that change. It’s almost painful, too. I was giving a talk on this issue last night, and they asked, “Why would you spend two years writing a book? And I said, “Because it’s painful for me to see the situation where someone’s only focused on one of those three issues.” I thought about the United States TSA, our transportation safety authority that brings us all that fine effort that we go through, as we come to the airport. And for the most part, that was a technology change. That was: “We’re going to run this technology, and the technology demands that you take off your clothes, and the technology demands that you take off shoes. And we’re going to focus on that technology.”

I think all the fighting and unhappiness that goes along with going to the airport now didn’t have to happen if they had thought about their stakeholders a little bit more and thought about how they could integrate stakeholder needs into the process that they need to make airport security good. But they didn’t think about it that way, as far as I can tell from reading the external reports.

Andrew: Yes, I think that’s a great point. Now, in your book, you speak about three key practices for the plugged-in managers. Can you please briefly describe them for the listeners?

Terri: Absolutely. The way I like to describe it is that here we’ve been talking about 3 dimensions: the people, the technology and the organization, and then we also have these 3 practices. So if we just keep in mind the number 3, maybe it’ll all help to stick a little bit. So the first one is “Stop, Look, Listen,” and even though it has three words in it, it’s still just one practice. But the idea is that you stop and you look. Can you say who are the people who are going to be impacted by this? What is the technology that we’re talking about? What do I have available to me already, or what might I need to go buy, and then what’s the organizational setting that this thing has to go into? By stopping for just a moment to reflect on what the current status is, and what the opportunities are that are out there, what the different choices are. And I think that keeps us from grabbing for that shiny thing and forgetting about all the rest. So if we just say to ourselves: “I’m going to go into this process. I’m going to think about a new way of doing things.” First thing I’m going to do it, I’m going to stop and look, and then after I take that first step, I’m going to start to listen. Well, I took the first step. What was the feedback from that? And is it going well, or do I need to make some adjustments?

So “Stop, Look, Listen” is the first practice. The second practice is really the most powerful one, and this is the issue of mixing, mixing together those 3 ingredients: the people, the technology and the organization, in a way that makes sense. And I’ve shown this a couple times, as putting out on a table all the different ingredients for a chocolate chip cookie, and if you look at those ingredients, some of them are pretty tasty on their own, but for the most part, we’re going to have a better outcome once we mix it together. We’ve got to mix it together in the appropriate proportions for what we’re trying to achieve. And so mixing becomes the key. I like food a lot, so mixing and thinking about mixing a great meal or mixing a great dish is the way I kind of keep that one in my head. And then the 3rd practice is — really, you were talking about it a little bit — how do you multiply or leverage your advantage? And it’s through sharing.

Sharing is the 3rd practice, and I’m going to kind of think aloud as I work in a team setting or think aloud as I talk to a group of executives and say, “Always look how every time I assess a situation, I’m always looking at the people, the technology and the organization. And always see how I’m trying to figure out what the blend is. I’m not going to try and change everything all at once, but I’m going to change a few things as I go along, and then gather up the feedback. But as I talk aloud about that process, I share the process, I’m doing 2 things. The 1st is that I’m spreading the idea of how to be a plugged-in manager, but the other one is, as I teach that idea through sharing, it means that the next time we go to make an adjustment, they are already going to know what we have in mind. I won’t have to implement the idea of being plugged-in, as well as implementing whatever the changes are that we’re looking at. Instead, they are already going to be aware of that part. So sharing is an important one, if we want to expand or leverage the impact that we can have in our organization. The 3 practices are “Stop, Look, Listen,” the reflective piece; then mixing, which is really where the heavy part of the process takes place, to really find out what a good combination is going to be; and then sharing, just to make it easier down the road.

Andrew: Those are indeed great practices. There was the PMI Global Congress in Dallas, and I was invited to speak on virtual teams, and I brought out the topic that in virtual and distributed teams, a lot of communications are asynchronous, compared to the team that is co-located in one office. And in that environment, sharing is really crucial because you not only want to tell people what to do, but you also want them to understand your thinking. Exactly what you said, thinking out loud, so they know your reason, and even though the communication is asynchronous, and you are not necessarily there to make the decision for them, when they need to make, it they know your reasons, so they can make a similar decision, so it’s very aligned with what you’ve just described. So in your opinion, this approach, does it differ between SMBs and enterprises?  And if so, how? And if we’re speaking about enterprise, will it work for all levels, or does it differ as we start speaking about enterprise-wide changes and things like that?

Terri: I think it’s just an issue of scale. So in a small or medium-sized business, it will be easier to demonstrate the process. Even if it’s a small organization that is virtual, it’s just easier because you’re talking to fewer people. You have more opportunity to clarify what your meaning is and clarify the approach. But even at an enterprise level, some of the top executives have the skills that they’ve learned to be plugged-in through experience, they’ve learned over time, and they are already practicing these approaches. They may not be calling it plugged-in management, but they’re certainly doing it. And as I think about executives at Microsoft that I got to talk to for the book, that would be a big organization looking at how to manage a virtual team between Washington and China. Then if I look at some of the startups that I was able to talk to in the book, they’re all doing the same practices, it’s just the matter of scale. In the larger organizations, and I’m thinking about Nucor Steel — as I say, Nucor Steel, the largest steel company in the U.S., and I think the largest recycler in the world (metal recycler). And for them the process that I would describe as being plugged-in, to them it’s just the new core way of doing things.

They’ve been building that approach since the 1960s, and it actually came from the top, which I think may be a little bit rare. Often what I see is people in the middle of the organization find that these are good approaches, and then as other people see their success, they learn from that. So it’s almost a top or bottom-down of that process in larger organizations. If you are a big enterprise, and people are practicing plugged-in management, that’s a lot of leverage, very successful.

Andrew: Now I only have a couple questions left, one would be, could you share with us some interesting anecdotes that might illustrate concept of your book or your research?

Terri: Certainly. I often think about sailing, as a process that helps people learn about being plugged-in. I have a sailboat, and I have a crew of other people on their boats.  A sailboat itself is a technology, and so if you think about the size of the sails, the size of the mast, the size of the boat, everything has to scale appropriately. Also because I’m a woman, I’m not as strong as some of these big football-player-looking guys who might be on the America’s Cup boat or something like that, and because of that I have to use more pulleys. I have a lot of pulleys on my boat because I don’t have that much strength, but I can use the technology to increase the strength and increase the benefit of the strength that I do have.  Sometimes in class I’ll draw a picture of a sailboat that has 2 sails, and then I’ll draw a picture of a sailboat that has 3 sails, and we’ll talk about the difference. As for someone who isn’t a football-player-strong person, it’s harder to pull up one really large sail. Maybe I’d be better off pulling up two smaller ones. How do you make those choices, and how do you keep those choices top of mind? And it really does back to this idea of reflection. If we’re just charging ahead, we’re not going to be thoughtful and think about the different options we might have. So if we do that “Stop, Look, Listen” practice, we’re going to think of a few more options and maybe make a slightly better choice.

Then the other example I have is probably a little more standard. Here at the university, we haven’t been all that modern about our own collaborative practice. As you can imagine, as somebody who writes about collaborative practice all the time, it’s been a frustration for me. But we’re finally moving ahead and looking at our communication and collaboration and even workflow. And I’m getting to practice these very things myself. I’m the chair of this university task force on communication and collaboration. And I can see why some people are drawn to simply make a decision and move ahead quickly. We keep pulling ourselves back and saying, “No, let’s not focus on the technology, let’s focus on the work to be done. Keep those examples top of mind. And then we’ll bring in the technology as we need to.”

Both of those, both the sailing and this collaboration task force have been great learning experiences for me.

Andrew: Yes, I think that sailing was a great metaphor because oftentimes people just go with the flow, especially if the user of technology and the decision-maker are not the same people. If their CIO chooses the software for business users, they are not necessarily going to be the most happy and productive with the defect or the most marketed choice, or the most feature-heavy choice, or the most complex choice. So that’s an interesting metaphor because they are not those football players oftentimes; they just want to get the work done.

So applying your ideas about plugged-in managers, I know you already gave a lot of good advice. Before the closing, what would be the final advice that you’d give to project managers and business managers for getting their work done more efficiently.

Terri: It’s all going to come back to the “Stop, Look, Listen” idea, but once you’ve done that “Stop, Look, Listen,” and you’ve moved into mixing together what your choices are, the simplest way I have of describing that is you don’t have to be an expert, you don’t have to be a technology expert, you don’t have to be a management expert, you don’t have to be a people expert, but what you have to do is have an appreciation for all three of those being important, and then to be able to put yourself in the shoes or in the minds of the other stakeholders and really think about the work design as a negotiation. We all negotiate. We either negotiate well or we don’t, but we all at least know how to do that. And think about the organizational change. The thing that you’re looking at, as you’re trying to be a plugged-in manager, think of it as a negotiation and have the different issues of the negotiation that you have on the table be all those different options. So is it going to be a big team or a small team? Is it going to be a team that has core members, or is everyone going to be equal? Are we going to use this kind of collaboration tool or that kind of collaboration tool? Are we’re going to have experts on the team, or is everybody coming from the lower levels of the organization, and they’re going to have to learn on the job? And what’s the negotiation that I might go through that’s going to come up with the solution, that’s going to be best for us? I like to take a practice that we already understand at least a little bit, and so if everybody’s done a negotiation, then everybody has done a little bit of this mixing that I’m talking about.

Andrew: I think that’s great advice to wrap up, and I welcome all listeners of the podcast and readers of the blog to go to amazon.com and check out Terri’s new book “The Plugged-in Manager.” There are both hard cover and Kindle versions available, and if you like the book, feel free to leave a great review on Terri’s work. Terri, thanks a lot for your time today. I hope the readers will enjoy it, and I hope the rest of you day will be great!

Terri: Thank you so much. I’m going to go tweet about the conversation because you made me think about some new ideas!
Project Management 2.0

On October 22-25, PMI gathered its members and friends for the annual Global Congress in Dallas to discuss the core features and emerging challenges of the project management profession. One of the key areas of focus for the Congress was the new project management trends, i.e., those trends that may impact the industry in the coming years. Together with Elizabeth Harrin and Cornelius Fichtner, seasoned project managers, popular bloggers and my fellow PMI New Media Council members, we held a session addressing agile collaboration in virtual teams.  With over a third of projects being agile and more work being done by virtual teams, we aimed to look at how project managers can successfully combine the two. Having combined our expertise in managing distributed teams, we came up with a few practical, battlefield-tested tips in the area of communication practices, Web 2.0 tools and beyond, which can help bridge the gap for agile teams working across geographic boundaries.

In the first part of the session, Cornelius started with a case study of his own team, spread across 6 countries on 3 continents, and shared which tools and practices help them the most to collaborate efficiently. For instance, according to the experience of Cornelius' team, the best architectures, requirements and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.

There's no doubt that virtual teams have some very strong benefits, but there are certain serious bottlenecks, too, like the risk of miscommunication, limited visibility, etc. In my part of the session, I highlighted 5 pain-relievers that help me overcome the most common challenges in managing my team. Some additional tips came up during the Q&A. For example, when your team members speak different languages, don't let accents influence your perception of a professional. This is especially critical in the initial conversations, when team members don’t know each other yet and haven't yet built social and professional trust. Make sure that you give your team members "trust credit" in this initial phase, and always remember that behind that email ID is a real person, who likely works as hard as you do and is as professional as you are. It’s also crucial to remember and respect the cultural differences, and while keeping this in mind, work toward building a shared culture. Last but not least, as with everything else, it’s hard to create an ideal collaboration pattern right from the start. However, if you keep your eyes and mind open, constantly communicate and gather feedback from your team members, you can continuously iterate and improve. Eventually, you'll find your secret sauce for efficient remote teamwork.

I believe that one of the main prerequisites for the success of a distributed team is to make sure that everyone is on the same page – not only in terms of the assigned tasks, but also the general vision, applied processes, cultural awareness, information sharing and trust. It’ll be extremely helpful for team members to know not just what to do, but why and what lies ahead. This will help a lot in asynchronous communications, when you’re not immediately available to answer all of their questions and course correct. You have to think and communicate proactively in distributed teams, making sure you’re your team shares the same mission and vision, and understands the goals. So meetings in virtual teams are very important. Not only are they important, they are different, and in the final part of our session Elizabeth named some important techniques for making virtual meetings productive.

I’ve posted our joint slide deck on Slideshare, so that you can adapt some of these practical takeaways to your team:

To learn more details about our session and other ones, too, you can also check out recent tweets with the hash tag #pminac. Here are a couple of them:

@pm4girls: "Don't just give them tasks, give them reasons to help them understand vision and goals" @wrike talking about empowering teams at #pminac

@LewisCindy: From @wrike don't let accents influence emotional feelings about the person. Nice reminder #pminac

By the way, Wrike has just opened an interesting survey about remote work and the way workers see its benefits and challenges. I would really appreciate if you could spend a few minutes to have your say in this survey. As soon as we get enough responses, I’ll analyze the results and share them with you. 
Project Management 2.0

Today, I'd like to share a very interesting conversation that I recently had with Brian Weiss, VP of Practitioner Markets at PMI. Working for PMI since 2007, Brian brings more than 18 years of his product management, marketing and consulting experience to this global organization. Together with his team, Brian is focused on the ongoing engagement of PMI members, certification holders and volunteers, and leads a number of PMI's fundamental programs. As a person who constantly interacts with a community of more than 500,000  people who are somewhat involved into project management, Brian always keeps abreast  of the latest trends in the field. Check out the podcast to hear Brian's insights into such prominent topics as the expansion of virtual collaboration, the rise of social media, the challenges and opportunities of project management in a creative economy, and more. If you prefer eye over ear, you also can read the transcript of the interview below.

Brian, it's a pleasure to have you on this podcast! First of all, could you please tell us a couple of words about your career in PMI?
I've just celebrated my 4th anniversary with PMI. Previously, as VP for Product Management, I was responsible for various products and services we produced for practitioners and organizations looking to embrace project management. Earlier this year, we reorganized around our market focus, and now I serve as the VP of Practitioner Markets. I'm focused on the individuals, whether be it one of 20 million people who are somehow involved in project management (those who are leading or directing teams, as well as team members), 450,000 people credentialed by PMI, 350,000 PMI members, members of chapters, volunteer leaders, and more. 

I know that a few weeks ago PMI held its Global Congress in Dublin, and it was a big success. Can you give a short summary of the most popular topics and project management trends that were discussed at the event?
We had almost a thousand attendants who came to share their knowledge and experience, as well as professional speakers. There were all the things you could imagine at a world-class project management conference! The content of the program followed the trends going on in the field. For instance, we're now launching a new course on agile. This was the primary focus of one of the tracks.
An interesting thing – we picked social media as a keynote. Among the thousands of individuals in 180+ countries that are part of the PMI family, not everyone is necessarily working, sitting right next to you and getting information from traditional sources. So social media as a keynote topic was a strong theme at the congress.

PMI is a global organization, so you're very well aware of the recent expansion of virtual collaboration. Do you see it as a challenge or an opportunity for project managers? Among the practitioners who turn to PMI, how many deal with virtual teams on a regular basis?
I'm not sure we have an exact number of stakeholders dealing with virtual teams. But seeing that they work for the largest and most influential companies, down to startups from 180+ countries, you can imagine that in some way or another, a large proportion of them is dealing with a virtual work and collaborating with people who are not co-located with them. It's the same exact environment that we're working in.
There are a lot of advantages organizations are reaping from working with a virtual or dispersed workforce. Some people typically point to such tangible ones as cost savings. I can set up my operation where the cost of labor is less. But most organizations have migrated beyond that, and they're looking at productivity and competitive advantages they can get from what I'd call a “follow the sun” workforce. When employees in one part of the world finish their workday, in another one they're only starting it, so work doesn't stop. On one level, you can produce more. As you're producing things more quickly, we call it schedule compression. From the point of competitive advantage, it's speed to market, i.e., you can get to the market quicker than your competitor.
Working with virtual teams also allows organizations to take advantage of products and services they create in one environment and then localize them. If you take a look at consumer goods manufacturers, they try to make them work in different locations. It's not about changing the labels or making sure the colors are right. It's about understanding the tastes, culture, laws and regulations of the new market. They need local teams.
Here's the main reason that I see behind dispersed teams: I've never been to any location on the planet that has all the smart, creative and talented people in one spot. To tap into global talents, companies need individuals who can help tie it all together. Project managers come to the forefront because they lead and direct dispersed teams in this complex environment.

This is a great comment, and I absolutely agree with you. As a professional with extensive experience in product management and marketing, you are part of growing information and creative industries, where the profile of the worker and the project is different from the industrial economy. In your opinion, which project management practices are the most and the least helpful in that environment? How should project managers adjust their behavior, tools and processes?
Recently, PMI completed its multi-year “Value of Project Management” research that produced 60-70 case studies on how different organizations can get ROI out of project management. The primary thing we found in the research is that there is no one way to do it. Project management needs to fit your organization's culture, its DNA, the way you do work, your maturity level, etc. To give companies the basis to figure out the way to do it, sort of a framework – that's where our standards come into play. Produced by global experts, they provide common practices for individuals that they can evaluate and figure out how to adapt the practices to their own company.
This becomes even more critical as we move from an industrialized world, where there was a very systematic way of work, to the type of environment you're talking about, where work can be done anywhere at any time. People need to tap into our standards and flexibly adapt the common practices to their environment.
Another critical thing in this type of environment – while there is no one way, if you figure out your way and standardize your process of work, good things happen to you. Our research shows that organizations which achieved that alleviate themselves from many typical problems of our profession.

Now let's get back to another interesting trend we started our conversation with – the social media in the consumer and business world. What are your thoughts on the recent rise of the “social” as in “social networks,” “social media,” “enterprise social software” and “social project management”?
I think it's great that our industry is embracing this powerful trend. It's a tool that enables individuals to be more informed. Our profession has the exact same challenges as any other profession has with regard to social media; “instant expert” is what I call it. If you can have a site, blog or any other ability to communicate with the masses, people tend to put more credibility and relevance into that than they previously did with traditional sources of information. It's changed our paradigm for where we turn to get insights into information. Yes, there's a risk with that, but with every risk comes an opportunity: it opens a door for lots more people to collaborate and generate knowledge. All the smart people don't live in one location. As I've already said, they are spread around the word. They get a tool for collaborating and sharing information like never before. It's a good thing as long as we look at it wisely, understand our sources and place the right sort of validation and credibility upon them.

A great point! Recently, Gartner released a research note where, for the first time, it analyzed collaboration as an essential component of project portfolio management. How big do you think  the input of collaboration is for the overall success of a project?
You can never ignore organizational context. In my job, I'm responsible for the largest community of project management practitioners, and according to their feedback, collaboration and networking is where they get the most value of PMI. I'm a strong proponent of allowing individuals to gather and network, whether virtually or in person.
Organizations have different styles. Some are asking their employees to be more collaborative, and some are more directive. Different cultures obviously have different perspectives. We can't ignore that. But, in my role, I come with a very strong emphasis on networking and collaboration between individuals. Again, I keep going back to my point on global workforce. When organizations really want to tap into the best talents, they're not going to do it in one location. When individuals want to gain knowledge and insights on this, they can refer to PMI standards as a starting point. Then they need to interact in order to figure out the best way to work in the context of their environment.  

Brian, this has been a very insightful conversation. Before we wrap it up, I'd like to ask you for advice that you would give to the listeners of the podcast, to project managers who are still looking for tools and techniques to make their work more efficient?
The advice that I would give is based on what we hear from our 600,000 global practitioners. The No. 1 thing is getting connected to an organization like PMI that gives them access to knowledge resources and networking opportunities. Within our environment, you get the right references to templates and tools when you're interacting with people. With the support that PMI gives, you'll find a myriad of tools and techniques that were already tested by other people that you can learn from. Also, you can give your feedback and let other people know about your experience.

Thank you for the interesting updates on project management trends and the great advice you shared, Brian! Our profession is growing and penetrating more industries and more verticals within companies. I wish you the best of luck in growing the PMI community even bigger. 
Project Management 2.0

How to get the best from your Project Manager

Project management is a skill that must be learned and refined like any other. It takes time and experience to become a good project manager, longer to become a great project manager.

A failed project can lead to loss of revenue and opportunity; failure to achieve business goals; diversion of resources from other activities; sapping of staff morale and, perhaps, even business failure. So, as projects become more complex and critical to business performance, how do you improve your chances of success?

 

Manage by exception: clients should avoid getting too bogged down in the day-to-day running of projects and instead allow the project manager to concentrate on this area. Micro-management by a client is a hindrance, not a help. Clients should set clear boundaries for cost and time, with which the manager should work. If he/she cannot provide the agreed deliverables within these constraints, concerns must be escalated to the client for a decision.

 

Stages: break the project up into smaller chunks, or stages. Each stage marks a point at which the client will make key decisions. For example, is the project still worthwhile? Are the risks still acceptable? Dividing a project into stages, and only committing to one stage at a time, is a low risk approach that enables the clients to manage by exception.

 

 

Products: it is vital that clients and customers think carefully about the products, or deliverables, they require, before the project begins. The clearer they can be about their requirements, the more realistic and achievable the plans that can be produced. This makes it a lot easier for the project manager and less risky.

 

It’s a Learning Curve: don’t risk making the same mistakes on every project; consider why certain aspects went well or badly, then incorporate the lessons learned into your approach to your next project. Humans have an amazing capacity to learn, but when it comes to repeating errors made during previous projects, we all too often fail to learn the lessons.

 

The environment: whatever project management methodology or framework you favour, it must be tailored to suit the needs of your project. Rather than blindly following a methodology, the project manager must be able to adapt procedures to meet the demands of the work in hand. How you plan on a two-week project is likely to be very different from how you plan on a two-year project.

 

If you are looking for a project manager you really need to look for leadership skills! Today’s project managers must have leadership skills in order to effectively perform their roles in the organisation and stand out from the crowd. Something must make them distinct from the others.

Related “project Management” Articles

Project Manager Capability Assessment for Projects from POME by Gautam Koppala

Project Manager Capability Assessment:

“Good Project Managers are willing to pay the price of achievement. Overcoming the negative is the price of achievement, the price of greatness.”

 

The Problem with assessing Project Management Capability:

Measuring Project Management capability has been a difficult exercise. Traditional measures have been based on project management metrics such as:

Projects completed on time and budget
Function point productivity
User satisfaction
Methodologies
Principles and Policies
Roles, responsibilities, and authority level

The other alternative is to have an expensive consulting house review your practices and give you a report on project statistics you probably already know. There is usually no money left to do anything after you pay the consulting bill for the project management assessment.

The Solution – How to assess Project Management Capability:

Highly responsive, customer focused company that fulfilled our needs in a timely and very professional manner. The survey, analysis, and report were delivered as expected and provided us with insights into where our organization can benefit from additional project management training. I highly recommend them!

The first decision is what to measure against. What is best practice? What project management metrics? Fortunately, the answer is relatively straight forward. The POME used Project Management Institute PMBOK, RUP, and ISO Guidelines for making a clear structure for successful project management.

Each of these is broken down into major areas to bring a more components that make up successful project management. By measuring against these areas, you can develop a quantitative map of you PM capability.

 

How to assess Project Management Capability:

In conjunction with a market research specialist, POME have developed a questionnaire that will provide the answers. The questionnaire is directed at people who have participated in a project in the last 12 months. Its better to distribute via email the questionnaire, collect the answers, and provide a report that benchmarks your capability in 9 major PMBOK, and other POME categories. It also provides guidance as to the steps you might take to improve performance.

Benefits of a Project Management Assessment:

You get a map of your organization’s project management strengths and weaknesses
You can focus on quick wins to improve productivity
Serious shortcomings are identified and can be targeted with major programs
Repeating the survey after a period measures improvement
As Project Manager, you can present numerical data to show the work required and results achieved.

The project Director/ Project Sponsor will assess based upon the competencies of the Project Manager, and would get an idea for the formal training recommendations

POME Prescribe:

About Leadership:

ü  Keep your approach friendly: People are not looking to make friends at work, but refraining from an aggressive approach towards your employees is a good idea. Be diplomatic and assertive, instead.

ü  When taking on a new project/responsibility at work, convey to your management the extent of authority you need in order to effectively execute your project. Ensure that you have the authority that you need before you start work on your project.

ü  Being people-oriented does not mean that you cannot be task-oriented (and vice-versa).

ü  One-to-one: Meet regularly with your team members on a one-on-one basis. When you apply this principle to your kids, it makes each of them feel special.

ü  Nobody appreciates a micro-manager: Don’t sit on the heads of your team members.

ü  Giving autonomy does not mean not keeping track of progress.

ü  Learn how to manage people (more difficult than it sounds, believe you me!), and the rest of your job will that much easier to execute.

ü  As a leader, you should have the ability to bind the team together and give them a sense of “we’re in this together.” For instance, as the head of your family, you can promote bonding by setting aside time for family board games, story-telling sessions, family picnics, family prayers and the like.

ü  Stay visible – As a leader, you need to be visible in good times, as well as when there are problems to address.

ü  Your reputation depends on your perceived credibility and integrity: A very basic item for leaders is to ensure that promises made are promises kept. If action is committed, it must be performed.

ü  Personality: As a leader, does your personality influence and inspire your team?

ü  Leadership CAN be learned. Focus on these areas to improve your leadership skills:

Initiative
Leverage your charisma to influence others
Lead purposefully and with commitment
Develop a result-oriented approach
Cultivate an attitude of optimism
Work on your self-confidence – especially for weakness areas (for instance, if you are particularly nervous around people with an intimidating body language, create a plan to tackle that, and come across as confident and in-control in their presence.)
Cultivate empathy so that you can encourage and nurture your team
Learn to identify winners – and nurture them
Learn to read between the lines to understand the underlying concern that prompted the dialogue
The ability to motivate people so that they stretch out of their “comfort zones”
Improve your decision-making abilities by learning from past decisions
Learn to see the big picture
Polish your Goal Setting skills
Develop Personal Goals and examine them at regular intervals
Effective Time Management

ü  Flexibility: While it is a good thing to be firm and stand by your decisions, It is important that you are flexible enough to realize when plans need to change. View planning as an ongoing process. That way, you can change course midway without too much damage, if the original plan is not working. Are you open to continuous planning and updating of the plan?

Gautam Koppala,

POME Author

 

Project Management Certification course available from the Association for Project Management (APM)

 

The Association for http://apmprojectmanagementtraining.com” title=”" >Project Management Training is the UK body for professional project management. They have 14, 000 members, mostly in the United Kingdom. They are a member association which offers a wide range of development activities for project managers, including an annual conference, awards and a structure of regional branches, specialist interest groups and publication. The most significant publication of the Body of Knowledge, this acts a reference to project management in many organizations. The Body of Knowledge acts as the foundation for many qualifications including

APM Introductory Certificate in Project Management (APM IC)The course is ideal for those people who are new to project management. It covers the main topics of project management with a focus on the basic project planning and control processes. Some of the more advances and difficult topics, such as earned value management and project governance are excluded. The APM IC is a relatively simple 1 hour 60 multiple choice examination.

APMP.  The APMP is ideal for project managers with 3-4 years experience. This wide ranging qualification covers all the main areas of the APM Body of Knowledge. It help s to consolidate understanding if the principles and practice of project management and forms a solid foundation for new project managers. The assessment is via a three hour written question paper in which the candidates have to complete 10 out of 16 questions. This is equivalent to the work package manager level D on the International Project Management Association competence framework.

APM Practitioner (APM PQ) The APM Practitioner qualification is for project managers with 5 years experience who can demonstrate the ability to apply project management to non complex projects. You need to be able to demonstrate a good understanding of project management. Assessment is by a 3 day assessment centre using a wide variety of exercise and tests. This is equivalent to the manager of non complex projects (level C) on the International Project Management Association competence framework.

APM Project Professional This is a new standard that is based on the ability to manage the most complex and challenging projects. It is the precursor the hoped for chartered project managers standard. Project managers at this highest level must be able to demonstrate a commitment to professional standards, a record of CPD, a set of project management competences and a track record of successful delivery. This is equivalent to the manager of complex projects (level B) on the International Project Management Association competence framework.

 

More “project Management” Articles

Project Management for Event Management Industry FROM POME BY GAUTAM KOPPALA VT

Project Management for Event Management Industry:

Event Management Projects is the process by which an event is planned, prepared, and produced. As with any other form of management, it encompasses the assessment, definition, acquisition, allocation, direction, control, and analysis of time, finances, people, products, services, and other resources to achieve objectives. An event project manager’s job is to oversee and arrange every aspect of an event, including researching, planning, organizing, implementing, controlling, and evaluating an event’s design, activities, and production.

Event Management Projects has been described as an “emerging profession” due to the fact that no academic, government-issued licensing, or private occupational certification credentials are required to practice this complex and responsibility-laden enterprise. Without such credentials, “professional” status is suspect and subject to degradation by the actions of untrained and inexperienced practitioners who are simply not aware of the scope of what needs to be learned in order to be qualified to work in this profession, as well as the scope of the legal and ethical responsibilities associated with such endeavors.

Event Management Projects encompasses a multitude of types of events. Although the Projects industry has delineated itself into various categories, all represent the planning and production of an event that brings people together at a particular time, in a particular place, for a particular purpose.  The event genres that may be considered as falling within the Event Management Projects profession for the purposes of this project are illustrated in below

The Event Genre of Event Management Projects

Business & Corporate Events

Any event that supports business objectives, including management functions, corporate communications, training, marketing, incentives, employee relations, and customer relations, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Cause-Related & Fundraising Events

An event created by or for a charitable or cause-related group for the purpose of attracting revenue, support, and/or awareness, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Exhibitions, Expositions & Fairs

An event bringing buyers and sellers and interested persons together to view and/or sell products, services, and other resources to a specific industry or the general public, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Entertainment & Leisure Events

A one-time or periodic, free or ticketed performance or exhibition event created for entertainment purposes, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Festivals

A cultural celebration, either secular or religious, created by and/or for the public, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events. (Many festivals include bringing buyer and seller together in a festive atmosphere.)

Government & Civic Events

An event comprised of or created by or for political parties, communities, or municipal or national government entities, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Marketing Events

A commerce-oriented event to facilitate bringing buyer and seller together or to create awareness of a commercial product or service, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Meeting & Convention Events

The assembly of people for the purpose of exchanging information, debate or discussion, consensus or decisions, education, and relationship building, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Social/Life-Cycle Events

A private event, by invitation only, celebrating or commemorating a cultural, religious, communal, societal, or life-cycle occasion, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Sports Events

A spectator or participatory event involving recreational or competitive sport activities, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

 

The Proposed Knowledge Domain Structure

Professional knowledge, which consists of technical knowledge, specialized skills, and ethical standards used to function within a professional jurisdiction, must be transformed into formal knowledge systems combined with experiential or situational knowledge systems.

 

The Uses of the Domain Structure

The proposed domain structure can serve numerous purposes and uses, not the least of which is the illustration of the scope and complexity of this profession to internal and external constituents and stakeholders, current and future practitioners, and allied and supplier industries, thereby increasing respect and reverence for the profession of Event Management Projects and legitimizing and “expertizing” the functions of event management.

 

The Next Stage

Further development, improvement, expansion, and ratification of the Event Management Projects depends on the review and input of a broad variety of industry practitioners, experts, certification bodies, and academicians from the full spectrum of event genres and industries.

 

Event Management Projects is an intricate weaving of the process and the scope of management functions. As illustrated below, the functional units (grouped by domain) form the warp fibers—the foundation threads of the fabric of an event. The processes—or weft threads—are interwoven through these foundations for each event, with the evaluation thread from one event forming the research thread for the next event.  If you eliminate one of the threads, the fabric of the event is weakened, leaving holes or places where it may unravel.

The Design domain focuses on the artistic interpretation and expression of the goals and objectives of the event project and its experiential dimensions, and is often the area of Event Management Projects that draws individuals to the occupation due to its creative opportunities.

 

Many of the units and topics represent specific specializations, disciplines, or its own distinct industry, with its own body of knowledge and credentials, some requiring specific licenses in many jurisdictions, with which the event manager must interact or subcontract in order to plan and produce an event.

 

At this stage the knowledge domain structure represents a simple mapping of concepts. It is not practical to numerically quantify the units or topics contained in the various certification competency blueprints, vocational qualifications, guides, and texts because, as yet, standard units and terminology have not been adopted by the industry as a whole. This initial taxonomy of general Project Management will serve as a platform that will enable expert participants, from a variety of disciplines around the world, to continue its refinement and develop a shared understanding and interaction.

The Taxonomy of the Administration Knowledge Domain for event project management

Financial Management

Accounting / Auditing

Asset Management

Bid Preparation

Budget Development

Business Plans

Cash Flow

Cash Handling Procedures

Change Controls

Cost/Benefit Analysis

Cost Controls

Cost Estimating

Credit Policies

Economic Impact

Financial Reporting

Fixed / Variable Costs

Foreign Currency

Inventory Control

Investments

Payables & Receivables

Pricing Structures

Profit Objectives

Purchasing Controls

Rate Negotiation

Resource Definition

Human Resources Management

Behavior Policies

Benefits Management

Conflict Resolution

Discipline

Employment Regulations

Hiring / Induction

Job Analysis

Job Descriptions

Labor Relations

Leadership

Motivation

Organizational Structure

Orientation

Paid Staff / Employees

Payroll Management

Performance Evaluation

Professional Development

Recognition Programs

Recruitment

Seasonal Staffing

Succession Planning

Supervision

Team Building

Temporary / Casual Labor

Temporary Staffing

Termination

Training

Uniforms

Union Labor

Volunteers

Information Management

Briefings / Debriefings

Communication Equipment

Communication Planning

Communication Protocols

Confidentiality Agreements

Database Management

Documentation Procedures

Document Design

Evaluation / Analysis

Feedback Systems

Information Acquisition

Information Asset Protection

Information Distribution

Intelligence Gathering

Lead Retrieval Systems

Library / Archives

Monitoring & Reporting

Presentations

Photography / Videography

Privacy Policies

Record Keeping Procedures

Procurement Management

Bid Solicitation

Change Controls

Contract Management

Performance Evaluation

Procurement Policies

Purchasing Procedures

Quality Control

Reimbursement Policies

RFPs / Briefs

Specifications Definition

Source Definition

Source Selection

Systems Management

Bookkeeping Systems

Change Control Systems

Communication Systems

Database Systems

Decision Making Systems

Document Generation

Governance

Integration Management

Inventory Systems

Knowledge Management

Maintenance Systems

Procedural Manuals

Purchasing Systems

Reservation / Booking Systems

Routing Systems

Security Systems

Technology Management

Computers

Digital

Electronics

Email & Voice Mail

Internet / Intranets

Office Equipment

Telecommunications

Video

Web-based

Wireless

Time Management

Activity Definition

Activity Sequencing

Change Controls

Critical Path Analysis

Deadline Definitions

Duration Estimation

Gantt Charts

Planning Tempo

Production Schedules

Program Agendas

Running Order

Schedule Control

Schedule Development

Time Lines

The Taxonomy of the Operations Knowledge Domain for event project management

Audience Management

Access Controls

Admission Controls

Admission Systems

Arrival / Departure Modes

Credentialing Systems

Crowd Management

Group Movements

Guest Relations

Housing Systems

Manifests

Pedestrian Traffic Flow

Protocol Requirements

Queue Management

Registration Systems

Seating Systems

Ticketing System

Ushering Systems

Communications Management

Announcement Protocols

Briefings / Debriefings

Channel Distribution

Command & Control

Communication Equipment

Contact Lists

Delegation

Event Orders

External Connectivity

Guiding / Coaching

Interpreter Services

Notifications

On-site Communications

Production Book

Public Address Systems

Scoring Systems

Translation Services

Verification Documentation

Infrastructure Management

Emergency Services

Gas Services

Handicap Services

Housekeeping / Maintenance

HVAC Systems

Lighting Systems

Medical Services

Parking

Participant Equipment

Power Services

Power Distribution

Recycling

Seating

Sewage Services

Shipping Services

Telecommunications

Traffic

Transportation

Utilities Usage Fees

Waste Management

Water

Logistics Management

Action Plans

Ceremonial Protocol

Checklists

Contractor Coordination

Dismantling

Installation

Loading Dock Management

Move-in

Move-out

Precedence Order

Replenishing

Requirements Definition

Running Order

Scope Definition

Staging / Marshalling

Task Analysis

Task Assignment

Task Identification

Task Interdependence

Task Monitoring

Terminology Agreement

Program Design Management

Activities

Alcohol Management

Ancillary Tours

Catering Management

Celebrities / Performers

Ceremonial: Invocation

Certification Requirements

Children’s Programs

Companion Programs

Competitions

Educational Objectives

Entertainment Management

Event Components

Exhibits

Feasibility Analysis

Gap Analysis

Learning Environments

Needs Assessment

Speakers / Participants

Sport/Recreational Activities

SWOT Analysis

Theme Development

Site Management

Ceremonial Equipment

Décor

Environmental Controls

Equipment Rentals

Furnishings

Maps

Mobile Facilities

Perimeter Controls

Signage

Site Development

Site Inspection Criteria

Site Plans / Diagrams

Site Selection Criteria

Site Selection / Contracting

Staging Equipment

Storage

Temporary Structures

Tenting

Stakeholder Management

Accountability

Authenticity

Client Management

Committees

Constituents

Cultural Differences

Economic Objectives

Facility Personnel

Government

Host Community

Media

Military

Officials & Authorities

Participants

Political Objectives

Prioritized Objectives

Protocol Management

Tourism / Convention Bureaus

Technical & Production Management

Audiovisual Services

Entertainment Equipment

Equipment Rentals

Lighting Equipment

Multi-Media

Performer Equipment

Projection Systems

Pyrotechnics

Sound Distribution

Sound Equipment

Special Effects

Stage Configurations

Staging Requirements

Technical Producers

Technical Rehearsals

Technicians / Engineers

The Taxonomy of the Marketing Knowledge Domain for event project management

Hospitality Management

Catering

Ceremonial Equipment

Client Entertainment

Dressing Rooms

Guest Services

Gifts / Amenities

Housing Services

Lounge Facilities

Ready Rooms

Reception Areas

Sponsor Benefits

VIP Services

Marketing Plan Management

Branding Requirements

Customer Intelligence

Customer Needs / Benefits

Customer Relationships

Database Building

Demographics

Differentiation

Image Enhancement

Loyalty / Affinity Programs

Marketing Objectives

Market Research

Market Segmentation

Marketing Mediums

Marketing Messages

Niche Marketing

Positioning

Product Definition

Product Pricing

Psychographics

Retention Marketing

ROI Evaluation

ROO Evaluation

Schedule Definition

Situation Analysis

Strategic Marketing

Target Market Definition

Materials Management

Advertising Specialties

Awards / Prizes

Badges / Passes / Credentials

Brochures

Coupons

Distribution

Flyers

Forms

Invitations

Media Kits

Newsletters

Posters

Printing Production

Printing Specifications

Programs

Registration Packets

Tickets

Videos / CD ROMs / DVDs / MP3

Merchandising Management

Brand Management

Collectables

Commemoratives

Concessions

Customer Service

Display

Distribution

Licensing

Logo Wear

Manufacture

Packaging

Souvenirs

Promotion Management

Advertising

Broadcasting

Ceremonies

Contests / Sweepstakes

Couponing

Cross Promotions

Direct Mail

Displays

FAM Tours

Giveaways

Internal / External

Internet / Intranet

Logo Management

Media Tie-ins

Narrowcasting

Networking

Pod-casting

Product Demonstrations

Product Sampling

Proof of Purchase Discounts

Sales Promotions

Special Appearances

Stunts

Trade Show Participation

Web-based

Public Relations Management

Disaster Recovery

Disaster Response

Media Conferences

Media Contact Lists

Media Kits

Media Previews

Media Relations

Media Releases

Photo Opportunities

Publication Articles

Requests for Coverage

Spokespersons

Sales Management

Box Office Operations

Cash Handling Procedures

Concession Sales

Coupon Redemption

Merchandise Sales

Proposal Delivery

Proposal Development

Proposal Packaging

Sales Techniques

Sponsorship Sales

Ticketing Operations

Web-based Sales

Sponsorship Management

Benefits Delivery

Benefits Packaging

Commercial Sponsorship

Cross Promotions

Donor & Patron Gifts

Grants & Underwriting

Image Management

In-kind Donations

Selling Sponsorships

Servicing Sponsors

Solicitation Proposals

Sponsorship Kits

Target Definition

Target Solicitation

The Taxonomy of the Risk Management Knowledge Domain for event project management

Compliance Management

Accessibility (ADA)

Alcohol / Liquor Laws

Antitrust Laws

Assembly Occupancy

Codes & Regulations

Consent Forms

Environmental Protection

Exemptions

Fire Safety

Food Service Codes

Intellectual Property

Licenses

Merchandise Licensing

Music Licensing

Permits

Releases

Safety Inspections

Sanctioning Bodies

Special Effects Codes

Union Jurisdictions

Waivers

Work Permits / Visas

Emergency Management

Audience Preparation

Civil Disorder

Command Structure

Communications Plan

Crowd Control

Disaster Preparedness

Emergency Action Plan (EAP)

Earthquake

Evacuations

Fire

Flood

Hazardous Materials

Medical Services

Mutual Aid Agreements

Power Loss

Response Accessibility

Response Equipment

Response Services

Severe Weather

Shutdown Procedures

Spokespersons

Terrorism

Threat Assessment

Training & Drills

Transportation Incident

Triage

Vehicles & Equipment

Warning Systems

Health & Safety Management

AED / CPR Certification

Chemical Hazards

Equipment Training

Fall Protection

Fire Safety Systems

Infectious Materials

Lighting / Visibility

Manual Handling Procedures

Noise Levels

Occupational Hazards

OSH Requirements

Pollution

Protective Equipment

Safety Meetings

Sanitation Systems

Slip & Trip Hazards

Structural Integrity

Waste Management

Insurance Management

Additionally Insured

Business Insurance

Cancellation

Certificates of Insurance

Contractually Required

Errors & Omissions

Event-Specific Insurance

Income Loss

Legal Requirements

Liability Exposures

Liquor Liability

Negligence / Liability

Property Loss / Damage

Workers Compensation

Legal & Ethics Management

Anti-Discrimination Laws

Attrition / Cancellation

Behavior Policies

Confidentiality

Contract Execution

Contract Management

Contract Negotiation

Dispute Resolution

Employment Laws

Equal Opportunity Policies

Fraud

Freedom of Information Act

Fundraising Laws

Gift Acceptance Policies

Liquor Laws

Not-for-Profit Laws

Perquisites

Privacy Laws

Public Assembly Laws

Public Safety Laws

Statutory Compliance

Taxation Laws

Terms & Conditions

Traffic / Transport Laws

Zoning Laws

Risk Assessment Management

Cause/Effect Analysis

Contingency Plans

Crisis Plans

Decision Tree Analysis

Documentation

Fault Tree Analysis

Hazard Mapping

Incident Reporting

Influence Diagram

Prevention Plans

Probability / Severity Analysis

Residual / Secondary Risk

Response Planning

Risk Analysis

Risk Avoidance

Risk Control

Risk Diffusion

Risk Documentation

Risk Fields

Risk Identification

Risk Mitigation

Risk Monitoring

Risk / Opportunity Analysis

Risk Resilience

Risk Retention

Risk Transference

Scenario Exercise

Walk-Through Inspections

Security Management

Access Control

Briefings

Command Center

Communications

Contracted Personnel

Credentials

Crime Deterrence

Crowd Control

Deployment

Detection Sweeps

Emergency Assistance

Equipment

Escorting

Guarding

Incident Reporting

Incident Response

Law Enforcement

Peer Security

Personal / VIP Protection

Private Security Personnel

Property Protection

Stewarding

Surveillance

Vehicles

Volunteer Personnel

Overview of Theme Design Management

The application of theme development principles and cultural iconography to communicate and integrate the purpose, message, image and branding of the event project.

Major Functions

Performance Elements

Theme Principles

·         Capture attention and create interest and involvement

·         Communicate and reinforce purpose and message

·         Establish a context and create attendee expectations

·         Integrate into a cohesive whole

Theme Development

·         Determine expectations through research and consultation

·         Identify core concepts, topics, and/or messages

·         Create multiple dimensions

·         Integrate essential characteristics of theme into a clear concept description

Cultural Iconography

·         Explore the cultural icon domains

·         Work from the familiar

·         Recognize and respect cultural and individual diversity

·         Distill the imagery

Creativity

·         Use a broad spectrum of stimuli

·         Conduct brainstorming and other idea-generating exercises

·         Remove restrictions of assumptions and tradition

·         Combine ideas in new ways and make connections between seemingly unrelated ideas

Theme Integration

·         Visualize all the event elements and link them to the theme

·         Incorporate the five senses

·         Integrate branding into all aspects of the event experience

·         Verify the operational and logistical practicality

 

The Case Study Analysis

 

Theme Principles

Celebrate the history of the Games and Italy’s rich contributions to theater, art, music, fashion, style, and sports heroes throughout the centuries
Showcase the city of Turin and the assets of the region
Meet IOC specifications for ceremonies
Create a spectacle for worldwide television coverage

Theme Development

Torino Games motto “Passion Lives Here”
Essential characteristics of “Rhythm, Passion and Speed”
Host objective to highlight and promote “all things Italian”
Portray the Olympic ideals

Cultural Iconography

Italian iconography

o        Film and theater; Fellini, Roberto Bolle of the La Scala Theatre

o        Art; Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus,” Umberto Boccioni’s sculpture “Unique Forms of Continuity in Space”

o        Music; Renaissance trumpeters and drummers, Luciano Pavarotti, Puccini

o        Fashion; Armani, Moschino, supermodel Carla Bruni

o        History; Medieval Sbandieratori flag wavers, Renaissance and Baroque acrobats and floats

o        Sports; Olympic medalist participants, Formula One race car

Olympic iconography

o        Double X symbol of the twentieth Olympiad

o        Olympic rings

o        Olympic colors of blue, black, red, yellow, and green

o        Olympic torch, cauldron, and flame

o        Torino Games logo

o        Dove as the symbol of peace

Creativity

Aerial acrobatics
Disco music for athlete parade
Dove formation with vertical choreography
Ferrari Formula One race car
Olympic Flag carried by women only
Olympic Flame ignition
Olympic Rings
Pavarotti Opera stage
Pulsing heart and giant skier choreography
Recessed piazza in stage for athlete seating
Sparks of Passion inline skaters with flaming helmets
Synchronized “swimmer” routines through spandex piazza cover

Theme Integration

Passion

o        Bronze flame-projecting anvil

o        Beating heart dance routine

o        Olympic torch entry and flame ignition

o        Pyrotechnics

Rhythm

o        Drums in opening segment

o        Disco music for athlete parade

o        Medieval Sbandieratori flag wavers

Speed

o        Sparks of Passion skaters with flaming helmets

o        Skateboarders and inline skaters

o        Giant skier formations

o        Ferrari Formula One race car

Peace

o        Honor Guard of the Carabinieri and the Alpini

o        Jacques Rogge speech

o        Acrobatic formation of dove

o        John Lennon’s “Imagine”

Possible Discussion Topics

How “all things Italian” were highlighted and promoted
The iconic elements for:

o        Turin in specific

o        Italy in general

o        The Alpine region

o        The Winter Olympics

o        The Olympics in general

Historical origins of the various cultural icons and iconic elements used
The design benchmarks (highest, first, largest, etc.)

 

Integration Example — Speaker Selection

 

 

 

Integration, a Core Value of the framework, reflects the critical need to coordinate, synchronize and merge the variety and multitude of interactions, dependencies and interconnected elements included in an event project to ensure decisions incorporate all the factors influencing and influenced by those choices.

 

When you view the scope of the functional areas of the knowledge domains, as shown below, which illustrate the full scope of the responsibilities assigned to event organizers, it becomes clear that one item, one decision, or one element will be shaped by and will have an impact on every other aspect of the event project.

 

 

 

Let’s look at one element: selecting a speaker for a conference. This function would be under Content Development (or Content Management) within the Design domain.

 

Factors regarding this one element will interact with every other domain’s functional areas and decisions made about this speaker must be integrated throughout the scope of functional areas. For example, the chart below illustrates some of the questions and issues that must be considered for this single facet of the event project.

 

Keep in mind that this list is by no means exhaustive, nor does it take into account the fact that there are typically numerous speakers selected for even a small conference, and perhaps hundreds for a sizable convention. Also remember that when you answer any one of these questions, that answer must then be considered in the context of every other functional area.

 

ADMINISTRATION

Financial

What is the speaker’s fee or the honoraria to be paid? How and when will that payment be handled?
If no fee or honoraria, is there any other form of compensation for which the variable costs need to be included in the budget?
Will we be paying for the speaker’s airfare?
Will we be buying the ticket or reimbursing the speaker for it?
Are there contractual specifications for or limits on what fare we will pay for (economy, business class, first class)?
Will we be paying for the speaker’s hotel accommodations?
Are there incidentals (meals, ground transportation, etc.) that we will or will not reimburse?
Will speaker thank you gifts need to be purchased?

Human Resources

Who is responsible for or has the authority to conduct speaker selection?
Who will serve as the pre-event liaison for the speakers?
Who will serve as the on-site liaison for the speakers?
Do we need someone to meet the speaker at the airport?
Do we need an escort for the speaker to the site and / or on site?
Who will give the introduction for the speaker’s session?

Information

How will we collect session proposals or abstracts?
How will we handle correspondence with the speaker, e.g. session acceptance / denial, invitations, confirmations, thank you letters, etc.?
What forms will we need the speaker to fill out, e.g. AV requests forms, room set-up requests, session taping approvals, etc.?

Procurement

What types of speaker solicitation documents will we use, e.g. call for papers, call for abstracts, session proposal forms, etc.?
What specifications need to be included in solicitation materials, e.g. acceptable / suggested topics, session deliverables, target audience or content track, etc.?
What equipment or services will be need to be ordered for this speaker’s presentation, e.g. projection equipment, audience response systems, staging, captioning services, etc.?
How will we handle on-site changes and other requests?

Stakeholders

Are there any controversial issues surrounding this speaker that might cause problems in connection with his/her appearance, e.g. opposition, potential protests, political affiliations, etc.?
Are there strategic economic or political alliances that may be developed or enhanced by selecting this speaker?
How will the performance of this speaker and the value of his/her appearance be evaluated? How will this be used in communications with various stakeholders or stakeholder groups?

Systems

How will the speakers selected be incorporated into database systems, e.g. registration, badge processing, membership, etc.?
Will we be using an abstract management system for online submissions, speaker communications, PowerPoint and handout collection, etc.?

Time

When do we need abstracts or session proposals submitted?
By when do sessions and speakers need to be selected and confirmed?
How and when will we schedule sessions and presentations, e.g. time slots, tracks, keynotes, etc.?
How long will sessions be, e.g. one hour, 90 minutes, half-day, etc.? How long will this speaker’s presentation be?
How will we handle scheduling for speakers providing numerous different or repeat sessions?

DESIGN

Content

Has a needs assessment identified this topic or this speaker as suitable or desirable?
Has this topic been identified as necessary to meet educational requirements?
In what way is this speaker qualified to deliver this content?
What format will be used for this topic, e.g. keynote speech, facilitated interactive presentation, workshop, etc.?
How will we ensure speaker will deliver valuable content without blatant commercials for his/her products or services?

Entertainment

Will the speaker need a specific rehearsal time or period?
Will the speaker need a special room where he/she can organize or prepare for his/her presentation?
Will the speaker be expected to be part of or involved in any ancillary activities, e.g. golf tournament, exhibits, receptions, book signings, etc.?
Does the speaker need any coaching regarding presentation skills?

Environment

What type of seating configuration does the speaker desire / require, e.g. theater style, classroom, round table, etc.?
Does the speaker need special equipment, décor, or supplies procured and/or delivered?
Will the presentation include audience participation, and, if so, what will that require, e.g. steps onto stage, special aisles, etc.?

Food & Beverage

Will speaker be invited to or included in some / all meal functions for the conference?
Does the speaker have any dietary requirements?
Will exclusive water stations / bottled water be provided for speakers?
Will there be refreshments provided in a speaker ready room?

Production

Will the speaker be providing a PowerPoint and/or video presentation?
Does the room need special lighting for his/her presentation, e.g. darkened room, spotlighting, etc.?
What type of microphone(s) will be required, e.g. lectern, hand held, wireless, standing, etc.?
Will the speaker be using or demonstrating any special or theatrical effects, e.g. pyrotechnics, fog effects, sound effects, etc.?

Program

Where in the program agenda does this speaker appear, e.g. day, time slot, track, etc.?
Are there any scheduling conflicts that will affect attendance at this speaker’s presentation?
Is this session required for specific credits or certificates, and, if so does this session meet educational requirements, e.g. duration, content level, etc.?
Can this session accommodate anticipated attendance, e.g. room capacity, repetition within agenda, etc.?

Theme

Is there linkage between this presentation and the theme of the conference?
Will conference branding need to be included on handouts and/or PowerPoint presentations?
Has speaker been advised of any cultural or corporate customs on what must be avoided or incorporated into his/her presentation, e.g. attire, jargon, current events, gestures, etc.?

MARKETING

Marketing Plan

Is this speaker appropriate for or affiliated with the conference’s target market?
Does this speaker offer an entry into specific niche markets that could be exploited, e.g. track categories, exhibitors, etc.?
Has this speaker presented at previous conferences, and, if so, what were the satisfaction scores from previous evaluations?
Should this speaker be specifically highlighted in promotional activities?

Materials

What materials are needed from the speaker, e.g. handouts, PowerPoint presentation, etc.?
Will the speaker be providing additional handouts or amenities only at the session, e.g. checklists, workbooks, samples, etc., that need to be approved and/or promoted?
How will speaker be promoted in the program book, e.g. bio, photo, session description, etc.?
Will speaker presentations and/or handouts be provided to attendees in a handbook, CD, and/or on the web?

Merchandise

Will the speaker be allowed to sell own books or other products after his/her session?
Will audiotapes of the sessions be created for sale to attendees?
Will the speaker be asked to provide items for conference amenities or prizes, e.g. books, discount coupons, etc.?
Will speaker be given logo-imprinted items as thank you gift or in-room amenity?

Promotions

How, where, and when will speaker solicitation activities be conducted?
What materials do we need the speaker to provide for promotional activities, e.g. photo, bio, session description (including key words and/or deliverables), etc.?
In what format do we need these materials, e.g. digital photo and resolution, word count limits on bio and session description, minimum of three session deliverables, etc.?
Where will we include these materials, e.g. advance program, web site, blast e-mail and print advertisements, etc.?
Will speaker be offered personalized promotional materials for his/her own marketing activities or cross promotions?

Public Relations

Will speaker be suitable and available for interviews with the media?
Is speaker able to provide articles that may be submitted to industry publications in conjunction with the conference?
Are position statements and background information prepared for any controversial issues the speaker or his/her appearance may incite?

Sales

Will attendance at this speaker’s presentation require an additional charge or ticket?
Will speaker’s books and/or products be made available for sale by the conference before, during, and/or after the conference?
Will speaker allow the sale of audiotapes or videotapes of his/her presentation, and, if so, will there be any commission on sales paid to the speaker?

Sponsorship

Will this speaker’s appearance or presentation be suitable for packaging as a sponsorship?
Will this speaker’s appearance or presentation jeopardize any existing or potential sponsorship agreements?
Will the speaker be expected to make any special appearances or accommodations in conjunction with a sponsorship, e.g. hospitality functions, session introductions by sponsor, recognition of sponsor in presentation, etc.?

OPERATIONS

Attendees

Will attendees need to pre-register for this specific session in order to manage capacity limitations and/or minimums?
How will access to presentation be controlled, e.g. name badge, ticket, etc.?
How will CEU or other continuing education credits be tracked and reported?
Will expected or expressed popularity of this speaker or topic suggest repetition or expansion of this session or other crowd management strategies?

Communications

Has speaker been provided with contact name and numbers in case of travel problems or appearance cancellation?
Has speaker provided his/her contact information for conference updates and in case of program changes or cancellation?
When and with whom should speakers check-in to ensure their timely arrival?
Has speaker provided on site contact numbers, e.g. cell phone, hotel number, etc.?

Infrastructure

Does speaker need ground transportation provided?
If not, will speakers be provided with a designated parking area, or will parking fees be reimbursed?
Will this presentation generate any dangerous or hazardous waste, e.g. medical waste, chemicals, fire hazards, etc.?
Does this presentation or demonstration require any special utility hook-ups or services, e.g. Internet access, water, machinery, etc.?

Logistics

Does this presentation have extensive or unusual move-in / move-out requirements, e.g. length of set-up time, special displays, expansive AV requirements, etc.?
Does this presentation or session have any special machinery or equipment requirements, e.g. vehicles or apparatus, poster boards, waste containers, etc.?
Will speaker be charged for special room set-ups or services?

Participants

Are speakers given a complimentary registration package to the conference?
Will there be a separate registration desk for speakers?
Are speaker credentials (badges) different from other attendees, and, if so, how?
What instructions need to be provided to the speaker, in what form, and when?
Is the speaker bringing a guest or assistant who needs admittance credentials?

Site

In what room (location) will this session be held?
Will this session restrict use of the meeting room or adjacent areas, e.g. room clearing and cleaning, noise levels, pedestrian traffic limits, etc.?
Will speaker have an exhibit booth in the trade show?
If a speaker ready room or green room is to be provided, where will it be?
Will this speaker be housed in the headquarters hotel?

Technical

What staging will this presentation require, e.g. stage, platforms, display tables, lectern, etc.?
What AV equipment is required and will this speaker need technical assistance before the presentation?
Will technicians be required to operate any equipment during this presentation?
How will the speaker be advised regarding wireless microphone usage, e.g. turning it off during private conversations or when in the toilet?
What attendance tracking devices will be used and when, e.g. bar code scanners, RFID readers, etc.?

RISK

Compliance

How will we verify speakers are not using copyrighted materials other than their own?
What permissions do we need from the speakers to publish their copyrighted material?
Does this session include proprietary material that requires prohibition of recording by attendees?
What devices or services will be required to ensure this presentation is ADA compliant, e.g. assisted listening devices, captioning, sign language interpreters, etc.?
Does this presentation require any special permits, e.g. pyrotechnics, imported flowers, food preparation, etc.?

Decisions

How are speakers and session topics approved, e.g. peer review, program committee, etc.?
What do we do if complaints are received regarding a speaker’s presentation or behavior?
What contingency plans do we need for speaker no-show, equipment malfunctions, etc.?

Emergency

Does this speaker have any medical conditions that we need to be prepared for?
Will the speaker be asked to take any role in emergency management, e.g. exit location announcements, attendee sign-in manifest, etc.?
How will speaker be advised of the communication protocols in case of a crisis, e.g. calling security to report incidents, referring all media inquiries to official spokesperson, etc.?

Health/Safety

Will the room capacity for this session accommodate the likely attendance?
If demand exceeds capacity, how will we control access and accommodate those turned away?
Will any equipment or activities in this session block any exits?
Will any potentially hazardous materials, supplies, or equipment be used in this session, and, if so, how will these be controlled?
Will any participatory activities be conducted in this session that could cause injury or illness?

Insurance

Is this speaker’s participation in the conference covered in our current insurance policies?
Is loss of or damage to this speaker’s equipment covered under our current policies?
Does this presentation require any special liability coverage?
Does this session require waivers of indemnity signed by participants?

Legal

Will we have speakers sign a contract regarding their appearance at the conference, and, if so, what will it need to include?
What consent approvals will we need in order to record (audio and/or video) the speaker’s session(s) and make these available for sale or download?
What consent approvals (implicit or explicit) do we need in order to photograph the speaker and/or audience for print or electronic promotional materials and publications?
Are there any disclaimers needed in conjunction with this speaker or his/her presentation?

Security

Will security personnel be required to control access to this session?
Will security personnel be required to guard any equipment or materials used in this session?
Will security personnel be required to protect the safety and welfare of this speaker?
Will this speaker be providing his/her own personal protection personnel, e.g. Secret Service, bodyguards, etc.?
Will this speaker’s appearance involve any special security protocols, e.g. canine room sweep, bag check and walk-through magnetometer, identification and/or background checks, etc.?

 

GAUTAM KOPPALA,

POME AUTHOR

Find More “project Management” Articles

Selecting the Project Manager: an executive decision from POME by Gautam Koppala

Selecting the Project Manager: an executive decision

 

Probably the most difficult decision facing upper-level management is the selection of project managers. Some managers work best on long-duration projects where decision making can be slow; others may thrive on short-duration projects that can result in a constant-pressure environment. A director was asked whom he would choose for a key project manager position—an individual who had been a project manager on previous programs in which there were severe problems and cost overruns, or a new aggressive individual who might have the capability to be a good project manager but had never had the opportunity. The director responded that he would go with the seasoned veteran assuming that the previous mistakes would not be made again. The argument here is that the project manager must learn from his own mistakes so they will not be made again. The new individual is apt to make the same mistakes the veteran made. However, this may limit career path opportunities for younger personnel. George Gautam has commented on the importance of experience:

Though the project manager’s previous experience is apt to have been confined to a single functional area of business, he must be able to function on the project as a kind of general manager in miniature. He must not only keep track of what is happening but also play the crucial role of advocate for the project. Even for a seasoned manager, this task is not likely to be easy. Hence, it is important to assign an individual whose administrative abilities and skills in personal relations have been convincingly demonstrated under fire.

The selection process for project managers is not easy. Five basic questions must be considered:

What are the internal and external sources?
How do we select?
How do we provide career development in project management?
How can we develop project management skills?
How do we evaluate project management performance?

Project management cannot succeed unless a good project manager is at the controls. It is far more likely that project managers will succeed if it is obvious to the subordinates that the general manager has appointed them. Usually, a brief memo to the line managers will suffice. The major responsibilities of the project manager include:

To produce the end-item with the available resources and within the constraints of time, cost, and performance/technology
To meet contractual profit objectives
To make all required decisions whether they be for alternatives or termination
To act as the customer (external) and upper-level and functional management (internal) communications focal point
To “negotiate” with all functional disciplines for accomplishment of the necessary work packages within the constraints of time, cost, and performance/technology
To resolve all conflicts

So far we have discussed the personal characteristics of the project manager. There are also job-related questions to consider, such as:

Are feasibility and economic analyses necessary?
Is complex technical expertise required? If so, is it within the individual’s capabilities?
If the individual is lacking expertise, will there be sufficient backup strength in the line organizations?
Is this the company’s or the individual’s first exposure to this type of project and/or client? If so, what are the risks to be considered?
What is the priority for this project, and what are the risks?
With whom must the project manager interface, both inside and outside the organization?

Most good project managers know how to perform feasibility studies and cost-benefit analyses. Sometimes these studies create organizational conflict. A major utility company begins each computer project with a feasibility study in which a cost-benefit analysis is performed. The project managers, all of whom report to a project management division, perform the study themselves without any direct functional support. The functional managers argue that the results are grossly inaccurate because the functional experts are not involved. The project managers, on the other hand, argue that they never have sufficient time or money to perform a complete analysis. Some companies resolve this by having a special group perform these studies.

 

If these responsibilities were applied to the total organization, they might reflect the job description of the general manager. This analogy between project and general managers is one of the reasons why future general managers are asked to perform functions that are implied, rather than spelled out, in the job description. As an example, you are the project manager on a high-technology project. As the project winds down, an executive asks you to write a paper so that he can present it at a technical meeting in Tokyo. His name will appear first on the paper. Should this be a part of your job? As this author sees it, you really don’t have much of a choice.

In order for project managers to fulfill their responsibilities successfully, they are constantly required to demonstrate their skills in interface, resource, and planning and control management. These implicit responsibilities are shown below:

Interface Management Product interfaces Performance of parts or subsections
Physical connection of parts or subsections
Project interfaces
Customer
Management (functional and upper-level)
Change of responsibilities
Information flow
Material interfaces (inventory control)

Resource Management Time (schedule)
Manpower
Money
Facilities
Equipment
Material
Information/technology

Planning and Control Management Increased equipment utilization
Increased performance efficiency
Reduced risks
Identification of alternatives to problems
Identification of alternative resolutions to conflicts

Most companies would prefer to find project managers from within. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. The following remarks by Robert Fluor illustrate this point:

On-the-job training is probably the most important aspect in the development of a project manager. This includes assignments to progressively more responsible positions in engineering and construction management and project management. It also includes rotational assignments in several engineering department disciplines, in technical, procurement, cost and scheduling, contract administration, and others… . We find there are great advantages to developing our project managers from within the company. There are good reasons for this:

They know the corporate organization, policies, procedures, and the key people. This allows them to give us quality performance quicker.
They have an established performance record which allows us to place them at the maximum level of responsibility and authority.
Clients prefer a proven track record within the project manager’s present organization.

There are also good reasons for recruiting from outside the company. A new project manager hired from the outside would be less likely to have strong informal ties to any one line organization and thus could be impartial. Some companies further require that the individual spend an apprenticeship period of twelve to eighteen months in a line organization to find out how the company functions, to become acquainted with the people, and to understand the company’s policies and procedures.

One of the most important but often least understood characteristics of good project managers is the ability to know their own strengths and weaknesses and those of their employees. Managers must understand that in order for employees to perform efficiently:

They must know what they are supposed to do.
They must have a clear understanding of authority and its limits.
They must know what their relationship with other people is.
They should know what constitutes a job well done in terms of specific results.
They should know where and when they are falling short.
They must be made aware of what can and should be done to correct unsatisfactory results.
They must feel that their superior has an interest in them as individuals.
They must feel that their superior believes in them and wants them to succeed.

 

POME Case Study:

Handling the Selection Interview — Case Problem: ‘‘Apply Here if You Dare”

Overview

After ten years as a field sales rep selling magazine advertising space for a mid-size publishing company, Larry Williams has been promoted to regional sales manager. One of his first responsibilities is to hire six sales reps to develop important new territories for the company.

This morning, Larry has his first job interview. The receptionist sends the candidate over to Larry’s office at the appointed time. As the candidate enters Larry’s office, Larry is on the phone and signals the man to come in and take a seat. With the candidate sitting in his office, Larry swings his chair away, facing the window. For fifteen minutes, he caustically reprimands a sales rep over the phone for not yet closing a new account, threatening the employee with a transfer to a smaller territory.

Hanging up the phone, Larry turns back to the man in his office, putting his feet up on his desk and his hands behind his head. He curtly introduces himself. ‘‘I’m Larry Williams, the regional sales manager, and you’re Howard Corva. Is that right?”

The candidate nervously agrees.

‘‘So, Mr. Corva,” Larry continues, ‘‘what makes you so qualified to believe that you can handle a selling job with this company?”

‘‘As you can see from my resume . . . ,” the candidate responds. But Larry cuts him off gruffly.

‘‘Mr. Corva, I don’t have the time to study your resume and am asking you a direct question. Don’t you know the answer without having to refer to your resume?”

The candidate is becoming very nervous and upset as Larry proceeds.

‘‘Well, sir, let me ask you an easier question,” says Larry. ‘‘You can travel, can’t you?”

The candidate claims he can.

‘‘Are you computer literate?” Larry asks. Howard Corva tries to answer by describing his computer knowledge and systems experience, but Larry cuts him off.

‘‘Sir, understand something: I don’t like talkative people,” Larry says. ‘‘Just answer my question with a yes or no!”

‘‘Yes!” responds the candidate, who is becoming increasingly irritated.

‘‘I do remember seeing something on your application about your being involved in various community and professional associations,” Larry reflects aloud, ‘‘Is that right?” The candidate nods affirmatively.

‘‘Well, Mr. Corva, our sales people don’t have time for such wasteful activities. Since you seem to have such outside interests, I just don’t see how you’ll have any time to do your work. Do you?”

Feeling highly defensive at this point, Howard Corva tries to answer the question. But at that moment, Larry’s phone starts ringing. As Larry picks up the phone, he turns to the candidate and tells him he will have to go back to the reception area while he takes this call.

In response to Larry’s direction, Howard Corva stands up to leave the office.

‘‘Mr. Williams,” Howard says, ‘‘I won’t be waiting around any longer. You can take your bad attitude and give this lousy job to some loser who’s willing to put up with your antics.”

As the candidate leaves his office, Larry picks up the phone, realizing his national sales manager is on the other end.

‘‘Hey, Larry, I forgot to mention something,” says the sales manager. ‘‘You’ll be interviewing a Howard Corva for a rep’s position. I met him recently at a professional meeting. This guy’s a real talent and can bring a lot of business to our company. I hope he joins us.”

Case Analysis

In this case, a highly stressful job interview is conducted by a new manager who antagonizes and humiliates a talented candidate. As a result of Larry’s sarcastic words, condescending attitude and rude behavior, Howard Corva becomes very upset and decides to cut his interview short.

Right from the beginning, everything seems to go wrong, convincing Howard that Larry is clearly the wrong manager to have and the company the wrong place to work. From Larry’s fifteen-minute tirade to his superioristic body language to his harsh criticism and personal attack of Howard, we observe a job interview quickly disintegrating.

 

Solution:

The selection interview is a critical opportunity for identifying qualified job candidates as well as a unique public relations opportunity for projecting an attractive picture of the job and company to prospective employees. To conduct an effective selection interview, consider the following action tools:

Plan the selection interview by identifying key aspects or achievements of applicants about which you would like additional information and insights. Then, in the interviews, encourage applicants to discuss and develop these areas of interest. This can be done by using the following two-step approach:
Begin with a general open-ended question, such as, ‘‘Tell me about your last job” or ‘‘Please discuss your experience in developing that new process.”
Then, follow up with a series of probing questions to elicit greater elaboration by the applicant. Such questions begin with words, such as what, where, when, why, who, and how.
From the start, create a comfortable and cordial atmosphere that seeks to reduce anxiety and defensiveness rather than build unnecessary stress.
Avoid directing or influencing an applicant’s responses by asking ‘‘leading” questions that suggest the desired answers. Instead, keep questions objective. Allow the applicant to respond freely without feeling obligated to follow any suggested lead. For example, don’t ask, ‘‘You do like XYZ computers, don’t you?” Instead, ask, ‘‘What brand of computer do you like?”
Avoid squelching an applicant’s free expression of thoughts by making him or her feel defensive, guilty, or angry because of critical or judgmental statements, such as, ‘‘You are absolutely wrong and should be embarrassed to say such a thing,” or ‘‘I can’t imagine where you got such ridiculous ideas,” or ‘‘You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Ask ‘‘open-ended” questions that require detailed responses. Avoid ‘‘close-ended” questions that result in yes/no answers and thereby discourage further responses.
Encourage job applicants to do most of the talking during job interviews. Remember, the main objective of the interview is to gather sufficient knowledge of job candidates to allow you to make intelligent hiring decisions.
Always act with courtesy and respect. The selection interview should send a clear message to all candidates that your company is a positive, friendly, and professional place to work.

Gautam Koppala,

POME Author

Related project management video:

A full product overview of Axosoft’s OnTime Project Management system. Covers bug tracking, feature management, product backlogs, scrum, XP, adhoc and how software development teams use OnTime to do project management and ship their software on-time.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

More “project Management” Articles

Project Management: The Discipline from POME by Gautam KOppala

Project Management: The Discipline

The word discipline has more than one definition, according to dictionary. The two definitions are: 1) the “rules used to maintain control,” and 2) “a branch of learning supported by mental, moral, or physical training.” Project management, therefore, is a discipline (definition 2) which requires discipline (definition 1). In other words, project management is a unique branch of learning that deals with the planning, monitoring, and controlling of one-time endeavors.

Some Characteristics of Project Management

Project management is a unique career and profession. Its origins can be traced back to efforts such as U.S. Department of Defense major weapons systems development, NASA space missions, and major construction and maintenance efforts, as well as comparable efforts in Europe. The magnitude and complexity of these efforts were the driving force in the search for tools that could aid management in the planning, decision making, and control of the multitude of activities involved in the project and especially those going on simultaneously.
Project management is not just scheduling software. There is a misconception that project management is no more than scheduling using PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) or CPM (Critical Path Method) to be found on a piece of software. A more realistic view is that scheduling software is a small part of project management. Software has permitted time scheduling, resource allocation, and cost management to be done much more efficiently and therefore in less time, in more detail, or both. Thus, a project can be planned and executed more precisely, leaving more time to perform the other aspects of project management.
Project management is different than operations and technical management. Operations management can be characterized as managing the steady state. As soon as the operation is established, the concern is more with maintaining the operation in a production mode for as long as possible. Technical management tends to focus on the theory, technology, and practice in a technical field concerning itself with questions of policy on strength of materials, safety factors in design, and checking procedures. However, executives tend to be concerned about setting up a new operation (via a project) in order to implement organizational strategy. Project management, then, is the interface between general management, operations management, and technical management, which integrates all aspects of the project and causes the project to happen.
Project management Focuses on Integration. If there is a single word that characterizes project management, it is integration—to integrate this discipline with other driving factors within every organization. Below is a sampling of those driving factors which influence project management and equally as important, which project management the discipline influences.
Strategic Planning: The Directive. Decisions from the strategic planning process become the directive from which projects are initiated. Project practitioners need to see the connection between the Strategic Plan and the project. Strategic Planning converted into an ongoing Strategic Management Process continues to review strategic objectives and filter down any changes so that the project manager can redirect his/her efforts appropriately.
Project Resource Allocation: The Critical Success Factor. The project manager must ensure that the allocation of specific resources is adequate but not overcommitted and that the right resources are assigned to the right tasks. This is not a simple procedure because of the number of activities that can be in process simultaneously. Fortunately, project management software provides assistance by identifying overloading or underloading of any one resource or pool of resources. Having identified any problems, human judgment is still required to evaluate and make the final decisions. This essential process both determines the cost of the project (budget) and provides oversight.
Change Management: The Differentiator. Typically change of scope and change of baseline plans come to mind when we say Change Management in the context of project management. However, every project creates significant changes in the culture of the business. Additional focus needs to be paid to planning and managing cultural change generated by projects.
Quality: Win/Win or Lose/Lose. A Quality initiative begins at the same time as the project management discipline. Quality management in the form of Six Sigma and other approaches combines project management techniques with the quality improvement techniques in order to ensure verifiable success.
Mentorship: Transfer from One Generation to the Next. Every person who leaves a company/agency or a division/department takes with him/her the “history,” the “networking,” and the “knowledge” of past projects. Cultures survive by passing knowledge from the elders to the young. To keep the information needed to perpetuate the project management culture in house, proactive mentorship programs are established to orchestrate the passing of “culture” onto new project practitioners.
Metrics and Close-out: Inspect What You Expect. Originally, metrics were the data collected after a project was completed to be used to plan for the next project(s). As project management has evolved, we’ve learned that we can’t wait until the end of a project to set thresholds and collect the data. Management wants measurement metrics throughout in the project that can be managed using Executive Scorecards or Dashboards. Control procedures need to in place before the project proceeds so that the records can be complete from the beginning. If not, valuable effort can be consumed in retracing the records after the fact, and control can be lost before the project really gets started. Furthermore, legal tests of prudence, common in the utility industry, are better dealt with when accurate and complete records of the project are available.
Productivity: Doing More with Less. The drive to do more with less money and fewer resources, to do it faster, and to produce the highest quality deliverable will never go away. In order to accomplish this mandate, the biggest bang for the buck comes from increasing productivity. Project practitioners use new and creative techniques (automated and non-automated) to facilitate greater productivity.
Maturity Tracking: Managing the Evolution of the PM Discipline. With increased visibility, project management is being asked to account for what it has contributed lately and more importantly for what it plans to contribute tomorrow. In order to answer these questions, a reasonable maturity growth plan specifically designed for the project management discipline is constructed, which evaluates today’s environment to ensure planned rather than chaotic growth.
Teams: Even More Distant. Remote or distant teams face the challenge of geography and diversity. Project management needs to address variables such as multi-functional, multi-cultural, multi-generational, multi-gender, and multi-personality project environment
Risk: The Defeating Factor. Risks are the holes in the dike. Too much vulnerability in the dike can make it crumble. If risks are isolated and the potential holes they present are plugged up, the dike will remain sound and solid. The sub-discipline of Risk Management is a major area of focus; one emerging approach is to use the techniques for controlling negative risks (threats) to capture positive risks (opportunities).
Competencies: Today and Tomorrow. Initially, project practitioners focus on their subject matter expertise, such as financial analysis, telecommunications design, or marketing creativity. Those who became involved in projects transition to competencies, such as scheduling, status reporting, and risk management. The next movement is to add general business awareness skills/competencies; such as financial knowledge, facilitation, leadership, problem solving/decision making, and creating/innovation. Each of you must ask what’s next in your world.

Behind these integrations exists a superstructure in the form of processes, procedures, and/or methodologies.

 

Gautam Koppala,

POME Author

 

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The project manager?line manager interface from POME by Gautam Koppala

The project manager–line manager interface

We have stated that the project manager must control company resources within time, cost, and performance. Most companies have six resources:

Money
Manpower
Equipment
Facilities
Materials
Information/technology

Actually, the project manager does not control any of these resources directly, except perhaps money (i.e., the project budget). Resources are controlled by the line managers, functional managers, or, as they are often called, resources managers. Project managers must, therefore, negotiate with line managers for all project resources. When we say that project managers control project resources, we really mean that they control those resources (which are temporarily loaned to them) through line managers.

It should become obvious at this point that successful project management is strongly dependent on:

A good daily working relationship between the project manager and those line managers who directly assign resources to projects
The ability of functional employees to report vertically to line managers at the same time that they report horizontally to one or more project managers

These two items become critical. In the first item, functional employees who are assigned to a project manager still take technical direction from their line managers. Second, employees who report to multiple managers will always favor the manager who controls their purse strings. Thus, most project managers appear always to be at the mercy of the line managers.

Classical management has often been defined as a process in which the manager does not necessarily perform things for himself, but accomplishes objectives through others in a group situation. This basic definition also applies to the project manager. In addition, a project manager must help himself. There is nobody else to help him.

If we take a close look at project management, we will see that the project manager actually works for the line managers, not vice versa. Many executives do not realize this. They have a tendency to put a halo around the head of the project manager and give him a bonus at project termination, when, in fact, the credit should go to the line managers, who are continually pressured to make better use of their resources. The project manager is simply the agent through whom this is accomplished. So why do some companies glorify the project management position?

To illustrate the role of the project manager, consider the time, cost, and performance constraints. Many functional managers, if left alone, would recognize only the performance constraint: “Just give me another ,000 and two more months, and I’ll give you the ideal technology.”

The project manager, as part of these communicating, coordinating, and integrating responsibilities, reminds the line managers that there are also time and cost constraints on the project. This is the starting point for better resource control.

Project managers depend on line managers. When the project manager gets in trouble, the only place he can go is to the line manager because additional resources are almost always required to alleviate the problems. When a line manager gets in trouble, he usually goes first to the project manager and requests either additional funding or some type of authorization for scope changes.

To illustrate this working relationship between the project and line managers, consider the following situation:

Project Manager (addressing the line manager): “I have a serious problem. I’m looking at a 0,000 cost overrun on my project and I need your help. I’d like you to do the same amount of work that you are currently scheduled for but in 3,000 fewer man-hours. Since your organization is burdened at /hour, this would more than compensate for the cost overrun.”

Line Manager: “Even if I could, why should I? You know that good line managers can always make work expand to meet budget. I’ll look over my manpower curves and let you know tomorrow.”

The following day …

Line Manager: “I’ve looked over my manpower curves and I have enough work to keep my people employed. I’ll give you back the 3,000 hours you need, but remember, you owe me one!”

Several months later …

Line Manager: “I’ve just seen the planning for your new project that’s supposed to start two months from now. You’ll need two people from my department. There are two employees that I’d like to use on your project. Unfortunately, these two people are available now. If I don’t pick these people up on your charge number right now, some other project might pick them up in the interim period, and they won’t be available when your project starts.”

Project Manager: “What you’re saying is that you want me to let you sandbag against one of my charge numbers, knowing that I really don’t need them.”

Line Manager: “That’s right. I’ll try to find other jobs (and charge numbers) for them to work on temporarily so that your project won’t be completely burdened. Remember, you owe me one.”

Project Manager: “O.K. I know that I owe you one, so I’ll do this for you. Does this make us even?”

Line Manager: “Not at all! But you’re going in the right direction.”

When the project management–line management relationship begins to deteriorate, the project almost always suffers. Executives must promote a good working relationship between line and project management. One of the most common ways of destroying this relationship is by asking, “Who contributes to profits—the line or project manager?” Project managers feel that they control all project profits because they control the budget. The line managers, on the other hand, argue that they must staff with appropriately budgeted-for personnel, supply the resources at the desired time, and supervise performance. Actually, both the vertical and horizontal lines contribute to profits. These types of conflicts can destroy the entire project management system.

The previous examples should indicate that project management is more behavioral than quantitative. Effective project management requires an understanding of:

Quantitative tools and techniques
Organizational structures
Organizational behavior

Most people understand the quantitative tools for planning, scheduling, and controlling work. It is imperative that project managers understand totally the operations of each line organization. In addition, project managers must understand their own job description, especially where their authority begins and ends. During an in-house seminar on engineering project management, the author asked one of the project engineers to provide a description of his job as a project engineer. During the discussion that followed, several project managers and line managers said that there was a great deal of overlap between their job descriptions and that of the project engineer.

Organizational behavior is important because the functional employees at the interface position find themselves reporting to more than one boss—a line manager and one project manager for each project they are assigned to. Executives must provide proper training so functional employees can report effectively to multiple managers.

POME Case Study

Considering the Nontechnical Social Factors in Hiring — Case Problem: ‘‘The Shining Star”

Overview

Upset about the unexpected meeting that had just occurred in his office, Tom, director of new product development, walked over to the office of Eric, a senior research engineer in the department.

‘‘You won’t believe what just happened,” he said. ‘‘Sam, the newest member of our department, just up and quit.”

‘‘Well,” replied Eric, ‘‘I’ve got to be honest. Bets were out he wouldn’t have lasted this long.”

‘‘What are you talking about?” asked Tom.

‘‘Admit it, Tom,” said Eric, ‘‘the guy was discontented from the very beginning. I didn’t get the impression he was ready to work with characters like Ernie and Max. And besides, you knew he was single, and this is a very settled area with almost no social activities for single people.”

‘‘Look, Eric, we need good people here,” Tom said defensively. ‘‘Sam was very competent and eager to come on board.”

‘‘I don’t like to say I told you so,” said Eric, ‘‘but remember we’d agreed to get department input on hiring to ‘feel out’ the different candidates because we’ve had the same type of problems in the past.”

‘‘Maybe I should have gotten some input,” admitted Tom. ‘‘I was just so enthusiastic about Sam’s technical background that I didn’t want to wait.”

‘‘By the way, what were his reasons for leaving?” asked Eric.

‘‘Well,” replied Tom, ‘‘he said that while he liked the work and the people he worked with, he felt frustrated because his family and friends lived so far away. And as a single person in this town, he had no opportunity to meet other singles.”

‘‘Did he say anything about the rural location of our plant?” asked Eric. ‘‘You know, Tom, the fellow lived in Philadelphia all his life, and I had wondered if that transition would be hard to make.”

‘‘Yes,” replied Tom, ‘‘he did mention that hardship but felt that a good social situation might have compensated for it. There was just nothing I could say, Eric. He had his mind made up. I guess I was just too shortsighted and too quick in making up my mind.”

 

Case Analysis

Sam’s grievances should not have surfaced in the form of a resignation. This situation might have been prevented in the hiring process. As the senior research engineer pointed out to his boss, participation by other staff members in the selection process might have revealed the new employee’s concerns about his social life. In addition, the director of new product development should have openly shared as much information as possible about the company, its community and lifestyle.

In a hiring situation, it is tempting to focus attention on—and overly emphasize—technical credentials, while paying too little attention to the candidate’s personal and social concerns.

Solution:

Consider the following action tools in the hiring process:

As a buyer of talent for the department, the manager must screen each candidate on a number of important factors. In addition to exhibiting the necessary technical capabilities, a job candidate must possess interests and preferences in line with the company’s geographic location, community lifestyle, and other social-related matters.
During the interviewing process, the manager should control any impulse to make quick judgments on ‘‘shining star” candidates—seemingly outstanding applicants—and be certain to fully discuss and assess all aspects of each individual.
The manager can gain valuable information by assembling a staff selection team to assist in the selection effort. Such a team can provide invaluable information and contribute many different helpful insights to create a total profile of the candidate.

Gautam Koppala,

POME Author

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