Did You Hear That?

Project communication continues to be a huge challenge for project teams.   This can be evidenced in the tension and misunderstanding that sometimes exists among different stakeholder groups.

We have to be reminded that communication is a two-way process – delivering (talking and writing) and receiving (listening and collecting feedback).

I am convinced that if we all did a better job in the area of receiving – specifically listening – then project tensions would be kept at bay and teamwork would flourish.

Here are some “Listening Tips” we can all practice on our projects.

• When communicating with others on sensitive project issues, take time to listen. 
• Give the other person your full, undivided attention including direct eye contact.
• Respond with non-verbal cues (head nod, raised eyebrows) to let the speaker know that you are listening.
• Do not get defensive.
• Make it a point to fully understand what the speaker is saying.
• Try to understand the deeper issues at hand – what the speaker is not saying but perhaps implying.
• While the speaker is talking, do NOT try to formulate a response.
• When the speaker is done, prompt them to offer more.
• When they pause, ask them if you may repeat what they said to make sure you understand the issue.
• Ask them if they think you understand their issue.
• Without making promises, ask them for their particular solution.

What about your projects?

Do you have any more Listening Tips that have worked well for you?

Any project horror stories where there was a communications breakdown?

photo:  runran via flickr.  creative commons license.

Project Cancelled! … Dreaded Words?

Have you ever been in a situation where a project you were managing (or assigned to) was facing the possibility of cancellation?  For many project professionals, the notion of terminating their project is assumed to be a direct assault on their career and competency.  I would like to suggest that, in some cases, cancellation of a project may make good economic sense and should not necessarily be attributed to project failure.

 

photo:  Alan Cleaver via flickr.  creative commons license.

 

 

I am reminded of a recent weekend project I undertook involving the kitchen sink.  Since I can be handy around the house on occasion, I was asked by my wife to replace our white porcelain kitchen sink with a gently used stainless steel sink that had been offered by my Mother-in-Law.  I had a reasonable level of confidence since I had disassembled kitchen sinks and garbage disposals before.  So after taking a few key measurements, I determined the feat could be accomplished.

 

I toiled for a few hours removing the old sink, dropping the new sink in the countertop and making trips to both local home improvement warehouses.  I soon discovered that the new sink drain hole was offset just enough from the old sink drain hole that the tailpiece was not going to screw on to the new sink.  Conclusion:  any solution to get this sink to fit was going to require sawing PVC and glue and significantly more work and risk than I was willing to sign up for.  As dirty dishes were piling up next to the dishwasher, a decision needed to be made – proceed with the project by calling a plumber and paying weekend rates, or cancelling the project and re-installing the old sink.  We chose the latter option as the benefits of the new sink were no longer a match for the increasing cost of its installation.

 

Like home projects, business and IT projects of all sizes should be driven by sound economics.  Will the benefits realized be acceptable based on the cost to implement?   There are numerous ways to measure this… return on investment (ROI), payback period and net present value (NPV – especially when compared to NPV’s of other projects).  When project economics look favorable (especially compared to the overall portfolio) then we proceed.  Otherwise, it might be time to call it a day.

 

A project’s business case can deteriorate for two reasons – and which may lead to project cancellation:

• Evaporation of business benefits.  This may be due to changes in the market or changes to the company’s strategy or direction.  For long projects, it is especially important to review project benefits on a regular basis to ensure they are still relevant.
• Escalation of project costs.  I dont’ have to go into all the reasons why project costs can increase in this space.  Some of them may be beyond the control of the project team – for example, lack of engagement on the part of the user community.  However, this also presents an opportunity to determine if the project could have been managed and executed in a more efficient manner to reign in costs.

Finally, if we are faced with project cancellation, how do we address the emotional angst that all too often accompanies this event?  I have witnessed (and perhaps you have as well) the spreading of blame and mud slinging that happens between the project team, executive sponsor, steering committee and user organization.  I would suggest a key strategy to implement at the beginning of each project … that is to decide ahead of time how project continuation and termination decisions will be made.  If the project community knows what economic thresholds have been previously agreed to, there will be much less stress when it comes time to make a decision.  The collective organization can then focus on moving forward with the best interests of the organization in mind.

 

Do you have any good examples of project termination? 

 

How did the organization handle it?

 

What were the lessons learned?

 

I look forward to hearing from you! 

Revisiting the Project Business Case

As project managers, we are continually bombarded with the day-to-day demands of keeping on top of the schedule and the budget, managing risk and issues and communicating with various stakeholders.  May I suggest that we also remain focused on helping our company or client realize the full benefit value that they expect to receive by making the project investment in the first place?  I would also further suggest that any project where board level decision-making is not tied to a rigorous business case analysis is headed for trouble.  Below are three recommendations to consider for building a robust project business case and decision-making framework.

1. Vet business benefits throughout the organization.  Unfortunately, I have witnessed very large projects in the execution phase where the original project benefits were formulated by a single person and not adequately vetted across the organization.  This is dangerous.  The identification and quantification of business benefits requires hard work, communication, deliberation and compromise.  Stakeholders will see project benefits differently – some overstating and some understating depending on their point of view.  It is crucial that the organization as a whole agrees in principle to the foundational benefits (the “material” ones) and have come to a suitable compromise on quantifying such benefits.
2. Challenge all assumptions.  All assumptions related to the project’s business case should be challenged regularly.  Is the case valid?  I’d like to pause here and reflect on the fact that many project professionals maintain a very defensive posture concerning their projects.  It seems that a challenge to the project’s business case is a challenge to the project and a challenge to their personal work.  This is why it is important that we see ourselves as investment professionals first and project professionals second.  We have been entrusted with funds to be invested to generate a return.  In that light, I believe that projects can be successfully terminated for two reasons without negatively affecting the reputation of the project manager:  a) Project costs increase due to factors beyond the control of the project team and b) Project benefits are diminished due to market conditions or fundamental changes to the business.  For the sake of the business or organization, it is healthy to keep pressure on the business case and keep asking questions.
3. Establish decision-making criteria in the beginning.  We all know that good project governance requires formal stage gate or phase reviews.  These outcome of each review is a decision to proceed with or cancel the project.  These decisions are business decisions and based on the specific project economics at the time of the review.  Cancelling a project is a hard call to make.  That is why it is absolutely critical that decision criteria are established at the beginning of the project.  In doing so, subjectivity and emotion will be removed from touch decision-making.

In future posts, we will explore more detail on this subject of building a solid business case.  I’d like to hear from you concerning your challenges and lessons learned in this important area.

Welcome to PM Speak

Welcome to PM Speak, an online conversation focused on the field of Project Management and dedicated to those practitioners worldwide who would join me in perfecting our craft.  Project Managers, we have our work cut out for us.  The organizations that we work for and consult with are in desperate need of solid project leadership.  We are called on to help identify worthy project investments as well as execute those projects with skill.  The stakes are high, but the outcomes can be substantial wins for us and our organizations.  Survival in this game will require that all of us exploit our best ideas and learn each others lessons.  If you share my enthusiasm to be successful in our project endeavors, then let’s get the discussion rolling!