The secret sauce in making your business strategy work

originally posted from my LinkedIn account.

We've seen this all too often. We go into strategic planning sessions, we come up with wonderful sounding plans, we rally the troops and execute like hell, and then - we fail miserably. While there are so many moving parts that make strategic execution a difficult endeavor, there is one aspect often missed out by C-Level executives.

Good Project Management.

Your strategy can never be executed without implementing a project. New marketing campaigns, releasing a new product version, implementing an ERP system, and many many more strategies all rely on having a project implemented. However, it is quite interesting to note that having good project managers is rarely on the agenda of the board. My guess is that C-Level executives merely do not have an appreciation on the value of project management and this leads to executing strategy without the proper discipline required. There is a tendency to just throw the strategy to the organization and expect things to fly. This rarely succeeds.

Projects vs Operations

This is how it should go. Every organization develops is strategic objectives that articulate its vision and mission. These objectives are obviously a challenge to the status quo of the organization's operations. (e.g. improve production efficiency by implementing new automated systems). In order to achieve this objective, a project is created.  The results of this project is applied to the current operating environment in order for the operations to achieve the strategic objective. In doing so, the organization meets its strategic objectives. Simple, right?

Aligning Projects to Strategy

There is a definite need to align all projects to a company's strategic objective. In fact, you need to rethink a project if it does not align to any of the company's strategic objective. You might be needlessly consuming resources for projects that do not give you a proper return on your investment.

Executive Sponsorship

On the same vein, it is important to remember that as a C Level executive, you need to be actively involved in projects, primarily as their project sponsor. Remember that you, as the executive, is accountable for meeting the strategic objectives of the organization. Your project manager, is responsible for meeting the requirements of the project. He will need your guidance and direction in steering the project to achieve the strategic objectives that you are accountable for.

Project Management is a Profession

Project Managers are mini-CEO's in their own right. They look at a project (or a business) from all angles and weigh-in on the risks, and issues of each project against all other constraints of time, cost, scope, etc. They balance the art of managing resources, communications, and stakeholders with the science of cost management, time management, scope management, quality management, and others.
As a C-Level executive, wouldn't you want someone in your team who you can rely to help you achieve the strategic objectives of your organization? I'm pretty sure I would.

Knowing more

Get to know more about the value of project management. Download a copy of PMI's thought leadership publication - PMI's Pulse of the Profession 2015. If you'd like to attend some courses on project management, visit SAS Management Inc. to find out more.
PMI is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute

Global trends impacting project management (part 3)

Ok. Here's the last part.
And yes, I know you got it figured out.

Social

And the project manager asked, "What does this have to do with project management?"

A lot really.

• Lines between professional and personal become blurred. Project Managers now have to be more aware on the impact of project and project activities to their resources. Project resources are now more keen to be identified with "nice" and "awesome" projects. Involvement in projects become a reflection of the individual who is part of that project. For project managers, there is a need to reinforce the "Why this is such a cool project to be in" card. Even the most simplest project need to be fashioned and sold in a way that it is worth being part of as it reflects a resources' character - It's not just work for him anymore.
• Projects are done in the light of day. There is no hiding a project. Gone were the days that   projects can be done in secret. It is very difficult nowadays to work on something without others noticing. As project managers, we need to be prepared for public scrutiny at every turn. This adds to the already high level of communication needed by everybody else. Your  stakeholder register now includes everybody with a twitter account. This can either be good or bad, depending on capability as a PM.
• Availability of resources has increased. Information is now viral. It spreads whether you like it or not. In doing so, your need for resources, both material and human can be met faster - and at times better. 10 years ago, there was no such thing as crowd-sourcing. Now, you can set up a kickstarter fund for almost anything. The advent of viral information has opened doors to projects that have never before been reached or imagined by anyone. The playing field has leveled. The World is Flat according to Thomas Friedman.
• There is an increase in noise. Project Managers know that noise inhibits productivity. 10 years ago, you wouldn't have problems with resources going (and staying) online for hours on end. These decrease productivity and become wastes of company time. Project Managers now need to put extra measures in ensuring the needed information and only the needed information become processed by the project resources. As they say, too much of a good thing is bad for you... and social media is no exception.

And so there you have it. These are but a few of the Global Trends that have impacted how project managers now manage projects. It may be easy to take these things aside as matters that don't go up the escalation list. Well they shouldn't - as these can be almost always handled by the PM. Not managing these can sometimes be costly.

Global trends impacting project management (part 2)

Yes, I know it took awhile for part 2. Then again, its here... Hooray for me.

Mobility

The rise of the Smartphone, the influx of unlidata charges, and the proliferation of mobility tools have largely disrupted the way project management is done now. During the late 90's, the use of the personal computer started to become a must have tool for project management. Reports, spreadsheets, presentations, and our most loved project management tools for project tracking were all in the PC. PM's relied heavily on the PC to do most of their PM work. As the end of the first decade of the 21st century came, the computer left the desk and into the laps of various professionals. It was now easier to create those all important Gantt charts while on the go. Project Managers were now capable of doing work at the job site rather than the office. Location has been less of an issue.

As we are now on the second decade of the 21st century, personal computing is now jumping from the lap into the hand. We are now in the age of the Smartphone - and this is what Project Managers need to remember.

• Work happens whenever, wherever. - Location is truly not an issue anymore. Whereas in the olden times, people choose to start work, nowadays people choose to be disconnected from work. The default mindset is that you are always capable of doing work (project tasks) unless you so decide not too. There is no such thing as a 9-5 job anymore. This is true even for projects that are on the same timezone. Project Managers are expected to be more responsive in communicating as they have the means to communicate anytime anywhere. While the tolerance level for this may vary from country to country, the general trend is still the same and there is no getting around it.

• There are a plethora of new tools out there. - Project Tracking on your Smartphone? Of course! The typical PM software and office productivity software are still very much in use nowadays - but these are not your only options. The need to be mobile has brought about new tools for online collaboration, communication, file sharing, video conferencing, and so many other needs that were not present before. Its now just a matter of identifying the most appropriate tools for you to manage your project. I personally use a lot of cloud-based file sharing tools like Dropbox and Google Drive. I also use online collaboration tools like Trello and Teambox. Some swear by Binfire or Basecamp. There are also others that are specific to software development and the list goes on.

• Your team is just as mobile as you. - Yes, for all you know, they can be programming in Boracay. What this means to you as a Project Manager is that you need to make sure you know how to connect to your resources in a variety of ways. You also need to know what is the best way to connect to your team given their level of mobility. This (the medium of connecting) is the added twist that a Project Manager needs to be conscious about when managing teams. Would a Skype call be better than a group chat for a resource that is in the train? Are your resources capable of reading long excel files in their Blackberry's (yes they still exists) or should you be sending them PDF's instead?

So here are three things that Mobility does to change the way we manage projects. Project Managers nowadays have no option but to adapt to these changes lest they come to a point that their projects become unmanageable. The one big mistake for a PM to make is to assume that these factors do not exist and try to bring things back to ancient times. It just won't work and will only hamper project success because it will go against how people now normally behave.

On my next post, I'll focus on the last Global Trend, Socialization.

Global trends impacting project management (part 1)

The profession of project management has been around for decades. Concepts like earned value management were around during the 60's. Project Managers have been talking about the WBS and the "Project Plan" for as long as there are professional project managers. And just like any profession, we need to be cognizant on the trends that impact how we do our profession. Now just like a surgeon getting acquainted with new techniques and advances in performing surgery, we too as project managers need to be aware of things which impact us.

Here's a couple of major movements that occurred in the last decade. Whether we like it or not, this is where the tide is going.

Globalization
Yes, this might not sound so new to you, yet a lot of people tend to forget its impact. Gone were the days that a project is composed of people sitting in the same room or having a chat at the water cooler. Here's a list of what's happening more frequently nowadays:

• Working hours are more skewed - this is to accommodate overlapping of working hours. Project resources nowadays need to have flexibility of schedule to ensure proper collaboration with resources from a different time-zone. Organizations that still merit employees for clocking in at 9 to 6 might need to revisit their policies as it may be counter-productive to their project.
• Cultural sensitivity is a must - a long time ago, this was not much of an issue as projects requiring interaction with resources / customers from a different cultural background were few and far between. Nowadays, it is very common to deal with various cultures in a single project. In situations like these, project teams need to be sensitive so as to ensure that there is a smooth working relationship between project resources of various cultures. Resources need to be aware of cultural norms, habits, communication styles, and even idioms and figures of speech used by the other cultures. Remember that no culture is superior to the other. We cannot and should not force (or assume) that Asians should act like Westerners or vise-versa.
• Price sensitivity is higher - The globalization of projects have been directly driven by the need for more cost-effective solutions. The spur of growth in the outsourcing business (or right-sourcing business - call it what you want!) is a clear indication that business are more keen in ensuring they get the biggest bang-for-buck, especially in their non-revenue generating projects. And just like what we've learned regarding the triple constraint, there is a need to look at the other factors in a project that will be impacted  such as schedule, quality, risk, and scope among others. We cannot expect that the project can be delivered in the same amount of time if it were done in Delhi than in Delaware.

Next post, we'll discuss about Mobility.

The Customer is not EVIL

Try not to laugh.

Yes, the customer is actually a good person. He/She is just like a regular Joe like you. He/She may even have the same interests as you and you just don't know it.

Corporate culture, particularly project engagements, has had so many untoward incidents around customers from hell that they tend to stereotype the good majority as people are just plain nefarious and scheming. Actually, the business world is also as much to blame with this situation as with everyone else.

Need proof?

First off, why do most projects call their project rooms "War Rooms"? Who's the enemy anyhow? Why do projects end with a "postmortem"? Did someone die? Why is Sun Tzu's "Art of War" considered a management book? All these subtly give clues that deep down inside, we look at the customer from a threatened / defensive stance rather than one that encourages cooperation and coordination. We need to stop being at arms length from them and start being open, honest, and sincere. Being too detached gives an indication to them that you are only after their money and not their best interest.

So how do you take this mindset out?

It's definitely not a simple task but is one that is doable nonetheless. At every situation, put yourself in the customer's shoes. The ability to empathize with customer sentiments BEFORE it becomes their sentiment puts you one step ahead of them and in a better position to respond and react. Knowing how they will react, prepare your responses. If there are things that you or your company is honestly liable - then by all means say so. People make mistakes, and since businesses are run by people, businesses makes mistakes too. I have never seen a situation where being honest killed a project. Yes, it gets you in hot water for mistakes, but that is just about it. As opposed to doing cover-ups and not admitting fault, matters only get worse by doing so.

Remember to accept as well the fact that the Customer has the right to change his/her mind. Project Managers at times hate the fact that the customer is too finicky and decides to change stuff along the way. It's ok. Get used to it. As project managers, it is crucial that you are capable of documenting these changes and explaining properly the impact of such changes to the project. Often, some PM's hate the whole analysis and assessment part that they just fire Change Requests left and right. (While the use of Change Requests are correct - it is more often improperly used.)

Lastly, share in the customer's objectives. You have to honestly want the customer to succeed as well. Just doing the work because its the work that needs to be done is just a bad way of looking at the projects and consequently the customer. His goal is your goal. Without this alignment, you will just end up having a poor relationship with your customer, and hence poor chances of success in your projects.

After all, if you take a look at it, we are all somebody else's customer.