Synproma Corporation

Have you ever given a project update and felt like your sponsor was questioning (read “doubting”) every aspect of your update?  Perhaps it is because he doesn’t trust the numbers.  All too often project managers put together wonderful project schedules to produce a very nice Gantt chart.  But upon a little poking and prodding, it is quickly discovered that the data used to make the nice chart bear little resemblance to real life.  This feeds distrust of all the information and forecasts.  So how do we remedy this?

The difference between an average project manager and an outstanding one is how they handle data.  You will never be an outstanding project manager if you manipulate data to make your charts and projections look good.  The truly outstanding project manager builds a solid plan with realistic estimates and dependencies only where they truly exist.  As real data comes in that skews the progress charts, the project manager must delve into the underlying cause and determine what, if anything, can be done to bring things back into kilter.  The fact that the progress to date will push the delivery date out a month past the deadline is not a bad thing.  It is merely a fact.  If we just “fudge” the data to make things seem good, we miss the opportunity to take corrective action and surface any false underlying assumptions.  It has been my experience that sponsors would rather have unpleasant news delivered early, with a recommended plan of corrective action than to find out too late that expectations will not be met.

So, begin by working with your project team to build a realistic work breakdown structure (WBS), NOT a schedule.  [Critical Tools has a great product called WBS Chart Pro^© if you need help with this stage. (www.criticaltools.com/wbschartprosoftware.htm)] Many project managers think these are the same thing, but they are not.  Identify all the elements of work that must be accomplished.  Then with appropriate subject matter experts (SMEs) estimate the roles and the labor that will be required for each element.  Then associate a cost for each element that includes hard costs for materials or equipment needed for that element and the internal cost of labor.  Once all of that is complete, then build a network diagram.  Look for any dependencies between tasks.  Only place a dependency relationship where one actually exists.  The point of dependencies is to identify a relationship between work activities, not to create a flow for your charts.  This activity also needs to be done with appropriate SMEs.  They need to argue out what relationships truly exist.  By keeping them engaged throughout this early stage, you will also gain their ownership of the plan.  Only then should you open up your scheduling software and begin to create a schedule.  Layout all of the elements from the work breakdown structure and the network diagram.  Then overlay and adjust for any project stage-gating that your organization might use.

Now look at the dates.  If they have pushed past the desired target finish date, work with your team to analyze the results.  Check for any false assumptions, unnecessary dependencies, or overly conservative estimates.  If the dates are still too far out, then come up with a plan.  Can you bring dates back in with additional resources?  Can a portion be outsourced?  Could you execute something faster if you purchased some additional hardware, software, etc?  When you come up with a plan or two, it is time to bring in your sponsor and have a discussion.  Layout the issues, how you got here, and what you recommend to better meet expectations.  When you get the inevitable pushback, take the time to go through the numbers.  This is where the work really pays off for you as the project manager.  If you have real numbers, then you have real arguments.  The sponsor then can help with either getting the additional resources needed, or helping reset expectations for delivery of the project.  That is the job of a sponsor.

Once you have an agreed plan, then execute it.  As things happen, keep the numbers real.  If dates change, find out why and take corrective actions rather than “fixing the schedule.”  Keep communicating with your sponsor using real numbers. 

• Work with SMEs to build a work breakdown structure
• Work with SMEs to estimate the elements
• Work with SMEs to build a network diagram
• Work with SMEs and sponsor to build a workable schedule
• Work your plan

By now you are nodding your head saying, “well of course!”  The problem is that in my experience most project managers know this stuff, but don’t actually do it.  The difference between the average project managers and excellent ones shows up in the planning phase.  It takes effort to do this.  And discipline to resist the urge to just get started doing something.  This is probably the most important something of the project as it will largely determine the success or failure of the project in the long run.

Just because there are people assigned to your project or your department, does not make you a leader.  Have you ever noticed that people always seem to want to work with or for a particular manager or project manager?  In some cases, there are certainly personalities that do not lend themselves to leading teams.  In these cases it is up to management to provide some intervention and help those folks with some self-awareness and career planning work.  But more often than not in my experience, it is the attitude of the person themselves and how they view their team that makes the difference.  And this can be learned and developed.

Take five minutes and think about your team.  Not the collective group, but the members.  Be honest.  What is your relationship to them?  Were they assigned to you to help get your project completed?  Is their lack of performance making you look bad?  Do you find yourself wondering what you have to do to get them to deliver?  If you find yourself answering yes, then flip the coin and consider their view of you.  Think about your interactions and conversations with each of them both in private and in groups.  Is there someone else they would rather be working with?  Who?  Why?

This is not just an academic exercise.  If you want to be a successful leader, you need to evaluate your attitude and your role in regards to your team members.  The most successful project managers I have known were those that understood they were there to serve their team members by removing roadblocks.  In the words of Harry Truman “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”  Servant leadership is the model that draws others to a true leader.  They need not call people to follow them; it will happen of its own accord.  I actually had a senior manager tell me once that the job of a project manager was “to spank the donkeys and get them up the hill!”  I had another Vice-President refer to staff members as “worker bees.”  What does that attitude about subordinates reveal to you?  Imagine how that played out in day to day events.  Is that the person you want to work for?

So, if you find yourself with a team of people.  They might be direct reports or matrixed team members.  Either way, it is your job to motivate them and ensure that they deliver.  You have to make the effort to get to know them.  And you cannot fake caring.  It is easy to spot disingenuous efforts.  So find a way that is comfortable for you.  How you do this is a matter of individual style.  One aspect of your own behavior is to examine your own behaviors toward them.  Do they ever hear from you outside of team meetings?  When was the last time you just dropped by their office to see how they are doing without an agenda?  Have you gone to lunch with your team members and just tried to be friendly?  How do you treat them in public forums?  Are you the supportive leader who credits team members by name?  Or are you the one who seeks the glory of success?

Simple things can go a long way.  Send a hand-written note for a well done job.  (Email is just not very personal)  Grab a pizza with the team to celebrate a milestone in the project.  I once had a team working exceptionally hard for months and months.  I sent out an ambiguous five hour meeting request that started at noon Friday and went until the end of the day.  I did tell them that I would provide food for this working meeting.  As promised, I had pizzas and sodas along with some brownies.  You could see fatigue and concern in their faces as they slowly arrived and settled in for a long afternoon not knowing what the big issue was going to be.  With everyone and starting their lunch, contrary to their expectation, I told them how much I appreciated all the hard work they had been doing.  And I knew it was long hours that went largely unnoticed by the rest of the organization.  This meeting was simply a chance to breathe.  I closed the blinds and we watched a then popular stand-up comic video for an hour.  After we ate and laughed for about 90 minutes, I sent them all home.  Not back to work, I sent them home.  The next week they all came back with jets blazing!

Remember to look at your team as people.  If they are fading or under-performing, rather than demanding  delivery, seek to understand why and what you might do about it.  Find ways to acknowledge your team members in public.  Remember to praise in public and reprimand in private.  Find little ways to show them you see them and actually do care for them.  You will go a long way toward building trust and loyalty.  Those in turn will fuel motivation and performance.  Success will follow.  But it will only follow a good leader.