Journyx Project Management Blog

Here in Austin, Texas, we have the luxury of proximity to the University of Texas (UT). From this well of intellect, we continually draw for ideas and young energetic labor. It is a well that never runs dry.

When I started Journyx, we were always broke. We hired one young lady, Sarah, who was working on her master’s degree in marketing, and she worked for us for years. She was very low-cost and she created our website, tested our software, and wrote our documentation. She was awesome.

We’ve certainly had our duds. But internships don’t have to last that long. You only ask them to stick around longer if they’re adding value.

- Curt Finch, Journyx CEO

Money is tight in times like this, and morale can get low. Know what Journyx CEO did a few years ago that really lit a fire beneath the salespeople? He told them that if they exceeded their quota by 33%, he would dye his hair the color of their choice. It was an incredible long shot. A totally safe bet. Soon the confidence of the sales staff was such that he decided to tell his wife about this great idea.

“You promised what?”

“Well, it was a long shot, honey. They’ve never…”

“Have you lost your mind. Dress silly. Do anything. But don’t screw up your hair!”

Then he got a series of lectures about hair chemistry and sure enough, he learned a lot.

But a bet is a bet.

Project Times writer David Donaldson has highlighted the difference between education (transfer of knowledge) and training (transfer of skills). One aspect of training that is not involved in education alone is hands-on practice.

Tell. That is education, a critical first step. We need to know what we are doing.
Show. This is perfection. We know it, now we see how it is supposed to be done.
Do. This is where true learning happens. A student who can demonstrate a task now truly has the skill.

So how can you decide whether or not education is enough? According to Donaldson, training should always come into play.

At great expense we have built the perfect machine for the job, but if no one is trained how to operate that machine it will surely fail. [...] When considering the necessary elements of a successful project, remember, the proper amount of education coupled with quality training is an investment that will pay dividends.

InformationWeek has published an article on how to implement an analytics methodology for better decision-making.

Decisions made based solely on intuition, gut feelings, and years of experience, while valuable, tend to be less effective than scientific methods. Analytics provides a methodology that incorporates crucial variables and provides simulations that show the impact of our choices before we implement them.

The steps include:

1. Define the problem
2. Identify relevant factors
3. Focus on data collection and preparation
4. Model the solution
5. Report the results
6. Implement the decision
7. Follow up

Does your current decision-making process include these steps? How could you implement them in order to enhance what you’re already doing?

Positivity is not often listed as a key characteristic for project managers, but ProjectConnections writer Carl Pritchard believes it is essential. In his latest article, he talks about how he and his wife went to see the Dalai Lama speak and how he continued to focus on the positive, even when audience members tried to get him to talk about depressing things.

How does all this tie back to our project worlds? As project managers we have amazing opportunities to create something new, to experience the capabilities of others and to construct legacies both personal and organizational. We create artifacts. We engage others. And it’s very easy to drop into a mode where we focus on the challenges, the adversity, and the hills yet to climb, without looking back on the landscape that we have already altered. The amount of opportunity and power that affords us in our profession is staggering. And the ways in which we exert influence can be staggering, as well.

How can you be more positive when managing projects and interacting with team members and stakeholders? Would it make a difference to the success of the project?

Josh Nankivel of The PM Student has written a piece for PM World Today on “Starting Your Project Management Career.” (You may remember him as one of the bloggers who interviewed our CEO when he published his first book.) He mentions that project newbies, technical gurus and people managers can often struggle with making the transition to project management, and he gives advice on hard and soft skills that come in handy, resources for building knowledge, and how to choose a mentor.

What advice would you give to someone starting out on what has helped you the most?

Lisa Anderson at Project Smart has provided her ideas on the top 3 causes of project failure:

1. Lack of a Clearly Designated Project Leader
2. Lack of Clear Expectations and Goals
3. Communication Challenges

The common thread here seems to be communication and clarity. Projects cannot succeed unless everyone knows who is in charge, what the expectations and goals are, and what they are supposed to be doing. I would add ‘Lack of Visibility’ to the list, because not knowing which resources are available, how much work has been completed and how much remains, and how much time and money has been spent on the project is a recipe for disaster as well.

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Related stories:

Project Smart: Avoiding Project Failure: It’s Not Rocket Science

MindTools: Why Do Projects Fail?

Journyx Project Management Blog: The Human Element

Processes are the backbone of most organizational success. Get the right one in place and see increased efficiency in all that you do. Implement the wrong one, or none at all, and there is chaos. PM World Today published a guide called “A Blueprint for Successful Organizational Process Change” that offers suggestions on how to facilitate change management when obstacles (e.g. employee resistance) stand in the way.

Think back to a time when you observed a problem in your organization and developed a more attractive solution. Believing it was the most efficient and thoughtful approach to resolving a problem plaguing the organization, you began to immediately roll out the change. Surprisingly, the change was met with questions and team members seemed unwilling to adopt the new process. Does this sound familiar?

The author recommends the following steps:

1. Identifying Initial Support During Inception
2. Pilot Programs to Involve Key Team Members
3. Organizational Communication and Implementation

CRM News recently ran a story from Journyx about how important it is to be sensitive to the culture when setting up new processes. Some companies make the mistake of forcing people to give up their processes and adopt entirely new systems that are unfamiliar. There is a way to introduce new, more effective processes while still retaining what works and what people are comfortable with.

The term ‘micromanager’ often brings nods of recognition and the rolling of the eyes. We probably all know or have worked for a micromanager, and it is not fun. David Allen describes them as having “a tendency to overorganize, trying to maintain more control than is really necessary to get where you’re going.” He warns these proverbial bean-counters that “at some point there will be no more beans to count.”

TechRepublic has a humorous list of qualities entitled, “You might be a micromanager if…” ala Jeff Foxworthy. The list includes:

If you manage a team of smart, energetic people who know their jobs and have proven track records, but you insist on telling them what to do anyway, then…

…you might be a micromanager.

If you can’t stand for anyone on your team to attend a meeting without you or have any meaningful interactions with other employees without having you butt in, then…

…you might be a micromanager.

If your team suffers from low morale and high turnover because no one wants to work with you, even though you repeatedly showcase your expertise by second-guessing everyone on your team, then…

…you might be a micromanager.

A recent Project Smart article warns about micromanagement within project management. Gil Junqueira writes that the project manager is often trained to have a reductionist approach when it comes to complex deliverables, and it can be tempting to use this approach in all areas. He notes that “much attention is paid to the “micro” management of projects and rightly so. We all know that difficulties arise from details. However, the other side of the coin, the “macro” management, is being neglected by project managers. It is the project manager’s best interest to know when to put a project under a microscope, and when to step back and look at it as a whole.”

Are you a “micro” project manager or a “macro” project manager? How do you find balance between the two?

Frank Saladis published an article at PM World Today on the top 12 leadership factors for project managers:

1. Project vision and mission
2. Strategic value
3. Visible support
4. Emphasis on planning
5. Consulting with the team and the client
6. Team motivation
7. Assess technical ability
8. Client acceptance and exit strategy
9. Monitoring and control process
10. Effective communication
11. Problem identification
12. A solid project management methodology

He also differentiated between “The Leadership Focus” and “The Management Focus.”

There are many opinions about the characteristics of a leader and the difference between leaders and managers. The fact of the matter is that most effective leaders are also good managers. The truly effective leader knows that a balance must exist between the roles and focus of the managerial side and the leadership side of an individual assigned to lead a project team. That balance, when managed properly, is the basic element that will result in team motivation, commitment and a desire to perform well.

What actions would you take to make sure each of the leadership factors is addressed? How would you work on striking the balance between leadership and management?