Change Management Skills
Kanav Gupta | 05:51 |
Change Management Skills
,
Project Management
Project leaders do not like change any more than followers do unless, of course, it is their idea. Change is hard for everyone. Of course a person cannot move forward and stay the same at the same time. People resist change for several reasons:
► People resist change because of personal loss. A key obligation of a project manager is to talk to stakeholders about how that change will affect them.
► People resist change because of fear of the unknown. Project managers need to communicate both known and unknown throughout project life cycles.
► People resist change because they were not part of the decision-making or implementation design process or because of bad timing.
► People resist change because it feels awkward. Accepting change as part of project lives means exposure to a variety of new and possibly uncomfortable situations.
► Project manager is willing to experiment, assess personal and others reactions and behaviors, and seek a path towards progress.
► People resist change because of tradition.
► Many professionals have managed projects without applying a formal methodology for many years.
As organizations grow in terms of people and project complexity, the need arises to implement a formal PM methodology.
The keys to dealing with change successfully are having a good attitude toward it and being prepared to meet it. Understand the change management process: create the conditions for change, make change happen, and make change “stick.” Change will happen whether you like it or not. Without change there can be no improvement. Complete project managers make a commitment to pay the price for change. Change needs to happen within before it can happen around. It is never too late to change.
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► People resist change because of personal loss. A key obligation of a project manager is to talk to stakeholders about how that change will affect them.
► People resist change because of fear of the unknown. Project managers need to communicate both known and unknown throughout project life cycles.
► People resist change because they were not part of the decision-making or implementation design process or because of bad timing.
► People resist change because it feels awkward. Accepting change as part of project lives means exposure to a variety of new and possibly uncomfortable situations.
► Project manager is willing to experiment, assess personal and others reactions and behaviors, and seek a path towards progress.
► People resist change because of tradition.
► Many professionals have managed projects without applying a formal methodology for many years.
As organizations grow in terms of people and project complexity, the need arises to implement a formal PM methodology.
The keys to dealing with change successfully are having a good attitude toward it and being prepared to meet it. Understand the change management process: create the conditions for change, make change happen, and make change “stick.” Change will happen whether you like it or not. Without change there can be no improvement. Complete project managers make a commitment to pay the price for change. Change needs to happen within before it can happen around. It is never too late to change.
Sales Skills
Kanav Gupta | 05:44 |
Project Management
,
Sales Skills
Realization of being part of a continuously sales cycles throughout project life cycles. Be not a victim of lost sales or opportunities. Embrace the sales process as the means to secure necessary commitments in a genuine manner worthy of a project manager. The classic sales approach, applicable to almost any environment, is to cover features, benefits and advantages. Seek compelling wording and arguments. To not know what the customer, team member, or sponsor most cares about, needs a description of all features of product, project, or solution. A better approach is to ask questions, listen, and then focus on what the other party truly cares about. Provide details, a prototype, or a demonstration so that person clearly understands what the key features of your proposal are. “This Project Management Office (PMO) addresses a key deficiency in the organization by providing a complete document management and retrieval system. Let me show you how it works….” Describe the benefits that accrue after these features are implemented, “This system relieves in-field consultants from time-consuming, low value-added activities, provides increased quality assurance within the project delivery process through access to most up-to-date documents, and serves as a breeding ground for knowledge sharing.” Project how these benefits provide a competitive advantage for the organization, “Implementing this system means our customers will be served by the latest technology with error free documentation, leading to more repeat business, and field consultants can spend more time addressing both existing and new customer requirements and turning them into sales.” Follow a selling process that facilitates relationship building with buyers. Be dedicated to serve others and present what they really need. Probe for issues through carefully crafted, open-ended questions.
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In situations that matter the most, people often perform at our worst. A basic question to ask is, “What is at stake here?” To avoid failure, the solution is to conduct a learning conversation which means to engage in dialogue with a free flow of meaning. Flow from challenges to options:
Here are suggested steps for achieving dialogue in a learning conversation:
► Begin from the third story — not own story or the others story, but how an impartial observer would describe the conflict or situation; also could be an alternate story creating an ideal situation.
► Explain your purpose and extend an invitation. It is always wise to ask people if it is okay to give them feedback or share constructive criticism.
► Explore their story to demonstrate empathic understanding.
► Share your own story that brings personal learning into the dialogue.
► Take the lead in problem solving.
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Here are suggested steps for achieving dialogue in a learning conversation:
► Begin from the third story — not own story or the others story, but how an impartial observer would describe the conflict or situation; also could be an alternate story creating an ideal situation.
► Explain your purpose and extend an invitation. It is always wise to ask people if it is okay to give them feedback or share constructive criticism.
► Explore their story to demonstrate empathic understanding.
► Share your own story that brings personal learning into the dialogue.
► Take the lead in problem solving.
Project managers understand the power structure in their organizations. Clues to a power structure may come from an organizational chart, but how things get done goes far beyond that. Influence exists in people’s hearts and minds, where power derives more from legitimacy than from authority. Its presence occurs in the implementation of decisions.
Improving organizational performance depends upon getting more accomplished through projects. Just what gets accomplished and how comes under the purview of power and politics. Organizations by their nature are political. The political process is always at work in organizations. To be effective, project managers need to become politically sensitive. Encourage excellence in project sponsorship by managing up the organization.
Assessing the environment, rethinking attitudes towards power and politics, and developing an effective political plan are foundation steps. These help to address the power structure in an organization, identify critical stakeholder levels of trust and agreement, develop a guiding coalition, and determine areas of focus.
An overlay to the project management process is to prepare a political plan. This plan involves observing how an organization gets work done and performing stakeholder analysis. It further incorporates creative human dynamics to encourage proactive thinking about how to respond to and influence other people in the organization. Project managers develop political plans as well as effective project plans.
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Improving organizational performance depends upon getting more accomplished through projects. Just what gets accomplished and how comes under the purview of power and politics. Organizations by their nature are political. The political process is always at work in organizations. To be effective, project managers need to become politically sensitive. Encourage excellence in project sponsorship by managing up the organization.
Assessing the environment, rethinking attitudes towards power and politics, and developing an effective political plan are foundation steps. These help to address the power structure in an organization, identify critical stakeholder levels of trust and agreement, develop a guiding coalition, and determine areas of focus.
An overlay to the project management process is to prepare a political plan. This plan involves observing how an organization gets work done and performing stakeholder analysis. It further incorporates creative human dynamics to encourage proactive thinking about how to respond to and influence other people in the organization. Project managers develop political plans as well as effective project plans.
Results delivered by projects depend upon what is negotiate. Everything is negotiable, both at work and in everyday lives. It is in the best interest, for the team and the organization, to embrace negotiating as a requisite skill…and implement it dutifully. Negotiating is fun, and it is productive. As you develop negotiating skills via learning and practice, people come to respect you more rather than perceiving that you are challenging their professionalism. To take-up a negotiating course, read books, change your attitude to apply the concepts, especially win-win, be prepared, patience, believe TO BE a good negotiator ..., and be grateful every day that makes this shift.
See it over and over again how simply asking for something during a discussion results in a better outcome. The other party can always say no, and no harm is done. That party may say yes or counter propose, and each side is happy with the outcome. Get something in exchange for every concession. Project managers owe it to themselves and their partners to engage in negotiations. The time is now to view everything as 'negotiable'.
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See it over and over again how simply asking for something during a discussion results in a better outcome. The other party can always say no, and no harm is done. That party may say yes or counter propose, and each side is happy with the outcome. Get something in exchange for every concession. Project managers owe it to themselves and their partners to engage in negotiations. The time is now to view everything as 'negotiable'.
An imperative facing project managers in all organizations is not only to embark on a quest to manage project management processes, but also to execute projects within “green” organizations that encourage project-based work. A “green” organization is better positioned not only to survive but to prosper, even in difficult times.
Usage of "green" terminology in this context extends the physical, tangible thinking about our environment into the non-physical, intangible relationships that affect working environments among people in an organization. In this sense, "green" is good, productive, and desirable, allowing people to work as natural, organic living systems are intended to do.
► Trust Among Colleagues and Management is EVER Present.
► Cooperation Instead of Competition is the Norm.
► Common Sense of Purpose Provides Sustenance and Meaning to all Activities.
► Shared Vision brings Clarity to the Direction of Work.
► People Fully Communicate with Each Other Regularly.
► Individuals are Respected, able to express their creativity, and have power to influence others through positive persuasive techniques
On the other hand, "TOXIC" working environments are permeated by mistrust, failures to communicate, burdensome reporting requirements, misguided metrics, and cutthroat tactics. Negative political practices create uneasiness and frustration among all except those who wield with power.
A toxic element might be managers who barely understand or appreciate the project management process, and they make demands or decisions that are short-sighted. A green element is leaders who engage their people in open discussion, and possible dissent, to determine the best way to proceed on a complex project.
It is believed that "green" aspects are necessary for project managers to buy into, create, and support. Without this approach, people and organizations are often doomed to failures, overruns, and dissatisfied stakeholders. Each person has power within to embrace this thinking and act upon it every day.
READ MORE
Usage of "green" terminology in this context extends the physical, tangible thinking about our environment into the non-physical, intangible relationships that affect working environments among people in an organization. In this sense, "green" is good, productive, and desirable, allowing people to work as natural, organic living systems are intended to do.
► Trust Among Colleagues and Management is EVER Present.
► Cooperation Instead of Competition is the Norm.
► Common Sense of Purpose Provides Sustenance and Meaning to all Activities.
► Shared Vision brings Clarity to the Direction of Work.
► People Fully Communicate with Each Other Regularly.
► Individuals are Respected, able to express their creativity, and have power to influence others through positive persuasive techniques
On the other hand, "TOXIC" working environments are permeated by mistrust, failures to communicate, burdensome reporting requirements, misguided metrics, and cutthroat tactics. Negative political practices create uneasiness and frustration among all except those who wield with power.
A toxic element might be managers who barely understand or appreciate the project management process, and they make demands or decisions that are short-sighted. A green element is leaders who engage their people in open discussion, and possible dissent, to determine the best way to proceed on a complex project.
It is believed that "green" aspects are necessary for project managers to buy into, create, and support. Without this approach, people and organizations are often doomed to failures, overruns, and dissatisfied stakeholders. Each person has power within to embrace this thinking and act upon it every day.
More systemic and widespread progress is possible than in any other area when project managers focus attention on creating project-friendly environmental conditions. The same approaches applied by equally talented managers may have quite different outcomes depending upon the culture, operating principles, structure, customs, procedures, and values in place. We refer not to the physical environment but to the surrounding interrelationships among people that permeate how and what happens in an organization. These are the man-made artifacts that overlay the physical environment.
It is increasingly likely that multicultural teams become the norm in most environments. The project manager needs to be sensitive to the impact of culture on every project…and how to create an effective culture.
Project managers embrace chaos as a natural operating force. A firm grasp of purpose is the means to prosper in any environment. It is also important to take social responsibility for being a good citizen in the larger context of the surrounding environment.
To be successful, it is necessary to assess the current environment and understand the forces driving all behaviors. With this knowledge in place, it becomes possible to know how to approach project based work with a higher probability of success, based upon reality based knowledge of how people operate in a specific environment. Putting this knowledge to work happens in preparing and executing action plans.
READ MORE
It is increasingly likely that multicultural teams become the norm in most environments. The project manager needs to be sensitive to the impact of culture on every project…and how to create an effective culture.
Project managers embrace chaos as a natural operating force. A firm grasp of purpose is the means to prosper in any environment. It is also important to take social responsibility for being a good citizen in the larger context of the surrounding environment.
To be successful, it is necessary to assess the current environment and understand the forces driving all behaviors. With this knowledge in place, it becomes possible to know how to approach project based work with a higher probability of success, based upon reality based knowledge of how people operate in a specific environment. Putting this knowledge to work happens in preparing and executing action plans.
Project Management Skills
Kanav Gupta | 04:55 |
PMBOK
,
Project Management
Project Managers build upon the foundation established by PMI’s Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. Every PMs goal is to add insights and examples in their quest to make sense of and apply the PMBOK®.
A common shortcoming is to focus on providing benefits (an output) and not articulating the benefit of the benefit (the outcome — value in business terms). Outputs are actual deliverables or products/services. Outcomes are the success criteria or measurable result of successful completion of the outputs. Emphasis is often placed on collecting outputs with little attention paid to outcomes. But outputs may have little intrinsic value unless they are linked to outcomes. For example, a complete project manager might state, “By initiating a project office to coordinate portfolio of projects [output], we select the right projects to meet our strategic goals and provide the key set of services required by end users [outcome].” These statements have a strong project management process behind them.
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A common shortcoming is to focus on providing benefits (an output) and not articulating the benefit of the benefit (the outcome — value in business terms). Outputs are actual deliverables or products/services. Outcomes are the success criteria or measurable result of successful completion of the outputs. Emphasis is often placed on collecting outputs with little attention paid to outcomes. But outputs may have little intrinsic value unless they are linked to outcomes. For example, a complete project manager might state, “By initiating a project office to coordinate portfolio of projects [output], we select the right projects to meet our strategic goals and provide the key set of services required by end users [outcome].” These statements have a strong project management process behind them.
