George Brzozowski

November 23, 2015July 1, 2022

42 Masterful Quotes to Inspire Healthier Relationships

Conflict is part of our working life and is often used as a way to work out our differences and reach a conclusion. It’s usually the approach you take that tends to exacerbate the issues and cause undue stress. How you deal with conflict reveals your character.

The wise man doesn’t give the right answers, he poses the right questions — Claude Lvi-Strauss
A crisis is a turning point — Anne Lindthorst
Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional — Max Lucade
Don’t be afraid of opposition. Remember, a kite rises against, not with, the wind — Hamilton Mabie
There is no way to peace. Peace is the way — AJ Muste
The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment — Dorothy Nevill
The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them — Ralph Nichols
The more we sweat in peace the less we bleed in war — Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong — Joseph Chilton Pearce
A man convinced against his will”¦is not convinced — Laurence J. Peter
My problem is I say what I’m thinking before I think what I’m saying — Laurence J. Peter
Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; argument an exchange of emotion – Robert Quillen
You can’t influence somebody when you’re judging them — Tony Robbins
Quarrels would not last long if the fault were only on one side — Duke FranÃƒ§ois de La Rochefoucauld
It is astonishing how elements which seem insoluble become soluble when someone listens. How confusions which seem irremediable turn into relatively clear flowing streams when one is heard — Carl Rogers
If it’s mentionable, it’s manageable— Mr. Rogers
Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today — Will Rogers
The best way to persuade people is with your ears, by listening to them — Dean Rusk
The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution — Bertrand Russell
It is with the heart that one sees rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye — Antoine de Saint-Exupry
Human beings love to be right. When a person is willing to give up being right, a whole world of possibilities opens up — Pete Salmansohn
The test of a successful person is not an ability to eliminate all problems before they arise, but to meet and work out difficulties when they do arise — David J. Schwartz
Why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is? — Frank Scully
Before you speak, ask yourself: Is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve the silence? — Shirdi Sai Baba
When things are not working for us, instead of fighting and struggling, we need to say, “What’s happening here? How am I not being true to who I am? What is pulling me away from my purpose?” — June Singer
The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you — John E. Southard
It takes two to quarrel, but only one to end it — Spanish Proverb
The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn— Source unknown
Confidence, like art, never comes from having all the answers; it comes from being open to all the questions — Earl Gray Stevens
Life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent how I react to it — Charles Swindoll
If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow — Carol Tavris
Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict—alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, alternatives to violence — Dorothy Thompson
Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness — James Thurber
A good manager doesn’t try to eliminate conflict; he tries to keep it from wasting the energies of his people. If you’re the boss and your people fight you openly when they think that you are wrong, that’s healthy — Robert Townsend
Knowledge becomes wisdom only after it has been put to good use — Mark Twain
People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes — Abigail VanBuren
The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any — Alice Walker
It isn’t a mistake to have strong views. The mistake is to have nothing else — Anthony Weston
I’ve found that I can only change how I act if I stay aware of my beliefs and assumptions. Thoughts always reveal themselves in behavior — Margaret Wheatley
I would not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum — Frances Willard
When you’re at the edge of a cliff, sometimes progress is a step backward — Source unknown

November 19, 2015July 1, 2022

5 Indicators You’ve Hired the Right Project Manager

The importance of hiring the right project manager cannot be overstated enough. Whenever senior managers are asked to identify outstanding project managers, they almost always have a hard time doing so. What’s most concerning about this is that almost £2 trillion pounds are spent on these projects across the globe, according to Gartner.

There is no doubt that it takes a lot of time and effort to become an outstanding project manager. This isn’t a job for the faint hearted.

A great project manager has leadership traits that should be easily recognised in all steps of the hiring process.

Things like psychometric testing and method certificates can only provide so much information on potential employees. To find the best candidates for your position you need to ask them real questions about their experience, such as how they dealt with and recovered from a failure; what methodologies they use to manage projects and deal with sponsors; or their creative process when coming up with original ideas for strong team building. An awesome project manager is able to answer these questions easily.

Successful project managers should have experience in dealing with both failures and successes to gain the skills they need to build a strong team that delivers results consistently.

Here are five strong indicators that the person you have hired as a project manager is likely to be successful in their new role:

You Can Catch More Flies with Honey than with Vinegar

1. People like them!

Project managers who are difficult to get along with or have unlikeable personalities are not likely to be great motivators. Awesome project managers aren’t afraid to listen to the ideas and feedback of their team members for the best overall results.

They should be friendly and have respect for everyone they are working with at all times.

2. They don’t blame others nor take credit for successes.

It can be hard not to get involved in the “blame game” when something doesn’t go exactly as planned. It can be equally as challenging to not “glory grab” when a project goes off brilliantly and without a hitch.

A strong project manager will shield their team when criticism is raining down by passing the message down in a constructive way, so it can be addressed and fixed promptly. In the event of a project success, great project managers make sure the people who were key to the assignment are rewarded for their work. When they speak of a successful project, they highlight the strength of their team and not just themselves.

3. They involve the entire team in planning.

A great plan is usually always the result of a “mastermind”, or the combined effort of one or more people working towards a common goal. Strong project managers encourage everyone on the team to contribute their thoughts and feedback in the planning process. While not everyone will be actively contributing to the campaign design, they listen to the opinions and ideas of people who the project will affect, such as the CEO, and the marketing department.

A strong project manager should foster a productive, creative and enjoyable work environment. By doing so, they maximise the time they work with their team so they deliver a great end product.

4. They’re serious team builders.

A great project manager understands that a major key to their project success is the team that stands behind it. Successful project managers take the time to select from the talent that is best suited for the job they need to complete. Instead of settling for just anyone who can join the team because they’re free, a skilled project manager is willing to do what it takes to onboard and recruit the people they think will bring the most to the table.

5. They’re strong managers.

A strong manager knows how to take the lead. They understand what it takes to lead their team. They know how to motivate those working with them. They realize that they are a part of something greater. They’re not afraid to take responsibility for all aspects of the project, regardless of whether it’s failure or success.

As a project director or hiring manager, it can be a challenge to find a powerful project manager, but once you connect with the right person, you’ll know it almost instantly. A strong project manager absolutely loves what they do and they’re not afraid to tell you about how excited they are about their past, present and future endeavours.

They strive to be the best leaders and always respect the ideas and positions of others who present them with questions that need solutions. They go the extra mile to make sure that all details of their projects are addressed and fine tuned. They speak positively of their peers, their team and anyone else who is involved in the project.

What are your thoughts on what makes a project manager shine? What do you think makes the cut between being an average project manager and an awesome project manager? We invite you to share your thoughts and experience.

November 15, 2015July 1, 2022

Taking the Right Path to Good Agile Implementations

1) A Wise Man Said Only Fools Rush In

Companies that goes nuts for agile because they know they have to deliver faster and for less cost to keep up with competitors may be making a big mistake and face a collapse of their efforts.

If they focused first on a deep understanding of their business’ needs, they could more accurately decide if agile is a good fit. A better approach for you to take is analyse your current processes to determine if agile methodologies actually support your goals and needs.

2) Educated Stakeholders Make Excellent Allies

Agile works from a focal point of improving quality delivery and frequency. It does not start with reducing time to market or cutting costs. Those benefits are a result of implementing agile methods over time, after the requisite investment of time and resources has been made.

3) Don’t Do the Project Without at Least One Committed Product “Owner”

A “product owner” is a the committed business leader who will make or break the project. This person will be expected to put at least half of their time into the project. They’ll also be responsible for getting all the decisions made through the right channels in a reasonable period of time. You must have a leader like this to succeed.

4) Gain Consensus on the Definition Of “Finished”

Everybody on-board needs to agree on what constitutes being finished with any stage of implementation. For some, it will mean that by the end of each and every iteration, the production-ready software will be available. This is not always possible, so get out ahead of a potential problem and gain consensus.

5) Build an Exceptional Cross-Functional Team

Cross-functionality is what separates the ineffective agile teams from the high-performance ones. Team members have to be proficient in performing any and all necessary tasks so that they’ll be able to always deliver what the customers need.

Team building requires that you identify the right parties and that you shape them into a functional team by making sure that they share your own true goal of always delivering massive value to product owners.

6) Make the Proper Investment in the Tools That Support Agile

The beginning stages of any agile project will involve you investing in the of the robust frameworks, infrastructure, and process automation tools that fully support agility. This includes a wide range of solutions like continuous build servers, automation testing, video conferencing, interactive chat, and software frameworks. Don’t scrimp on other important details like the solution architecture, either.

7) Retrospectives Need to Be a Main Priority

Inspection and adapting are the keys to agile. Organisations using this methodology use a vehicle called “retrospectives” to ensure these tasks are being performed correctly. A proper retrospective should embrace the qualities of self-improvement and transparency. Any actions that are a result of the retrospective must be given the highest priority. This is especially true of estimations, which are crucial to achieving the kind of team velocity that keeps projects on track.

8) Start the Project with a Solution Architecture

Even though documentation is not always the most glamorous part of any project, you’ll be well served to make sure you understand that documentation is still important to a successful project. Using a solution architecture pays off because it serves a blueprint for the final project that will be delivered by the team. Team members need this document so they understand what will happen if they make changes. Members who are added to the project at later days will use the documentation as a reference point so they can be brought up to speed.

9) Embrace the Fact That Change Is Coming and Plan for It

You can’t make a change without a cost in agile. Change is something you always have to embrace philosophically, but be aware of the costs and the impacts to the project. When you are doing the estimation process, factor in potential changes when applicable.

10) You and Your External Partners Should Have an Agile Relationship

Agile is not always the best fit for traditional vendors. They prefer contracts that use fixed prices and fixed outcomes. When you switch to agile you’ll need to make a point out of understanding the ramifications the changes will have with your vendors. You and they may have to make some changes to keep the relationship running smooth.

Try to build a transparent relationship with all of your external vendors. Risk Reward contracts that employ clearly defined KPIs work amazingly well for agile organisations.

November 14, 2015July 1, 2022

35 Best Conflict Resolution Quotes

Conflict happens. However, avoidance of conflict, with no effort to resolve it, postpones a proper response and exacerbates the problem because conflicts that are allowed to fester unaddressed will always increase and have negative effects on relationships within the body.

These quotes seem to suggest that it is how you handle the situation, your attitude going into the conflict, and the conflict resolution that matters.

“If you understood everything I said, you’d be me.” — Miles Davis
“Don’t look where you fall, but where you slipped.” — African proverb
“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” — Paul Boese
“If war is the violent resolution of conflict, then peace is not the absence of conflict, but rather, the ability to resolve conflict without violence.” — C.T. Lawrence Butler
“One of the most basic principles for making and keeping peace within and between nations is that in political, military, moral, and spiritual confrontations, there should be an honest attempt at the reconciliation of differences before resorting to combat.” — Jimmy Carter
“Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.” — Cherokee proverb
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” — Winston Churchill
“A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill
“Every conflict we face in life is rich with positive and negative potential. It can be a source of inspiration, enlightenment, learning, transformation, and growth–or rage, fear, shame, entrapment, and resistance. The choice is not up to our opponents, but to us, and our willingness to face and work through them.” — Kenneth Cloke and Joan Goldsmith
“The quality of our lives depends not on whether or not we have conflicts, but on how we respond to them.” — Tom Crum
“I believe that the basic nature of human beings is gentle and compassionate. It is therefore in our own interest to encourage that nature, to make it live within us, to leave room for it to develop. If on the contrary, we use violence, it is as if we voluntarily obstruct the positive side of human nature and prevent its evolution.” — His Holiness the Dalai Lama
“The quieter you become, the more you can hear.” – Ram Dass
“The more incompetent one feels, the more eager he is to fight.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky
“Every person in this life has something to teach me—and as soon as I accept that, I open myself to truly listening.” — Catherine Doucette
“The only difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is the way in which we use them.” — Adriana Doyle
“When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.” — Wayne Dyer
“Whenever two good people argue over principles, they are both right.” — Marie Ebner von Eschenbach
“Today . . . spend more time with people who bring out the best in you, not the stress in you.”—- Unknown Author
“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” — Unknown
“Love is our most unifying and empowering common spiritual denominator. The more we ignore its potential to bring greater balance and deeper meaning to human existence, the more likely we are to continue to define history as one long inglorious record of man’s inhumanity to man.” — Unknown
“You can never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the old model obsolete.” — Buckminister Fuller
“Our greatest power as nations and individuals is not the ability to employ assault weapons, suicide bombers, and drones to destroy each other. The greater more creative powers with which we may arm ourselves are grace and compassion sufficient enough to love and save each other.” — Seth Godin
“The problem with holding a grudge is that your hands are then too full to hold onto anything else.” — Seth Godin
“To truly listen is to risk being changed forever.” — Sakej Henderson
“The great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes
“Whenever you’re in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude.” — William James
“Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping them up.” – Jesse Jackson
“Always pass a plate of forgiveness before each verbal feast — Anabel Jensen
“Never ruin an apology with an excuse.” — Kimberly Johnson
“If you’re not listening, you’re not learning.” — L.B. Johnson
“Conflict cannot survive without your participation.”— Wayne Dyer
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” — Carl Jung
“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.”— Anthony Robbins
“Happiness depends on what you can give, not on what you can get.”— Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati
“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” — Martin Luther King

Jesus did not advocate non-violence merely as a technique for outwitting the enemy, but as a just means of opposing the enemy in such a way as to hold open the possibility of the enemy’s becoming just as well. Both sides must win. We are summoned to pray for our enemies’ transformation, and to respond to ill-treatment with a love that not only is godly but also, I am convinced, can only be found in God.

November 13, 2015July 1, 2022

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Agile Methodologies

The “agile” buzzword has really taken hold among a myriad organisations worldwide. That result is not particularly surprising. Who wouldn’t love to employ light and fast tactics that allow them to respond to rapidly changing challenges? Despite all the optimism about agile methods, the bigger question is how well companies are actually doing when it comes to employing these methodologies in the real world. Without understanding what the core objectives of embracing agile methods are, it’s not going to be easy to gain results.

Agile methodology is employed in order to reduce the time, risk, and cost that is associated with a project. However, these massive benefits are not going to materialise out of thin air. They are the result of the dedicated work of a team who is well versed in implementing the methodology.

To become “agile” will require organisations to take a quantum leap in their culture. They will have to embrace the entire philosophy behind these methods or no real change will take place. Truly agile companies are the ones that have gone through a transformative process in order to implement brand new processes that say goodbye to the past. This takes a lot of work and effort and not all organisations are willing or able to do this.

Ugly Agile Implementations

Project teams that are solely focused on results and who don’t do their homework end up with very ugly agile implementations. These teams are so excited about agile as a concept that they convert everyone in their organisation into adopting the methods. The problem is, they do not spend the requisite time getting everyone on board with exactly what needs to be done.

Because of this oversight, the projects are plagued with poor communications and engagement. The project team and others in the organisation are each working on their own tasks with no thought to how the pieces fit together in the “big picture.” This is a major problem because agile methods really only shine when the whole organisation works as one well-oiled unit. In this scenario, major issues at the core of the project are neglected and the entire project goes off the rails. This leaves a bad taste in the mouths of managers, who are no longer excited about agile methods.

Really ugly agile implementations have the wrong focus. Because of this myopia, the true benefits of agile employment are never realised. Before long, things, unfortunately, go back to “normal.”

Bad Agile Implementations

Some businesses completely miss the boat when it comes to agile deployment. They’re interested in receiving the benefits of reduced costs, faster time to market, and cutting “red tape.” Despite this knowledge, they’re not truly committed to the all of the values that are espoused by the Agile Manifesto. Without this commitment, they cannot possibly hope to fully embrace a functional implementation.

Organisations like to invest in education and communications, but they ignore important concepts like utilising the tools that help them truly embrace agility. They even form teams that understand cross-functionality, but without empowerment they are unable to make vital decisions.

Lastly, organisations that do poor agile implementations perform project reviews regularly enough, but the input from the meetings is never acted on by anyone. The key issues that are preventing proper implementation are never properly addressed and the project fails on its promise. Organisation members swear off the agile methods forever at this point.

Good Agile Implementations

When business personnel and IT staff work together, good implementations of agile are the result. These units work together so that a project delivery methodology is presented to the organisation that meets its needs. They also spend the time to create the cultural changes needed to ensure the methods are successful.

In organisations like this, team members, business end users, along with senior management and key stakeholders received a continuous education that empowers them all. Cross-functional teams that excel are the results. These organisations also invest in the techniques and tools that fully support agile. That includes test driven development, continuous builds, new standards, and more. With these in place, a platform that ensures long-term success will be installed.

Particularly telling, these businesses conduct regular project reviews which they conceptualise as opportunities to improve instead of something that simply has to be done. When change is needed, they embrace it and plan for it. When it arrives, they are ready and the organisation continues to excel. A sign of a good agile implementation is when the organisation is commits to making long-term changes that will benefit the methodology in the long run.

It doesn’t pay to underestimate just how difficult implementing good agile really is. Since major internal changes to how project delivery is done need to be embraced, the road ends up being a challenging one. Traditional managers will be challenged because empowered teams now have more input than ever before.

Once a good agile implementation is in place, the benefits are obvious and plentiful. An energised, cross-functional community of empowering people who are all focused on common goals get more done than ever before. Good implementation put platforms into use that improve project delivery because they allow for test-driven development, continuous integration, standards implementation, and best practice design applications.

November 6, 2015July 1, 2022

Axelos CEO Peter Hepworth in the Spotlight

Project Journal had the privilege of interviewing AXELOS previous CEO Peter Hepworth. Peter provided us with an insight into his role and AXELOS as a whole in October 2015.

AXELOS CEO Peter Hepworth

Peter joined AEXLOS as CEO in July 2013 and was previously Managing Director for Activision Blizzard a $400 million turnover and $150million EBIT business. In 2014, Activision Blizzard was the fifth largest gaming company in the world by revenue.

Peter is an economics graduate, chartered accountant, with an M.B.A. from Cranfield and A.M.P. from INSEAD.

What is AXELOS?

AXELOS is a joint venture set up in 2014 by the Government of the United Kingdom and Capita, to develop, manage and operate qualifications in best practice, in methodologies formerly owned by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC).

AXELOS promotes best practice frameworks such as PRINCE2 and ITIL and is developing a cyber resilience best practice portfolio later in 2015.

How does AXELOS differ from APM?

AXELOS is an independent organisation, allowing the user community to focus more on the content of frameworks and guidance without much interference. The firm puts a heavy focus on the guidance given, ensuring the content is fuelled by good ideas to keep the ITIL structure up to date. But while the business has a combination of access to one of Britain’s largest corporations and the UK government, more than 75% of publication sales and Prince2 certification is sold outside of the UK, a trend that is growing faster due to emerging markets.

The company varies its training approach. Its Portfolio, Programme, and Project Management Maturity Model (P3M3), for example, encourages users to assess their performance against benchmarks. Mike Acaster, PPM portfolio manager, says: “PRINCE2 is applicable to many sizes of organisation, but sometimes it’s better to be a bit more specific. It’s about tailoring advice for that context. In some cases it has been tailored, and people don’t realise it’s PRINCE2 – you have to scratch the surface.

How do you view the future of project management?

After years of being associated with large engineering and construction projects, project management has moved beyond infrastructure. Firms across different countries and sectors now acknowledge the need to manage their processes and keep costs and timing under control. As businesses begin to recognise the importance of project management worldwide, questions are being asked about the standards required. AXELOS is focusing on how these can apply to different staff and situations, as well as how workers can develop a career path in project management.

Is AXELOS popular aboard?

“It’s hard to measure the adoption of our products, but if you look at the number of exams taken, you can see strong growth outside the UK, as well as in the UK,” he says. “In the US there’s a lot of interest, and the biggest international user of PRINCE2 is the UN, to make sure their aid development is correctly managed.

“Our Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) product was used to deliver the Olympic Games. I was in Tokyo after they had won the right to host Tokyo 2020 and the focus was ‘When can we have MSP?’ They want to see the same success as London has had.”

What are the future priorities for AXELOS?

“Career path. For the individual, it’s about how your career can develop. There’s a different skill set between project and portfolio management, and no linear route. It comes to modularisation. We have been able to offer different dimensions.

Cyber Resilience is next. Companies need to put more emphasis on improving their reactions to cyber attacks rather than continuing to focus on prevent. Although there are a number of standards and best practices in place to prevent cyber attacks, firms are still falling foul, and this is usually due to the internal attitude and people, rather than technology.

New products launched in 2015 include PRINCE2 Agile; Cyber Resilience Best Practice and Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

What’s next?

Young people are learning things online and changing how it is done. We want our members to feel proud about having AXELOS qualifications and have launched digital badges so that project professionals can display their mark of professionalism across popular social networks.

Digital badges are tokens that appear as icons and are awarded to signify learning achievements in a way that can be easily verified and shared online. Our members digital badge’s will hold and display information about their professional development activity as well as the issue date and an expiry date.

Individual workers, organisations and entire industries can benefit from badges. Badges are a new form of currency – a more transparent and efficient way to communicate the acquisition and development of workplace skills.

From AXELOS to Microsoft, IBM to Oracle, many leading companies have adopted digital badges as a form of recognition for continuing professional development and certifications. The individuals who earn these badges enthusiastically share them to LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other online destinations. Once shared, anyone can verify the authenticity of and learn more about the individual’s abilities. That shareability and verification can make all the difference in a competitive job market, whether an individual aspires to move ahead in her current position or move into a different job.

We also want continued openness from AXELOS, even more community collaboration and specific actions to further increase the relevance of AXELOS in the future.

Where do you believe project management is heading?

Anyone can benefit from project management guidance. “We are all project managers now,” he says.

November 3, 2015July 1, 2022

Top 10 Project Management Myths Debunked

Since the dawn of time, mankind has used myths to make sense of the uncertainty that surrounds us. In the early 1990s a lot of people believed that project management was the best kept secret in business. However, because project management was not seen as a prevailing profession at that time, it suffered from a lack of awareness which was in a sense, a double edged sword. Those who were knowledgeable in the practice of project management became extreamly valuable to organisations and pioneers for the profession.

These early adopters were able to convince organisations that project management practitioners were needed. Myths around project management began to form in the business community and as the role of the project manager was unclear, questions were raised as to what project management was and what it could offer organisations.

The definition of the word myth is a “widely held, but false belief or idea.” Here, we’re going to examine 10 of the most pervasive PM myths that have emerged.

Myth #1 – Contingency pool is redundant

This is one of the most ‘mythical’ myths that has plagued the industry for a long time. Coupled with the tendency to presume that ‘real work’ is tantamount to implementation or building something concrete and you have the perfect recipe for project disaster. The thought pattern behind this approach typically originates from budget constraints and/or having unrealistic expectations. As we all know, or should know, the unexpected happens quite regularly. An effective contingency plan is important as it aims to protect that which has value (e.g., data), prevent or minimise disruption (e.g., product lifecycle), and provide post-event feedback for analysis (e.g., how did we fare? did we allocate funds correctly?).

Myth #2 – Project Management software is too expensive

If your idea of project management software involves purchasing servers, and purchasing a software application from a major vendor for a small practice with 10 practitioners then, yes, it is too expensive. If, however, you have gone cloud and elected to use a powerful web-based project management solution (such as Smartsheet), then you are likely to save thousands of pounds while reaping the benefits of a pay-as-you-go price structure. The present, and future, lie in cloud solutions that provide equal, or superior, functionality at a fraction of the cost.

Myth #3 – Project Management methodologies will slow us down

Project managers have a reputation of using process-intensive methodologies that favour ideology over pragmatism. In some instances this may, indeed, be the case when there is a mismatch between a specific project management approach and the organisation’s acutall needs (e.g., a process-driven method, such as PRINCE2, may not be appropriate for a slightly chaotic environment that favours an adaptive approach, such as Scrum). So, in sum, put down the paint roller (“Project Management isn’t for us!”) and take out your fine-bristled brush (“The Critical-Chain method may not be our cup of tea, but Agile on the other hand”¦”).

Myth #4 – Facts and figures are more important than feelings and perceptions

While facts are very important, projects are often derailed and sabotaged because of false perceptions. The PM must pay attention to both fact and fiction to navigate through turbulent organisational change.

Myth #5 – Project managers need to be detail oriented and not strategic in nature

While it is of the utmost importance for the project manager to understand how to read the details of the project, they must also understand how the project supports organisational objectives. Having a strategic perspective adds great value to the skill-set of the project manager.

Myth #6 Rely on the experts in everything that you do

It is true, we do need to rely on the experts but our trust can not be a blind faith. The job of the project managers in this area is twofold. First we must extract information and second we must verify that the information is accurate. A good example of this is asking a planner to provide an estimate on the effort required to perform a task. In some instances team members forget to include tasks which ultimately results in a faulty estimate.

Myth #7 All the battles have to be fought and won so that we can succeed

Project managers sometimes make the assumption that they need to stand firm to get the job done, however, coming to compromise on a particular issue is often a better course of action in order to win the war.

Myth #8 Project Managers can wear multiple hats

Wearing different hats can be extremely confusing. This is especially true if the project manager is asked to be a business analyst or technical expert on top of serving in their PM role. They end up doing both roles with mediocrity. When we “wear two hats” we essentially tell ourselves that both hats fit on one head at the same time. However, what happens if the demands of two roles conflict and what assurances do we have that we’re managing the inherent conflict of multiple roles and the risks the roles introduce? Sadly, multiple roles become more common as we move up the management hierarchy in an organisation, and that’s exactly where potential conflicts of interest can do the most harm.

Myth #9 Once the risk register is created, it’s full speed ahead

Risk management provides a forward-looking radar. We can use it to scan the uncertain future to reveal things that could affect us, giving us sufficient time to prepare in advance. We can develop contingency plans even for so-called uncontrollable risks, and be ready to deal with likely threats or significant opportunities. Too often, it’s not until a catastrophic event occurs and significantly impacts project progress that ongoing risk reviews are conducted.

Myth #10 Project managers can not be effective in their role unless they have specific technical expertise in the given field that the project falls within

You don’t need to be an engineer to manage a construction project or a IT technician to manage a software development project. All you need is a fundamental understanding with strong PM skills to manage the team. Experience in the field helps but does not guarantee success.

Project management is challenging enough without the myths. The profession has come a long way since the 1990s and some of these myths are fading. However, we still see remnants of them in one form or another. Great projects cut through false assumptions and confusion, allowing their teams to make smart decisions based on reality.

These are just 10 project management myths, what are yours?

November 1, 2015July 1, 2022

The Project Sponsor from Hell – How to Cope

October 28, 2015July 1, 2022

10 Motivational Quotes to Get You Through Your Procurement Woes

Is your procurement project stuck in a rut?

A well crafted quote, very much like good storytelling and can elucidate fuzzy concepts. For example, creativity” and “innovation” are not the first two words that come to mind when talking about procurement. However, According to Deloitte’s paper Charting the Course, this is where procurement’s destiny lies.

By transforming beyond today’s definition of “procurement as the sourcing of raw materials, and goods and services,” procurement can reach new heights.

Here are 10 quotes to help you find motivation and inspiration to make a positive change.

All models are wrong but some of them are useful – George Box (Statistician)
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel – Maya Angelou (Writer)
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them – Albert Einstein
Opportunity arises for the prepared mind – Louis Pasteur (chemist and microbiologist)
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step – Lao Tzu (Philosopher)
What gets measured, gets managed – Peter Drucker
Leonardo da Vinci’s Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication – Dale Dauten
Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, it empties today of its strength – Corrie ten Boom
The best way to predict the future is to invent it – Alan Kay
Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value – Albert Einstein

What are some of your favorite inspirational quotes? Share in the comments

October 24, 2015July 1, 2022

9 Suggestions for Overcoming Barriers to Good Design When Using Modern Methods of Construction (Mmc)

The term ‘Modern Methods of Construction’ (MMC) embraces a range of technologies involving various forms of prefabrication and off-site assembly.

MMC is increasingly regarded as a realistic means of improving quality, reducing time spent on-site, improving on-site safety and addressing skills shortages in the construction of UK housing.

The variety of systems now available potentially allows the designer enough choice to sidestep problems deriving from constraints posed by the use of any one method. MMC systems, from closed-panel timber framed systems to bathroom pods are a palette from which designers can make choices. They are not necessarily stand-alone solutions that anticipate all the needs of an individual site and can be mixed and matched as appropriate.

These limitations are not obstacles to achieving the good design in MMC-based schemes, but may hinder the incorporation of more complex and innovative types of MMC from which greater overall benefits may be obtained which are considered under the following headings:

1. COST UNCERTAINTY

There is no doubt that, given products of comparable performance the key issue in purchases of MMC construction systems is the price. At present not enough is known about the potential costs of using volumetric and closed panel systems to enable confident specification at an early date. This inhibits designers from exploring the full potential of MMC systems. This is particularly true of the less repetitive, small, one-off scheme, where a smaller margin of benefits is gained from using MMC. The principal barrier to the uptake of MMC, therefore, seems to be the perception of cost uncertainty with respect to using more complex systems. Without doing substantial project-specific research, consultants and their clients simply do not know with enough degree of certainty how much the volumetric or closed panel systems are likely to cost, and what would be the savings to overall project costs produced by potential speed gains to offset against increased capital expenditure.

This is due to the complexity of assessing the ratio of cost of repetitive elements where pricing is relatively straightforward to the cost of adjusting elements or building in another method for the abnormal condition. Decisions to use innovative systems are likely to be made once designs are well progressed to enable teams to be more certain of costs. This can increase the potential for change or result in design compromise as the designer attempts to incorporate the specific limitations of a particular system in their design.

In an attempt to improve this situation, the MMC consultant and or clients could pull together a directory of MMC expanded to include cost comparison data. The huge range of variables involved inevitably makes this difficult, but a database of current construction cost information would be an invaluable resource.

2. PLANNING PROCESS AND EARLY COMMITMENT TO A SYSTEM

The time it can take to obtain planning permission has obvious implications both for project cost but also, in some circumstances, for architectural design innovation.

Most of the more complex types of MMC have an impact on dimensioning, the choice of external finish and detailing may have some effect on the buildings mass. Therefore, the construction system should be chosen prior to a planning application to avoid abortive work, redesign or amendment, or even resubmission for planning permission.

However, developers whose money is at risk, frequently hold off deciding on the construction technique until the last practicable moment, in order to get any advantage from fluctuations in material or component pricing.

Given the potential for lengthy duration of planning applications, this means that there is little incentive to prepare initial designs for planning with a prior decision to incorporate MMC firmly embedded. In cases where the developer has a financial or business link with the supplier, this is less likely to be the case. As the majority of commercial or residential developments involve some kind of arrangement with a developer, agreement on construction systems is often left to the stage after planning.

3. TIME INVESTMENT

Another very significant factor is the time investment required at the early stages of projects. This is needed to develop the design when the project is still at risk. There is a direct relationship between the scale and complexity of MMC component and the amount of time required to develop a design at an early stage.

The introduction of advanced or complex MMC techniques into the design process is potentially costly to the design team. A significant amount of research is needed to explore alternative systems, to obtain verification of suppliers’ credentials, investigate mortgage and insurance issues, visit previous sites, talk to system suppliers, obtain technical performance guidelines, understand junctions and interfaces, coordinate other consultants, obtain building control input and so on.

For a consultant, the only way of investing in this research is either through timely payment of increased fees by a visionary understanding client or through the anticipation of increased future productivity through repetition when a project is phased, or large enough, or likely to be followed by another similar project.

The potential of learning a system and then being able to repeat lessons learned efficiently is a powerful incentive for both client and consultant. By contrast, HTA’ s project at Basingstoke is an example of a phased project with a three to four-year duration allowed the design team to repeat various elements of the design, and the manufacturer to develop improved solutions to technical and supply problems.

4. INSUFFICIENT COMMUNICATION

Improved dialogue at the outset of the project is vital if design quality is to be maximised. Constraints and opportunities implicit within a particular system are more easily incorporated into design if partners communicate pre-planning. Increased early communication can be fostered through improved long-term partnering relationships.

Clients should also partner with a range of suppliers and architects so that choice and flexibility is not restricted.

5. INEXPERIENCE

Generally, the inexperienced client or design team will have to do more research, with the result that there is likely to be significant design development without a specific system being incorporated.

This is a disincentive to using a more complex system involving a higher proportion of MMC, where early decision making and knowledge of a system’ s capabilities have a decisive influence on the nature of the architecture. However, encouraging the take up of MMC through the use of a dedicated funding mechanism may assist clients in finding time for research into suitable MMC techniques.

6. SUPPLIER’S ROLE

Site capacity studies and early stage pre-planning design studies could be undertaken directly by system suppliers on behalf of clients, cutting out the usual procedure of commissioning design work by independent consultants.

7. ASSUMPTIONS

There are a number of assumptions that are generally held about certain types of MMC that may have been valid at one time but are no longer true today. There is a need for reliable and up to date information comparing system criteria, performance data, timescales, lead in times, capacity, construction time, sequencing issues, limitations, and benefits.

Therefore it would be helpful if a forum for discussion and experience exchange was set up.

8. DEMONSTRATING THE BENEFITS OF MMC

There is still a large amount of skepticism about the need to go very far down the line with MMC. This is reflected in the acceptance of the desirability of maintaining or indeed enhancing the pool of traditional craft skills throughout the UK.

A balanced view is that there is a demonstrable need for the wider use of MMC which is recognized by both industry and government. The best way for clients and the public generally to become more confident and knowledgeable about the quality of design achievable through MMC is to see it demonstrated.

9. FINANCIAL INCENTIVES

There is no doubt that spreading the burden of investment through the life of a project helps to ensure a higher standard of specification and hence quality. In the Netherlands, a ‘ Green Financing’ system has been developed by the Dutch government that provides favorable loan finance when certain sustainable standards are reached. In the UK, the Gallions HA has pioneered a study of this, based on a scheme in Thamesmead, ‘ the Ecopark project’.

Eco Park is an eco-friendly business park built on the False Bay coast. This business park is at the cutting-edge of sustainable design and offers a unique working environment in a secure, well-managed facility.

October 15, 2015July 1, 2022

Project Manager or Scapegoat?

Big Project Failures Claim Their Victims in Spectacular Fashion

You’ve just been assigned a high visibility failing project and you’re working round-the-clock to get the work to the client on time, despite the fact that the job bears barely any resemblance to the project you initially discussed. The scope keeps creeping, the risk and issue alerts are coming in thick and fast, the project is already two months past the original deadline, the clients are getting antsy even though they’re yet to provide you with various key pieces of information in order to baseline the project. Is this your chance to shine and showcase your skills?

If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, You Will Probably End up Somewhere Else – Laurence J. Peter

If you manage to turn the project around and the project is successful, you will attract many fathers. However, if the project fails, you will probibly be offered up as the sacrificial lamb (scapegoat), there is absolutely no way around it. A high percentage of projects fail to deliver useful results, that’s a fact.

Project managers are regularly blamed for schedule delays and cost overruns for projects they inherit by no fault of there own, however, in most cases, the fault for such issues rarely lies with just one person.

Sufficient data has been gathered to indicate that blockers such as unsupportive management, senior sponsorship or low resource availability are as much to blame for project failure as ineffective stakeholder management or poor communication.

Capture all decisions

The only way to protect yourself is to ensure that you capture all decisions made in the project. In most cases many of these decisions will have been made by people above you. While you can influence decisions made by people under you. Get into the habit of building a dashboard early in the project and updating it each week with actuals. Also consider using a standard repeatable technique to analyse the health of your project.

Constrained resources

If you are in a project where resources are constrained, clearly outline the resources that you require to deliver the project in terms of time, scope, budget, risk and quality. If resources are pulled from your project, clearly articulate the affect of that in delivery terms and measure that to time delayed or cost added.

Risk and issues register

Operate a strong risk and issue register, ensure it is both visible and assessable so your team can actively participate in updating it.

Stop the project

Always remember, cancelling the project is not always a failure. There can be many reasons why the project may no longer be desirable now. If you have done your job well, you can be really successful by ensuring a project does not continue to meander along, wasting time and money when there is no possibility of completing the project.

Organisational change management

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said when there are organisation change management issues. While there are a few project managers who feel their jurisdiction ends at the triple constraint, most now understand the need to achieve the expected benefits from their projects.

So when is it fair to blame a project manager for poor implementation of a project’s deliverables, this is assuming that they were employed at the beginning of the project?

If they didn’t perform good stakeholder analysis during the project initiation stage as well as at regular intervals.
If they turned a blind eye and deaf ear to factors that could impact value achievement
If they didn’t insist on a clear communication strategy and progressive information sharing with relevant stakeholder groups.
If they didn’t engage influencers from key stakeholder groups throughout the project lifecycle.
If the organisation management deliverables were not built into the project’s scope definition and work breakdown structure.

Assuming the project manager was appointed at the start of the project and had undertaken all of the above, what are invalid reasons to blame the project manager if the project failed?

A lack of timely resource availability or commitment by the organisation
Directives to the project manager to not engage certain stakeholder communities
Ignorance by senior sponsors to management risks raised by the project team
A management decision that is too bitter a pill to swallow in spite of how much it has been sugar coated

Have any comments or stories that could help to expand this article?

October 14, 2015July 1, 2022

4 Lies about Procurement You Probably Believe

The world of Procurement is seemingly full of impassioned people absolutely certain about what procurement is all about. Like other great lies, many of these half-truths and misleading ideas sound agreeable to the ears and come packaged as good advice from influential people.

How many of these popular lies have you fallen victim to?

1. Procurement should have a seat at the C-table

It’s not so much an outright lie as an irritating half-truth – but the damage comes with what Procurement people do with it. The thought behind this is well-intended: Procurement people should be able to speak the language of senior executives as easily as they can talk about FIDIC or demand forecasting. Terms such as EBITDA, ROIC, and economic profit should be part of their everyday parlance. Procurement issues are often the least understood by the board and the CEO and must be explained in their language.

What on earth could be wrong with that? Nothing – if the Procurement people have full cognisance of their own tools and language – and can be persuasive to senior people of the value of Procurement.

Now, that’s where we have, what is kindly referred to, as a skills gap.

In reality, for Procurement with no reputation (outside of that pesky metric of cost) and few business-aligned projects to call upon, it can be incredibly hard to try and catch senior people’s ear – never mind a C-seat (see what I did there?).

2. You must carry out a competitive tender to obtain value for money

I’m trying to distance myself from the public sector here (noting I did co-author the CIPS book on contracting in the public sector) but even in the private sector there’s a desperate need to get three quotes.

Why three quotes?

Not five, not 11? ‘Cos the rules say three; that’s why.

And the rules of Procurement policy and procedures, well, they can’t be broken because the CFO or the head of internal audit (all very commercial animals?) will be down on Procurement like a ton of bricks.

When the three quotes are received the following conversation occurs – the highest price is rejected – ‘they’re ripping us off’ followed by – and I love this one about the lowest price quotation – ‘the price is too low, they must have got the specification wrong’ – and the contract is awarded to the middle-priced one”¦.surely there’s a better way to deliver value for money?

Perhaps starting with actually defining it!

3. Procurement is the only source of governance for 3rd party spend

Being the only source would suggest a 100%, right?

I’d be amazed – and delighted – if Procurement governed half of all the 3^rd party spend. Words such as ‘influencing’ are sometimes bandied about to shore up this lie. What a surprise that sales people are either trained, or very quickly learn ways, to actually bypass Procurement when selling.

And the reason?

Obviously marketing, IT, auditors fees, construction/property, recruitment (I could go on) is completely different, say the senior people in those departments – echoing the views of the oh so helpful sales people. And Procurement just never gets near, as they can’t articulate (deliver?) the value they can add.

I await the avalanche of people commenting on this telling me I’m wrong. Please be assured you are exceptional in Procurement.

4. Procurement welcome innovation and strategic relationships and anything other than lower price

Few businesses view Procurement as a strategic process. Most often, Procurement staff report to the CFO. This astonishing trend indicates that Procurement is still viewed as a financial / accounting activity and not an operational strategic activity that directly impacts the bottom line.

Suppliers; if you have an innovative product or service, recognise that Procurement’s ‘raison d’Ãƒªtre’ is to deliver cost savings. That’s what they are measured on, that’s what the research with CPOs and the C-suite say is the #1 priority. There’s oodles of other priorities such as local sourcing, sustainability, innovation, partnering, risk management – I could go on and on and on. But that’s the one they get measured on. Think that through, next time you’re pitching.

The take-away

Perspectives on Procurement need to change, mature and grow up. Lies like these need to be re-evaluated and abandoned. Procurement needs to change the way they engage and manage suppliers and their internal stakeholders; ‘adding value’ (a dreadful phrase!) means so much more than asking for a discount.

Stephen Ashcroft BEng MSc MCIPS (speaking here, very much in a personal capacity!) is Associate Director, Procurement and Commercial Advisory at AECOM, a Fortune 500 company. He’s a procurement learner stuck in the body of a procurement veteran, and with over 20 years’ experience still sees the glass as half full. Working with leading organisations across diverse industry sectors, Steve helps clients reimagine procurement to drive improved performance. A recognised advisor, speaker, lecturer, and author; the ever-hopeful Kopite shares his bright-eyed/world-weary views on Twitter @ThinkProcure, LinkedIn and his blog.

October 14, 2015July 1, 2022

How Prince2 Is the Ticket for Success for German Manufacturing Company Scheidt & Bachmann Gmbh

Image 3.1 PRINCE2 Best practice award for the best German PRINCE2 project 2014 - presented by BPUG.

AXELOS, the owner of the Global Best Practice Portfolio, has profiled an award-winning PRINCE2^® project in its latest case study. Scheidt & Bachmann GmbH, the global solutions provider, describe how PRINCE2 – the world’s most popular project management methodology – helped them design and develop the hardware and software required for a new type of ticket machine for the German rail company Bayerische Oberlandbahn – and manufacture and install 64 of the new machines to a challenging deadline.

Originally a mechanical engineering company, Scheidt & Bachmann was established in 1872 and remains a family owned company. With 24 subsidiaries and more than 2,600 employees worldwide, Scheidt & Bachmann now provides technology solutions across a number of sectors. The fare collection systems division was created in 1978 and is a global leader in fare collection technology.

The award-winning project was centred around a new German rail infrastructure – the Meridian Line – that would open in December 2013 and be operated by Bayerische Oberlandbahn. Scheidt & Bachmann received an order in March 2013 to supply and install new ticket machines for the Meridian Line by 14 December 2013, the non-negotiable date for new stations to be operational. This posed a challenge to deliver a new customer-specific model of ticket machine in time. The project required new hardware design and the production of a prototype device for customer approval, as well as significant software development.

Mike Acaster, PPM portfolio manager for AXELOS said: “This is a fantastic example of PRINCE2 being used to ensure that a complex and demanding project is delivered as effectively as possible. Among the benefits of using PRINCE2, Scheidt & Bachmann found that applying PRINCE2 principles and processes increased common understanding and simplified decision making where differing priorities were involved.

“The use of PRINCE2 improved delivery and customer satisfaction in a project that, from the start, had challenging and immoveable deadline dates while introducing technical innovation.”

Daniel Weber, head of technical project management at Scheidt & Bachmann said: “PRINCE2 provided the perfect management approach for a project of this sort. Without an effective project management approach in place this delivery would have been extremely challenging. There were many complex requirements that needed to be successfully met in a very short timeframe, without any room for error. In the end, we delivered an excellent result for Bayerische Oberlandbahn – and have produced a new product which we are already marketing to other customers.”

JÃƒ¼rgen Kindler, project manager for Bayerische Oberlandbahn said: “Due to Scheidt & Bachmann’s effort and determination we were able to complete the project successfully within the time frame. Problems were communicated openly and solved quickly, which has greatly contributed to its success.

The full case study can be found on the AXELOS website: https://www.axelos.com/case-studies-and-white-papers/use-of-prince2-by-scheidt-bachmann-gmbh

Project Journal staff were not involved in the creation of this content.

October 13, 2015July 1, 2022

34 Thought Provoking Change Management Quotes

Change is good. It’s also often hard. The status quo can be so much more comfortable. But to succeed in business, you must run toward change. Companies most likely to be successful in making change work to their advantage are the ones that no longer view change as a discrete event to be managed, but as a constant opportunity to evolve the business

Here are 34 thought provoking change management quotes:

It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change — Charles Darwin
One key to successful leadership is continuous personal change. Personal change is a reflection of our inner growth and empowerment — Robert E. Quinn
Change before you have to — Jack Welch
You must embrace change before change erases you.
— Rob Liano
Change before you have to — Jack Welch
Too few leaders have the emotional fortitude to take responsibility for failure.
— Paul Gibbons, The Science of Successful Organisational Change: How Leaders Set Strategy, Change Behaviour, and Create an Agile Culture
People don’t resist change. They resist being changed! — Peter Senge
If you want to make enemies, try to change something — Woodrow Wilson
The key to change is to let go of fear — Rosanne Cash
The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress — Charles Kettering
There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things — Niccolo Machiavelli
Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future — John F. Kennedy
Even those who fancy themselves the most progressive will fight against other kinds of progress, for each of us is convinced that our way is the best way.
— Louis L’Amour
Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times — Niccolo Machiavelli
Your success in life isn’t based on your ability to simply change. It is based on your ability to change faster than your competition, customers and business — Mark Sanborn
Change your thoughts and you change your world — Norman Vincent Peale
If you don’t like change, you will like irrelevance even less — General Eric Shinseki (U.S. Army Chief of Staff, 1999-2003)
We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn — Peter Drucker
Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times
— Niccolo Machiavelli
All is connected, no one thing can change by itself
— Paul Hawken
Learn to adjust yourself to the conditions you have to endure, but make a point of trying to alter or correct conditions so that they are most favorable to you — William Frederick Book
We would rather be ruined than change
We would rather die in our dread than climb the cross of the moment and let our illusions die — W. H. Auden
Every generation needs a new revolution — Thomas Jefferson
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has — Margaret Mead
I’ll go anywhere as long as it’s forward — David Livingstone
Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself — George Bernard Shaw
Adaptability is about the powerful difference between adapting to cope and adapting to win— Max McKeown
You can’t build an adaptable organization without adaptable people–and individuals change only when they have to, or when they want to — Gary Hamel
People will try to tell you that all the great opportunities have been snapped up. In reality, the world changes every second, blowing new opportunities in all directions, including yours — Ken Hakuta
A wise man adapts himself to circumstances, as water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it — Chinese Proverb
The price of doing the same old thing is far higher than the price of change — Bill Clinton
Each of us has the opportunity to change and grow until our very last breath. Happy creating — M.F. Ryan