Spectacularly successful SNEC-PMI 2010 Conference

Just returned from the spectacularly successful SNEC-PMI 2010 conference. Great job by all the volunteers who made it happen, under marvelous leadership. Here I am at the SNEC-PMI volunteer table.

I gained valuable insights, inspiration and encouragement from seasoned project managers on my next book. Also got to meet and network with current and past colleagues.

Winning at Westchester PMI 2010 PDD

I just enjoyed an outstandingly successful day at the Westchester PMI Professional Development Day in Elmsford, NY.

Here I am with Michelle LaBrosse (of Cheetah Learning), who started the day off right with a high-energy keynote presentation that had the audience roaring in laughter. She was kind enough to autograph my copy of "Cheetah Negotiations", which now has special meaning to me.

During the day, I learned about the IBM computer (Watson) that will compete on Jeopardy in 2011, and am digesting my very filled notepad. It is fascinating to hear about project problems on unconventional projects. When was the last time you developed a computer that takes in written natural language, and outputs through a plunger to operate a buzzer?

R. Camper Bull closed off the day with a presentation of Project Management Leadership. Guess who is responsible for leadership on your projects? (Don't ask me for a prize - it is a trick question).

As an experienced speaker and Toastmaster, I can't help but wonder what life would be like if we could get presenters to stop using 6 point font on PowerPoint slides.

I am glad that I made the trip to Elmsford for the 2010 Westchester PMI PDD. Brenda Horton and David Morgen made David Ingram and I feel very welcome and the event was superbly organized.

Is it the tools, or the project manager?

It is not the tool that makes a good project manager.A good project manager makes a good project manager, regardless of the tool.

I see people getting hung up on the tool. Should we use MS-Project Version 2000, or 2003, or 2007?

I hear excuses of "We can't manage well, because our company only has an antiquated version of MS-Project"

Nonsense. It is not the tool. It is expertise and mindset that delivers projects.

A project manager with expertise and mindset with a pencil and napkin or Excel spreadsheet will win out over a naive project manager with MS-Project Version 2034.

Don't hide behind excuses of the tools.

If your projects are going South, then look in the mirror and get help to identify areas of weakness and learn the required skills to send your projects North again.

Grow up - You are a project manager, not a professional parent

A lot of literature in project manager circles have the underlying theme that a project manager is a "baby sitter for adults". You see references to project managers as developing team members into leaders and acting as a benevolant dictator. My response is "grow up"

As long as you think of yourself as a "baby sitter for adults" and see your team members as being dependant on you to accomplish their project tasks, you will attract and retain team members that fit your perception. You will also find yourself complaining that your project team members are not working independently and your day will be consumed with micromanagement.

However, if you realize that your highly educated, competent and passionate team members need a facilitative project manager, then you can get out of your own way. Listen to the underlying theme of your project team's communications and "grow up".

Develop a vision for your project. Document, communicate and live your vision. Lead your project team towards your vision and they will follow. They can't follow you if you are stuck in the outdated project management thinking and acting as the baby sitter.

The world needs project leaders, not professional parents with MS-Project and PowerPoint.

What is Project Management?

Project Management is a profession with components of other leadership and organizational professions. It takes many skills to be an outstanding project manager. Yet, how can you concisely describe the profession of project management to a person in another profession?

I offer some suggestions in my latest newsletter, titled "Project Management is like...".

How to succeed in Project Management

What makes a successful IT project manager? Is it someone who has completed their training and passed one of the project management exams, to get a shiny new certificate? Does it require a Master's degree in project management? Are certified project managers more successful than seasoned project managers who never took a formal exam?

The answer is "e. All of the above".

As I continue researching the question "What makes a successful project manager", for my next book, I find recurring themes listed below.

1. Must have passion for the project.
2. Must be willing to negotiate for the project. Give and take, take and give on scope and timelines to not come across as "unreasonable".
3. Must have learned from on-the-job training and know the IT and business landscapes. Know the organizational structure and political structure of the organization that you are implementing the project in.
4. Have learning agility - be able to learn new skills and topics that you need on your project, quickly. You must be able to pick it up on the fly.
5. Seek out mentors - these behaviors are not learned from text books or "PM Bootcamp".
6. Disgust for "clipboard project managers" who walk around with the figurative clipboard and ask for status.
7. No fear of having tough conversations and facing confrontation.

There you have it - absorb these seven winning behaviours into your professional conduct, and you will succeed in IT project management, as well as attract senior leaders to notice you.