SNEC-PMI Job Fair = Huge Success

Linda Benedict organized a hugely successful event yesterday for job seekers in Cromwell yesterday. I contributed my time to support this event. Linda sets the example for planning, leading and coordinating an outstanding event.

Take a look at this clip from Fox news.

Systems Theory and Constraints

Great presentations at SNEC-PMI Chapter meeting in Cromwell, CT last night. Good speakers and thoroughly enjoyed talking shop with a long-time acquaintance who has taken a new position as an Enterprise Project Manager.

The main speaker - Michael de la Maza - facilitated a memorable presentation. Michael spoke about systems theory and constraints. If you have read Eli Goldratt's book "The Goal", then you understand systems theory. I read it years ago when we still lived in South Africa, and recall parts of the novel, but had forgotten the details.

On point that stuck with me from last night's event is this "It doesn't matter where you start, as long as your team continues to identify and work against the constraints in a system, you will improve. You create a learning organization. If you can learn at a faster rate than your competitors, then you will dominate your industry". For example, Toyota and Hyundai.

Therefore, your goal should be create learning organizations in your project teams. This means that you must foster anyone who identifies constraints and help them to work against the constraint to increase throughput. If you can iteratively remove constraints, then it doesn't matter where you started off, your systems will continue to improve and you are streets ahead of non-learning environment teams.

Michael's presentation was thought provoking and a lot of fun.

Remember "It is not where you start that matters in system theory, it is how fast you identify and work against constraints that matters". Sounds like a good motto for success in life as well.

Models for success

Flipping through TV channels this morning, one channel caught my attention- Red Bull Air Race World Championship. (You can see videos on Youtube).

Footage from the 2009 Budapest, Hungary race was shown on TV. The real planes brought back memories from my attempts to fly a Radio Control (R/C) model airplane earlier this year.

My son and I purchased a Realflight R/C flight simulator package and an R/C airplane earlier this year. The flight simulator package with controller significantly improved our flying skills. We simulated flying acrobatic airplanes, jet liners and Harriers in a variety of settings. The Realflight R/C Simulator is possibly more fun than the real thing.

I was more interested in watching the Red Bull Air Race World Championship on TV, because of my experience with R/C airplanes. I know that air racing is hard in R/C airplanes on the flight simulator and can imagine how much goes into competing in a full size air race.

Models can be an introductory path to the real thing. As a novice pilot my experience with R/C airplanes led to an interest in full-size R/C air races. Flight physics are the same in R/C and in full size racing - you must control your speed, lift, and compensate for wind.

You can follow the same path for your career. For example, if you want to become a project manager you can volunteer to manage small scale projects for your church or civic club. Using small projects as models, your success can be transferred to larger projects where many principles are the same. Your ability to identify tasks required to complete a project, discipline to create a project plan, and ability to work with people hold true for small volunteer projects and enterprise wide projects for corporations.

If you want to add professional skills to your resume then consider volunteering for a small opportunity, such as a project for your church. Use the volunteer opportunity as a model for full-size projects in your future career.

p.s. There is a reason you have not seen photos or video of my R/C plane on this blog. Gravity and multiple crash landings prevailed over my R/C repair skills.

The softer skills that determine your project management style

When you attend training courses in project management, you learn the "hard" technical skills, such as network diagrams and the end-user functions of your project management software.

These are the same skills that other students learn. However, the skills that allow you to distinguish yourself from the crowd are softer skills, such as having passion for your project.

Read about the skills that distinguish you as a project manager, and help you to stand out from the crowd when bonuses are determined, in my September 2009 Newsletter.

5 Signs You're Not Cut Out to be a Project Manager

I was recently quoted in Project Management Planet "5 Signs you're not cut out to be a project manager ".

Take a peek, and become aware of the skills you need to learn to boost your career.

How to maximize accomplishments

We all have limited time on this earth. Too much work, too little time. For some of us, the clock is ticking faster and louder every day. Project managers are usually overworked, and my impression is that if a project manager is not overworked, then ... (well, you get the idea).

Hence my low tolerance for email abuse such as emailing a distribution list of 20 people when you decide to go to the bathroom. The "Reply All" button should be removed from all email client applications, to assist the slow learners.

Alan Weiss posted excellent tips on how to get a lot of work accomplished. Follow the link to find out how you can dramatically improve your output and set the example for your project team to get more work done than any project management or time management expert can comprehend.

P.S. Wouldn't it be ironic if I invested time in trying to define my own time management tips, instead of referring you to Alan's posting? How much rework does your project team engage in, instead of reusing the best practises around?

Unseen benefactors

If you had been with me on this past Friday in the late afternoon, you would have been overcome with extreme gratitude. I was meeting with two other project managers to find a resolution to a problem on an enterprise-wide project for a multi-national corporation.

Here is the short version of the story. A defect was found in the final round of testing an enhancement for the enterprise-wide application. The business partner is willing to accept the workaround and live with the inefficient work-around until the defect can be fixed in the next version of the application, scheduled for release in 2010.

However, the project managers responsible for this project are not giving up so easily. The project managers have involved many stakeholders over the past week, and worked relentlessly to find a way to get this defect fixed and tested now, so that the business users will have the benefit of functionality, defect free. The enterprise project manager has taken ownership of the defect and is working relentlessly to deliver a great product.

The end users of this application will never get to know the enterprise project manager. The end user will receive the new version of the application and go about their work, without ever being aware of the effort that went into resolving the defect. The end users will never even know that they should thank the enterprise project manager on this project.

Project managers are usually unseen benefactors in large corporations. Working with other IT professionals and influencing decisions, so that end users don't have to work around known defects.

The two points from this story:
1. When you receive a new version of a software application, don't be too quick to complain about the defects. Be thankful that many project managers worked late on Fridays, to remove the large defects which could have caused you frustrating moments.
2. When you are the enterprise project manager for a software application, then take ownership of defects, even if your business partner is willing to accept defects. You know what is the right thing to do for your project, your users and your organization. Do the right thing, and don't give up too soon. Where there is a will, there is a way. You will probably find the way if you try hard enough.

You know that your project is in trouble when ....

1. Your status spreadsheet is so complex that it is stretched across two wide screen monitors, and you still cannot see all the status columns.
2. Your project manager tells you that there is no time for planning.
3. You say that there is no time for planning. (You should wash your mouth out if you ever say this).
4. Your project manager thinks that sending cryptic directives to each team member through instant messaging is a substitute for a communication plan.
5. You are asked to fill out a status spreadsheet, and you first have to study the instructions before you can determine how to fill out the spreadsheet.
6. Project progress is measured in terms of "How many hours were you in the office over the weekend?"
7. Your project manager is astonished when you propose the use of a project plan.
8. Team members spend more time retaking decisions and double guessing decisions than executing the actions flowing from decisions taken.
9. Your project manager firmly believes that a giant "to-do" list eliminates the need for a project plan.

If you are working on a project that displays the above behaviours, then your project is in trouble. You need to stand firm and bring sanity to the situation as you apply your project management skills. Don't allow this behaviour to go unchallenged, because you know that the result will be sub-optimal. Project management can be summed up as "Plan the work, then work the plan". You can't work without a plan.

Measuring Success

This week I was talking with a colleague. I commented that my calender was free of meetings for the day and that I was focusing my efforts on preparing for a significant project meeting. My colleague was surprised to learn that I did not have any meetings for the day.

He asked how this could happen. I said "I don't know. Perhaps due to intelligent prioritization, my excellent time management skills or as result of decades of project management experience?"

My colleague totally missed the point and said "Well I have meetings all day. I will invite you to some of them."

This is a common problem. We default to measuring success by activity not by results achieved. We see people actively attending meetings and assume that projects are progressing. We measure success by the number of meetings attended, which is a meaningless metric. It takes more effort to identify the results you are working towards and then measure progress towards those results than it does to observe the number of meetings that you attend.

This is no excuse for professional project managers. Activity does not indicate progress. You need to manage your time wisely and stay focused on achieving results while deflecting meeting invitations that do not require your presence. Your time is a limited resource - don't waste it.

SNEC-PMI Conference - Day 2

Today was an absolute blast at the SNEC-PMI conference. Toni Newman kicked off the day, with a dynamic, entertaining and memorable keynote.

Now that I have seen more Toastmasters club speeches, conference speakers and speaking contests to know that I don't need to see another one, I have become more critical of speakers. I have also come to learn that when a speaker's bio includes words such as "entertaining, dynamic, enthusiastic, memorable", then the speaker usually isn't. I have learned through hard experience that if a speaker is entertaining, dynamic and memorable, then their bio does not include these words.

Well, Toni's bio does not need any of these descriptions. Toni is awesome. Toni rocks. She is by far the best keynote speaker we have had so far at our annual convention.

If I were to describe Toni's keynote address, it would include the following memorable points:
1. She climbed a ladder on stage, and referred back to it during the speech.
2. Her story of Stephan, the waiter, had us all laughing.
3. We felt the sand under our feet as we walked on the beach in her description of the beach.
4. We laughed when she found herself in the men's bathroom and had to take a decision on how to exit the bathroom.
5. I don't anyone will forget the activity when we learned to answer the question "Why? Why Not?"
6. She walked into the audience and engaged the audience throughout the keynote. Talk about audience interaction par excellence!

Unfortunately, the other general session speakers were, well, uhmm, not as good. (I walked out when a speaker asked me to share my personal goals with other people in the room. This is about as amateurish as "turn and hug your neighbor")

The breakout sessions that I attended were fabulous.

Overall, it was again a great conference and I am amazed at how much work can be accomplished by volunteers. This whole conference is put together by volunteers under the leadership of a volunteer project manager. This is the power of project management when applied under the servant - leadership of a passionate project manager. Kudo's to SNEC-PMI. I am honored and proud to be part of SNEC-PMI.

SNEC-PMI Annual Conference - 2009

Today I attended the first workshop of our multi-day annual conference for Southern New England Chapter of PMI. Believe it or not, this is already the fourth annual conference, and I am glad to say that I have 100% attendance rate. The adjoining science center is still under construction, four years later - it sounds to me like they need some project managers over there :)

I chose to attend Lee Lambert's session and thoroughly enjoyed it, as always. He says, and I quote "If you are not making a difference, then you are taking up space". In other words, if you are following the process, filling out the forms and checking off the boxes, then you may not be adding value. You are most likely just taking up space, and soon may have no space to take up.

The people making a difference are those who are supplying data to managers to make decisions. These people are impacting decisions. These are the people who will always have space.

Lee also said "What saves your butt in project management, is the relationships that you have taken the time to develop". I fully believe that relationships are one of the keys to successful project management, and is not taught in the traditional project management training courses.

The best way to develop relationships, is to never eat alone. If you have not yet read the book "never eat alone", then I recommend that you pick up a copy.

Also, if you are not attending training sessions, and not developing your skills, then how do you intend to grow, and improve in the future. Do you want to continue doing the same old things you are doing now for the next five years? Read again what Lee said up above. Are you checking off boxes as you follow your procedures? Then you are taking up space. You can speculate what the result will be if you keep on taking up space.

Documenting Project Manager challenges

Do you believe in coincidence? Do you believe in the law of attraction? Whatever you believe in, the stars aligned this morning as I serendipitously studied the Sunday morning paper

I am working day and night at the moment on a series of articles for the the SNEC-PMI newsletter to offer solutions that help Project Managers be more effective in the real world. After we have studied the nice, neat, Pollyanna case studies for our certifications, then we usually find that the real world of project management is a tad different.

For example, in theory, a project manager gets all the appropriate documents signed by the appropriate stakeholders and then we happily go off to lunch. In the real world, people don't get back to you, are out of the office or have been abducted by aliens. Who knows what all goes wrong, but the fact is that it is hard to get some people to respond to your emails.

I am obviously not the only project manager with these challenges in the real world. Here is what Dilbert shares in today's Sunday paper:

Dealing with Difficult People - The Results

Twyla's workshop was an outstanding success. Twyla Southall is a fabulous presenter and a boon to the Project Management community. She kept us entertained during the whole workshop while we discussed tips and techniques to deal with difficult people.

Fortunately, Twyla confirmed that none of us in the room are difficult people. It is only the people on our projects, our spouses and the other drivers who are difficult.

Seriously though, we learned that our different personalities are often at the root of difficulties. As such, we can help ourselves and other by learning the differences in personalities and monitoring our reactions to our "Hot buttons".

If you ever get the chance, attend one of Twyla's workshops. You will be glad you did.

Announcing the Project Manager Support Group

I see and feel the pressures that Project Managers are facing in 2009. Budgets that were slashed in the last few years have been decimated. Workforce reduction, restructuring and no end in sight to the increased project demands make it tough for Project Managers to keep a clear head and stay focused on delivering the best results.

To do my bit in helping the Project Management Profession move forward and support my fellow Project Managers, I am now offering facilitated Project Manager Support Groups. You can read all about it here.

The cost to you for participation in a PMS Group is a mere $200 donation to Foodshare. (Foodshare is my favorite charity). This is an excellent investment and the value you will get from participating in a PMS Group will far exceed your small donation.

If you are interested in creating win/win/win situations, then email me, and we can decide if you would be a good fit for an upcoming PMS Group.

Dealing with Difficult People

Don't we all have difficult people in our lives? Sometimes it is a team member, sometimes it is a manager or stakeholder.

I am attending an all day workshop with Twyla Southall on 3/26/2009 in Farmington, CT and the title is "Dealing with Difficult People". If all goes well, then I will be knowledgeable after the workshop and equipped to deal with difficult people that I come across in my project management trails.

As a quick update on another project - I have interviewed seasoned Project Managers and discussed the key factors that make a PM successful, what PM leaders look for when hiring a Project Manager and truckloads of other gems. I am feverishly working on compiling the results of my research into articles and papers. Expect more on this in the next few weeks.

Certified Project Manager Problems

I am looking to speak with IT Project Managers, including PMP's who are facing challenges and problems on projects.

I am conducting research for a series of articles and possibly a book detailing current problems that IT Project Managers of all flavors face and proven strategies in response to these problems.

If you are an IT Project Manager who is facing challenges on your project, or struggling to make decisions, or know someone who is facing challenges on IT projects, then please email me.

We can schedule time that is mutually convenient for us to discuss your challenges and possibly investigate solutions together. Of course, everything is completely confidential and I won't use material for my articles without your approval.

Send your phone number, name, best time to call to wayne@bothaconsulting.com.

Value of certification

Should you work hard to improve your education and get a certification? A certification confirms that you have met a minimum criteria of expertise in your field of expertise.

I believe that certifications help you to get more interviews. Read this article if you are debating whether or not to obtain a project management certification.

Myths of Project Management Certification Debunked

Project management training schools are popping up like weeds in a fertilized garden, offering online and in-person accelerated courses to help students pass an exam to become certified project managers. The underlying premise is that anybody can internalize and assimilate years of project management experience in a few weeks and walk out of the examination with a freshly minted certification in project management. The problem is that newly certified project managers do not realize how little they know and how much real world experience they need to learn before they can effectively deliver consistent value on projects.

Here are five common myths about certified project managers.

Myth#1: Certified Project Managers are trained and capable to handle any situation.

Myth#2: Certified Project Managers will slot right into your unique project management methodology (or lack thereof).

Myth#3: Certified project managers are always more effective than non-certified and experienced project managers.

Myth#4: Certified project managers are project miracle workers.
When a project is over-budget and behind schedule then assigning a certified project manager to the project will solve all the project problems.

Myth#5: Certified project managers will convince the organization of the value of project management, solve all staffing issues and implement effective project management methodologies without support from senior management.

Read the truth and debunk the myths of project management certification here.

Project Management Super - Speaker: Lee Lambert

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending another Lee Lambert presentation. This one was held in Avon, CT. Every workshop that Lee presents is distinguished by his humor, showmanship and exceptional insight into the challenges that project managers face every day. Yesterday's presentation lived up to Lee's high standards and set an enviable example for all presenters to follow.

Some of the presentation techniques that Lee applied are:
1. Opening the workshop with stories and questions from the audience. This immediately grabbed audience attention and got the audience involved.

2. Walked around the audience, among the audience members while presenting. This breaks the fourth wall and disintegrates the "space" that forms between speaker and audience.

3. Great eye-contact with various individuals in the audience.

4. Using specific examples from his vast experience in Project Management to make points.

5. Complimenting the specific people and the larger organization that hosted the event.

6. NOT reading the slides to us. (This alone puts Lee way in front of the "PowerPoint Abuse" pack).

7. Starting the workshop on time after breaks. Lee started talking and telling stories to indicate to the 190 participants it was time to quiet down. This very polite way of communicating beats the often-used technique of telling the audience that it is time to start.

A true professional integrates the components of a profession seamlessly so that the craft looks easy. Lee makes it look easy to present well, and is a true master of the art of public speaking. We have a distinct lack of public speaking exemplars. The reason most people accept poor presentations and don't demand better presentations, is because most people don't know what a good presentation looks like. We are so used to seeing presenters read PowerPoint slides to us, that we accept this poor example. Lee sets the example for other presenters to follow.

Lee touched on issues that project managers like myself and project managers in all large organizations face. We laughed at the proliferation of "standardized templates" that well intentioned but sometimes misguided PMO's enforce with the zeal of a new convert. We laughed with him, and at ourselves at the way we start projects with poorly defined requirements, insufficient resources, and wonder why we get into the mess that many projects get into.

Lee reminded us that we are likely to continue to face current challenges of not having dedicated project teams, but instead will continue to share resources who are working on many projects simultaneously. This makes it hard for teams to form lasting relationships, because "teams" resemble a revolving door more than a group of people working towards a common goal.

If I were asked to coach Lee on PowerPoint use, then the only comments I could offer would be to never apologize for a slide which is "busy". As posted elsewhere on this blog, we should never have slides that don't clearly convey our message. If in doubt, leave it out. Also, to put off the projector (with the "B" button) when telling a story, so that all focus is on the presenter without any distraction.

As a trainer, I know how hard it is to keep an audience engaged for a full-day workshop. Lee is a master trainer, and in his own words " he makes his audience learn without even realizing it".

If you ever get a chance, then attend a workshop with Lee Lambert, even if you are not a project manager. You will learn more in a day about presentation skills from observing Lee Lambert, that you will in a year of attending club meetings at your Toastmasters club.

Project Management Speaker Excellence

Last night, at the Southern New England Chapter of PMI (SNEC-PMI) in Meriden, Connecticut, our speaker addressed the topic of a schedule. All PMP's and Project Managers know that the basis to manage any project is a project schedule. On the face of it, this topic seemed to be a non-starter for experienced Project Managers like myself.

However, as the presenter acknowledged the fact that all of us have mastered schedules, she further reinforced the need to constantly reinforce the basics of our Profession. Comments of "She is so right", and "Amen" were heard around my table as we nodded in agreement. Sometimes, in the heat of the project we all tend to buckle under the pressure from project sponsors and devote all attention to putting out the hottest fire while allowing the project schedule to become out of date. Without a current schedule, our project soon becomes unmanageable and easily meanders off track.

This is the same in speaking. Just because you know the basics, such as to "Speak hungry" and to drink 1/2 a gallon of water every day, doesn't mean that you are not tempted to sometimes speak after consuming a hearty bowl of pasta. The basics are the basics because they are the basics. This holds true in Project Management and in Public Speaking.

I cover many of the basics of public speaking in my new audio CD for Professional and Public Speakers in most situations.

P.S. As usual, the presenters PowerPoint slides left much room for improvement. I am too drained of blogging on the topic of text-laden and eye-chart slides to comment on yet another terrible waste of a projector bulb.

Speaking Highs

After a busy week of spectacular speaking engagements, I am enjoying the "Speaker" high that comes from well executed and well received presentations. You should enjoy the highs in life, and accept the lows in life. Delivering pragmatic skills in an entertaining way to audiences is the "Highest High" for me.

Do you enjoy the "Speaker" highs that you get after a presentation? Do you allow yourself to absorb the high and bask in it while it lasts?

While at the Southern New England Chapter of Project Management Institute Annual (SNEC-PMI) conference yesterday where I presented, I picked up a book by Rita Mulcahy from rmcproject.com.

Delightful and through provoking book. I read it last night. You may think - "What normal person could be so intrigued about any book on Project Management to read the book on a Friday night?". Is this the newest methodology in Earned Value Management? Or "Yet Another Graphical Dashboard Paradigm Shift" special report?

No. This little book is different, and I highly recommend that you get a copy. "100 Things Project Managers Should Do Before They Die" is a must-have for every experienced Project Manager.

Our 3rd annual SNEC-PMI conference was a total blast, well planned and plans flawlessly executed. Kudos to the team of volunteers that made this conference happen. I can't believe that our first conference was already 2 years ago. Time goes by so quickly. And construction is still underway at the adjoining Connecticut Science. Perhaps an invitation to the Project Management team across the way for complimentary tickets to our 2009 annual conference would be in order?

Project Management Opportunity in Toastmasters

Now that we are neck-deep into Spring 2008 Speech Contests in Area B2 (Toastmasters District 53), I clearly see the similarities between successful club contests and successful Project Leadership. I am a Project Management Professional (PMP) and passionate about Project Management. I am planning our Area B2 contest for April 1, 2008 and mentoring a new member to organize his club's contest.

When you enjoy a club speech contest, you don't see the days of preparation. A successful club contest is the result of careful planning and execution of the plan. The contest leaders must lay out a plan, get the forms ready and call on people to fill the roles. Contestants need to create and rehearse speeches. All of this starts weeks before the contest.

Planning a speech contest at your club or higher level is the cheapest Project Management training that you can get anywhere. I don't understand why so few people step up to lead the planning committee and take on the role of Contest Chair. (As a bonus, Toastmasters gives you feedback and credit in the Competent Leadership Manual).

If you want to drastically improve your Project Management skills, then volunteer to organize your club speech contests. This is the cheapest Project Management training you will get in your life, and certainly fulfilling when you experience your well-run contest.