Delivering projects on time and budget is what our customers expect. However, when it comes to defining project success, we measure ourselves against a higher standard of excellence..
Outfox Consulting measures the success of a project not just by when, but, more importantly, how the project was delivered. Even if all project objectives have been achieved, we believe we have failed if the project team does not want to work on another project managed by Outfox Consulting.
We strive to provide project delivery services in a manner that builds trust and exceeds expectations. The ability to partner with our customers to forge lasting relationships based upon a foundation of trust is our ultimate measure of success.
Showing posts with label Project Management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Project Management. Show all posts
Friday, May 11, 2007
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Project Team Recognition & Morale Building
I think it’s safe to say that everyone understands the importance of taking time to recognize and celebrate project team accomplishments, yet this is an area that is frequently overlooked.
We tend to get so bogged down in our day-to-day activities that we fail to plan ahead and either scramble to pick up something to recognize an accomplishment at the last minute, or choose to ignore acknowledging the accomplishment all together.
Small gestures of appreciation go a long way toward building team morale. There are many no cost options for recognizing excellence on the project team. A few examples are: handwritten thank you notes, performance feedback appraisal (formal or informal) to the team member’s manager/supervisor, arranging for the Executive Sponsor and/or CEO to come to a team meeting to acknowledge the team’s accomplishment, and sending a company-wide email announcing the delivery of the project and recognizing the contributions of each member of the team by name.
There are also many low cost options for recognizing your project team members. A few examples are: team celebration lunch or breakfast, movie passes, Blockbuster movie gift cards, Starbucks gift cards, bringing treats to team meetings, gas cards, go-cart racing outing, laser tag outing, and good old AmEx gift checks.
In addition to recognizing specific accomplishments, here are a few general morale-building activities to keep team members engaged throughout those long duration projects: conduct a team meeting at a nearby ice cream shop, introduce a fun project team contest (name the project contest, design the project logo contest), create promotional items with project name and logo (t-shirts, mugs, hats, stress balls, flash memory sticks, etc.), take a long lunch or schedule a “team meeting” one afternoon and take the team on an outing. Such outings could include: mini-golf, go-cart racing, laser tag, or a picnic at a local park.
I am always looking to expand my list and would love to hear from anyone that has implemented other ideas or activities that were a hit with their project team.
We tend to get so bogged down in our day-to-day activities that we fail to plan ahead and either scramble to pick up something to recognize an accomplishment at the last minute, or choose to ignore acknowledging the accomplishment all together.
Small gestures of appreciation go a long way toward building team morale. There are many no cost options for recognizing excellence on the project team. A few examples are: handwritten thank you notes, performance feedback appraisal (formal or informal) to the team member’s manager/supervisor, arranging for the Executive Sponsor and/or CEO to come to a team meeting to acknowledge the team’s accomplishment, and sending a company-wide email announcing the delivery of the project and recognizing the contributions of each member of the team by name.
There are also many low cost options for recognizing your project team members. A few examples are: team celebration lunch or breakfast, movie passes, Blockbuster movie gift cards, Starbucks gift cards, bringing treats to team meetings, gas cards, go-cart racing outing, laser tag outing, and good old AmEx gift checks.
In addition to recognizing specific accomplishments, here are a few general morale-building activities to keep team members engaged throughout those long duration projects: conduct a team meeting at a nearby ice cream shop, introduce a fun project team contest (name the project contest, design the project logo contest), create promotional items with project name and logo (t-shirts, mugs, hats, stress balls, flash memory sticks, etc.), take a long lunch or schedule a “team meeting” one afternoon and take the team on an outing. Such outings could include: mini-golf, go-cart racing, laser tag, or a picnic at a local park.
I am always looking to expand my list and would love to hear from anyone that has implemented other ideas or activities that were a hit with their project team.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Holding Accountability w/o Using the Stick
A question I am frequently asked is: how can I hold my team members accountable to their commitments without using “the stick” and looking like an overbearing heartless PM?
My response is to confront the issue from a position of support and trust rather than of power and fear.
The following approach has worked well for me in the past. I follow-up with the team member in private and mention that I’ve noticed they have fallen behind on their project commitments and I wanted to check-in to see how they are doing. I also ask if everything is ok and if there is anything I can do to better support them.
This typically results in one of two responses. The team member either realizes that the PM is actually doing their job and monitoring the progress of the project and they kick their performance in gear, or it opens the door for them to share their frustrations around everything that’s been piled on their plate, the lack of support they’re receiving, or a concern that they’re in over their head in terms of the competence required for the project.
In either case, the next step is to discuss suggestions on how I can help them get things back on track. Depending on the situation, the preferred course of action by the team member may be for them to go to their Manager/Supervisor to discuss their allocation to the project/capacity/training needs/etc.
I then follow-up with the team member to discuss the results of the meeting with their Manager/Supervisor and confirm that the issue has been resolved. If the issue is not resolved, the next step is to approach the Manager/Supervisor as the next level in the issue escalation process to discuss an alternative corrective action plan.
Tip: Establish an issue escalation process at the start of the project. This takes emotion out of the equation especially when you are faced with people related issues. It is much easier to separate the issue from the person when you’re following a previously established process.
My response is to confront the issue from a position of support and trust rather than of power and fear.
The following approach has worked well for me in the past. I follow-up with the team member in private and mention that I’ve noticed they have fallen behind on their project commitments and I wanted to check-in to see how they are doing. I also ask if everything is ok and if there is anything I can do to better support them.
This typically results in one of two responses. The team member either realizes that the PM is actually doing their job and monitoring the progress of the project and they kick their performance in gear, or it opens the door for them to share their frustrations around everything that’s been piled on their plate, the lack of support they’re receiving, or a concern that they’re in over their head in terms of the competence required for the project.
In either case, the next step is to discuss suggestions on how I can help them get things back on track. Depending on the situation, the preferred course of action by the team member may be for them to go to their Manager/Supervisor to discuss their allocation to the project/capacity/training needs/etc.
I then follow-up with the team member to discuss the results of the meeting with their Manager/Supervisor and confirm that the issue has been resolved. If the issue is not resolved, the next step is to approach the Manager/Supervisor as the next level in the issue escalation process to discuss an alternative corrective action plan.
Tip: Establish an issue escalation process at the start of the project. This takes emotion out of the equation especially when you are faced with people related issues. It is much easier to separate the issue from the person when you’re following a previously established process.
Friday, April 13, 2007
The PMP Certification – a predictor of success?
I understand the value most organizations place on formal education, training and certifications; however, I do not understand why the PMP certification alone is used as a primary criterion for screening Project Manager candidates. Some of the better Project Managers I have had the pleasure of managing and working with during the course of my career did not have their PMP certification.
The funniest story (funny sad, not funny ha ha) that I have regarding the PMP is as follows: I recently participated in the interviewing of an Enterprise Architect candidate that also had PMP proudly displayed behind their name on their resume. I quickly learned that the candidate had never actually managed a project before. The candidate also admitted the only reason he got PMP certified was because it looked good on his resume.
I know there are strict requirements that must be fulfilled in order to obtain approval to take the PMP exam. Believe me I know. I think it took me almost 6 hours just to complete the application. I also know the PMI organization does not have the resources necessary to verify or audit every applicant.
Is the PMP certification a predictor of success? What are your thoughts?
The funniest story (funny sad, not funny ha ha) that I have regarding the PMP is as follows: I recently participated in the interviewing of an Enterprise Architect candidate that also had PMP proudly displayed behind their name on their resume. I quickly learned that the candidate had never actually managed a project before. The candidate also admitted the only reason he got PMP certified was because it looked good on his resume.
I know there are strict requirements that must be fulfilled in order to obtain approval to take the PMP exam. Believe me I know. I think it took me almost 6 hours just to complete the application. I also know the PMI organization does not have the resources necessary to verify or audit every applicant.
Is the PMP certification a predictor of success? What are your thoughts?
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