Managing Scope: Is the value of a project manager in how he/she manages scope?

No.  There is no doubt, that Project Managers have to manage scope to be successful.  However, there is a conflict of interest.  Project managers should really be focused on solving business problems and addressing business needs.  So, if this means the scope has to be expanded to include additional elements, he/she should propose expanding the scope but also negotiate increases in the project constraints, such as, time, costs/budget, quality, etc.

 

Since human nature guides individuals towards simplifying their lives, doing less, managing enough that you are sure to be successful, most project managers will work towards minimizing scope rather than expanding it.  This is the differences between a serious, strong, secure and effective project manager/leader/director and a so-so project manager who is not confident about his/her abilities and/or does not have the holistic needs of the organization or client in mind.  Pick the former and pay them well, you will reap the benefits long-term.

First Step to Getting a Non-Performing Employee/Team Member on Track

Every so often you will come across an employee or team member who does not perform to your expectations. The question is how to get them to perform. The reasons for a performance failure could be many: lack of skills, unmotivated, distracted, etc.

There are many strategies that could be used to deal with these situations; however, for the sake of simplicity we will assume that the person is the right person for the job; it’s just that he/she is not doing the job you want them to do. Let’s start with some principles about human behavior:

1. Human beings are pretty smart creatures and with a little bit of time they will identify organizational and management weaknesses and might begin to exploit these. So, if a manager is not attentive to an employee’s work duties, the employee may take advantage of this and do other things e.g., browse the web, do work for themselves, etc.
2. Human beings are generally going to rank personal priorities ahead of project or organizational priorities. This is normal, it’s a matter of survival; however, under normal circumstances (e.g., not some kind of health situation), a person can focus and is hired to do a job for pay and should be focused on the job while at work rather than on personal priorities.
3. Human beings generally look for simplicity in their lives, you can even say, that in general, we tend to be “Lazy”. If the work is hard, most people will tend to avoid it, postpone it or shift it to someone else. In doing so, the work doesn’t get done or in a timely manner.

The first, and sometimes the only necessary, step to getting a non-performing employee on track is to (a) set clear expectations and (b) ensure he/she understands how he/she is being held accountable. If an employee is faltering and he/she does not get back on track through simple directional or process changes, then a candid, objective, non-threatening or non-accusatory conversation needs to occur between the manager and the employee about: (a) what is his/her role, (b) what he/she is expected to produce and by when, (c) what “Done” looks like and (d) what metrics and deliverables he/she is being evaluated against to define success. I would also ask the employee to document in a simple plan what he/she thinks the next steps are. In most circumstances, employees will reengage and respond positively and get back on track and you don’t need to go any further. For those that do not respond, the next step is to go deeper into issues and causes that have to be tackled. For instance, skill limitations could be dealt with training, reassignment of qualified staff, etc. As a last step, termination may have to be considered.

Starting Characteristics of a Good Project Manager

The subject of what makes a good project manager and his/her characteristics are documented broadly in almost every project management literature.  Also, the characteristics are numerous and the combination of attributes differs from person to person and the type of project that needs management.  However, based on my experience, there are some fundamental attributes that distinguishes a project manager that knows what he/she is doing and who can lead a project to success from one that goes through the right motions but results are limited or lacking.

First of all, it is important to note that a project manager has to be a leader, a take-charge person and a negotiator.  Read this short article on selecting or managing quality staff.

The additional attributes that makes a good project manager effective, at the onset, include:

• Ownership mentality - looking at the project as something that they need to do, being conscientious, and ensuring its success and feeling like it's their responsibility.
• What you don't want is someone who is going through the formal project management steps without much thought for what is really necessary and how success can be obtained.
• Is decisive but not stubborn - after having done his/her homework, a good project manager makes the right decisions and communicates it out.  However, should the information be incorrect or not all encompassing, he/she doesn't become defensive and try to push and instill his/her point of view regardless of opposing points of view.
• Develops a project plan - starts the project by planning.  He/she doesn't spend a ton of time doing analysis and trying to figure everything out before a plan can be completed; he/she sets up a structure and continuously modifies and improves on it over time.
• Starts with a context model - determines the scope and boundaries of a project by looking at the highest level of known information and the entities (people, organizations, systems, etc.) involved.  A context model sets in motion what is in and what is out and what are all the interactions and touch points of the main issue/project.
• Does not use jargon - works with simple, straight-forward and easily understandable information.
• For instance:  does not use phrases like "stakeholder analysis, subject matter expert assessment, etc."  Instead, emphasizes meeting with the right people to get the right information to move to the next step.
• Is knowledgeable about the key project metrics - knows what the budget total is and how much has been spent to date and knows the timeline and approaching critical milestones.

I am sure there are many other attributes, these serve as initial guidelines for me in determining who is the right person for the job at hand.