Managing Project Risk

The Fundamentals Of Office Furniture Project Management

The result of successful office furniture project management is a project completed on time and on budget. If you are the person responsible for a office furniture project at your company this information should be helpful to you. I remember when office furniture project management was easily defined; a Project Manager had valuable skills and specific responsibilities. In my experience that is no longer always the case. Since my experience in this industry was in NYC these problems may not be valid in your area.

Let me say that there are furniture dealerships that are extremely reputable and have capable staff members. With that said there are also dealerships with inexperienced unqualified staff members. Not all dealerships have the same internal structures. Here are several viable staff structures all of which are effective with the right personnel:

• At some dealerships the Designer or Product Specifier may also function as the Project Manager. By the way this situation works very well.
• In some situations the Sales Representative may assume some of office furniture project management responsibilities; such as suggesting the best products within your budget that meets your needs.
• Another procedure is that the Project Manager doesn’t get involved until the delivery and installation phase. In this case you need to find out who is responsible prior to that time.
• Dealerships that own their own warehouses will have Foremen on staff. An experienced Foreman can be invaluable and his responsibilities may overlap with those of the Project Manager.

Below is a list of tasks which may be the responsibility of the project manager.

• act as the primary contact for all questions and decisions regarding the furniture for this particular project
• attend “kickoff” or original planning meeting
• evaluate any existing furniture to be reused
• confirm field measurements of the space
• collect data regarding the function and needs of your staff as well as discussing the projected growth of your company
• attend construction or project meetings as needed
• develop a furniture project schedule including delivery and installation dates that will meet your movein date
• prepare status reports with necessary updates
• provide building manager with Certificate Of Insurance
• review CAD drawings and product specifications
• perform final walk through with client and compile punch list if an architect or outside design firm is involved in the furniture you will want them to be in charge of this walk through and punch list
• oversee all punch list work and get a sign off from the client when all work is completed to their satisfaction

In most cases your furniture dealership will be responsible for these tasks at no additional cost. However there are times when it is valid that there are additional charges for some tasks.

Before finalizing your agreement and placing any orders with the dealership you should discuss exactly what is included in the office furniture project management services you will receive. If this is your first experience with a particular dealership you may want to ask that this be noted on your proposal or quote.

You should also find out when the PM will become involved in your project. It is not an unreasonable request to meet this person and discuss his or her experience and background.

About the writer:  About the Author: Janet Vogel who is retired from the office furniture industry is now the owner of Homemade Gift Basket Ideas which she created to supplement her retirement income

The Four Pillars Of Business

As a business builder I created what I call “The Four Pillars of Business” which enable a company to reach their full potential. The four pillars are: Company Product Value Assurance Business Alignment Strategic Planning for Sales and Operations and Management Complexity

Today we want to start with Company Product Value Assurance. There are many points but I would like to cover only two. The first point is that our business needs to begin by making sure that our products are at the highest standard. Many companies today have their own private label products with their company logo. They are promoting themselves to their local national and international markets. In any industry we need to have high standards so that the highest quality is the end result. We need to be knowledgeable of the kinds of products that are being used in different markets. Let me cover four points that we should follow in Company Product Value Assurance.

1. Product Value Quality Analysis

2. Company Procurement Guidelines

3. Finish Product Evaluation

4. Post Processing.

The four fundamentals above are simply guidelines to help you when it comes to achieving quality. If you want the complete picture of these fundamentals just write me and I will gladly mail them to you. When you look at a company like Starbucks you will find that their standard has been very high from its very beginnings. That’s why they are the leader in the coffee industry today. It doesn’t matter what you think of them. They are still the leader!

“What do my customers think of my product?” This is the most valuable feedback you can get. The end user is that person who buys your products. Again let’s look back at Starbuck’s history. When they first started they demanded a certain price for their products and they got it! Why? I believe it’s because they have done the best job of marketing their products as quality products. Who is asking for their products? The many people who are walking into their coffee shops each day are asking for great products. Starbucks has created a demand for their coffee. What they have done is created Raving Fans. It’s time for all industries to reach another level or standard and it begins with you and me.

In conclusion let me remind you to read Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles. It is an easy read and it is a great book about satisfied customers… something we all need!

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;I was born in the Ghetto. Of course it was not by choice. Let me tell you some of my story of how I went from the Ghetto to my MBA.In 1980 I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior and my life has never been the same since! The Lord has blessed me my marriage and He has provided for me in the lean times. In 1997 my wife and I took a lifechanging 6 months mission trip to Australia and The Philippines working with Youth With A Mission.

The Essential Guide To The ISEB Diploma

The ISEB Business Systems Development BSD qualifications are universally recognised as essential for any IT or business professional. ISEB awards two BSD diplomas based on the accumulation of specific ISEB Foundation and Practitioner certificates. Both diplomas class as ISEB Higher qualifications.

The ISEB Business Analysis Diploma is an increasingly desirable addition to the CV of any aspiring business analyst manager or consultant. It is also a requirement for anybody who wants to achieve the ISEB Professional Business Analysis Certificate.

The ISEB Systems Development Diploma is designed specifically for IT professionals particularly those involved in developing testing and implementing IT systems. This can include solution architects designers and software testing managers.

Both diplomas are awarded on successful completion of five examinations: four written and one oral. Each exam is approximately one hour long and the four written exams all follow a similar format scenariobased essayquestions or multiple choice.

There are three core modules and five specialist modules for each of the two ISEB BSD Diplomas. Students must gain certificates in each of the three core modules and one of the specialist modules before registering for the oral exam. All three core modules and most of the specialist modules are independent ISEB Practitioner qualifications.

The three core ISEB Business Analysis Diploma modules are:
Business Analysis Essentials 3 day trainingcourse
o Developing a business strategy learning business analysis techniques and applying these techniques to a business scenario.
Organisational Context 3 day trainingcourse
o The legal basis management and structure of organisations legislation relevant to IS professionals and business finance.
Requirements Engineering 4 day trainingcourse
o Eliciting analysing documenting validating and managing user requirements.

The three core ISEB Systems Development Diploma modules are:
Systems Design and Implementation Techniques 3 day trainingcourse
o Covers all aspects of the user interface as well as underlying issues regarding data and process design.
Systems Development Essentials 3 day trainingcourse
o Fundamental systems development methodology and organisation from systems investigation to systems review.
Systems Modelling Techniques 3 day trainingcourse
o Construction and implementation of modelling systems from three key perspectives structured objectoriented and agile.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Simon Buehring is a project manager consultant and trainer. He works for KnowledgeTrain which offers ISEB training in the UK and overseas. He can be contacted via the ISEB business analysis foundation website.

The Cost Of Project Conflict

During my past 24 years of telecommunications experiences I have often wondered what the real agenda was of some corporate executives. A recent conversation with a former colleague revealed a belief that is widely accepted in his work environment but never openly talked about. This belief is that for some corporate executives profits are not as important as maintaining the status quo. According to him these leaders believe that the appearance of ‘being strong’ and ‘in control’ is more important than being responsible to the bottom line. If this is true then it is one explanation for why one would observe daytoday decisionmaking that results in poor company performance.

This was in part the response my former colleague shared with me after I presented the opportunity that my project mediation service provides for removing costly conflict from the work environment. He believes the corporate leaders in question thrive on conflict and use it to improve their position of power within the company structure. The perception is that conflict leads to blame which triggers organizational restructuring ultimately resulting in promotion opportunities. After receiving this insight I decided to evaluate the cost of ‘appearing strong and in control’.

This simulation uses the Dana Measure of Financial Cost of Conflict tool designed by Dr. Daniel Dana author of Managing Differences and founder of Mediation Training Institute International.

The simulation is a realistic situation for one 1 project overseen by a corporate executive Project Executive. The leaders involved in this project are a Project Manager a Sr. Software Developer an Operations Manager and an IT Manager. In addition there are two 2 Software Engineers working at the direction of the Sr. Software Developer. A Customer Service Representative Installer Specialist and Electronics Technician are all working at the direction of the Operations Manager. A Computer Technician is working at the direction of the IT Manager and an Administrative Assistant is working on behalf of the entire project team. There are a total of 13 people including the Project Executive. The average compensation used in this simulation is from PayScale Inc. under United States Telecommunications updated July 18 2008.

Assume that an unresolved conflict develops between the Sr. Software Developer and the Operations Manager one month after the project start. This conflict is allowed to persist for 2 months 10 weeks. The conflict is resolved when the Sr. Software Developer leaves the project. Upon leaving the individual is frustrated and communicates that his skills have been requested on another project. The cost of this conflict as is as follows:

1: Wasted time: 3772
2: Opportunity cost of wasted time: 5658
3: Lowered job motivation and productivity: 189
4: Lost performance due to conflictrelated absenteeism: 0
5: Loss of investment in skilled employees: 193866
6: Conflictincited theft sabotage vandalism and damage: 5389
7: Restructuring around the problem: 10778
8: Health costs: 450
9: Degraded decision quality: 112090

TOTAL COST of this conflict: 332192

This simulation assumes:

There are only 10 people are directly impacted in this project conflict
No cost for impact to the Project Executive IT Manager or Computer Technician due to the conflict
No additional cost to managers or executives outside of the project
There is no absenteeism due to the conflict
The conflict only last 10 weeks my former colleague sited a conflict that’s been ongoing for 78 weeks
Each of the project members impacted by the conflict only loses 1 hour/week due to the conflict
Only a 5 reduction in project members’ job motivation and loyalty resulting from the conflict

This is the simplest simulation of project conflict. In reality corporate executives are responsible for larger projects and more than just one. Typically more than 10 people are affected for more than one hour every week of a conflict. Project conflicts can easily be responsible for financial losses in the millions of dollars.

Looking ahead the opportunities in project mediation are tremendous. Global competition has and will continue to create cost reduction pressure for American companies. When companies are ready there is a solution available to assist them with picking a low hanging fruit that I refer to as project conflict. A project mediation or “decisionmaking” service can be engaged to guide conflicting parties to an agreed resolution within 24 hours avoiding further project delays and reducing overall costs. This service can be delivered anywhere in the United States for a relatively small cost 5000. Now assume that a mediation meeting was scheduled during the 9th week of the simulated conflict. A resolution was reached that required an additional two weeks to implement ending the impact of the conflict after 11 weeks. The model now calculates to cost of conflict to be:

1: Wasted time: 4149
2: Opportunity cost of wasted time: 6224
3: Lowered job motivation and productivity: 207
4: Lost performance due to conflictrelated absenteeism: 0
5: Loss of investment in skilled employees: 0
6: Conflictincited theft sabotage vandalism and damage: 5928
7: Restructuring around the problem: 0
8: Health costs: 495
9: Degraded decision quality: 112090

TOTAL COST of this conflict: 129094

The simulated conflict resolved through project mediation 134094 yields a savings of at least 198098 compared to the cost of doing nothing 3321920. A proactive Project Executive who schedules an earlier intervention would save an additional 11700 for every week the conflict interval is reduced. One day soon we will not question the agenda of any particular corporate leader. Business profitability will be the agenda.

About the writer:  Steven Alston stevenalston.com works as a mediator and organizational guide. His company Split Screen Consulting was created to support global projects by delivering unique team building problem solving and decision making processes. Steven’s has contributed to work assignments in Canada England Germany India and throughout the United States. Steven is a graduate of the Physical and Mathematical Sciences School at NCSU and is certified by the Mediation Training Institute International.

The Basics Of Project Management

There are a number of significant principles which determine success in any project. These are simple and well known principles however they are difficult to apply and are quite frequently ignored in practice.

1. Precise Business Needs

Successful projects are business driven. This represents the ‘why’ of the project and it is important because it provides the basis for all decision making.

2. Defined Benefits

Projects are about translating the business need into the business benefit. In addition to the business need the ‘bottom line’ benefits must also be well defined in terms of source timing and quantity.

3. Explicit Plans

Effective planning allows people to work together in a coordinated way in order to achieve the project objectives. Effective planning is dependent on being at an appropriate level of detail and being presented in an appropriate way.

4. Agreed Deliverables

Quite simply a ‘deliverable’ is an unambiguous way of defining responsibilities in terms of outputs rather than inputs. Each phase area and task within the project plan should have a tangible deliverable associated with it ie. something that one can see touch or otherwise validate.

5. ProActive Decision Making

Project work has little momentum of its own unlike routine work. All parties involved are therefore required to take the initiative and actively look for ways of driving and improving the project outcome.

6. Single Point Responsibility

In business tasks are only completed successfully when people have unambiguous accountabilities. ‘Single point responsibility’ for results is of the very essence. The Project Manager is ultimately responsible for making the project happen.

7. Active FollowUp

Plans have practical value only when they are used to help people do their daily work. They are similarly used as a means of identifying problems while there is still time to overcome them. Plans must therefore be used throughout the entire project in order to allocate tasks and monitor achievement.

8. Open Communications

Time must be invested in communication as it is the key to a successful project. By effectively communicating the project and issues everyone involved has the opportunity to take the initiative and contribute fully with ideas and decisions.

9. Good Teamwork

Teamwork in projects is absolutely critical but does not happen automatically. Project work involves people from different parts of the organisation often with competing priorities and different perspectives which can make teamwork all the more difficult to achieve. Teams must therefore be actively developed by the Project Manager.

10. Strong Leadership

Successful projects are usually led by an individual who is committed to the project objectives and who has a completely clear view of where the project is going and how they intend to get there. The leadership qualities of the Project Manager are as important as their technical management skills.

About the writer:  The PMPartners group specialise in project management and programme management delivery and capability development. Offering Itil courses Project management courses and pmbok training.

The Antidote For Unsuccessful New Years Resolutions

Many people spend some time at the end of the year working on the New Year. These people typically fall into two groups: those who use the end of the year as a way to be introspective and look back on the past year and those who spend time looking forward; setting goals and planning the coming year.

Actually there is a much larger third group the group that intends to do one or the other of these things but ends up doing neither. Why this third group exists is the topic for another article but reading this article can provide a path to help you if find yourself stuck in inactivity each December!

Each of the first two groups is doing something positive and helpful but both are missing something. They are each doing half of the two step process for accelerating your success. Here are those two steps:

Reflect
Project

Either of these steps can be useful however when you place both of them together you create a powerful synergy. Lets look at each individually.

Reflection

Reflection is key to capitalizing on your past experiences. Have you ever met someone who seems to make the same mistake repeatedly? This person isnt taking time to reflect on what worked and what didnt in their past experiences. Reflection allows us to learn and grow from our past experiences. You can see why people like to do this at the end of the year it gives them time to take stock of their year and look for the things they learned.

Doing this reflection successfully though is about more than collecting lessons; it is also about growing from those lessons. Effective reflection leads to an outcome an intention for applying those lessons in the future which leads to the second step.

Projection

Projection is a process of looking forward. When people take time at the end of the year to look ahead and set some goals they are projecting. Projection is planning; thinking about the future deciding what you want and then expecting success. When we plan from a perspective of expected success we plan more thoroughly. And when we plan more thoroughly we improve our ability to execute on those plans.

As you can see this is a more engaging process than just creating a New Years Resolution. The good news is that this more integrated approach gives you a much better chance of making your resolutions real.

How To Do It

Now that you know the steps you may be looking for more guidance on how to do them. While books could be written on specific details and tools youd likely rather be reflecting and projecting than reading an indepth treatise on approaches. So let me make it simple.

Ask yourself questions.

Ask yourself questions to reflect on the past year on the lessons you learned and more.

Ask yourself questions to think about the coming year what you want to achieve and how you can use the lessons of the past to reach those plans more rapidly.

Asking questions and answering them is one of the most powerful ways to help you reach any new goal or objective.

Only at the End of the Year?

Im writing this in midDecember and this is definitely a time of year when this twostep approach is helpful. But you can use this approach any time you wish or any time you are looking for a kick start on success.

Maybe . . .

Once a quarter
At your birthday
At the start or end of a new job
At the start or end of a big project

You can reflect and project anytime you want in fact the more you think in terms of learning from your past and applying it to your future goals and plans the more you accelerate your progress!

Like many other things in life the more time you put into these processes the more valuable they will be and yet simply working on a daily basis with this dual focus of reflection and projection can be helpful as well.

About the writer:  Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training consulting and speaking services. You can download a free tool 26 Remarkable Questions to Help You Unleash Your Potential that will help you implement this two step approach here: http://www.kevineikenberry.com/campaigns/26_questions.asp .

The 5th Habit And Programme Communication

Many aspects of life rely on communication. School parenting relationships sport politics social and business are just a few. The trouble is when communication is performed poorly or not at all in any of these areas people and results suffer.

Programme Management is no different and although we sometimes use advanced techniques to manage risk apply the latest processes to operate more effectively etc communication is more about understanding people than anything else.

The guidelines set out by the OGC and other organisations are certainly very useful references but those guidelines can only become truly effective when they are applied by a Programme Manager who understands the human element of communication. Or put simply someone who understands people and the environment around them.

The Gower Book of Programme Management highlights the fact that a Programme is often in greater need for effective communication because it is often a oneoff initiative which can face unique issues and challenges. It goes on to explain that a programme will not always enjoy the luxury of a regular set of commercial disciplines and management structures which means effective communication is often more critical.

A Strategic Tool
Sometimes we focus on specific areas of managing a programme and as a result items such as the Communications Plan drift into the background as other matters take precedence. The fact is many people do not appreciate the real benefits of a Communications Plan.

The Programme Communications Plan should be seen as a strategic tool and a living breathing document as opposed to a static document which has a few blanks to be filled in and is seen as a chore that needs to be done to get a tick in the box. When the plan is created with this frame of mind often that Programme Manager will proceed to communicate on the fly as opposed to according to plan. The result of communicating on the fly is often a hurried mediocre or worse effort that will only serve to achieve mediocre or worse results. Its almost like a Project Manager creating a detailed schedule then ignoring it. Neither is a recipe for success.

The Communications Plan should be seen as a powerful tool to help us build relationships. With the influence that both internal and external stakeholders can have on our programmes I see that as a very high priority and one which is often overlooked. If the programme hits a problem ideally we want informed stakeholders with whom we have already built relationships to support us when things get tough. We are far more likely to gain support from people with whom we have built understanding relationships than from those who are strangers and know little or nothing about us our programme or objectives. Furthermore the better our relationships the less likely we are to encounter problems.

At the most basic level the failure to follow a good Communications Plan will often result in complaints such as; I dont understand you didnt tell me and where did this come from? Treat the Communications Plan as a dynamic tool that can be used to foster relationships and promote your programme. To do this it needs to be a living breathing high priority document which is both implemented and kept up to date.

The 5th Habit of Highly Effective People
In his best seller 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen Coveys 5th Habit is about the principles of empathic communication and he describes communication as the most important skill in life. He writes if I were to summarise in one sentence the single most important principle I have learned in the field of interpersonal relations it would be this: seek first to understand then to be understood. This principle is the key to effective interpersonal communication.

Similarly in his book People Skills Robert Bolton writes communication skills alone are insufficient the person who has mastered the skills of communication but lacks genuineness love and empathy will find his expertise irrelevant or even harmful.

The point Im getting to is that whether we are managing internal or external programme communications the Communications Plan in the hands of a Programme Manager who neglects the art of emphatic communication can be likened to the baton stick in the hands of a tonedeaf conductor. Of course the Communications Plan alone gets you a tick in the box but thats missing the point isnt it.

Not everyone is blessed with great people skills and those that seem gifted in this area have often acquired their skills from the environment in which they grew up as children and then on through adult life. Our environment certainly plays a big part in developing these skills as children and adults. But regardless of how well developed our people skills are the more aware we are of our people skills the more we can improve them. Robert Boltons “People Skills” book and Neuro Linguistic Programming are just two examples of how we can enhance our people skills.

Whilst some might think that improving their people skills is a rather basic subject for professional managers or leaders take a look at one of the most powerful leaders in the world. George Bush certainly has a long way to go to become a great communicator and although he reached the top of his business he continues to be ridiculed by millions because of his inability to communicate well. Regardless of who or where we are in life there are few who would relish such ridicule and fundamental failing as a leader.

Development Dimensions International Inc. published a report last year titled the Best Practices for Tomorrows Global Leaders. The study includes responses from 4559 leaders and 944 HR representatives from 42 countries. To cut a long story short the most common reason for leaders to fail in their roles according to HR professionals was due to poor people skills.

Figure 1 Percent of HR leaders selecting the reason for failure
Reference: Development Dimensions International Inc. Best Practices for Tomorrows Global Leaders

As with many of the 35 of leaders who actually fail in their role not every Programme Manager will boast strong people skills. For anyone lacking in that department one way to avoid the perils of people skill failure at least where the Communications Plan is concerned is to leverage the skills of an internal Communications Manager or those of a Project Manager who seems to excel in communications. For the obvious reasons most would jump at the chance of contributing at programme level. At the same time the Programme Manager in question should take steps to enhance their communication skills to avoid becoming one of the statistics shown above.

The Meaning of Communication is the Response that you get
Its all very well developing what seems to be a thorough Communications Plan but the proof of the pudding is in the eating and the effectiveness of the Plan should be monitored and modified accordingly throughout the course of the programme.

What we communicate in our programmes will influence our audiences and how they react will influence us or at least it should. Because if we are to see true twoway communications exist we need to know how our audience is reacting so that we can react accordingly.

Encouraging feedback is always a good way of doing this because its how the audience perceives the messages that really counts. Failure to monitor and assess feedback can easily result in ineffective effort which might even have a negative effect on the programme.

When encouraging feedback we naturally set ourselves up for comment some of which might be negative. The key here is to expect it prepare for it and be both patient and receptive. This is our opportunity to address negative comments and ask what can we do to be successful together? Its the perfect opportunity to apply our people skills and convert stubborn stakeholders into supportive stakeholders just like the good salesman who will relish the opportunity to convert a cold prospect into a buying client.

No matter what angle in life we look from communication is about the two way exchange of information not one way. Ignoring that basic principle is a cheap ticket to trouble ask any successful CEO or marriage guidance councillor!

Communicating InsideOut
The OGC recommends that that the Communications Plan should describe what will be communicated and the authority required how it will be communicated by when by whom and to which audiences.

When managing a programme whilst some associate the Communications Plan with external stakeholders only it is equally important for internal purposes and we should tailor our efforts to both.

Introducing the Communications Plan early is always a good idea from an internal and external perspective. Not only can it act as an excellent PR vehicle highlighting early successes and raising positive awareness but it can serve as a knowledge transfer tool and involve stakeholders sooner rather than later facilitating greater commitment understanding motivation and momentum.

Internal Stakeholders
Personally I have always seen the benefits of taking internal communications seriously through the way in which people have quickly begun to feel appreciated recognised involved and informed. All this leads to a more motivated workforce which is critical for any Programme Manager. Motivational theory is a vast subject unto itself and has been studied closely by the likes of:

• Abraham Maslow Hierarchy of Needs;
• Douglas McGregor XY Theory Authoritarian/Participative Management Style;
• Frederick Herzberg Hygiene Theory;
• William Ouchi Theory Z Japanese Management style;
• Victor Vroom Expectancy Theory of Motivation

One of the more popular theories is discussed in Chapter 10 of The Gower Book of Programme Management; Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow explains using a pyramid diagram how our basic needs as humans are physiological requiring things like food and water; this is shown at the bottom level of the pyramid. We then move up the pyramid to safety needs such as job and home security. Once satisfied the next level up is the need to feel belonging followed by the need for selfesteem. At the very top of the pyramid selfactualisation such as selffulfilment is shown as being our final need.

There are few of us who have escaped the feeling at some point in life of being kept in the dark not appreciated not recognised etc. Some professionals can also lack selfesteem even though it might not seem obvious. With this in mind there should be no reason for any Programme Manager possessing an ounce of empathy to inflict such feelings on their staff. The Communications Plan can certainly help provide our teams with some of their needs and subsequently aid motivation.

Maslow delves deep into the theory of motivation as does McGregor and the others and its worth doing some high level reading to gain a better understanding of the subject. However at the most basic level it takes only a little empathy to appreciate peoples needs so that we can act accordingly when managing people internally and facilitate motivation.

Bruce Tuckmans Forming Storming Norming Performing model discusses team development and behaviour in detail. Again this material is worth reading at least at a high level.

There are many vehicles with which to address internal communication but more importantly is what is carried on those vehicles and how it is delivered. A list of 20 possible vehicles is included in the next section of this article; External Stakeholders. Here are just a few examples of internal communication that can help motivate staff:

• Individual successes praised;
• Team spirit improved;
• Job security emphasised;
• Programme and project importance highlighted;
• Tools and resources made available;
• Successes celebrated;
• Overcoming challenges celebrated;
• there are many more.

External Stakeholders
External stakeholders can make or break a programme and it is critical that the Communications Plan is sufficient enough to play its part in the game of Stakeholder Management. Whilst Stakeholder Management is beyond the scope of this article its worth noting that the collective benefit of this activity is the creation of relationships which consist of understanding trust and cooperation. Once again we find ourselves very close to the words of a marriage guidance councillor because again we come back to the fundamental task of communication and people skills.

There is a whole fleet of vehicles that we can use to deliver our messages to stakeholders and our choice depends on the message and where its going. These vehicles can also be used for internal communication. Here is a list of 20:

• Announcements
• Blogs
• Bulletins
• Cascade briefings
• CDs
• Email
• Exhibitions
• Information Packs
• Intranets
• Meetings
• Newsletters
• OnetoOne meetings
• Podcasts
• Press Releases
• Programme Portal
• Reports and Programme Documents
• Seminars
• The Media
• Videos
• Workshops
• Etc.

Conducting a Winning Performance
I have purposely avoided describing how to create a Communications Plan in this article. But you can get help with that at The Llewellyn Group Blog. What I hope I have done is emphasise the fact that the Communications Plan has the potential to be a powerful tool which in the hands of the Programme Manager with strong people skills can help conduct a winning performance that the audience loves.

If you would like to be informed when more articles like this are published by the author use the form at the topright of The Llewellyn Group Blog

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About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Rob Llewellyn is an international project and programme management consultant and executive coach.He operates The Llewellyn Group from the heart of Europe and provides management consulting and coaching services worldwide.

The 5 Cs Of Team-building

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” Andrew Carnegie

Running a company even if it is a small business needs a team of committed and capable employees who can get the job done. But a team is not something that happens by itself. The process of teambuilding teamworkteambuildingc9.html takes time and effort. The end result is to create a work environment in which every person feels like his or her contribution is a vital and valued part of the organizations success.

We have put together a list of 5 Cs of effective teambuilding to help you on your way:

1.Clear expectations: One of the key characteristics of a successful team is clear role delineation of every team member every person has to know the role he or she is expected to play in the company as well as the roles of the other team members. As the business owner you have to ensure that every employee in your organization clearly understands how and where he/she fits in the organizational structure. Use organizational charts and staff meetings to facilitate this understanding.

2.Channels of communication: Create and maintain open channels of communication CommunicationIntro.htm with your employees. This must not only be between you and your employees but also among the staff. Create a working atmosphere such that your employees know that you are always available to listen to their concerns. Also encourage them to discuss genuine issues amongst themselves. Without free and unfettered communication teambuilding is only a distant dream.

3.Conflict resolution: Getting a group of people to work together is not a bed of roses. There will invariably be times when the going gets rough and differences come out in the open. Develop conflictresolution skills among your employees and create a mechanism for grievance redressal if they cant resolve their problems on their own. If necessary arrange for professionals to conduct workshops on this subject.
4.Consequences: Make members feel responsible and accountable for team achievements. Enable them to understand that each individual contribution is a vital piece in the whole picture. At the same time encourage individual creativity to blossom by instituting a system of rewards and recognition.

5.Celebrating achievements as a team: Give your teambuilding efforts a fillip by celebrating successes as a group. Since every employee plays an important part in the success or failure of your business it only makes sense to celebrate your achievements as a team. Depending on the size of the achievement your celebration can be as simple as a pizza party or as spectacular as a company trip to Hawaii.

Use these tips to ensure that the people who make up your small business work together as a team

IndisputableLaws towards the same goal. By empowering and instilling a sense of belonging in your employees you will have created a successful team
that works hard to achieve the best results for you.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Hi I’m Akhil Shahani a serial entrepreneur who wants to help you succeed. If you like to work smart check out http://www.SmartEntrepreneur.net . It’s full of articles and resources to help you start and grow your business successfully. Please visit us download our special “Freebie of The Month” at
http://www.smartentrepreneur.net/freebieofthemonth.html

The 3 Different Types Of Project Management Offices

There are 3 basic types of Project Management Office PMO organizations varying in the degree of control and influence they have on projects within the organization. You will need to determine which type you need to establish in order to have an effective project office.

The 3 types of PMOs include:

1. Supportive PMO
The Supportive PMO generally provides support in the form of ondemand expertise templates best practices access the information and expertise on other projects and the like. This can work in an organization where projects are done successfully in a loosely controlled manner and where additional control is deemed unnecessary. Also if the objective is to have a sort of ‘clearinghouse’ of project management info across the enterprise to be used freely by PMs then the Supportive PMO is the right type.

2. Controlling PMO
In organizations where there is a desire to “reign in” the activities processes procedures documentation and more a controlling PMO can accomplish that. Not only does the organization provide support but it also REQUIRES that the support be used. Requirements might include adoption of specific methodologies templates forms conformance to governance and application of other PMO controlled sets of rules. In addition project offices might need to pass regular reviews by the Controlling PMO and this may represent a risk factor on the project. This works if a. there is a clear case that compliance with PMO offerings will bring imporvements in the organization and how it exectes on projects and b. the PMO has sufficient executive support to stand behind the controls the PMO puts in place.

3. Directive PMO
This type goes beyond control and actually “takes over” the projects by providing the project management experience AND resources to manage the project. As organizations undertake projects professional project managers from the PMO are assigned to the projects. This injects a great deal of professionalism into the projects and since each of the project managers originates and reports back to the Directive PMO it guarantees a high level of consistency of practice across all projects. This is effective in larger organizations that often matrix out support in various areas and where this setup would fit the culture.

The best type is very specific to the organization culture and history of what works and what does not. But the objectives are more or less to:

1. Implement a common methodology
2. Standardize terminology
3. Introduce effective repeatable project management processes
4. Provide common supporting tools
5. Ultimately the objective is to improve levels of project success within the organization.

Being aware of these types can help you and your organization more easily accomplish this.

For more informative articles around the project management field see the PMcrunch web site. PMcrunch provides fresh perspectives on the world of project management in the areas of Certification Online Project Management Project Management Process Project Management Templates and Soft Skills.

About the writer:  I grew up in Pittsburgh PA where I went to Central Catholic High School. I excelled at football and basketball. I went to college at Princeton and earned a BS in Engineering. I then entered a career in industry working in mining manufacturing metal fabricating environmental services and othr related industries. Along the way I earned my MBA from Carnegie Mellon. After about 12 years I made a switch into the information technology field and became a Lotus Notes developer. I gradually moved into project management in that field. Today I am in the project management consulting field and have several web sites including Project Management Training Online Lean Six Sigma Training Online and a growing authority site PMcrunch.com.

Ten Tips For Running Successful Projects

Why do so many projects fail? Researchers regularly conduct studies to find out the leading causes of project failure. Some of the studies are in the public domain. You can look up studies by such groups as Gartner Carnegie Mellon University and the Project Management Institute. The studies reveal a recurring theme. Here are some of the common causes they identify:

• poorly defined organizational objectives
• loose project sponsorship and executive leadership
• project manager untrained
• loose scope containment and project change control
• poorly defined requirements
• lack of consultation with key project stakeholders
• no risk management plan
• unrealistic project estimates

Do any of these look familiar to you? Do you recognize one or more as handicaps in your organization? I have summarized below the top ten things you can do to improve the chances of success of your projects.

1. Before you start your project find a committed project sponsor who has sufficient clout in your organization. Your project sponsor will prove invaluable in helping you overcome organizational roadblocks as they arise.

2. Analyze who are your projects key stakeholders and communicate with them throughout the project. Your stakeholders can make or break your project. Compile a stakeholder communication plan with the help of your project team and sponsor.

3. Get your sponsor and key stakeholders together to thrash out the measures of success of your project. How will you know if your project has succeeded? What are the key indicators of success? Get everyone on the same page from the outset.

4. Decide upfront the methodology you will use on your project. What project phases will the project proceed through? What will be the key go/no go decision points? What are the expected project outputs for each phase?

5. Draw up a project schedule that clearly allocates project tasks to team members. Identify which tasks depend on others for their successful completion. Communicate schedule progress regularly to all team members and to the projects sponsor.

6. Make sure that project changes dont get out of hand by reviewing and authorizing all proposed changes. Evaluate each proposed change for the impact on project cost quality and schedule.

7. Do not let an unforeseen event sink your project. Find out what risks can threaten your project and build a risk mitigation strategy into your project plan. Issues will also arise from time to time so you will need to keep track of these and communicate their impact to all concerned.

8. Decide at the start which documents your project will generate and when. For medium and smallsized projects keep documentation requirements to a manageable level without significantly increasing the risk to the project.

9. Once your project finishes use the measures of success that you agreed at the start to evaluate project performance. Was it within budget? Was it on schedule? Did it produce what it was meant to produce and at the required quality? What can you learn from this? Now report your projects performance to your sponsor and the key stakeholders.

10. Follow up with the key stakeholders and your project team members and find out how they felt about the project. Was the project a success from their perspective? How did the project impact them personally? From this you will discover what went well and what did not go so well. Apply these lessons to your next project.

Successful projects do not just happen. They require structured planning the right tools insightful management and good interpersonal skills. Use the ten tips above to help make your next project a winner.

Leslie Allan. All rights reserved.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Leslie Allan is Managing Director of Business Performance Pty Ltd; a management consulting firm specializing in people and process capability. He has been assisting organizations for over 20 years contributing in various roles as project manager consultant and trainer for organizations large and small.

Leslie is also the author of five books on training and change management and is the editor of A Guide to Project Management. Visit his companys website at www.businessperform.com for a range of practical project management tools and templates and to download the free project management guide introductory chapter.