Tools of the Trade

In my post earlier this week, I wrote about how talking to your people, including them in planning, and being open to change are part of successful project management. Of course, these things are only good if you have some kind of system where you track what your people said and what has changed since last week.

There are many different software systems out there for tracking project management data. Because our projects vary so much between clients, I find that the most effective systems are the ones that allow me to capture more or fewer details as the case may be. As long as you always know where to go for information on a project and can always find what you need, I'd say the system is working for you. Of course, if your projects might need to be taken over, or if you ever win the lottery and leave your position, a random assortment of tracking systems can prove to be a nightmare for whomever comes next. But that's something for another post.

Here's what I use:

• A regular, spiral-bound notebook. I use it to record notes for every conversation, every meeting, every discussion, every brainstorming session, and every half-baked idea. When one of these notes is an action item, I put a box next to it so that I can check it off later. When I feel like I have lots of boxes that are accumulating on past pages that I might forget, I compile them onto a new page in a dated to-do list.
• Post-It notes. For the to-do list, or other random thoughts that I want to capture, but that I want to stand out from all the rest of my notes in my notebook. I find these especially helpful for short-term notes, such as something to discuss with someone on a phone call later in the day, but that I don't need documented for life in my notebook. At the end of the day I get great satisfaction from throwing all those notes away (because I took care of them, of course).
• Microsoft Excel. I'm almost embarrassed to admit how much I love this program. From tracking hours with simple sum functions to complex development calendars and linked formulas, this is where I track all the hours, costs, changes to scope, and resource assignments to keep our projects within budget and inform future estimates. For me the Help feature in Excel is a dangerous distraction. Did you know there are 348 different functions in Excel?

There are certainly other tools I use, but those three are the key ones for me. What tools have you found particularly effective?

Let The People Speak

I was browsing a few project management blogs when I came across this list of Ten New Rules for Project Managers by Hal Macomber on the blog Reforming Project Management. As I was reading these, I was struck by how the rules weren't really about how to detail and track time, budget, scope, etc., but how they were really about respectfully listening to and including others. As I thought more about it, I realized that these rules really got at what I view as one of the fundamental concepts of good project management: the more you try to control, the less you're in control.

I first learned this lesson as a camp counselor. My team of three counselors spent weeks preparing the week-long curriculum for our high adventure camp, down to snack times, rest times, and how long it should take a camper to strap on a life jacket and launch a canoe. When our first group of campers and their adult sponsor came, it was a disaster. First of all, I think they arrived half a day late, which immediately put our entire schedule behind. Then the adult sponsor wanted to change everything: the kids needed more sleep, there wasn't enough campfire time, the hikes were too long... And then there were things we couldn't control: the river was so low we had more portages than paddling, it rained for four days, a tornado went through and destroyed our high ropes course... At every turn there was either something or someone demanding adjustments to our schedule, and at every turn we were as inflexible as we could be without outright mutiny. After all, they'd paid to come to our camp, hadn't they? What were they paying for if they weren't going to let us lead the camp they'd signed up for?

It wasn't really a surprise when the adult sponsor complained to our supervisor about our project management/leadership skills at the end of the week, but it was a slap in the face. We'd done our best to control the chaotic situations and unruly group, but they'd left without really experiencing the bigger messages the week at camp was supposed to offer. We'd controlled the schedule, but the disagreements and circumstances had controlled the week.

The next week I tried a different approach. I realized that whenever adjustments need to be made there are always options. Sometimes the options aren't very attractive (haul our canoes over downed trees or hike through bug-infested swamp to get around?), but by presenting these options to the group and allowing them to have input, suddenly the unforeseen changes and unattractive options weren't the counselors' fault. And when the group had buy in to the choice that was made, hauling canoes over trees could even turn into a good time. By recognizing that uncertainty was just a part of the job, and by giving up some control--by seeking and listening to their input--they respected that my opinion would be in their best interest (because this time around I knew what their interest was), and most of the time went with my recommendation anyway.

Camp is not business, I know. But when you read those ten "new" rules, they're all about working with people in uncertain situations, and adventure camp is definitely about working with people in uncertainty. What rules for effectively managing people on projects would you add from your experiences, business or otherwise?

Improvisation and Business

I don’t mean improv in the comedic sense; I mean improv in your ability to think on your feet. This is a vital skill in the 2009 business climate.

How do you improve your improv skills? How do you plan to think quickly?

At EPI, when we facilitate Presentation Skills courses, one of the things that we coach participants on is that every interaction is an opportunity for an impromptu speech.

Can you clearly and succinctly articulate the details of a major project? Can you do it for both a colleague who knows the jargon and a friend who doesn’t in a way that makes sense to them? I challenge you to take something technical and discuss it with two different audiences and see how clearly you can explain it. It will help you clarify projects and challenge your brain in a way that could inspire new thought.

Integration Versus Separation

For years, I spent a lot of time trying to keep my work life and my personal life separate. Recently, my philosophy has become one of integration versus separation. I find that my productivity has increased, my stress level has gone down and there are some great business principles that when incorporated into my personal lifehave made things much easier.

Five Great Leadership Principles that work in life too:
1. Commit to what you do. Have a strong work ethic. Great leaders commit to their jobs and do what is necessary to push forward.
2. Innovate as you go. Be open to new ideas and encourage others to think freely and without boundaries.
3. Tell stories. Telling stories can communicate a sense of humanity and make those around you loyal to your vision.
4. Love what you do. If you love what you do as a leader then you will have a successful time helping other achieve their goals.
5. Know when to say when. This can be on a project or a direction that just isn’t working. Part of leadership is knowing when to pick up and go a new direction that allows for innovation.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

I should note that integration does not mean that you throw all concepts of balance and boundaries out the window, but that is another post.

EQ

We’ve all had those leaders who we admired for their knowledge and technical expertise; yet, something was lacking. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the ability to effectively perceive, manage and use one’s emotions. Additionally, it is also being able to manage emotional connections with those around us. Researchers have identified that leaders with high EQ are better able to lead themselves and others. There are four EQ competencies from Daniel Goleman’s model. These include:

Self Awareness: The ability to identify and name one’s emotional states and to understand the link between emotions, thoughts and actions.

Self-Management: The capacity to manage one’s emotional states – to control emotions or to shift undesirable emotional states to more adequate ones.

Relationship Management: The ability to effectively lead and work with others.

Social Awareness: The ability to enter and sustain satisfactory interpersonal relationships.

As a result of this model, researchers from Harvard took a cross section of graduates from law, medicine and business and followed them for 30 years to identify indicators of success. Three factors emerged: IQ, Expertise and EQ. EQ was the greatest predictor with an 80% success rate. With this success rate, it is pertinent that leaders focus on their EQ in order to manage self and their relationships with others. EQ is what makes leaders successful today.