Previous Book Reviews
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 Project Governance
Ralf Muller
A night to read and some real practical solutions to
implementing governance in your organisation - either at portfolio, programme
or project level. "Project Governance" from Ralf Muller is a little misleading
as it doesn't just cover project level governance. Starting at the corporate
level, with academic theory, the book soon moves onto programme and project
governance taking into account different organisational models. Is your
organisation a "Flexible Economist Paradigm"? Or in others words has your organisation
established project management as a core competence, with professional project managers? Governance within this environment will follow a different path to that of a "Conformist Paradigm" organisation where project management is performed by technical experts as an on-the-side task.
So what is governance and why would you want to know more about this area of project management? Governance is defined in the book as:
"Governance provides a framework for ethical decision making and managerial action within an organisation that is based on transparency, accountability and defined roles"
This book covers everything from portfolio management, sponsors & steering groups, strategic and tactical project management offices, programme management, in fact it brings together a lot of areas and topics already within the public domain. There are two sections that are particularly worthy of note; a governance framework for project management and how much governance is enough? The framework provides a three step process which enables an organisation to increase its PPM governance. Within each step there are three areas; what can be done, what should be done and what is done. Step 1, includes basic training and methodology use (it talks about the adoption of methodologies such as PRINCE2), introducing steering committees (ensuring what is learnt is adopted and put into use) and the use of audits and reviews to ensure the "what is done" or learnt has translated to successful project delivery. A simple framework which covers the different levels of organisational maturity has been conveyed well in this book and would be a welcome addition to any programme office manager, portfolio manager or organisational change specialist's bookshelf. That said, this is also a book aimed at the project manager, especially their role within project governance but also programme level, portfolio level and ultimately how their delivery impacts the corporation as a whole.
Knowing when there is enough governance - appropriate to your organisation and the programmes and projects it delivers - is also covered. A simple approach which focuses on the relationship between project manager and steering group and the roles & responsibilities of each may be useful insight for any project manager. Like much in project management, communication is the key for effective governance at each level of the organisation and Muller's book goes a long way to showing how to utilise effective communication to achieve a integrated governance model.
-- Reviewed by Lindsay Scott
Interested in purchasing the book? Received 20% off the online price when you use the code: G8BRL20
Managing Project Uncertainty
David Cleden
Few quotes from Managing Project Uncertainty resonate nearly as well with the project manager as Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke's 'No plan survives contact with the enemy' (pg. 28). Author Cleden surmises that von Moltke's statement 'sits at the heart of any strategy for managing uncertainty.' In essence, Cleden is talking about projects as if he is talking about the future – no one knows what's going to happen.
The book is simple in other ways, like breaking things down about project uncertainty in relatable and easily-understood ways. Many readers will find figures like the Four Quadrants model a useful tool in identifying what you do and don't know. There are also useful tables, including the flawless Hallmarks of Effective Decision-Making, and the book's focus on the types of variables involved in managing uncertainty is detailed, thorough and open. Most importantly, Cleden is successful in implying that uncertainty arises on the project scene because today's static world (when the project is planned) will not remain so (when the project is being carried out). You know the London 2012 Olympics needs certain facilities; what you don't know are the uncontrollable variables (Political? Economic? Environmental?) that are going to wreak havoc on the effective delivery of those facilities. Those who planned to sell their property within the last year that have been left wishing they'd acted a year earlier are nodding their heads right now.
Cleden will leave you with a sound understanding about the traits, tendencies, timing and tenacity of uncertainty in projects. He is also adept at identifying certain methods that try to contain the uncertainty, and why some prove more successful than others. Those who expect risk management to be the be-all, end-all for uncertainty solutions will be in for a rude awakening.
While you can't always anticipate uncertainty, let alone the ultimate degree of difficulty it creates in your project, you can adapt, especially in a world of cost-effective budget management. Moreover, it might also be - in addition to being a good alternative title - the best glass half-full way of approaching uncertainty: "Managing Project Adaptability.
-- Reviewed by Dan Strayer
Leading Change
John P. Kotter
In Leading Change, author John P. Kotter argues that these activities should be carried out in sequence and states that many companies focus only on steps 5, 6 & 7 to the exclusion of (or rapidly skipping over) the others. He attributes thisto the apparent simplicity of a structural change (e.g. reorganisation, divestment, acquisition or downsizing) which managers see as being relatively straight forward to implement. He warns, however, that steps 1-4 establish a firm base from which to proceed and step 8 is critical to making the changes stick.
The book sets out the key principles and some practical advice to underpin each of the stages e.g.
"Establishing a Sense of Urgency" involves overcoming the complacency that exists in many large organisations. It requires leadership and risk taking to create a burning platform for action. This might take the form of painting a picture of how the market or competition might evolve; setting stringent performance goals in terms of quality, productivity or profitability that need to be met; pairing the organisation down to the bare minimum; or by appointing / promoting key personnel and giving them a hefty incentive to deliver results.
"Creating the Guiding Coalition" involves putting together a group with enough power to direct, lead and sustain the change. These people are then aligned into a team focused on delivering a common goal (i.e. one that is sensible to the head / appealing to the heart). These people need to have high credibility, broad expertise, a position of power and the right leadership and management skills to drive the organisation through the transformation.
"Developing a Vision and Strategy" involves synthesising complex data into a picture of the future, with an explicit or implicit commentary on why people should strive to create that future. The vision should clarify the general direction for change, be motivational and help to align people to the future without the need for micro management.
"Communicating the Change Vision" involves unleashing the real power of the vision to ensure that everyone in the organisation has a common understanding of its goals and direction. Kotter states that many managers under-communicate the vision or send inconsistent messages. Effectively communicating the visions means: simplifying it; reinforcing the message over and over again; Walking the talk; explicitly dealing with inconsistencies; using metaphors, analogies and examples; using as many forums as possible to get the message across; and listening and being listenedto (seeing communication as a two way process).
"Empowering Broad-Based Action" involves removing structural barriers (such as functional silos); training (to support people in being able to work differently and adapt their attitudes/behaviours); aligning systems to the vision (a fundamental root and branch review of everything e.g. HR systems such as pay and reward); taking issue with supervisors who don't walk the talk.
"Generating Short-Term Wins" involves providing evidence that sacrifices are worth it; recognition and building morale; provide evidence of success and allow for retuning; undermine cynics; keep key stakeholders on board; and build momentum.
"Consolidating Change and Producing More Change” involves recognising that resistance to change never goes away. It also involves recognising that the level of interdependence within any organisation means that a transformation may touch every part of the organisation. This could result in the need for: more change, not less; more help (internally & externally); leadership from senior management; leadership at lower levels in the organisation; and eliminate unnecessary interdependencies. It can be a long road.
"Anchoring New Approaches in the Culture" involves recognising that there are "Norms of Behaviour" and shared values in groups of people and that recruitment processes reinforce this by generally selecting people who are likely to fit in. The result is that at the end of any transformation process, attention needs to be given to embedding the change in the culture of the organisation. The result will very much depend on the success of the outcome and how much time is devoted to reinforcing the benefits of the new way of working and may involve a turnover in staff (those who refuse to accept).
This is a book for anyone embarking on a major change initiative or Programme Directors or Project managers who are locked into the traditional project management approach and wondering why it is not working.
Read this book and you will not look at another change project or programme in the same way, ever again.
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