How to Manage a Camel - Project Management and Recruitment

Managing The Project As Well As The Change

Kate Nelson — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:15:27 +0000

Lots of people in organizations have experience with project management. But far fewer have experience with organizational change management.

A project is usually a temporary effort aimed at creating some product, service, or outcome. Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, and managing resources to execute that project. Change management is the focus an organization makes to get people to use, adopt, or make the most of that product, service, or outcome.

Eighty six percent of projects report that they use a structured approach to manage projects. Far fewer, however, use a structured approach to managing the people elements of a change. And unfortunately, successful projects that lead to results expected from a project needs both. Projects don’t equate to real business results until people change the way they act or think.

Every year, most organizations go through a strategic planning cycle to define areas of focus to become bigger, better, or both. Often, those plans spin out projects to turn some of those great ideas into reality. At the heart of it, many of those ideas involve change for the people who work in the organization… new systems they will have to use, new processes they will have to follow, new mindsets they will have to adopt…

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Pragmatism in Setting Project Goals

Dan Strayer — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:10:16 +0000

As you may recall from a post here recently by our own Steve Trippier, discussion flowed freely from an Association for Project Management (APM) Yorkshire & N. Lincolnshire branch meeting in Leeds earlier this month. At that meeting, a presentation from Martin Fox, a Master Mind Factor Coach/PM & Business Consultant, tried to introduce some frame of mind concepts now increasingly popular amongst mental coaches in the sporting scene for practical, real-world application to project management principles.

In theory, Olympic performance for project managers, as Fox’s presentation was titled, may not have seemed to have applicable carry over. Fox – a refreshing realist that by the end of the night had you thinking about the importance of pragmatism when we manage our projects – showed us otherwise, and where certain sporting mindset applications could not be effectively applied, he was forthright and honest enough with a switched-on audience to tell them so.

Fox was almost apologetic about repeatedly citing quotes from the likes of the recently disgraced Tiger Woods, but as we look into the words alone and consider the athlete who spoke them (and spoke them in the midst of an unprecedented run of success), rehashing his downfall would be superfluous and distracting. So consider the quote below in the context of a man who has claimed 14 major championships, 10 PGA Player of the Year Awards, and held the world No. 1 ranking longer than any other golfer:

“…it’s about dealing with it and getting it up there and giving it your best, and see what happens.”

Woods said this in the midst of battling a knee injury in 2008 that he has never totally recovered from. While it seems anectdotal if taken out of context, here’s how he prefaced that statement, according to a 17th June 2008 New York Times article:

“All athletes deal with injuries and that’s just part of playing sports,” he said. “Sports isn’t usually kind to the body. Weird things happen and that’s just the way it is.”

We’ll come back to that in a bit, because it provides good fodder for what I derived from the evening. And what I derived particularly delved into three lasting pictures I take away from the presentation:

Fox’s pragmatic, understated, realistic approach to shaping your mindset in performance situations
Lack of ownership (and sometimes, non-acknowledgement) of the reality of failure in managing projects
The right way to set goals for your projects

The last point first. Fox’s presentation got some attention from the audience when he said he wanted to introduce goal setting principles in the short term, whilst scaling back our pre-occupying hangup over long-term goal perspective. To my mind, it translated well from sport to PM: in managing our projects, risk management, problems in need of solving, stakeholder expectations and even identifications, and much more, can reshape what our projects will look like six months down the line. Can we predict all of those things happening, let alone in what order

Likewise, consider the world-class sprinter hoping to beat Usain Bolt in London this summer, and what he has to account for in order to do that. First up is the runner’s health, as Woods alluded to earlier; do they have a sore hamstring? Are they even at 90% right now, and able to train to the fullest? Can they account for the conditions in the Olympic Stadium in August (i.e. will EVERYONE be faster/slower because of the conditions)? And again: these are matters the competitor alone might be able to address. Track & field does not allow a rival to put up any sort of defence against Bolt or another competitor hitting their peak: you cannot mark them like in football. Ergo, that long-term goal is only as strong as the things you can reasonably achieve each day in preparation to meet it.

In essence, funny things can and often will happen on the way to a gold medal or a revenue generating software re-design. Real life ordeals just happen in these practises. It’s simple to write the biography later and say, “Four years before that unseasonably warm day in London, I had set a goal to win the gold medal. Nothing could stand in my way, and nothing did.” It might be the long-term goal you set; it’s also likely the long-term goal of the seven other sprinters in their blocks who don’t get the platform to write that same biography, as they were merely a tenth of a second behind you, be it because of a bad start, a slippery track, a gust of wind or that sore hammy you rehabilitated improperly.

The Rituals of Success are the key in play here, according to Fox: goal setting is sometimes inherently bound to fail, because no matter how good your luck at the bookies may be, few people can predict the future 100% of the time. Instead, Fox implores us to fixate on The Power of Today and what you can do to get better in the here and now.

It ties in Woods’ earlier comments perfectly. The realities of managing a project or competing in big time sport (particularly when dealing with those things which can hamper your established goals) can afflict anyone: but if you can best equip yourself to overcome and go about things incrementally through The Power of Today, that long-term goal that would normally hang over you like a rain cloud can be given proper perspective and minimised, and you’ll instead have your focus honed in on delivering the short-term needs, building for a better tomorrow, and doing the most with what you have to work with.

Now for points 1 & 2. This, to my mind, was proof positive of both Fox’s realistic perspective and our sometimes fleeting inability to ever acknowledge that failure (or even minimistation of stated objectives) in projects is a reality we have to adjust to. Fox’s pragmatism makes sense for guiding athletes through failure and setback. Not everyone can win; the lottery winner would have to split their ticket with 10 million others in that sort of paradigm. There’d also be no need for mental coaches like Fox. Setbacks personally and for teams have made his credentials and expertise necessary.

But in the discussion that ensued as Fox opened the post-speech moments up for Q&A (a discussion that could have gone on awhile), several in the audience needed guidance on just why he was so down on long-term goal setting. While every project has a long-term objective, some in attendance that night feared he may have been advocating the abandonment of project goals. Far from it. My takeaway in my notes read thusly to the discussion:

“Is he literally saying to us ‘don’t set goals’? No: he’s reminding us to keep in mind, ‘How do we know what will happen in 3, 6 or 12 months time?’ Who can predict that? The idea should be ‘meet the incremental needs 1st.’”

: Time is growing short, but you can still take the 2012 Project and Programme Management Census. Click on the image to do so.

I’m reminded of the reality of failure in projects, because it is still a big part of our culture. As we revealed in the 2010 Benchmark Report, “Standish research suggesting that the number of successful projects is falling: 32% in 2009, down from 35% in 2006.” We probed respondents in that year’s report to find out what was behind this failure. We had reason to be dubious about how people responded in light of those Standish figures: only 41% told us they had even been “associated with a project that has failed.”In assessing the reason for failures, 47% of respondents pointed to factors relatively beyond their control, i.e. poor requirements, scope creep, expectations not being set/managed, and lack of alignment between project team and the organisation. As we wrote then:

Based on these figures maybe we should celebrate 32% success rate as it may be that most projects are actually setup to fail?

Moreover, when we asked if that particular respondent could be held accountable for the failure, “62% of private sector respondents said they were not in a position to influence a different outcome, rising to 72% in the Public sector” (emboldened text added by this blog post’s author). We concluded:

Does this suggest that authority and accountability are not part of the deal for many PPM practitioners when they take on the responsibility for leading a programme or project? This is backed up by comments suggesting practitioners are removed where they deliver bad news which the executive do not wish to hear!

Well, we’re two years on from that Benchmark Report, with another due out soon. And if you judged from the amount of project managers in attendance dumbfounded by the faults of long-terms goals, is it not possible that we still aren’t accounting for the things that can go wrong 3, 6 or 12 months down the line? Is it possible that the unavoidable reality of project failure and the impediment of life’s curveballs are still not being considered and accounted for? I really don’t think it’s too much of a leap to compare the failure responses in 2010 to an anecdotal confoundment with the frailties of long-term goal setting at an APM event two years on. Again: this isn’t accounting for whether or not those Benchmark respondents could avoid the failure or not – the veracity may be there to support their accountability disavowment. But the evidence that failure is an inherent risk was also evident in that Benchmark Report – we’d do well to better understand the troubled nature of goal setting in the meantime.

What are your thoughts?

Can I Earn PDUs for Writing Project Management Articles?

Cornelius Fichtner — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:30:45 +0000

Yes you can! Ever since the Project Management Institute (PMI) published the new Category and Structure for Professional Development Units (PDUs) in March 2011, earning PDUs has become much easier. This ease is especially visible in Category D “Creating New Project Management Knowledge”: Every hour that you spend creating and / or presenting new project management knowledge counts as 1 PDU.

This means that if you decide to write a project management related article and you invest 3 hours in writing it then you have just earned 3 PDUs. (Please note that there is a maximum of 45 PDUs that you can earn in Categories D, E and F, therefore these 3 hours would count toward that maximum).

Are you thinking that this way of earning PDUs isn’t for you because you have nothing to write about? Think again! Let me give you three simple ideas:

Write a white paper about your last project. Describe what and how you managed it, focusing on project management best practices.
There isn’t one project meeting that I have attended where I don’t learn something new about being a PM. Think back to your last 3 meetings and describe what you have learned.
Discuss a particularly difficult area on your project with one of your colleagues at work and then write an article about what the problem is and how you decided to do to solve it. And of course in one month down the road you can write another article describing how well / badly your actions worked.

But beware… there are some topics that won’t count toward earning you Professional Development Units. For example an article that talks about the latest and greatest features of a project management software won’t earn you any PDUs. Similarly, articles on how to prepare for the PMP exam or articles on earning PDUs like the one you are reading right now don’t count either. These three topics don’t count, because any article written about them isn’t creating new knowledge – it is just describes a “product”. So be safe and write about what you learned in your daily work as a PM managing your projects.

Once you have your first article completed you need to publish it. But where?

From my past discussions with PMI I have learned that they do not have a list of specific publication channels where you must publish. The important point to keep in mind is that the article must discuss project management topics and that it is published where other project managers are likely to find it.

Here are some ideas for where you could publish your PM articles:

Send your article to your local PMI chapter for inclusion in their newsletter. PMI chapter newsletters usually welcome contributions from guest authors.
Start your own blog at any of the free online blogging platforms. Having your own blog gives you credibility as a PM and it will also encourage you to write more and earn more PDUs.
If you are not ready to start your own blog, then simply contact another blogger and ask her/him if they might be interested in publishing your article on their website as a guest blogger.
Publish it on a Project Management Community website like Gantthead or The International Community for PMs (EDITOR’S NOTE: Or, for true prestige, here at How to Manage a Camel!)
Send the article to the publishers of one of the many online PM newsletters for inclusion in the upcoming issue.
Create an account at an article directory website like Ezine articles and publish the article here.

Also remember to always keep records of your articles, so that you can show to PMI during an audit that you truly deserve to have earned these PDUs. As a best practice you should keep a copy of your original article, print out a screen shot of the website where your article was published and keep a copy of the magazine where your article was printed.

In my view, every project manager has something to say and share with others in our worldwide community. So pick up that pen… I mean keyboard… and start writing.

Book Review: “Your Brain at Work”

Patrick Wagman — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:35:23 +0000

Overall Impressions

I had a difficult time getting into and through this book. Unfortunately, I really can’t tell you why. I think the main problem is that the writing style simply doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t mind stories; however, I like to have an overview of the information I’m supposed to learn from an example, before the example. So when Scene 1 starts off “It’s 7:30, Monday morning. Emily gets up from…” I’’m already feeling a bit left out and unsure of why I’m supposed to care. I would rather have the discussion about the brain first and then move into the stories. I fully acknowledge that this is simply a personal preference, but it made it difficult for me to press through the reading.

Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long tries very hard to take current neuroscience research on the human brain, explain it at a very basic level, and make it actionable by the general population. It appears to do a decent job of that. It is, however, very difficult to take research that is often focused on answering a single question, proving or disproving a hypothesis and generalizing that to a wider question or a larger population. Since I have not had the time to dig up and read all of the research used, this is my biggest concern about the book. Does the research really apply as broadly as the author implies?

David Rock spends much of the book boiling down to the idea of being mindful and present. There were a couple of places the book reminded me of GTD, mostly in the aspect of making sure you don’t try to keep too much in your mind. The book stresses having only a limited number of things “on stage”, whereas GTD stresses a “mind like water” where you keep absolutely nothing extra in your mind. The concepts are similar but worded differently and the book does give a variety of ideas to help implement the concepts.

If all the careers advice world is a stage, Your Brain at Work is a meddling producer trying to get the most out of "The Director"

The Book

The author chooses to divide the book into acts and scenes instead of sections and chapters. This terminology fits well with the analogy used about the mind being like a stage with actors and a director. A major aim of the book is to help the reader develop and strengthen his or her own director and to take control of the stage of the mind.

Physically, the book is divided into 4 Acts and 14 Scenes with an Intermission and an Encore.

Act I: Problems and Decisions

More and more people are being paid to be knowledge workers, that is, much of their job involves problem solving and creativity. Many jobs no longer involve mostly repetitive tasks. Because of this fact, people need to learn about their brain and ways to help it function most effectively.

Scene 1: The Morning Email Overwhelm

Scene 2: A Project that Hurts to Think About

Scene 3: Juggling Five Things at Once

Scene 4: Saying No to Distractions

Scene 5: Searching for the Zone of Peak Performance

Scene 6: Getting Past a Roadblock

Intermission

The intermission introduces the concept of a director, keeping with the theater theme in the book. “The director” is the ability to take a step back and observe your own mental functions. It helps you develop the ability to alter your mental states and reactions to achieve the best performance that you can.

Act II: Stay Cool Under Pressure

The brain is for more than logical thinking. The actual purpose of the brain is to keep you alive. This thought does help put some behavior into perspective.

Scene 7: Derailed by Drama

Scene 8: Drowning amid Uncertainty

Scene 9: When Expectations Get Out of Control

Act III: Collaborate with Others

Very few people work in isolation. Developing skills in collaboration is vital to success. Collaboration, of course, requires social interaction and skills. Yet social interaction is a major source of conflict. Conflict can be reduced, in part, by realizing that social needs are a basic human need like food, water, shelter and certainty.

Scene 10: Turning Enemies into Friends

Scene 11: When Everything Seems Unfair

Scene 12: The Battle for Status

Act IV: Facilitate Change

Change is hard. Facilitating change in others is harder. Enough said.

Scene 13: When Other People Lose the Plot

Scene 14: The Culture That Needs to Transform

Encore

The encore is a short, helpful summary of the key points of the book.

In the story we follow Emily and Paul through a day of their life. They are a married couple with two teenage children. During the day we see things that are happening and the way that Emily, Paul and the people around them react to fairly normal life stresses and occurrences.

Emily is a recently promoted executive in an event-planning business. She is dealing with a variety of stresses that come with a new position, in addition to the stress of normal day-to-day survival in the information age. We see her dealing with email, meetings, being put on the spot and working with new and former colleagues and employees.

Paul is a software consultant. His background is software development and now he is on his own his own trying to handle everything. He has to deal with clients, suppliers, budgets and presentations. We get to watch his pain as he tries to navigate the world and keep business.

Each scene follows a similar script:

Start
Initial (bad) events
Summary of the science related to the behavior
A better way to handle the event, based on the science presented
A brief summary

I won’t go into details on each scene, but I do want to point out some the “surprises about the brain” and “things to try” from the end of the chapters.

Surprises

Many of the items listed in the chapter summaries “surprises about the brain”, weren’t surprises to me. If you follow any kind of human behavior writing you will have heard of many of them. However, some that caught my eye are:

Every time the brain works on an idea consciously, it uses a measurable and limited resource.
The less you hold in your mind at once the better. (Full disclosure, this was not a surprise at all, but being a fan of GTD I always reiterate the need to get everything out of your head!)
Switching between tasks uses energy; if you do this a lot you can make more mistakes.
If you do multiple conscious tasks at once you will experience a big drop-off in accuracy or performance.
Having explicit language for mental patterns gives you a greater ability to stop patterns emerging early on, before they take over.
Peak mental performance requires just the right level of stress, not minimal stress.
It’s astonishingly easy to get stuck on the small set of solutions to a problem, called the impasse phenomenon.
The brain has an overarching organizing principle to minimize danger and maximize reward.
The away response can reduce cognitive resources, making it harder to think about your thinking, make you more defensive, and mistakenly class certain situations as threats.
Expectations alter the data your brain perceives.
It’s common to fit incoming data into expectations and to ignore data that don’t fit.
Social connections are a primary need, as important as food and water at times.
A sense of fairness can be a primary reward.
Status is a significant driver of behavior at work and across life experiences.
Giving feedback often creates an intense threat response that doesn’t help people improve performance.
While human change appears hard, change in the brain is constant.
Focused attention changes the brain.

Things to try

These sections provide a summary of the techniques described and modeled in each chapter. Like the “surprises” it’s likely you have heard of some of them before. The ones that stood out to me are:

Think of conscious thinking as a precious resource to conserve.
Schedule blocks of time for different modes of thinking.
Practice getting your most important actors onstage first, not just the ones that easiest.
Catch yourself trying to do two things at once and slow down instead.
Reduce the likelihood of internal distractions by clearing your mind before embarking on difficult tasks.
Inhibit distractions early before they take on momentum.
Practice being aware of your levels of alertness and interest throughout the day.
Take a break and do something light and interesting, to see if an answer emerges.
Practice noticing emotions as they arise, the get better at sensing their presence earlier.
Practice noticing what your expectations are in any given situation.
Watch out for people’s status being threatened.
Catch yourself when you go to give feedback, problem solve, or provide solutions.
Help people think about their own thinking by focusing them on their own subtle internal thoughts, without getting into too much detail.

What did the book do well?

I really liked the way the chapters ended with a summary of “Surprises about the Brain” and “Some Things to Try”. Many of them are seriously worth considering and trying.

The book presents ideas that will help people focus on the reality of what’s happening around them and we some people react the way that they do. There are good ideas in the book that will help you to perform better IF you are willing to do the work to make the techniques a part of your life.

The author provides two acronyms/models that can help with certain problems. The first is the ARIA model to help with increasing insight. ARIA stands for Awareness, Reflection, Insight, and Action. According to the model these are the stages it takes to increase the likelihood of gaining an insight.

The second is the SCARF model. This acronym stands for the five areas of social experience that the brain treats as survival issues. SCARF stands for Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness. Keeping this model in mind can help you maintain control if you realize that an emotional response is natural when you are challenged in these areas.

What could have been better

Many of the conversations, descriptions and internal dialogues are difficult to read. They are not difficult conversations, but I cringed at some of the lines. I really don’t care how mindful I’m being, I will never think that I feel brain chemicals changing. I may feel my mood improving, but I will not think about chemical changes.

One part that really struck me was an example of hailing a cab. Without using the techniques the author describes you failing miserably! By using his techniques the world is suddenly filled with sunshine, butterflies and unicorns! Or at least you get the cab you desperately need to get to the airport to meet the client. I understand that it’s easier to illustrate examples with extremes, but at least for me, I simply don’t look at life in extremes and this makes many of the examples a little tough to pay attention to.

I strongly dislike the way the author references many facts throughout the book with no support cited. I really dislike that there are no footnotes/references within the text of book. The references at the end do line up reasonably well with the text, but it’s easier to verify that the claim is supported by the reference if you can tell exactly what claim is supported by what reference. I strongly suspect that many of the references have been over-generalized.

Final Comment

The book is worth a read for the techniques it describes to help you focus. It doesn’t need to move to the top of your reading list.

Image courtesy Kieran Lynam @flickr and re-used with permission

The Perils of Groupthink

Michael Hides — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:35:20 +0000

The back page of The Times on 17th January carried the headline “Games cash ‘frittered’ on £22m cost of legacy survey”. The story goes on to outline the history of the Active People Survey and comments that this is more money than has been invested in the two high profile sports of swimming and athletics.

Launched in 2005, the survey was designed to support the legacy aims of the 2012 bid in promoting increased participation. However, a growing chorus are suggesting that the survey is not meeting the expectations of the stakeholders.

Who will speak up when ideas seem to be getting rubber stamped?

I am not in a position to question the efficacy or suitability of the survey but it did raise the question of Groupthink.

“Groupthink, a term coined by social psychologist Irving Janis (1972), occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of ‘mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment.’ Groups affected by groupthink ignore alternatives and tend to take irrational actions that dehumanize other groups. A group is especially vulnerable to groupthink when its members are similar in background, when the group is insulated from outside opinions, and when there are no clear rules for decision making”.

Taking a project management perspective on the Active People Survey it has to be questioned as to the business case for the project. On the plus side it is not a failing project like so many we see coming from government, but equally does this represent value for money. I am sure that the same amount invested into grass roots activities with a requirement for impact assessment could have yielded a similar survey result and potentially greater impact.

The question becomes as to how much Groupthink has influenced the decision making process. Our culture possibly contributes to this as we tend to question projects that are closed down. But if we are using project management frameworks effectively then deciding a project is not reflecting the business case should be an acceptable alternative.

This leads to two possible conclusions. The first is that we should always be wary of Groupthink. This can be avoided by the use of independent auditors who are prepared and equipped to stand back and look objectively at the decision making process. This could be part of the PMO function, but again: does this reflect true independence?

The second is a change in our culture. We, at Arras, have asked project management job candidates before about their failures. Not to identify a potential weakness but rather to see what has been learnt by the experience. Perhaps if our business culture was more accepting of wrong decisions then perhaps we would find project boards that we were willing to stop (or perhaps not even start) projects that are not in the best interest of stakeholders.

Image courtesy of Ollie Craaford @ Flickr and re-used with permission.

My First Management of Value Webinar

David Roberts — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:35:19 +0000

Did you tune into the MoV (Management of Value) webinar I presented last Wednesday? Like all first times, it was a fascinating experience, so I thought I would share a few of my thoughts.

I presented a rapid introduction to MoV, about 30 minutes for the voice over accompanied by 10 minutes for questions and answers. Firstly, it was certainly a lot to try to cover in the time. Some viewers thought I tried to cover too much too quickly, whilst others really valued getting an overview of MoV and how to apply it. Interestingly other participants thought the webinar should have been longer, with more time for questions. My take away is that it just shows how there are many differing requirements, and satisfying them all means a balance has to be struck in the delivered session, just as for stakeholder groups in MoV studies! I can only hope participants will encourage others to take a look at MoV, with a view to enhancing their projects, programmes or portfolios, and BAU (Business as Usual). Although the time allocated for questions was limited, I’ve answered all the questions in writing after the webinar and these are now available here.

The webinar format is unusual for me as there is no feedback while presenting. I am used to live audiences and teleconferences. These enable people to interject, show interest and you pick up the reactions in one way or another. Webinars are not like that, you just keep speaking. I imagine broadcasters are excellent in this situation!

: To those who’ve already taken part: Thank you! But to those who haven’t: The 2012 Programme and Project Management Census still awaits your input and influence. Click the image and take the Census today!

From my vantage point, this led to knowingly starting and ending the voice over, whilst awaiting the upload for the next slide, with my delivery suffering from quite a few more ‘ums and ahs’ than normal, but it did ensure that I made all the key points planned, without being distracted. I would like to thank Arras People for the benchmark project failure issues I have matched against MoV principles.

: This blog post is presented by CUPE Projects, a proud member of the Arras People Project Management Training Directory. Click to learn more.

What would I do it differently next time? The common lessons learned approach. Ideally, I will be looking at different software which allows more interaction during the webinar, without descending into chaos! Future webinars could cover key aspects of MoV in more detail, and would possibly benefit from story-boarding. Like many things, practise makes perfect, so I plan to complete a few more sessions later this year, as others start to use this new best practice.

Do you want to know more about MoV? Contact the team at CUPE on 01202 555711.

We also have a course running in London starting 30th January. If you want to join, check out this special offer.

Latest Update on Apprenticeships and Project Management

Lindsay Scott — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:15:21 +0000

Back in September 2011 we looked at the apprenticeship programme that had been put together by BAe Systems which showed how they were managing their project management talent pipeline for the future by creating programmes for school leavers to become their next generation project professionals. A vast amount of effort and investment had been used to provide a programme that lasts for five years – a combination of on-the-job training and academic study – in other words a modern apprenticeship. One of the main drivers for BAe was that they knew they would have problems resourcing projects in the future if they didn’t focus on growing their own talent. Take a look at the interview with the lead Project Manager for the scheme.

Now with the unemployment levels affecting the younger generation there is news from the Association for Project Management that could mean other organisations could take BAe’s lead with some assistance from a new Higher Apprenticeship in Project Management. The APM along with apprenticeship issuing authority CfA have recently won funding to develop the Higher Apprenticeship which should lead to 775 individuals having the opportunity to gain project management training and skills by 2016. The Apprenticeships are aimed at 16 year olds+ who are not in education and are paid a reduced wage whilst completing the apprenticeships (length varies depending on the apprenticeship undertaken)

To put the Higher Apprenticeship into context, the Apprenticeship website shows the three levels of apprenticeship available for roles within the IT sector:

Job Roles

Intermediate Level Apprenticeship

Support Technician
Website Administrator
Helpdesk Professional
Field Operations (Line installer & repairer)

Advanced Level Apprenticeship

Software/ Web Developer
Desktop Support Engineer
Network Planner
Database Administrator
Network Engineer
Software Tester

Higher Apprenticeship

IT Project Manager
Analyst Developer
IT Service Manager
IT Security Analyst
Network/Telecoms Manager

The Higher Apprenticeship has entry requirements of A Levels, previous works experience or progression from the intermediate or advanced apprenticeships.

APM will develop a new qualification at minimum level 4 in the QCF which will be a fundamental element to the apprenticeship framework being developed by APM and CfA, and which will be delivered over a number of years in conjunction with employers including BT, Thales, Babcock International Group and Cheltenham Borough Council.

Looking at the current framework for Level 4 IT apprenticeships, apprentices must receive 1010 hours of training (700 on-the-job training and 310 off-the-job). Training includes specific modules picked by employers whilst on the job and external instructor led courses for off-the-job.

Modern apprenticeships take us one more step closer to project management becoming a career of choice and more importantly gets young blood into the profession when and where we need it the most. We look forward to seeing which employers take the initiative and see the potential of apprenticeships.

Image: By jimd2007 A bizarre photo choice I know but Mort from Discworld is my favourite Apprentice, read it if you haven’t already, he’s an apprentice to Death himself

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Project Challenge Spring Show 2012

Dan Strayer — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 14:00:51 +0000

Visitors to the annual Project Challenge event will gain real practical value and a very worthwhile learning experience. The Spring Show for 2012 switches locations from the normal schedule in recent years: the Olympia, London, will play host to the March event this year, a site normally reserved last year for the Fall event.

At the Project Challenge Spring Show there will be four designated presentation zones. Each zone is open within the exhibition hall and is designed to facilitate easy and uncomplicated access. Delegates are able to simply take a seat at their chosen sessions and, in the event of all seats being occupied, there will be adequate standing room at the perimeters so nobody misses out.

Check out the Project Challenge Spring Show 2012 this March at the Olympia, London

The four zones are designated as follows:

Case Studies and Expertise Zone, where delegates will hear speakers sharing valuable insights into their operational experiences.
Masterclass Zone will provide a valuable learning experience on a range topics which will benefit your operational effectiveness.
Solutions and Software Zone, which provides you the opportunity to get up to date with the latest products and initiatives.
The Planning Planet Zone, which will provide valuable insights for those working in the Planning, Controls, Scheduling areas.

There will be around 40 separate presentations to choose from over the two days of the show. This combined with the opportunity to get right up to date with what is available in the marketplace through face to face meetings with an impressive line up of exhibitors, will provide all who attend with a very valuable experience.

Entrance to the show and the presentations offered are free of charge. We will provide regular updates on the various sessions in the weeks ahead and detailed below are four of the sessions offered. Please tell your colleagues about Project Challenge and we look forward to welcoming you at the show.

When: 21st March 09:30-17.00; 22nd March 09:30-16.15
Where: Olympia, London
Price: FREE
More Information: Project Challenge Website

Olympic Performance for Project Managers

Steve Trippier — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:30:44 +0000

Last week, I saw the latest APM members evening for the North Yorkshire and Humber Branch. The event took place in the very impressive surroundings of the Skylounge at the Mint Hotel, which afforded superb views over Leeds city centre. The evening, entitled “Olympic Performance for Project Managers” was one that, certainly at face value, promised to be very interesting.

The core of the evening was to be a presentation by Martin Fox, a Project Management consultant with over 25 years experience in the field. Martin is also a registered Master Mind Factor coach, this is a coaching technique primarily used in the sporting world, particularly with the golfing fraternity but with a crossover to business, an area that has been developed with organisations such as Volvo, Red Bull, and Lloyd’s Banking Group.

The premise of the presentation was that there were definite parallels to be drawn between the sporting arena and the business world and because of those parallels the basics of the Mind Factor techniques were ultimately transferable between the two. The talk itself was certainly interesting and any keen amateur golfers in the audience would potentially have gone away with some useful tips on how to improve their handicap. However my feeling was that the seasoned project managers in the audience maybe found some of the concepts a little difficult to accept in relation to their everyday roles. One element in particular did generate quite a healthy discussion at the end Martin’s presentation. The topic of goal setting (or not, as the technique appeared to advocate) definitely brought about quite a bit of audience participation! The technique appeared to say that setting long term goals was counter-productive and as having a long-term goal is pretty much a pre-requisite for a Project Manager, the debate was almost inevitable.

: Lest we miss a chance to promote it further, don’t forget to make your voice heard (if you’ve not done so already). Click the image and take the 2012 Programme and Project Management Census

Although any comparisons or crossovers into Project Management were a little dubious, as with most presentations there were a couple of nuggets in there, if you were prepared to dig deep to find them. In general, though, I thought the links to Project Management, and the day-to-day application of the techniques were a little tenuous at best. Maybe this feeling was exacerbated by the style of presentation and the numerous references to golf (particularly Tiger Woods in his heyday) rather than it being specifically tailored to business or Project Management.

Having said that, sometimes it is presentations like this that are less obvious, even contentious, generate discussion and do make the recipient think laterally about the possible applications, that are the ones that ultimately prove more useful.

As always the event was very well attended and provided an ideal opportunity for networking, and discussion of the Mind Factor concepts once the presentation had concluded.

Project Management As Business?

Pawel Brodzinski — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:00:13 +0000

When looking back at the year 2011 it is natural to base on our past predictions, especially considering I made a bunch of them. Reading my guesses for the last year I’d say that I was right in terms of general trends, although here and there I underestimated the strength of the change.

Year 2011

I’m especially happy with my past views on the project management landscape, which I believe stands against the challenge of time. You may say this part was actually easy to predict as, in general, we don’t see any rapid changes around. And as long as you pay attention to what is happening around you, you will be at least a bit familiar with the next big thing, whatever it happens to be.

On the formal side of the project management scene, there isn’t another three-letter abbreviation, besides PMP, which people would like to add after their names. In agile parts of the world Scrum is effectively a brand, meaning that different courses for Certified Scrum Whatevers are a great business. Does it mean our situation in our projects is any better? No, not really. On average, we still suck in building great software.

One thing I definitely underestimated is how fast Kanban adoption would grow. This is somewhat surprising, since you can officially consider me biased in this area, as I’m one of Kanban loudmouths. Anyway, it’s still an interesting thing to observe, as I believe we can notice some recurring patterns which have happened, are happening and will happen again. More on this in my predictions for this year.

Year 2012

I could probably just rewrite my predictions from the last year and I wouldn’t be fundamentally wrong on any single thing. I don’t feel knowledgeable enough to predict how the global and local economy will be changing next year, except that it’s probably going to be worse than it is. Some time ago I was talking with a CEO and asked him how he feels about year 2012. As he was very optimistic, I asked him how he’d felt about year 2009 at the end of 2008. It appeared he’d been very optimistic as well. And then recession had come and rendered all plans utterly useless. IT is still way healthier than the majority of industries, so I would say that there’s no need to worry much. We will see it coming, when it’s coming. And whatever is coming.

Methods

Despite the market situation, broad understanding of project quality will definitely make a difference. And there we come to one of patterns I mentioned earlier. When I look at Kanban adoption in the world I see big differences depending on geography. There are parts of Europe which are leading the pack, but there are also those which are virtually black holes. By the way, the US is, as usual, in the better group. Now, if you looked at agile adoption five, six or seven years ago, the map would look similar!

What does it mean in terms of the next year? Well, when it comes to organizational maturity, those who already fight an uphill battle with improving their methods would continue to do so, while parts of the world which are more open to adopting new methods will slowly but systematically increase the quality gap. In the time span of 12 months, there won’t be that much of a difference, but if nothing changes in the long run some countries can repeat India’s way. Off-shoring isn’t that trendy anymore, even though this market is still enormous in India.

There is good news as well. It doesn’t mean that a single organization can’t do great, even if they are on the wrong side of the fence. They definitely can. What more it’s usually easier to shine as the background is going to be, well, less competitive.

One conclusion to remember: if you look at qualities of candidates for your employees, consider urge to learn as one of crucial ones.

Project Management as Business

For me this is sort of a sad observation, but whichever method hits the mainstream is aggressively monetized. It was by design with PMP. It happened with Scrum. It will happen with Kanban as well, even though Kanban can’t be called a project management method. I would say that it won’t happen in 2012, but you can’t stave it off much longer.

Unfortunately the more monetisation there is in any given method, the less value different certificates have. Yet still, on a wide market there will be plenty companies that value such certificates highly, or even require them. This trend will be even stronger this year than it was the last one.

It’s up to everyone to decide whether they want to pursue certification or rather focus on building their skills. Both can land us in well-paid jobs.

Success rate

It won’t change. I should probably finish with these few words, but I’ll add an explanation. When it comes to big scale, whole markets, success rates won’t change. I believe that whatever the next CHAOS report shows, it will be similar to results from previous editions. However, success rate can change dramatically when it comes to a single organisation. Better methods, more learning and awareness can all be game-changers.

The sad part of the message is that I don’t expect it to be commonly seen. It will be a difference between more and less mature companies; a difference between more and less mature markets. But it will all drown in the big scale, overwhelmed by multiple organisations that deal with projects like we were still in early 1990s.

Summary

If you want the short version of these predictions there will more of doing the same things we did last year. For the better or for the worse.

As project managers are we clear on what we need to do?

David Roberts — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:30:02 +0000

Would you like to contribute to the subject of standards in project management? UK-based programme and project management practitioners have the opportunity to make their voice heard in the latest round of the competence standards assessment from the ECITB. The Project Management National Occupational Standards (PM NOS) “describe the competences required in the occupational area of project management. They do this by specifying the performance an individual must achieve, together with the relevant knowledge and understanding the individual must have.”

: Through the surveys offered by both Arras People and the ECITB/APM collaboration, you can paint a more accurate picture of the project management marketplace.

The standards are currently being reviewed and current practitioners in project management are invited to take part in the review and share their thoughts and opinions. Take a look at the comprehensive review here.

: This blog post is presented by CUPE Projects, a proud member of the Arras People Project Management Training Directory. Click to learn more.

The ECITB is working with the Association for Project Management (APM) which already has its own competency framework yet the PM NOS takes a wider cross sector view of project management and aims to make sure these fit for purpose standards reflect what professional project managers and individuals undertaking project management really need to know and be able to do. The PM NOS also includes other project management groups like the APMG and PMI as part of the steering committee which is great news for a potentially joined up approach to developing standards in project management.

The comprehensive review is comprised of the key documentation in the competence standards – you are expected to review the documentation and provide comment. This is a thorough review and would require that you set time aside to take part. The reward for your efforts? An opportunity to make your own voice heard in the development of the project management profession plus some very useful competency assessment documentation which should prove useful in your own development.

>> Take a look at the comprehensive review here (closing date 25th January)

Click the image to take the 2012 Programme and Project Management Census

BTW if you have already completed the 2012 Arras Benchmark survey we thank you for your views. Here at CUPE we are really looking forward to seeing what’s ahead this year.

PPM Census Snapshot – Has LinkedIn broken the trust?

John Thorpe — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:45:24 +0000

In this year’s Programme and Project Management Census, Arras People have been asking respondents about their usage of LinkedIn in order to ascertain where it fits with today’s PPM professional. These questions seem even more current in view of the recent reports where the use of LinkedIn and social media was raised at an industrial tribunal considering a case of constructive dismissal.

So far, an amazing 92.34% of our UK-based respondents who identified themselves as programme and project management practitioners confirmed that they currently have a LinkedIn account. So what is the attraction?

According to their web site; “LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 120 million members and growing rapidly. LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals.”

For many professionals LinkedIn has provided a way of keeping in touch with ex-colleagues, networking with like-minded contacts whose path they have crossed along their professional journey and sharing interests through groups; all this being done in a closed “trusted” way where the linkages were controlled by the individual. In addition, for those who were interested the site also carried job opportunities where hiring organisations paid to advertise their latest roles. In fact, all the services the current sign in page mentions when you visit the web site.

However, during the course of 2011 LinkedIn made a significant change by positioning itself as a “corporate recruiting solution”, selling access to the system and all the user-data contained within. The flip side advertises to corporates and staffing agencies the value of gaining access to all names and profiles across all of LinkedIn, a point not mentioned when they access the site.

Based on this, we were interested to see if respondents felt this change breaks the “trusted” elements of the service. Is it obvious and transparent to those signing up for a networking portal that their details are subsequently being sold on? Is LinkedIn as just another recruitment portal? And as such, will employers and professionals come to view it in a very different light?

As can be seen in the graph above, 17% of our respondents were unaware that this change had been made. A further 12% disagreed with the selling of access to their details and 10% expressed some discomfort with the change. On the plus side for LinkedIn, 17% of respondents were comfortable with the changes and 28% (38% of those unemployed) though it was great news if it gives them more job opportunities!

We then asked our respondents if they had been approached through LinkedIn with an opportunity in the last 12 months.

As we can see in the graph above, contractors appear to have the highest approach rate (62%), followed by Employees (54%). Interestingly the group with the lowest approach rate was the unemployed (just 34%). Does this reinforce the adage that it is easier to find a new job if you have a job? Or is there a deeper reason for this?

We then asked those respondents who had been approached with an opportunity to identify the source of their approach.

As the graph above shows, for both the unemployed and active practitioners, “a recruiter” was the top response, averaging at 68.5%. Approaches through respondents’ networks appear to work better for active practitioners (employees & contractors) at 18%, compared to 7% for those unemployed. Finally, approaches through a group at 15% for those unemployed appears substantially better than 9% for actively engaged practitioners which may well be a function of how LinkedIn is used by practitioners.

Of course it is worth remembering that recruitment practice has changed over the last few years with many organisations managing much more of their recruitment in-house. So “A Recruiter” may well be an internal recruiter (corporate) rather than just being the dreaded recruitment consultant (Staffing Agency).

From the data gathered so far, it would appear that for many PPM practitioners the “trusted” element of the LinkedIn proposition has been broken. This leaves me to ask if the “Get the most from your professional network” tag line is still valid or should the service be repositioned? In fact I would go so far as to ask if LinkedIn is really any different from other recruitment web sites such as Monster and Job Serve and, as a consequence, will users and employers start viewing it as such?

The PPM Census is still open and we are still looking for your support. If you have not already done so, please take some time to participate by completing the Programme and Project Management Census which allows you to share your views on the PPM Domain. All responses will be collated and presented in the 2012 Project Management Benchmark Report, which will be available in February.

Tipoffs Due Out Next Week – Predictions

Dan Strayer — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:00:51 +0000

Prediction? PAIN.

As the economic picture goes worldwide, doom and gloom are back for another go ’round, offering a Clubber Lang to Rocky Balboa’s hope and optimism. Or so it would seem in Metaphor World.

But what about project management? Is our lot a recession-proof endeavour? We’ve asked that before, and other Benchmark Reports in the woes of previous years suggested even we had a storm to weather.

If the double-dip is truly on the way and you’ve got to get a handle on what it means to you and your co-horts in PPM, Arras People are offering you two options to tackle it all this month:

Take the 2012 Programme and Project Management Census, and give volume to your voice and truth to your views.

Take (if you’ve not done so already) the 2012 Arras People Programme and Project Management Census, and make your voice heard on the trends in our industry, ranging from remuneration and benefits to job prospects and hiring possibilities to the nature of modern PPM certifications and their worth. The resulting Benchmark Report from the data collected in the Census is a regular hit within the entire PPM domain, but it’s only strong when its practitioners give voice to their experiences.
Subscribe (if you’ve not done so before) to Project Management Tipoffs, and have this month’s “Project Management Job Market Predictions” issue delivered right to your inbox next Thursday morning.

As Tipoffs did for 2011, this issue continues our recent trend of offering predictions and guestimates for the year ahead, and what we can expect in the programme and project management domain. We’ve turned to a few of last year’s contributors – Pawel Brodzinski, Ron Rosenhead and Todd Williams – to review how last year’s picks went (hint: they’re somewhat pleased with themselves ) and offering a fresh batch of 2012 prognostications.

Our newest contributor on the prognosticator front is Kate Nelson of Change Guides, LLC, who tackles how we can effectively align our organisational change capabilities with our project management capabilities. It’s well-worth a look!

Our book reviewer this month is Ken Burrell, PMP, who gives us his take on the latest from Peter Taylor, “Leading Sucessful PMOs“, a book that’s generating a great amount of buzz.

And in a nice new, wrinkle, we’ve trolled the social media forums to get predictions from many other project management practitioners and those close to the industry. Forecasts came in from discussion boards on LinkedIn and on Twitter as well. You might find some interesting insight there that you yourself can take with you.

But it’s all for naught if you haven’t subscribed – so do so today!

The Resolution: Maximise the Twitter Experience

Dan Strayer — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:30:09 +0000

Twitter, as pointed out very well by Gurprriet Siingh-Joy on Twitter Tuesday morning (start with this one and work your way up), is democratic (his words) and Darwinian (mine). In fact, MySpace executives will tell you that social media can be unforgivingly Darwinian sometimes.

So it is with the Twitter account that screams out “Unfollow me!” If you’re a project manager and you use Twitter primarily on a professional basis, you’ll no doubt be following accounts that regularly bring the goods. And you’ll undoubtedly have come across the accounts that tell you everything you need to know that’s worth saying goodbye to: some timelines might seem too salesy; some offer little that’s relevant for enlightening and informing; others are simply a window to the tallest brick wall you’d never want to look at anyway.

You don't have to follow everyone that follows you on Twitter. But it's far less advisable to not follow anyone at all!

Two years ago, I came to a realisation about common courtesy on the Twittersphere, which held that if you were going to truly engage in this medium, you had to at least follow a few people yourself and, you know, make the effort to engage the medium evident & visible. Erika Flora had a wonderful post about this at her Beyond Project Management blog in July 2010 (a post that earned my support then). To paraphrase, she was turned off by account of an author/consultant who could have brought something usable to the table, but found it unnecessary to follow even one other account on Twitter.

Now, I don’t mind a bit of democratic narrowing down of social media that’s a waste of your eyes, but I’d be a fool to think there is no one in the Twittersphere worthy of your monitor. Who goes on there to spew and not pick things up as they go? While a list of people you follow is not in itself indicative of how well you’re trolling Twitter, it seems bizarre to think that following nobody isn’t by design, and therefore a commitment to truly engage the medium at arm’s length; a model puckering their lips on the runway, not the least bit concerned with what clothes you’re wearing.

The values of Twitter are not a runway. They are a marketplace, worthy of a good browse.

I mention all of this because I’ve come to decide on my New Year’s Resolution, which centres on how I run my Twitter account. And it is one influenced heavily by comics.

Yep: comics. In fairness to myself, your average standup is more sage-like than we’ve ever been willing to give them credit for. I’m reminded of this when I’ve heard a routine that hits so close to home and expresses an idea so clearly and simply, you’re left to wonder how much they can fall back on the “it’s just a joke, people” defense. Whilst I always remember that their intention is to make me laugh, one could surely say that I go for the cmoics that will also makes me think. The late Bill Hicks or George Carlin, for instance: from today, the likes of Bill Bailey, Omid Djalili, Dave Gorman, Demetri Martin, Dave Chappelle, or Patton Oswalt.

I mention Oswalt in particular because he was magnificent in The B.S. Report podcast I listened to last year that touched briefly on the art of good Tweeting. Though he was talking in terms of how good Twitter has been for comics, the principles of what he said can stay with the professional Tweeter, especially those who hang out at the project management hashtags:

OSWALT: “I don’t use it that much to promote things. I’ll wait, because there’s some people whose Twitter feeds (where) all they’re doing is promoting things, and after awhile you (go) ‘unfollow’, cause this is boring. Or all they do is respond to people out of context. My whole thing is: Earn your promotion. Entertain people for awhile, so then the times you go, ‘Hey, I got this show coming up’, they’ll (the customers) go, ‘Hey, that guy, 90% of his Tweets are a funny joke, I can (check that show out)’. Or they know that after that promotion, something funny will come soon.”

All parentheses courtesy of author

Brilliant and considered. If you tailor those thoughts into your intentions for your project management-focused account, you’ve got a nice little equation that’ll get some solid interactions and Maximise the Twitter Account’s True Potential:

MAXIMISING THE TWITTER EXPERIENCE =
Giving it Up For the Fellow Man When They’ve Got Something Your Followers Can Use (retweeting) +
Earning the Right to Promote by Regularly Giving Followers Something They Can Use (advice, experiences, a link to a relevant discussion, etc.)

I’ve asked myself three questions as the calendar spelled out 2012 in relation to the two professional Twitter accounts I maintain on behalf of Arras People (PM_StrayDogg and PM_Tipoffs):

Am I giving the followers what they want?
Am I being considerate and offering their valued time on Twitter true value?
Am I eliminating the kind of actions that would be an open invitation for the dreaded “unfollow”?

Subsequently, this will become my mantra for 2012: These two accounts will epitomise a great experience for the user whilst they choose to check me out. Although I’ve been relatively good about some of the qualities we’ve talked about here, I view this resolution as a chance to re-think it to give you the best quality in the limited time you’ve got to spend: considered and thoughtful, relevant and necessary.

By the way: I checked the account that drew Erika’s ire two years ago to see if things had changed. I saw good things that follow the principles discussed above: it gave followers free advice they could go forth with and impart into their working lives. The hashtag usage was fairly quiet. It, in principle, seemed strong on the advice tweets, to the point that I wondered if he should scale back. But I could not locate a single re-tweet when I followed the timeline back to the beginning of September.

And I still saw that huge nought above the “Following” category.

To give you and idea of how puzzling this was for me, I went to the “Similar to @…” section, searching for whether this was even a common practise on Twitter for people of this account’s ilk. The numbers suggested, “Not even close.” I clicked View all, and now offer the Following & Followers statistics of the accounts similar to the one in question (and I will maintain their anonymity as I’ve maintained his):

User #	Following	Followers
1	1,790	1,938
2	1,854	2,096
3	98	468
4	14,259	13,898
5	1,572	2,148
6	1,014	2,471
7	35,247	37,423
8	13,864	42,015
9	976	3,053

Some of these people really use Twitter, and even if their Follower/Following Ratio is extreme to one side:

They do have a ratio (which our unfortunate No followers example cannot claim)
Some are so keen to pick up information from elsewhere, they probably don’t mind following more accounts than they themselves are followed
None of them have even 5x as many followers as people they follow

Clearly, there’s an ethical practise that has been weeded out here. As life teaches us, rules can be bent for extenuating circumstances and no one’s the worse. So it is with Twitter: while its not advisable to return in kind the follow of someone else, following no one is the extreme of such behaviour, and to your Twitter account’s ultimate detriment.

T-shirt image and “i use twitter wrong” wording courtesy topgold @ Flickr and re-used with permission.

A decade of project management

Lindsay Scott — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:45:16 +0000

Whoop! Arras People is a decade old this year and time seems to have flown by. The UK project management industry has changed quite a bit over that decade but there’s always room for further improvements and developments and we hope we can be part of that over the next ten years too.

So 2012, we’re ten years old and what a great year to be celebrating ten years in the business in the UK. We’ve got some positives to look forward to in project management this year as the countdown to the Olympics starts and all the hard work pays off for that mammoth project. It’ll be interesting to see what other project management activities are kicked off as we get closer to the events in the summer.

In March, Crossrail, Europe’s biggest construction project kicks off with tunnelling – 21km from Heathrow to Abbey Wood via Central London. It promises to be a complex programme of work with several delivery partners involved and its an opportunity to show the rest of the world that the UK’s project management capability can deal with projects of this calibre.

A decade feels very young compared to someone else celebrating in 2012. The Queen celebrates 60 years of reign in the early summer and all eyes will be on the celebrations. The Queen’s own project managers (Buckingham Palace are managing a programme of events) will be responsible for co-ordinating over 1300 resources in the Diamond Jubilee Pageant and how about managing 30,000 on a flotilla in the Thames Pageant

A project we’ve seen taking shape in the London skyline completes in May 2012. The Shard will be the tallest building in the EU and 45th-tallest building in the world, standing at 310 m (1,017 ft) tall. The amazing thing about this particular project was the tiny site space they had to work with in this part of London.

Let’s hope the positive project management activity focused in the capital this year goes without a hitch and also that it starts to spread to other regions within the UK too.

Welcome to 2012 – the year of brit projects!

Q&A: How a Contractor Should Give Notice

Steve Trippier — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:30:00 +0000

“As contractors, you move a lot & this economy takes time. What if you have an opportunity, but the current one isn’t over for a month?” – Robert Kelly via Twitter

Steve Trippier of Arras People says: Well Robert, this is probably a dilemma faced by most contractors at some point in their career, maybe even more so in the current economic climate when roles aren’t quite as plentiful as they maybe were a few years ago.

I think there are probably a number of factors to consider when making a decision of this nature, maybe not all of which can be considered independently.

First thing I would say is that if the assignment only has a month to go, then I imagine you are potentially at one of two stages i.e. the project is 95% complete and all that is required is overseeing of the final stages with no major input required in which case a quick conversation and re-allocation of the remaining tasks would probably secure an early release with no impact to either party.

However, I imagine that such a situation would not generate the question in the first place and the more likely scenario is that the project has reached a critical stage where your input, experience and guidance is required to see the project through to a successful completion. If this is the scenario that has generated the question then I would suggest that some serious thought is given to any decision to leave the project early…

EDITOR’S NOTES: This is the beginning of December’s Project Management Tipoffs article by Steve Trippier, reviewing the right way for a project management contractor to handle giving notice in tough scheduling situations. To learn more, read the article in full, and be sure to subscribe to the Tipoffs newsletter so that you’ll get a free copy on your desk on the third Thursday of each month.

Take part today in the 2012 Programme and Project Management Census today. Let your voice be heard!

And finally…

Take note, Camel readers: In the January issue of Tipoffs, we will look back at predictions that were made for 2011, forecast what lies ahead in 2012, and talk about an idyllic world for the project management practition. You can expect to hear from the notable likes of Todd C. Williams, Ron Rosenhead and Pawel Bordzinski this month, and we’d also enjoy hearing from you. Have you got something to say about how you’d like to see project management improved in 2012? Go to our LinkedIn discussion on the matter, email Dan Strayer or write me on Twitter.

Is 2012 the year to maximize the value your Projects deliver?

David Roberts — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:00:02 +0000

2012 will see the newly-launched MoV (Management of Value) Practitioner course. In the current economic climate there has never been a better time to learn MoV. MoV supplements the main principles of PRINCE2, MSP and M_o_R. Management of Value (MoV) has evolved from successful practice of Value Management across many sectors.

David Roberts of CUPE Projects, a frequent How to Manage a Camel contributor (please see his other posts for HTMAC: ‘MoV the new Buzzword in Project Management‘ and ‘5 tips for Managing Your Project Team‘) will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday the 18^th January 14:00 GMT.

This blog post is presented by CUPE Projects, a proud member of the Arras People Project Management Training Directory. Click to learn more.

MoV (Management of Value) is a relatively new addition to the Cabinet Office’s Best Practice portfolio. You will gain an understanding on how this new guidance can benefit you and your organization. You will learn about maximizing value across various delivery activities. This webinar describes: ‘What is Value, the Principles and Processes, Benefits and Managing the Stakeholders. Sign up now.

EDITOR’S NOTE: David Roberts represents CUPE Projects, a valued member of the Arras People Project Management Training Directory and frequent contributor to How to Manage a Camel. For more information on how CUPE can assist you with your training needs, visit the CUPE Projects profile in the Training Directory.

New Year – Fresh Outlook!

Nicola Caswell-Thorp — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:14:52 +0000

Happy New Year!

As we settle back into the office after the festive holidays and into a new financial year, for many in the private sector we are seeing a turn in confidence. Running up to Christmas we experienced a dip in confidence for existing and new clients recruiting their project teams – not surprising with the economic news in the media and their bleak reports of a looming recession (again). Moving forward, as the new budgets are being agreed, the growing confidence is evident in the number of new enquiries we are experiencing. The difference in the enquiries moving forward on the whole tends to be clients requiring additional assistance in determining what resources they require and whether their “wish list” is asking too much.

Click the image to take the 2012 Programme and Project Management Benchmark Census today. Let your voice be heard by programme and project managers worldwide!

At Arras People, we are happy to assist in a consultative basis with all clients to ensure you receive the best advice and actually the right people for your projects. As seasoned practitioners in the field of PPM, we can offer technical advice and all offer specialist areas such as PMO, programme management, project management, portfolio management, etc., to ensure you are dealing with a consultant who actually knows what you are talking about and are not afraid to ask questions that get to the “nuts and bolts” of it.

At Arras, we fully understand the need to be frugal with budgets – we have sat through the 2009 recession and through effective strategy have grown our team, not reduced it. We treat our assignments here as a portfolio of projects and aim to deliver as promised; we manage expectations and take an honest informed approach and cut out the sales spiel. We understand your time is precious and therefore from day one we collaboratively agree a plan of communication to least impede your busy schedule, but also ensures that you achieve the results you’re looking for.

In a time when candidates are being risk averse – choosing to stay in their current roles rather than take on new opportunities – we find our active networks are of particular use. As we work hard to ensure we are constantly meeting new talent, we also keep in touch with practitioners in many fields, building relationships and sharing PPM knowledge. These groups are invaluable to our resourcing tools: they ensure we can tap into markets untouched by the flurry of mass recruitment and can bring fresh talent to the table.

Our database also plays a big part in our recruitment success – candidates are invited to register their details with us and we ensure we keep it up to date with those who are still current and what their needs are moving forward. This is often another starting point for building up relationships, and by signing up for our newsletter, candidates can keep abreast of shows, exhibitions, presentations, etc., where they will often find at least one of the Arras team in attendance to assist in building that relationship.

Another area not to be overlooked is our 2012 Programme and Project Management Census – annually, we release a survey to the PPM domain, asking all involved with programme and project management to take part and offer their opinions. The resulting data that leads to our annual Programme and Project Management Benchmark Report is invaluable to ensure we can provide you with the most up-to-date insider information on a number of areas within the PPM domain. If you have already completed the survey – thank you for lending your voice, and well done. Can we further ask that your send it on to as many project people as possible to ensure we can give a fuller picture moving forward in 2012?

Presentation Skills for Programme and Project Managers

PM Oracles — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:45:28 +0000

We always appreciate a good presentation! There is a good deal of excellent material and advice on presentation skills available, and we are not trying to cover every aspect in this article.

In this article, we are working from the premise that there are two main goals of a presentation, regardless of the situation or topic:

Providing information or education about a product, service, opportunity, project, or something else.
Attempting to influence the audience in some way (e.g. to make a decision about a topic, to purchase a product or service, etc.).

A presentation can take a passive or an active form:

Passive means it is not “directly” in front of you – for example, you read something in the newspaper or on a website, you listen to a debate on the radio, or you watch a program on television. You are reading and/or listening or watching but you are not directly engaged one-on-one with, or in the presence of, the presenter. You can choose to switch off (or change channels on) your television, radio, or PC or stop reading an author’s argument at any time without any “pressure” to provide a reason why. Passive presentations need to quickly attract your attention and interest, and to maintain it so that, at some point, you see, hear or read enough to react to the message – for example, by deciding to purchase a product or making a decision to sign up for something mentioned in the presentation. Different presentations can take different forms. For example, many commercially orientated presentations that focus on materialistic goods often try to be entertaining and witty or amusing. The American Football Super Bowl commercials have a long-established reputation for this; the same is arguably true of commercials screened at any major sporting event around the world that attracts a large audience of viewers. (For example, the Rugby World Cup has humorous advertisements sprinkled between the games and at breaks such as half-time)
Active means you see the presenter live, either in a room or auditorium or perhaps through a virtual connection in a “direct” way (as opposed to, say, joining an anonymous podcast). During such presentations, it is not easy to leave inconspicuously without being perceived as rude, so you have to listen to and/or watch the presentation. Most likely, you will need to make a decision, express an opinion, or make a change based upon the presentation conclusion that is postulated by the presenter.

So, let’s focus now on you as the presenter. Regardless of your situation and audience, you will be challenged with effectively presenting information that ensures the clarity of your points, ensuring that your audience understands your message, and seeking a response from them that will achieve your goal. In a “passive” presentation, you strive to have your audience consume the presentation (whether reading, watching or listening) and come away with the intended result (for example, to be informed about your project). In an “active” presentation, your audience will be judging your presentation skills, your speaking capabilities and your ‘performance’. Although you can’t coerce people’s thoughts or opinions, there are certain skills necessary for effective presentations that we hope will provide you with some confidence in your presentation delivery and your ability to successfully convey your message. We are not professional speakers; however, we do have a reasonable amount of experience in presenting to different audiences and we would like to offer what we hope are some helpful tips that you can take on board.

Let’s look at these three areas:

You,
Your presentation, and
Where you will be presenting

All three factors can and will influence “the presentation experience” for your audience. Whether you are a “polished” and experienced speaker or you are a novice, here are some suggestions that can optimize your chances of a good outcome.

You

Review your material thoroughly – “know it” fluently and be confident as to how to deliver it.
Ensure you are dressed and groomed in the manner appropriate to the presentation.
When you speak, speak clearly; try speaking more slowly than usual, and keep to the point.
Use pauses between sentences – they can be effective.
Be animated and upbeat versus stoic and boring.
Consider moving around as you present; use your hands to create emphasis.
Use humour only if it is appropriate. (Remember that humour differs across the world, so pay attention to the cultures of the people in your audience.)
Practice and ‘time’ the presentation to be certain that it fits the schedule – don’t run out of time.
If a mistake is found in your presentation, acknowledge it and move smoothly on.
When you get a question from the audience, clarify the question and repeat it for the others.
If you don’t know the answer, say so.
Ask a colleague to take notes for you for tracking any questions and follow-up items.
Be culturally sensitive in your presentation – tailor it to the audience.

The Presentation

Explain to your audience at the start what you hope to achieve from your presentation.
Summarize up front and conclude at the end. (Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them.)
Make your main points up front and support them in the conclusion of the presentation.
Make your points in order of importance –descending order usually works well.
If you are using slides, be consistent in the information mapping and slide layout.
Keep the amount of text on slides to a minimum.
If you are using slides, do not turn away from your audience and read from them.
Spell check the presentation.
Although video can be appropriate, keep animation to a minimum.
Consider the use of simple “props” if they will help to make a point (e.g., to enhance visualisation).
Try to anticipate questions and include that information where applicable.
Use data (#,%, $) when you can and provide the reasons “why”.
If any information is confidential, make that clear.
Consider ways to encourage audience participation if appropriate – e.g., sprinkling questions and short “surveys” throughout your presentation that will give people the opportunity to express their opinions.
Don’t forget to ask for questions at the end.
If you are presenting external to your organization, obtain proper internal reviews prior to your presentation.

The Environment

Check the presentation venue (room, lecture theatre, etc.) ahead of time to ensure proper seating and that the speaker system and projector works. (If you cannot inspect it, ask for some photos.)
Arrive early and acknowledge people as they enter the room.
If you are using collaborative tools (e.g., websites or videos), have them ready early to ensure everything is working properly.
Have a back-up of any key information in an offline format, just in case you cannot access the online information when you need it (i.e., be prepared!).
Have copies of your presentation available or send them to attendees ahead of time, if appropriate.
If you can, have questions sent to you in advance so you can answer or even them include in the presentation backup.

To those more experienced presenters reading this article, most of these suggestions are nothing new, but to those newer presenters, we hope these tips can make a difference in your presentation.

In summary, whether you are experienced or not, presentations are always a challenge. You can never guarantee your audience’s reaction, but you can take some measures to ensure a more positive outcome to your presentation.

Merry Christmas from the Camel

Lindsay Scott — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:30:23 +0000

The Camel wants to wish all its readers a great Christmas holiday and best wishes for 2012

Now hit it Five Camel Band…..

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

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