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Making Focus Groups Work for You

February 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Screen Shot 2012-02-27 at 11.06.46 AM

If your PMO uses focus groups to gather information from end users, you’re not alone—these interactive teams have been a popular feedback vehicle for years. But are you (and your participants) getting the most out of the experience? We have some suggestions to keep your focus groups effective, efficient, and enthused.

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Have an agenda. Especially when discussing projects that are politically sensitive or have already gone through several iterations, it’s too easy for a well-intentioned conversation to devolve into a gab or gripe session. If appropriate, it might be helpful to provide users with the full list of questions or topics up front. This shows folks just how much you need to cover within the allotted time, and it also gives them the opportunity to gather and organize their thoughts before the session starts.

 

Follow up. Users will quickly tire of offering their time and energy if it looks like their input is going into a black hole. Even when project timelines are long enough to make short-term feedback out of the question, your team should still strive to give them regular updates. Consider letting users know that their suggestions influenced the recent purchase of a piece of equipment, or that their comments were taken into account when the latest revision was made to a still-in-development software application.

 

Thank them. You’ll find users much more willing to participate when they know their feedback is appreciated. Be sure to mention the involvement of focus groups when unveiling completed projects or sharing milestone progress updates with stakeholders. Depending on your organization’s culture and the type of project involved, listing focus group participants as project contributors might also be an option. Of course, remember to be mindful of any potential privacy concerns when thinking about identifying them individually to a wider audience.

PMAlliance uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project office development services.

Filed Under: PMO Development, Project Management Tips

LINsanity: How Jeremy Lin is Driving Project Management Success

February 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
LINsanity

Jeremy Lin, point guard for the New York Knicks, has taken the National Basketball Association, ESPN, and every social media outlet by storm. “LINsanity” has erupted to a level only rivaled by Tebowmania. From a relative unknown two weeks ago to the write-in All-Star weekend participant, MVP candidate, and leading jersey seller, Lin’s rise to superstardom has been a true phenomenon. The Harvard-educated point guard obtained a degree in economics, but we get a taste of Lin’s behind-the-scenes project management prowess by playing the hottest game on Twitter…name that LIN.

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The LINtegrated Project Plan

Youth league basketball standouts start getting recruited by colleges in middle school. Late bloomers might start receiving college scholarship interest as high school sophomores, definitely juniors, and absolutely as seniors. This was not the case with Jeremy Lin. Jeremy, though growing up a stone’s throw away from Stanford, received very little interest from Division I colleges and universities. Without any basketball scholarships, he knew that if his dream of playing in the NBA was going to be realized, he would need a plan. Lin developed and executed his personal project plan successfully, but not without his fair share of hiccups along the way. His NBA dream led him to a successful career at Harvard, and then on to becoming an undrafted free agent that signed with his hometown team, the Golden State Warriors. After unimpressive stops with two NBA teams, he found himself at the end of the New York Knicks bench. After being “demoted” to the minors, and with the Knicks in desperate need of a new approach, Lin got his big chance three weeks ago. He has since tallied more points in his first six NBA games than anyone in the league’s history. And what did Jeremy Lin show us from a project management perspective? That initiative starts with a plan, but success is achieved by executing it. Ensuring your plan is flexible enough to react to unplanned events, structured enough to drive continuous momentum, and cross-functionally LINtegrated will help deliver your project successfully!

 

A LINtense Control Process

After a few games, LINsanity was in full swing. The Knicks had rattled off a three-, then a four-, and then a five-game win streak. The team, previously fighting just to make the playoffs, was now looking re-energized. The media networks were buzzing with excitement. Even Madison Square Garden’s stock price experienced a sharp upward spike due to the sold out crowds. Jeremy Lin had single-handedly created a resurgence in Knicks basketball. Upon reviewing his game, it’s clear that his offensive skills are pure, his quickness is obvious, and his vision and awareness are superior. But the aspect of his talent that appears to be ahead of its time (especially for a guy who had struggled to find playing time) was his control of the game. The methods he uses to control the flow and pace of each game are brilliant, and his ability to coordinate his team members—and put them in the best position to score—is a definite strong suit. He appears to have a much clearer vision of how the game will unfold than many of the players around him. Lacking this type of control drives more failure within project management than any other element. A strong grasp of the functional integration within each project, a clear understanding of the long-term impact of today’s activities, and the ability to adjust your strategy based on the latest scenario are all important factors in executing a LINtense control process that will give you the best chance to win!

 

LINovative Technology

As the Jeremy Lin phenomenon gained momentum, it became abundantly clear that this movement had caught the interest of more than just sports fans. Political and financial talk shows were taking notice, the reality TV shows were talking about “LINsanity,” and there was a massive surge from the Asian community. Would the buzz be the same without the social media networks? Probably not. Utilizing the latest technology has turned an overnight success in US basketball into a worldwide spotlight event. The same is true in project management. Making use of every technological tool at your disposal can be the difference between a project that gains visibility and notoriety, and one that flies under the radar. Attempting to gain extraordinary results through lackluster means is a sure-fire way to stagnate progress. Take a lesson from Jeremy Lin’s playbook—if you want your project to gain momentum and get people talking, you need to leverage the latest LINovative technologies!

 

Ensure LINvolved Stakeholders

Cooperation and communication are the cornerstones of any successful team. Watching Jeremy Lin orchestrate a game demonstrates that he has a clear understanding of this premise. From pre- and post-game media events to mid-game adjustments with his team and coaching staff, it’s clear that an ability to effectively communicate and drive well-coordinated teamwork is one of his strengths. In project management, these same skills are essential to success. This is accomplished through the utilization of a consistent planning approach that’s implemented in a structured project control cycle. Ensuring that all stakeholders are communicating in a consistent manner will drive your team to be engaged and LINvolved!

 

Stay LINformed

Turn on any sports show throughout the day, open any sports page in any newspaper, or launch any social media application, and you’ll be flooded with messages about LINsanity. It’s a phenomenon, and it’s not by accident. Lin’s agent and management company make certain that every media outlet has enough content on Lin’s successes to continue the public frenzy surrounding this new superstar. Interviews, commentary, news articles, and even tweets are all focused on supplying information about the latest triumphs of Jeremy Lin. The ability to keep stakeholders updated on the progress—or roadblocks—facing your projects is often the difference between a project team staying engaged and one that’s surprised by the latest events. Ensure that your project has consistent report packages and control presentations so that everyone from the team members to the executive office stays well LINformed!

 

We all love a good success story, especially one that has an unknown character playing the role of hero. Jeremy Lin went from a relative unknown in mid-January to an international mega-star only a month later. He started with a small opportunity to fill a roster decimated by injuries, and turned it into having his NBA jersey sold out in stores across the United States and China. His story is an amazing one, but the core elements of his success are the same ones the rest of us use: hard work, resilience, focus, and drive are largely what got him to this point. Sometimes it really is the simple things that create the biggest buzz and deliver the most LINcredible results!

 

About Troy McKnight

Troy is a Partner at PMAlliance, and is responsible for new business development and marketing strategy. PMAlliance is a project management training and consulting firm headquartered in Stone Mountain, Georgia, that focuses on improving the execution of strategic projects at Fortune 500 companies. Learn more about PMAlliance at http://www.pm-alliance.com

PMAlliance uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project office development services.

Filed Under: Project Management

4 Ways PMOs Are Using Video

February 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
WaysPMOSareUsingVideo

It seems everyone has a YouTube channel these days, but does video really have a place in your PMO? In almost all cases, the answer is yes. From documenting work processes to showing off your team’s project management prowess, videos can help you woo stakeholders, share information with end users, and even do a little PR. If you aren’t sure where to point the camera, here are some suggestions to get you started.

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A word of warning: Be mindful of your organization’s policies on taking either still pictures or videos of their facilities, equipment, people, and processes. Some companies restrict where and when cameras can be used, and which individuals are authorized to view the images.

 

1 – Capturing low-performing or inefficient processes. This is especially useful if you’re still building support for a not-yet-approved project. By showing stakeholders the details of a disorganized or wasteful process, your video could be helpful in swaying anyone who doubted the need for change.

 

2 – Documenting unsafe areas or practices. Videos can be a powerful tool when convincing supporters or a skeptical executive team that improvements really are necessary. It may also be the only good solution when the affected area is remote or difficult to access.

 

3 – Interviewing end users about challenges they’d like to have addressed. Not only is this a terrific way to gather concrete—and often candid—information during the planning phase, it’s also something your team can turn into a compelling marketing tool when used in a before-and-after video (see #4).

 

4 – Comparing before-and-after efficiencies. Few things are more persuasive than when stakeholders see with their own eyes the improvements your PMO has made. Look for examples of time savings, better usability of equipment, more efficient material warehousing, increased production capabilities, and anything else that showcases your team’s success.

PMAlliance uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project office development services.

Filed Under: PMO Development, Project Management Tips

How to Hold a Great Open House

February 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment
HowtoHoldaGreatOpenHouse

Your project is finally finished and it’s time to unveil it to the masses. But wait a minute—have you planned an open house that will highlight the project’s positive points and be good marketing for your PMO? If you’re ready for more than just another ho-hum open house, check out these hints to help make yours fun, interesting, and successful.

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Be present. It sounds obvious, but PMOs are sometimes so busy that open house events aren’t a priority. When users and stakeholders have an opportunity to interact with your team, they end up learning much more about what you do and how you do it. Make the most of it by involving as many team members as possible.

 

Introduce your team. This can be accomplished in a couple of ways: station members in the areas most aligned with their efforts or areas of expertise, or post photos and team member profiles in strategic spots.

 

Craft good signage. Your team will be able to focus on telling users about the most important aspects of your project when posters or other signage are displayed to take care of lower level features. Keep information clear and invite people to ask questions.

 

Talk about milestones, not just the final product. Sometimes it’s easy to overlook all the challenges along the way once a project is complete. End users and stakeholders, however, are often interested to learn about obstacles your team faced, as well as significant or unique successes you achieved.

 

Offer interesting or uncommon statistics. Others may not be familiar with your project’s details, such as average labor prices vs. what you were able to negotiate; typical efficiency improvements measured on similar projects (and perhaps how you plan to beat them); or the size, weight, or rarity of a particular piece of equipment.

PMAlliance uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project office development services.

Filed Under: PMO Development, Project Management Tips

6 Things to Know About Specifications

February 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment
6ThingsToKnowAboutSpecifications

Specifications are everywhere—the storage capacity of external hard drives to the operating temperature of lighting fixtures—and they’re often useful guidelines. But to be sure you get the end result you need, there are some things every project professional should remember about specs.

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1 – Be careful about taking the manufacturer’s specifications as the final word. How equipment and systems are used, installed, monitored, and linked to other systems could affect their behavior during actual use. Discuss your environment’s details with the manufacturer to get the most realistic picture of what everyday usage will be like.

 

2 – If you’re modifying anything in an off-the-shelf piece of equipment or software, the original specifications shouldn’t be used as-is. Instead, determine how user expectations should be revised to match the changes you’ve made.

 

3 – The specifications of raw materials don’t always translate cleanly to the specs of a completed product. Be sure your team takes the time to do sufficient product testing before using early-process specs to calculate the final numbers.

 

4 – When rolling out information to end users, be sure to clearly delineate where your team’s specs end and manufacturer’s specs begin. This is especially important when it comes to troubleshooting—mistaking incorrect expectations for an actual problem could send you off on a wild goose chase.

 

5 – Some systems and pieces of equipment are designed to stop functioning if the minimum specs aren’t being achieved—it’s often a fail-safe measure. If your daily usage might impact the item’s operation, be sure to discuss the issue with the manufacturer before making a purchasing decision.

 

6 – If there are interdependencies in your final setup, confirm how any variation in one component’s specs might affect the rest of the system. Unexpected shutdowns could lead to lost productivity, and malfunctions might even cause wide-scale damage.

PMAlliance uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project office development services.

Filed Under: Project Management, Project Management Tips