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.

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.

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All football games are not created equal; some matter more than others. Consider regular season games compared to the playoffs. In the regular season, teams have a standard weekly preparation—they develop strategies for the immediate challenge ahead, and attempt to execute their plan each Sunday. Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose. And though each game is slightly different, the preparation and execution are relatively similar. As the season marches on, some teams get very good at executing their plan while others flounder. These weekly engagements are similar in concept to a company’s routine “utility” projects—those keep-the-lights-on projects that teams do time and again. Through the repetition of planning and executing these projects, teams get comfortable in the routine, with little assistance needed to get ready for the next week.

Some project managers become so good at the weekly projects that they make it to the “post season”, which is an entirely different challenge. During the “regular season”, a potential project failure is not the end of the world—they’ll live to fight another week, and probably be offered similar projects again. But one wrong move during the playoffs and the season comes to an end. A company’s strategic projects are the business equivalent of the playoffs. These are the projects that carry a higher degree of financial consequence, a greater level of executive visibility, and hold more market importance. Simply put, these projects cannot afford to fail. As stated during a recent interview with Tom Brady, quarterback for the New England Patriots, “The difference between this week’s playoff game and a regular season game is that this playoff game has a lot more scrutiny, a higher degree of visibility, and we have a lot more at stake.” Sound familiar?

A company’s strategic projects are like the NFL playoffs. There are no second chances if the project fails. By their nature, strategic projects come along only occasionally, just as even the best NFL teams only make it to the playoffs every few years. Because of this elevated level of importance, you need to arm your teams with advanced project management tools, utilize more rigor in your planning processes, boost your teamwork and communication, and execute the project with pinpoint accuracy. Preparing your team with these skill sets will guarantee a successful run through the project management playoffs!

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

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Are you getting maximum mileage out of every project? If you don’t regularly evaluate past projects, you’re missing out on some prime learning opportunities. Once you’ve conducted an in-depth post mortem on a project http://www.duration-driven.com/2010/03/project-management-post-mortem-analysis/, step back a little further to see if you can spot meaningful patterns.

Staffing levels. If reviewing recent projects highlights less-than-optimal results due to insufficient staffing, work with your team on potential solutions. Leveraging temporary or consultant support and modifying project timeframes or scope are common fixes, but innovative teams will likely find additional ways to address staffing concerns.

Division of responsibilities. Is it time to shake up the status quo? If you see that you’ve been doling out the same tasks to the same people, consider giving a few of your best performing junior-level team members some new challenges. At the same time, try offering your more experienced pros a change of pace to keep them sharp.

Vendor relationships. Even if your vendors are meeting your needs, now is the time to see if there are still issues you’re struggling to overcome. Do your vendors have the best connections to address potential supply chain issues? Are time zone differences causing more effort than should be necessary? Have they experienced staffing issues of their own? Look for ways to streamline your operations through the support of your vendors.

Cyclical challenges. By reviewing projects in batches, you may discover repeating cycles that set your team up for difficulty. If you’re consistently tackling the most complex projects during times when your resources are lowest—over the holidays when more folks are out of the office, or perhaps it’s in the first quarter when the year’s funds are still being approved and released—you might consider talking with stakeholders to develop a different kind of schedule for future projects.

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

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Dear stakeholder: We have a problem. If you dread communicating project glitches to customers, take heart—telling folks your project is facing issues is rarely a fun task, but we have some suggestions on how (and why) to get bad news out in the open.

1 – Say it early. Unless it’s an issue you’re certain can be handled internally without any detectable effects on stakeholders, you’re best off sounding the alert early. End users and supporters are more likely to be amenable to solutions that impact timeframes or final objectives if they can see you’ve been proactive and upfront with them.

2 – Say it clearly. Now is not the time for buzzwords or vague project-speak—confusing your stakeholders will only make them more unhappy. Instead, plainly state the issue, along with its triggers (if you can). Misunderstandings certainly won’t build support for whatever solution you implement, so lay out the facts in understandable language.

3 – Say it without blame. The urge to point fingers may be strong, but now is not the time to indulge it. Even if a vendor completely dropped the ball and botched your project to smithereens, it’s better to deal with the issue professionally—and with the vendor directly—than to air your grievances far and wide. Explain the probable cause of the problem in broad terms (e.g., manufacturing delays, supply chain shortages) but consider keeping the details within your PMO.

4 – Say it with a solution. You may not have completely formulated a plan to deal with the problem yet, but framing the issue along with a possible resolution will often go a long way toward maintaining stakeholders’ confidence in your team. Be sure to delineate where the plan is still in development, so you aren’t inadvertently setting expectations you may need to revisit later.

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

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Sometimes the ability to make a decision eludes us. Most people suffer from it occasionally, but if you seem to have trouble on a regular basis, take a look at the reality of how it can affect you—and your projects—longer term. If you can relate to any of these analysis paralysis scenarios, consider trying some of the tricks we’ve put together (http://www.duration-driven.com/2010/09/5-tricks-to-overcome-analysis-paralysis/) to help you tackle the problem and get back on track.

You’ve developed numerous almost perfect solutions. You’re still gathering ideas and investigating options, but nothing seems to be a good enough fit.

Reality: Rarely does the perfect solution present itself. It’s much more common that PMOs adopt imperfect solutions and then tweak them to better meet the project’s needs.

You’ve delayed the decision-making date. Your original date may have slipped significantly.

Reality: Follow-on activities may now be delayed, too. Serious challenges could arise if milestones are missed, and it’s likely you’ll have even fewer workable options later if the delay continues.

You’re preoccupied by the thought of making the wrong decision. You fear something awful will happen (being chastised by your boss, missing a promotion, maybe even losing your job) if you screw up.

Reality: You run a much higher risk of being disciplined if your continued indecision puts your project behind schedule or over budget than if you make a thoughtful, educated decision that turns out to be wrong.

You’ve avoided involving others in the decision-making process. The more they push you for a decision—and offer to help you evaluate available options—the more you hoard the final decision for yourself.

Reality: Others on your team can often provide useful insight or assist you in weighing the options. Their perspectives on the project are important, and could help point you to the right solution.

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

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Taking the angst out of year-end can be a challenge http://www.duration-driven.com/2011/11/5-ways-to-make-year-end-less-stressful/, but what about those new-year items that inevitably clog your radar? We’ve put together some tips to help with those, too.

1 – Tie up loose ends. Now is the time to be sure you don’t have any year-end tasks lagging behind. Submit the last of your team’s performance evaluation paperwork, process any remaining invoices, and finish setting up files for this year’s approved projects.

2 – Prioritize. Your new year’s budget may include a lot of good news—approved new hires, authorization for updated software, the go-ahead on key projects, or confirmation of an upcoming expansion—but you still need to be careful with your resources. Determine which initiatives should be tackled first, and delegate those out to the appropriate people. Assign target dates to remaining items so they don’t drop off the radar.

3 – Announce staffing changes. Information on promotions, transfers, reorganizations, and the loss of any temporary workers in your department should be disseminated throughout your PMO. It makes it easier for staff members to do everything from exercising increased signature authority to redistributing tasks.

4 – Plan early for training opportunities. Team members with new responsibilities, such as first-time managers, will benefit from getting some education under their belt early in the year. Look for training sessions that outline fundamental principles, so they can feel confident in their abilities and experience less stress going forward.

5 – Bring stakeholders up to speed. End users and project supporters may be unaware of the final status of proposed initiatives. Instead of fielding hordes of phone calls all asking the same questions, take the time to proactively notify stakeholders about the approval status of projects and when they can expect to learn more about those activities that have received authorization to move forward.

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

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Millennials may bring innovations and new thinking to your PMO (http://www.duration-driven.com/2011/10/managing-millennials/), but don’t underestimate the value of the Boomer-age professionals on your team. We’ve put together some tips to ensure your entire PMO benefits from the vast knowledge held by your most experienced professionals.

Identify your experts. First, determine which team members have the most critical—or difficult to attain—experience. Any information that generally takes years to gather and assimilate should be your first priority. Once you know where key pieces of knowledge reside within your PMO, you can put together a strategy to share that expertise with other members.

Be flexible. If you anticipate losing one or more team members to retirement in the near future, it’s time to determine if your PMO will have a knowledge gap as a result. Unless you’re able to substitute the expertise of another professional or utilize outside resources, you might consider retaining access to Boomers’ experience through consulting agreements or a part-time work arrangement.

Take advantage of mentoring opportunities. Don’t let the wealth of knowledge held by your PMO’s Boomers get away. Instead, pair up your less experienced team members with a senior-level professional and encourage them to share information. For best results, consider working with HR to develop a formal, structured mentoring program.

Schedule regular lunch-and-learns. Once every month or so, pull your team together for an informal knowledge-sharing session. No agendas are needed—instead, pick a topic and let one of your internal experts put together a handful of talking points. Rotate experts frequently, and facilitate as much Q & A time as you can.

Expand your networks. New PMs are still building their infrastructure of professional connections and may benefit from introductions to key people in your Boomers’ networks. Encourage joint attendance at professional events and networking functions.

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

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We’ve already covered the basics of delegation methodology (http://www.duration-driven.com/2011/03/delegation-101/) and 5 signs you aren’t delegating enough (http://www.duration-driven.com/2011/07/5-signs-you-aren’t-delegating-enough/), but what if you’re still feeling swamped and just need to get on with it? Below is a quick-start guide to help you pick the right tasks to delegate, the right people to take them on, and how to ensure your delegation plan works as expected.

STEP 1: Identify tasks for delegation. Look at what’s on your plate and determine which items could be done by someone else. Even if it’s just one task, you’ll be doing something positive for your workload and offering another team member the chance to contribute at a higher level. Concerned there isn’t anyone in your PMO qualified to handle any of your tasks? High performers could be good candidates for some quick coaching, and solid performers might benefit from the challenge knowing you’re available for mentoring if they need it.

STEP 2: Prepare the team. If you haven’t been a good delegator in the past, now might be an opportunity to talk candidly with the team about workload distribution. Let them know the evolution of the PMO is at a point where shifting tasks around makes sense, and consider asking them for suggestions. You may discover they already have ideas about which members’ skill sets mesh well with overflow tasks. This is also your chance to set expectations on both sides of the table.

STEP 3: Delegate! Once you’ve selected tasks to delegate and the right team members to take them on, it’s time to hand off the responsibility to the new designee and get out of their way. Be available if they have questions or need additional direction, but don’t hover. Follow up regularly to ensure things are happening according to plan and make course corrections as necessary.

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

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We’ve already covered 4 mistakes PMOs are making when it comes to training. Below are 4 more mistakes that could zap any benefit of ongoing education.

Limiting training to project management topics. Don’t assume employees only need education in project management. Team members should instead strive to add topics outside the PM core to their schedule. Consider supervisory classes for new managers, budget management training for anyone overseeing project dollars, business writing seminars for folks turning out client-facing documentation, and even regulatory compliance training when appropriate.

Expecting trainees to be available during class. We’ve all been there—our cell phone goes off in the middle of a seminar and we know we have to answer it. Instead of learning new skills and adding to your team’s power, employees end up spending their training time essentially at work, with the educational benefits (and your PMO’s training dollars) fizzling away. On training day, daily tasks should be delegated and coworkers notified that the trainee is officially unavailable until they return to the office.

Scheduling classes during particularly stressful periods. The last week of a multi-year project might not be the best time to have a portion of your team in training. Their focus is elsewhere and the team’s need for them is likely to be higher than usual. Look for days that are as “regular” as possible, and remember that travel time also has an impact on a team member’s availability.

Sending everyone to training at once. Unless a class is mandatory under your company’s guidelines and there’s no way to break the group into different sessions, do your best to avoid having the majority of your team in training at the same time. Someone needs to be available to manage daily project management tasks and respond to user or stakeholder inquiries.

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

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We’re heading into the beginning of the year-end stress-fest: reconciling budgets, preparing for performance evaluations, and developing project estimates for next year—all while employees take time off for the holidays, benefits open enrollment gears up, the roads turn to ice, and the power goes out. Below we’ve pulled together 5 tips to help keep your team on an even keel during this busy season.

1 – Divide and conquer. Divvying up tasks will help reduce stress in several ways—as employees are gone for vacation or snow days, their workloads can more easily be shifted to others in the group, and spreading out time-intensive tasks helps prevent last-minute bottlenecks.

2 – Be realistic. What really needs to get done now, and what can wait until after the holidays? If budget submittals or performance evaluations won’t truly begin until mid-January, let employees know that the first few post-holiday weeks will be focused on completing those activities and they can dedicate time now to more pressing priorities.

3 – Bring in temporary help. Whether it’s another admin tackling those mountains of paperwork or an experienced consultant pulling together estimates for next year’s projects, some short-term support could be the key to maintaining your team’s sanity (and keeping its many activities on schedule).

4 – Get organized. Now is not the time for team members to be frantically searching for stray invoices or missing project files. Pull your PMO’s documentation together early, and centralize any information that might be needed by multiple team members.

5 – Set up a system. If you find that the steps you took last year (or are taking this year) prove to be successful in controlling the year-end chaos, write them down and be ready to institute them again next year. Continue tweaking your processes until the year-end rush runs like clockwork.

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

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