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Archives for August 2021

Do You Know How To Use Your “Puppy License”?

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Puppies can get away with a lot more than older dogs!

When our dog, Lumos, was young, we took him to puppy training. It started with Good Dog 101 and he loved it so much we went onto 201 and then Basic Agility!

One of the things the trainer said in that very first class was this: your new dog has a Puppy License. When older dogs are around him, they will put up with his antics—jumping and nipping and playing. But as he gets older, he loses his Puppy License, and you’ll notice the other dogs will quickly put him in his place if he gets a bit too rambunctious or playful.

I always think of this when we’re on a walk and meet a puppy along the way. Lumos will let the puppy, well, be a puppy. But at a certain age, he’ll only put up with it for so long before a short but definitive bark will settle the other dog down. “That’s enough! Time to act your age,” he seems to be saying.

When you start a new job, position, or project, you have your own Puppy License. Only we call it a Ramp Up Period.

During this period you are allowed to introduce yourself and ask lots of basic questions. You’re expected to, in fact. And your job is to gather a lot of information about your new world because before you know it, the time for ramping up is gone and you lose your Puppy License. You’re expected to have analyzed the information and come up with solutions, not ask more basic questions.

Here’s how to get the most out of your Puppy License:

  • When introducing yourself, let people know who you are, how long you’ve been there, and what your role is. You are definitely not at the top of everyone’s mind. Don’t feel bad if they forget exactly why you called a meeting!
  • Let them know you’re gathering information and may ask a few very basic questions. This way they won’t worry you don’t really understand what you’re doing.
  • Ask them if there is anyone else you should be talking to, or any information that you need but haven’t asked for. People want their new colleagues to succeed. They also remember what it was like to be “the new guy.” And they enjoy sharing their knowledge.

Every once in a while you’ll run into someone who couldn’t be bothered with someone new. In this case, I save them for last. I gather as much information as possible so when I talk to this person, my questions aren’t so basic.

The next trick is moving from Puppy to Adult without spending too much time in Adolescence! But that’s a topic for another day.

Go jump in a lake—or go kayaking. Your choice!

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Getting away and unplugging is even more critical than ever

I went kayaking with my mom the other day. It had been raining the past few days and we were finally able to get on the water.

The lake felt like heaven! We were so happy just to spend time paddling along, enjoying each other’s company and the beautiful day.

It was amazing to just shut it all down for a while and drift. 

We’re always told to take a break – rest, have down-time, reduce stress. And sometimes we can feel nagged to death by the well-meaning “experts” who harp on self-care. 

They’re not wrong, though. We do need to take a break. But it’s getting harder and harder to do it.

In recent years we’ve been overwhelmed by technology – we’re always connected and accessible. But these days of remote work add an additional layer of accessibility.

We no longer have commute time. However hectic the commute, it did provide critical transition time from home to work and back again.

And our homes are no longer temporary work spaces.

More than ever, there is no clear delineation between work and home. There is no simple “off switch”.

Not only can we bring our phone to the dinner table but it’s easy to walk over to the computer to send that quick email or hop on a Zoom call. We can always work just a little more. 

And it’s great that our dogs and kids are welcome in the background of our meetings these days—but that doesn’t give us a clear line between work and home.

What does this mean? It’s harder than ever to turn it all off.

Some people are better than others at compartmentalization—leaving work at work. But when the cues are gone (leaving the office or stepping through your own front door) the compartments turn into one big junk drawer.

I have three ways to manage this balance.

First, I have a morning routine that gives me that quiet time to reflect and ease into my day. (I follow Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod – it has been a huge influence on my life!)

Next, I make sure to leave the house at least once every day. Just a change of scenery, however brief. For some folks, getting out every day isn’t difficult. But I can just keep working until suddenly it’s time for bed. So for me, getting out can simply mean making a quick trip to the grocery store.

Finally, I try to spend time outside. This can be a tough one, full of those “shoulds”: I should do laundry, I should work on the presentation, I should balance my checkbook. So I schedule in my outside time just like a meeting. 

My mom and I had planned our outing to the lake a week earlier. If we didn’t nail down that date, it would have come and gone with a bunch of regrets on both our parts.

As the new week begins, I feel refreshed because I did take that break. I have my morning routine firmly in place, and I’m almost out of lettuce.

Are You Using the Right Tool for the Right Job?

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Using the right tools is more efficient and provides a better outcome.

Have you ever heard the expression, “the right tool for the right job”? In other words, it wouldn’t make sense to use a screwdriver to hammer in a nail. And it’s overkill to light a candle with a blowtorch.

I’m all for saving time and energy on my project. I like to use whatever templates already exist in the company for my Project Schedule, metrics reporting, training plan, etc.  But sometimes they don’t quite fit the job.

In some instances, existing templates were built for a project much bigger than mine and would add an unnecessary level of detail or documentation. In other situations, the templates were brought over years ago from another type of project or methodology and don’t quite fit this new situation.

It is one of the realities of business these days.

So what can we do with a template that doesn’t work for us?

There are 3 options:

  1. Use the Template As Is. This is a good idea when your PMO and project methodology are strong but you’ve never used it or there’s no alternative in sight. If there’s no hammer but you need to get that nail in the wall, you use what’s available, but it may take extra effort and introduces a bit of risk.
  2. Create from Scratch. When the project methodology is just getting off the ground, sometimes the templates are very generic or simply don’t exist. It’s not tough to create a RACI or Risk Register, though it might take some time to build a Test Plan or Go Live Readiness Checklist. Building your own can be an easier option than scrambling to find someone in the company who has created this particular artifact in the past.
  3. Modify an Existing Template. Usually, templates exist but they are a bit overkill—they cover all types of projects and every option that could possibly be needed. No PMO wants to create 3 different templates because there are 3 different project types.

Using the template will save you some time if you know where to cut it down a bit… and perhaps rewrite a few sections for your needs.

I typically end up modifying an existing template. But most of the time I createa new document and cut and paste the information from the template in it.I don’t simply copy what’s there and start cutting out data/sections.

Why? Because in the background of any template, the author has typically added some calculations or rules that can drive you nuts. This is especially true with Excel, but it can be as simple as a formatting rule created in Word. Lots of PMs have their own shortcuts and some get really fancy. Even if I can figure out what they did to change it, I don’t want to take that time. I have my own shortcuts to use!

When deciding what to copy over into the new template I take these three criteria into account:

  1. What is the relative complexity of the project? Do I need to add detail / columns / sections to make my project more meaningful, or is the template overly complex for my straightforward project?
  2. Who will be editing or reading this template? If this is a formal document that will be reviewed and signed, you will need to make sure your template is more formal. If your project follows CSV (Computer System Validation), for example, there are certain rules you need to keep in mind.
  3. What decisions will be made using this data? The more complex or critical the decisions, the more strict you need to be about what goes into your document.

Finally, remember that as all projects are different, so are templates. As long as you handle them with consideration, adjusting your artifacts to your project’s needs will be more efficient in the long run.

Getting To Know You

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Learning about your team is the fastest way to a trust relationship.

One of the fundamentals of leadership is to understand your team. You want to be able to respond issues and changes as they occur.

When you’re on a new team, this involves getting to know the individual team members (core and executive) and then paying attention to the interaction between them.

How do you do this fast? The answer is actually by slowing down.

Don’t rush to get to know everyone. You don’t need to sit down and grill each team member on their background. Instead, ask questions that will lead to discussions, not just an answer.

Take your time. Listen and observe.

Here are a few questions that will help you get started:

Likes & Dislikes

  • What’s your favorite part of your job?
  • Is there anything about the project/work that worries you?

Asking about someone’s likes and dislikes are helpful because they can help you in your planning process. Clara loves data and spreadsheets? Great! Now I know where to place her.

If Bart is worried about testing, I can try to give him more time, or schedule him with a testing partner. If nothing else, I can let him know I’m sorry for giving him testing to do—you’ll be surprised at the good will generated by a simple acknowledgement.

Logistics and Communication

  • What are your typical working hours?
  • Do you have any time off planned or any time you typically go away during the year?
  • What’s the best way to communicate with you – email, IM, phone, Zoom?

These questions can help you avoid trouble down the road. Knowing Angela is an early bird and Sai works late helps you plan meetings. Carol always takes the first week in August for vacation means you avoid that week for milestones she’s involved in. And even though you may prefer a quick phone call, Jonathan may ignore the phone and not even listen to his messages.

Base Knowledge & Expectations

  • Have you ever been on a project before?
  • What do you expect to happen on this project?
  • Is there anything you’re expecting from me?

You may know a person’s position or department. But how long have they been doing it? Maybe they have skills outside their current role that can be a project game-changer.

Too often, my team members have never been on a project before and I need to start with Projects 101. Some have even told me they’ve been on projects but not “real” ones with an actual Project Manager. Flushing out this information is key – you don’t want to assume they understand what Scope Freeze is, or why missing due dates now will impact Go Live in 8 months.

Personal Questions

I need to make a note about personal questions (e.g. “Do you have any school-aged kids?”). These are a slippery slope so they’re not something I ask. But typically, as the team gets closer and trust grows, most people are forthcoming with what’s going on at home. At the end of the day, knowing that someone has “daycare pickup duty” or struggles during school vacation weeks is helpful for scheduling. And let’s face it, we want to work with real people, not impersonal resources.

Interaction

While you get to know the individuals on your team, keep your eyes and ears open to how they interact. Is there mutual respect? Is there one person who dominates all conversation? Is everyone cautious in a meeting, or do they dig into issues? It won’t take long to understand that Joyce is well respected, or that Barry’s instincts are usually on target.

A well-functioning team begins with the individual members. Learn about them. Not only will the team respond better to your leadership, but the path to a successful project will be smoother.

How Do You Turn Someone Into Your Biggest Fan?

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The feeling when someone moves from resistance to support!

A while back, on day 2 of a project with an important client, I met the division’s president. After a bit of small talk, he got down to business. He said, “I hate Project Managers.”

Okaaaaay….

It turns out that his experience with PMs was limited to two types:

First, high priced consultants who talked a good game but didn’t actually complete anything. Second, department personnel who were given a “growth opportunity” and expected to successfully manage a project with no training.

Obviously, as an experienced and credentialed Project Manager, I was able to turn around his opinion.

But he’s not the only one who has an aversion to the profession. I meet many PMO Directors and recruiters hungry for PMs who do more than check boxes and bark orders. They are looking for true project leaders.

So what’s the difference between managing and leading? Basically:

Someone who manages a project will focus on the “what.” That is, what needs to be done: what metrics, what dates, what requirements, what resources, etc. And all of this is perfectly legitimate. We need the “what”!

A leader focuses on the “how.” How are we going to get from milestone to milestone? How will the team react to a change? How does this requirement impact the others? How should we handle this new information?

So why aren’t more managers leading?

There are a million different reasons. Sometimes it’s easier to keep your head down and tell people what to do. If there’s no relationship, there’s no vulnerability. Sometimes a PM is untrained. They know they’re not doing a great job but don’t know what to do about it. And sometimes a manager truly believes their team members should just do what they’re told and executives should just accept whatever you tell them and stay out of the project!

How do you tell that you’re managing instead of just leading?

You pay attention and you ask.

Think about your last team meeting. Did you ask for suggestions, opinions, or if there was anything else the team needed to discuss? What about your last executive meeting—was it just a status update, or did you give them the forum to have meaningful discussions that could help remove barriers for your project?

If the answer is no, or “not really,” then you have the opportunity to ask them. Starting today. Next meeting, end each topic with “Is there anything else we need to know?” or “Is there anything we should be concerned about?”

The risk of management without leadership comes down to the fact that no matter what project we’re on, we are dealing with:

  • People. Human beings react to the way they’re being treated. For example, no one likes to be left completely out of the planning process and simply told what to do and when, especially when it pertains to their area of expertise. And each person reacts differently.
  • Organizations. There is more going on in the company than just your project. New products are being developed, documentation updated, and budgets reviewed. Every decision in one area ripples to others. Maybe you can’t use Joe in the lab because Cynthia retired and he’s got to fill in while they hire someone new.

Make sure you’re considering the impact of each detail you hear during the meeting. If someone’s child is heading off to college, that may affect a milestone date, either because they need to take time off to help them move in or because they’re going to be busy and distracted for a while.

Management with leadership: it helps your outcomes and turns your team—and executives—into PM fans.