In This Issue:
From the Editor
Carl Pritchard on Handicapping Risk: Multi-Factor Considerations
Burning Questions:
Does Anyone Really Do All These Reports?
Career Corner
Featured Templates:
On a Clear Day…
Who's On First?
Didn't You Get That Memo?
Unless You've Got a Three-Sided Coin
Do You Feel Lucky? Well, Do Ya?
Phenomenal Cosmic Powers, Itty Bitty Living Space!
Show Me the Money
All Things Trite and Trivial
Test Your Deliverable, Not Your Patience
And On Page 37 You'll See Our Current Action Items…
Like My Cubicle? I Just Re-Papered
Corporate Subscriptions
From the Editor
In the northern hemisphere it's the height of summer; in the southern, the dead of winter. Either way, the extremes seem to cast a sort of spell. Maybe it's just because it's halfway through the year. But somehow, by now, people seem to want a break from the big projects and the big deadlines and the big paperwork.
You got it.
This week, we're focusing on big success without the big paperwork: 10 tools (plus one to grow on) that can help you manage any project without killing trees. We call it "PM in 10 Pages (or less)" and it's never let us down. You'll also find advice on handling requests for overkill status reports and starting a new career in project management. Plus, Carl Pritchard offers advice on keeping track of the big impact of many small risks piled on top of each other.
Speaking of big success on small projects, if you've just joined us recently, or if you could use a refresher, check out our brand new, Flash-based tour of the site. If you've got 4 minutes, speakers, and enough bandwidth to watch YouTube, check it out.
Featured Article
Handicapping Risk: Multi-Factor Considerations by Carl Pritchard
That hardly sounds like a title for one of my light summertime columns, but I'm afraid it's all too appropriate for vacations. For high school graduation, we've taken my son, James, on the trip of his dreams. As I write this, we're heading for Oban, Scotland.
In planning the trip, like any good project, we assessed options, evaluated possibilities, and determined that when we got to Scotland, we would ultimately rent a car and drive into the Highlands. It would be my first time driving on the left side of the road.
When I picked up the car, I quickly realized a few things. For one, the driver's side is on the right-hand side. I had been braced for that and the implications of that risk. Second, it was a manual shift. While I learned to drive on a stick, it had been over twenty years since I had experienced that joy. Third, it was a diesel. That didn't seem like a risk consideration, until we hit the road. Find out what happened »
Burning Questions
Status, Schmatus… I Think…
Does Anyone Really Do All These Reports? – PREMIUM
Q: My manager has asked for gory detail status reports that I think are a waste of time. Do I just have to give in and do them? Are there alternatives?
A: Have you asked your manager why he needs that level of detail? Having the open conversation–in a positive atmosphere of wanting to know, not complaining and demanding justification–should provide benefits to both parties. It could be that the request is just the way it's always been done, which could lead to a discussion of the value of information vs. the time it takes to create it. The manager may not realize the overhead penalty… Read the rest of the answer »
Get the answers to dozens of burning questions indexed by category, or submit your own (Premium subscription required). We're churning through more all the time, and we'd love to add yours to the stack.
Career Corner
"I've been told that with my background I could have a good career in project management, perhaps as a project coordinator or business analyst, but I'm having trouble getting started. A lot of the stuff in the prep classes goes over my head, and when I interview for these jobs they seem to expect something more." We get questions like this frequently, well marinated in frustration and confusion. Someone's told you you'd be good at this, you feel like you'd be good at it, so why can't you get anyone to give you a chance?
There aren't any easy answers of course, especially not in this economy. But the vast majority of current project managers started out in another role and shifted into it, so there's no reason you can't too. Remember, dogged persistence in the face of nearly insurmountable odds is one of the chief requirements of this job. Of course, there are ways to dramatically improve those odds.
First, be sure you really want to do this. Just because someone says you'd be good at it doesn't mean you'd enjoy it. (I'm good at scrubbing the floors too, but I don't want to do it any more than necessary.) Josh Nankivel has some great thoughts on this in the Project Practitioners blog this week, and Cinda Voegtli has written in the past about what executives look for in a project manager. And remember that there are different kinds of project managers and projects. Develop a clear understanding of the kinds of projects, people, and organizations you prefer to work with, and focus on those. See the presentation PM Powers: A Wealth of Career Options and How to be Ready for ideas.
Start small, think big. You don't have to start with a massive project, or a massive resume. There are many, many ways to speed up your skill development and expand your options. See our guideline Ways to Gain Career-Enhancing PM Skills and Experience for suggestions (Premium). Make sure you're focusing on the right opportunities at work with our Priorities, Goals, and Actions Alignment Worksheet. Finally, as Nova Rose recently suggested, consider volunteering. Not only will you gain valuable project experience, you'll earn useful resume fodder as well. Managing volunteer projects counts too!
RELATED:For more about the unique challenges of managing volunteer projects, see Matt Glei's blog this week on Community Events.
For more on project management career paths, see Cinda Voegtli's article Evolution of a Project Manager.
Featured Templates
PM IN 10 PAGES OR LESS
Want to know how to manage a project without killing a tree? The deliverables below are the essence of successful projects, but none requires more than a page, and many can be completed in less than an hour on smaller projects.
1. On a Clear Day… - Project Definition - Vision Document - GUESTYour project vision shouldn't be a vague haze on the horizon. Bring clarity with a simple one-page document capturing team agreement on why you're doing the project, what the customer needs, and the overall scope. Easiest/fastest way to complete it: Draft it yourself first, then review and update it in a room with the person paying for the project and the most important 'customers' of whatever your project is producing. Clear things up »
2. Who's On First? - Team Roles and Responsibilities List - SPECIAL
This Premium resource is free to registered Members until July 22!
Keep your team straight with a simple roster that outlines who is doing what, even if there are just a few of you. And are you sure it's just a few? Who's testing? Who's writing the documentation? Who has to agree the project is done? Easiest/fastest way to complete it: Draft the list, then review it with other known team members and ask, "Who are we forgetting? What work are we forgetting and who do we need to do it?" (I don't know—Third base!) Get the template »
3. Didn't You Get That Memo? - Action Item List Formats - GUEST
Dash off all the emails you like, but what gets tracked gets done. This file contains a few different formats you can use as a model for tracking your project's action items without digging through your in-box for task ownership and deadlines. Easiest/fastest way to complete it: Just start writing things down as soon as there is even one other person working on this project! Bonus points: Use the your project action item list as a springboard for creating your team meeting agendas, speeding up both your meetings and the preliminary work they require. Get the template »
4. Unless You've Got a Three-Sided Coin - Project Flexibility Matrix - MEMBER
Even on a small project, you're going to have to make some choices; and since the project is due next week, you won't really have time to stall. This one-page matrix is a simple but effective tool that will help you think through (and record!) tradeoff discussions on scope, resources and schedule, so your choices will be faster, easier, and better, and so you can back them up when questioned. Easiest/fastest way to complete it: Get your key stakeholders into a room or on a call and ask them to pick between two factors at a time. Most people will say that all three are important, but if they are forced to choose between, say, scope and schedule, they'll be able to articulate whether the features or the release date is most important. Once you've done that twice, all that's left is to pick between the two winners and rank accordingly. Bonus suggestion: Resist the temptation to handle this one in an email thread. A synchronous conversation will be much more efficient. Get the template »
5. Do You Feel Lucky? Well, Do Ya? - Risk Assessment and Mitigation Tables - PREMIUM
Fancy title, to be sure, but what it really means is "what could come up and bite us when we're not looking?" If you're not thinking about the risks to your project, then your project is only as successful as you are lucky. Not exactly a reassuring thought. Tackle risk head on by thinking about it and monitoring it, even on small projects that seem like sure things. Easiest/fastest way to complete it: Well, it's worth it not to rush this one, but you don't need every format in this document to think things through. Pick the form, or perhaps two if needed, that best suits your situation and think it through with the team. Remember to keep it updated and refer to it throughout the project to be sure you haven't just listed risks, but are also responding to them. Get the form »
6. Phenomenal Cosmic Powers, Itty Bitty Living Space! - Milestone Table with Driver Tasks - PREMIUM
Managing a project doesn't require complicated charts or graphs, just common agreement on what needs to be done when and why, and a way to measure progress. This template focuses on streamlined project tracking that keeps the driving tasks highly visible and visibly related to the critical milestones. Small projects will probably be most interested in Format 2, which includes space for completion criteria and success factors so everything you need is in one place—a lot of planning whallop in comparatively little space. Get the template »
7. Show Me the Money - Project Budget - PREMIUM
Project budgets, even for small projects, should be drafted while you're making project scope decisions, not in the middle of the hallway as your manager is suddenly questioning the spike in department expenses this month! It needn't be a book-length document—the examples in this file take only one page—but the PM's triangle is not complete without one. Easiest way to complete this document: Begin drafting budget estimates as soon as you start outlining scope and continue refining it as you build the plan. Include your high-level driver tasks in the left column to ensure that all project work and associated costs are included. Get the template »
8. All Things Trite and Trivial - Team Meeting Agenda - PREMIUM
Good meetings can make a project, and bad ones can break it. Keep your meetings on track and on schedule by creating usable agendas—and sticking to them! This sample agenda emphasizes using meeting objectives and time slots to keep your meetings effective. Easiest/fastest way to complete this document: take your best shot when you need to have your first project get-together. (Consult your Action Item List if you've started one.) Review the objectives for each item during the meeting and make sure you've got agreement from the team. Then stick to your guns and don't get mired in trivia that can be handled outside the meeting. Get the template »
9. Test Your Deliverable, Not Your Patience - Project Overview Test Plan - PREMIUM
Even if your project doesn't require testing in the technical sense, the idea of a final deliverable overview—"testing" against the customer requirements and original vision—is something every project lead should think through. This template outlines at a high level how your deliverable will be examined and who will be involved. Bonus points: If you're running a small technical project that does require testing, this may be the only test document you need; just keep it updated as the project progresses. Get the template »
10. And On Page 37 You'll See Our Current Action Items ... - Project Status Reports - PREMIUM
Status reports are the bane of many PM's existence, but you don't need to suffer through an excruciating five-page weekly report (and neither does your manager). This template provides several formats and levels of detail for summarizing and communicating project or portfolio status at a more useful level. Small projects will probably most appreciate the one-page document formats for getting the true picture for a project at a glance. Get the template »
Bonus Suggestion - Like My Cubicle? I Just Re-Papered - One-Page Project/Release Summary - SPECIAL
This Premium resource is free to registered Members until July 22!
Every project can use this concise, one-page format for communicating key project information. Record your project's purpose, deliverables, and key team and schedule information, then post it on your cubicle wall. Easiest/fastest way to complete it: capture the information from your Project Vision Document and Team Roles List (above). Bonus points: Every team member should have a summary page like this for every project they're on. If your team leader hasn't created it, do it yourself and post it. If you're insanely productive—or insanely overloaded—it will quickly be apparent to anyone who visits your workspace. Get the template »
Project Practitioners Blog
Matt Glei discusses some of the most common reasons he has seen for projects going off track, along with some suggestions for avoiding these common hazards.
Alfonso Bucero muses on project management and innovation can help companies survive the current financial mess, in Europe and beyond.
Ann Drinkwater shares observations prompted by reading Outliers by Malcom Gladwell.
Where's ProjectConnections?
Kimberly Wiefling is back in Osaka for another workshop, and heads to Tokyo in July to continue her Leadership series. HR managers and professional development decision makers may be particularly interested in her HR Managers Workshop in Tokyo on 22 July. See http://wiefling.com/wordpress/?p=368. And if you've been following her adventures in Japan, you may be interested to know you can now read her book Scrappy Project Management in Japanese as well! (US readers take note: Kimberly's back in the States in August.)
Kent McDonald will be at Agile 2009 in Chicago August 24-28. He has a session on "Barely Sufficient Portfolio Management" with Todd Little (one of the co-authors of Stand Back and Deliver) and one on "Feature Injection" with Chris Matts.
Niel Nickolaisen, another Stand Back and Deliver co-author and a ProjectConnections blogger, also has a session at Agile 2009 with Chris Matts, charmingly titled "First, Kill All the Metrics." (We like the way he thinks.)
Carl Pritchard just finished up a Risk Management lunch in Washington D.C. this week, but you can catch him back there again at PMI SeminarsWorld August 10-11, speaking on the same subject. (See the PMI website for more information.) In September he'll be in Pittsburgh, PA conducting a workshop on Project Management Essentials. More details and registration information are available on Carl's website.
Corporate Subscriptions and Licensing
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