In This Issue:
From the Editor
Titles and Accountabilities by Kent McDonald
Career Corner: Don't be a scaredy-cat!
Burning Questions
Site Highlights:
It's Not Over If It's Still Nighttime
It's Always Nighttime
Never Buy Your Kid a Toy That Talks Back
Never Read the Book of Demon Summoning Aloud, Even As a Joke
Some Things Are Better Left Buried
The Cat Can Take Care of Itself
Your Best Weapon Is a Pointy Stick
Be a Believer
Never Join the Bloodthirsty Mob
The Giant Bugs Will Eat You
Never Allow Yourself to Be Hypnotized
Feel No Guilt
It's Never Over Until the Credits Roll
Where's ProjectConnections?
California and Maryland (we stick close to home when zombies are afoot)
From the Editor
Last year we presented 13 rules for surviving a (project) horror movie, and had a blast doing it. But we all know there are far more than 13 things that can make your projects scarier than they have to be. It doesn't take decades of experience to know that when the zombie projects attack, it's time to duck, cover, and practice some serious risk management. You have to know the warning signs, like being surrounded by mumbling automatons who refuse to make eye contact and keep mumbling about having you over for dinner, and you have to know what's going to give you an advantage (sticking together, believing the grizzled old timer) or just add to your troubles (Ouija boards, practical jokes, relying on any kind of getaway vehicle).
So without further ado, we present 13 more rules for surviving project horrors, plus Kent McDonald on the critical difference between accountability and responsibility, Cinda Voegtli on why you need to crawl out of that box you're hiding in, and more. Read on, if you dare.
Featured Article
Titles and Accountabilities, by Kent McDonald
At the risk of sounding like Inigo Montoya, accountability may not mean what you think it means. Accountability and responsibility mean two different things in the famous RACI chart, but it's not clear what Accountability adds other than a handy vowel. In fact, there is no clear agreement on the definition of accountability, or the distinction between accountability and responsibility, and several people seem to use them interchangeably. This does no one any good, especially since the distinction between accountable and responsible is quite important when talking about leading people through influence rather than through authority.
Read more »
Career Corner
Don't be a scaredy-cat: It's bad for your career!by Cinda Voegtli
As people managing projects that are often critical to the company and unbelievably challenging and messy to boot, I think we can be forgiven if we feel practically afraid to go to work some days! But of course we do anyway, and generally conquer the challenges in front of us on those projects. However, there are other, more subtle forms of hesitancy or timidity (some actually brought on by how others have defined our roles for us) that can have a detrimental effect on our career options. So in this Halloween week Career Corner, I offer up some thoughts on limit-busting tools, approaches, and attitudes, in the spirit of banishing unseen career demons that could be holding us back.
Get out of that box – it may seem safe, but it's the most dangerous place you can be!
What executives think about how people limit themselves with "career boxes" of their own making
Break free of those shackles! How to go from hemmed in to hero.
What we can learn from Perry Mason about getting past "role rules" and constraints to get the job done
Movie-star confident or cringing in the shadows?
Being the kind of "confident" your team members need – different leadership personas that are all the opposite of fear
Confidence doesn't mean you have to know everything!
Why asking for advice is NOT a sign of career-harming weakness
Conflict and capitulation – or power and persuasion extraordinaire?
A near-magical project trade-off tool for getting even the most scary, powerful naysayers to stop screeching and see the light on what's humanly possible.
Burning Questions
Looking for answers to those questions that keep you up at night when taking on a new role, running a challenging project, or how to deal with real people, and make it all work in different situations? Check out these samples of our practical project advice from our growing Burning Questions index.
Something has gone wrong on our project, and I don't know how to tell the executives without losing my head!
We all hope things that go bump in the night go away – like project risks… but how can you tell if a risk has really been mitigated?
For every problem there many potential causes, but how do I know if I've unearthed the root cause?
Site Highlights
It's Not Over If It's Still Nighttime – Issue Resolution Status Report – PREMIUMThis Premium resource is free to registered Members until November 11, 2009
Sure, you may think the undead fiends from beyond the grave are through with you, but unless it's broad daylight you'd better make sure everyone stays on their toes. Our Issue Resolution Status Report can help everyone keep tabs on assorted creepy crawlies going bump in your project, and it's short enough to keep people from falling asleep during the updates (a critical survival skill when surrounded by the walking dead).
It's Always Nighttime – Completion Criteria – PREMIUM
Every project manager knows that you will never see the sun again until you've solved every puzzle and staked every monster. If you don't have a copy of the script to guide you, you're guaranteed to get lost (which is almost as bad for your survival rate as falling asleep). Don't take that kindly customer's word that they think it's "almost ready" -- make sure you know exactly how many demons you have to slay to really be done, once and for all. This time.
Never Buy Your Kid a Toy That Talks Back – Product and Project Risk Assessment and Mitigation Tables – PREMIUM
Why borrow (or buy) trouble? Some technology just isn't worth the risk. Our risk assessment tables can help you take stock of the inherent risk of things like technological innovations to see whether the whiz-bang effects are worth the potential risks (like losing a finger) and how the team might mitigate the problems if something, or someone, or a team of knife-wielding someones 3-feet tall and made of plastic, slips past you.
Never Read the Book of Demon Summoning Aloud, Even As a Joke – Rescuing and Revitalizing the Problem Project – MEMBER
No, that's not Latin, and no, you don't want to read it. Mumbling counts too. If you insist on bringing something back from the dead, there's a right way and a wrong way to do it, and the right way almost never involves shovels or incantations. Cinda Voegtli's paper on saving an apparently doomed project tells you how to raise the mostly dead and survive the experience, without selling your soul to anyone. (Amulet of banishment not included.)
Some Things Are Better Left Buried – Project Cancellation Guidelines – PREMIUM
On the other hand, if the developers have already started speaking in tongues and no one has seen the testing department since that bright blue light appeared, it might be time to pack it in and move on to the next town. This guideline will help you make a clean getaway, and make sure no one gets left behind. Except, of course, for the creepy guys speaking in dead languages they're not supposed to know.
The Cat Can Take Care of Itself – Scored and Ranked Project List – PREMIUM
Your coffee maker is talking to you, the lights have gone out, and there's a strange vortex in the middle of the living room. Your first question shouldn't be, "Where's the cat?" Fluffy's not only at the bottom of your list, she's probably figuring out how to make a nice béarnaise to serve on the side. Make sure you're focusing your resources where they'll do the most good, and leaving behind projects that are nothing but dead weight. This worksheet is quick and simple enough that you can get a rapid, effective assessment even as you're hanging from the banister, assuming your computer isn't in league with the coffee maker and the cat.
Your Best Weapon Is a Pointy Stick – Tools and Equipment List – MEMBER
Guns run out of ammo, chainsaws get stuck in the wall, and the complicated device the scientists concocted is guaranteed to either quit or miss one. By all means, bring the heavy artillery, but use our comprehensive equipment list to make sure you've got the basics covered too. Remember, pointy sticks always work, and they're multi-monster capable. Plus, if you sharpen both ends, you can double your productivity. (Try that with a semi-functional semi-automatic!)
Be a Believer – Lessons Learned Survey – GUEST
Skeptics have a low survival rate. Believers know that when the townspeople say the monsters come out at midnight, they'd better have their pickaxes and pointy sticks ready. Believers don't just listen to the locals, they go out of their way to ask for advice. Believers read the ancient tomes (quietly) to find out how the monsters were defeated last time. Believers carry garlic. Better safe than sorry, right?
Never Join the Bloodthirsty Mob – Problem-Solving Tools and Techniques – PREMIUM
It all seems like a great idea when everyone grabs a pitchfork, but once the adrenaline rush wears off things get messy. You don't want to be one of the victims running around with torches screaming for vengeance. You want to be the calm hero who is properly armed with a plan and a pointy stick. The best way to do that is to keep a cool head and examine the problem from all possible angles before things get out of hand. Gather your team, take stock of the situation, and make sure you go straight for the evil scientist instead of wasting time on the monster.
The Giant Bugs Will Eat You – Detailed Design Review Checklist – MEMBER
They're not "an interesting aberration," and they don't come in peace. When it comes to mutant bugs, it's us or them. The best way to destroy them before they destroy your project is to spot them early in their lifecycle, preferably before they set up self-sustaining colonies and develop language skills. A detailed review of the situation will help. And don't take no for an answer when the local entomologist insists that everything is fine and a 10% variation is normal, either. Bring the whole team. And a Geiger counter.
Never Allow Yourself to Be Hypnotized – Tracking With Visible Deliverables – PREMIUM
Stay conscious so you can see what's hiding behind the curtain. If you allow yourself to be lulled to sleep with assurances that the work is "80% done," you're likely to wake up and find yourself more than 20% clobbered. Our spreadsheets help you keep track of what's really happening, not just what someone tells you is happening. That's critical information when you're trying to stay ahead of the zombie apocalypse. Remember, a ritual that's 80% finished never banished anything.
Feel No Guilt – Project Flexibility Matrix – MEMBER
You're running for your life, and it has claws; it's OK to drop the excess baggage. In the face of killer deadlines or a frantic change in course, know what's expendable (your grandmother's silver) and what's not (the pointy stick, or the amulet of banishment). You'll be glad you thought it through ahead of time. And once you've slowed down enough to think, don't waste tears on lost nice-to-haves; gold plate can be pretty, but it's not especially good at repelling the undead. Besides, you can always go back to pick them up after the movie. (The gold plate, that is. Leave the zombies behind.)
It's Never Over Until the Credits Roll – Customer Acceptance Checklist and Signoff – PREMIUM
It's not enough to have the strange mystic peek in the corners and assure you that "this project is clean." Until you've gone through every room, you'll still be waiting for something to jump out of the woodwork. Get a thorough checklist, and make sure someone (preferably someone else) checks everything -- including the attic, the basement, and the last-minute add-on at the back of the stairs. Then and only then can you declare the nightmare over, roll credits, and move on to the sequel.
Where's ProjectConnections?
Niel Nickolaisen will explain "How to Flawlessly Execute Your Strategy – For Free!" at CIO Magazine's CIO: The Year Ahead conference November 8-10, in Indian Wells, California.
Carl Pritchard is in Baltimore, Maryland this week for a 2-day class on Advanced Risk Management October 29-30, with the PMI Baltimore Chapter. He'll be doing PMP Exam Prep at Frederick Community College November 2-3.
Kimberly Wiefling is back in the San Francisco Bay area this week, with a free workshop on "Leading from Any Chair in the Organization" for Ultimate in Success on October 29. Details and registration on the Ultimate in Success website. She's booked most of the rest of this year in Japan and Europe, so don't miss the chance if you're in the Bay area.
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