Nine Destructive Behaviours

Geoff Crane, in the time I've known him, has opened my eyes to the area of project leadership many ignore.  Geoff looks at things from a human perspective.  I know it sounds odd but many of us make objective, quantifiable calculations.  Geoff does as well but he doesn't ignore his gut feelings.  He writes about his knowledge and experiences on his blog Papercut Edge. Geoff recently wrote a series about destructive behaviors (behaviours for my colleagues in Canada) project leaders need to avoid; 9 of them in fact.  As I read each, I found myself nodding my head over and over again.  Yep, he nailed that one.  Yep, he nailed that one as well.

How did he do it!?  How did he describe situations that could have been taken from my biography?  Too bad I didn't have Geoff's book several years ago.  I could have avoided all 9 destructive behaviors.

1. The Sack
2. The Magpie
3. The Deer in Headlights
4. The Hungry Vulture
5. The Premature Solutioner
6. The Terrier
7. The Wanderer
8. The Anticipator
9. The Reluctant Puppet

When he decided to publish the series as an ebook, I was flattered that he asked me to write the forward.  Do yourself a favor.  Read his blog.  Read his ebook.  You'll be glad you did.

Forward from Nine Destructive Behaviors

To be successful as a project leader, you need to know destructive behaviour when you see it. And there is no better tool for this than Geoff's ebook! The Latin saying, ‘praemonitus, praemunitus,’ loosely translates as ‘forewarned is forearmed’. “9 Destructive Behaviours Project Leaders Need to Avoid” is an essential read for any individual wishing to be a successful project leader.

Get a free copy here!

Free Process Group and Knowledge Area Study Material

page43

5-9-42

This is the number combination I want you to remember.

5 Process Groups

9 Knowledge Areas

42 Processes

A colleague of mine just passed his PMP® exam.  What was one of his regrets?  He should have memorized page 43 of the PMBoK.  Why?  Page 43 is an excellent road-map.  Go to any process on page 43 and you'll have a corresponding process group and knowledge area.

Want to Report Performance?  You'll find it atthe crossroad of Communications Management and Monitoring & Controlling. By memorizing the items on this page, you will be able visualize where you are within a project lifecycle and answer a bunch of questions on the exam.

To make it easy on you, I created a simple piece of study material, based on page 43 of the PMBOK

• Page 1 has all of the process groups, knowledge areas, and processes

• Page 2 is missing Initiating processes

• Page 3 is missing Planning processes

• Page 4 is missing Executing processes

• Page 5 is missing Monitoring & Controlling processes

• Page 6 is missing Closing processes

• Page 7 is missing ALL of the processes

With so many other things, memorizing isn't going to do you any good if you can't practically apply what you committed to memory.  I can't say I have a use case from the real world, where memorizing page 43 would apply.  But, if you want a leg up on passing the PMP® exam, I think it's a great start.

Creeping Ever So Closer To Closure

As my startup project is creeping ever so closer to its closure and the actual launch of the product happens, I'm feverishly completing activities late into the night.  It's not easy working crazy hours to get this done.  My family goes to bed, I drink a pot of coffee, and get to work.  An entrepreneur (Jason Calacanis) once said starting is easy; finishing is hard.

He wasn't kidding!  As a project manager, managing my own project for a product related to project management, you can see there is a little irony.  But, I really think this is going to help a lot of people and it will be worth all of the sleepless nights.

Today's activities included

1. Initial rebrand of the HueCubed twitter page
2. Initial load of the new HueCubed logo to the website
3. Set up the blog component
4. Post 1 free question and answer (with the plan to do it daily)
5. Load 10 questions and answers into the database

Mission accomplished.  I completed the 5 activities and am ready to call it a day (night).  Though we're not quite ready to launch, please feel free to follow me or subscribe via the RSS feed.

Thank you all; and to all a good night.

The Critical Path Week in Review

This week I really wanted to turn up the volume of things I wrote about.  I have a lot to say (and write) about project management and if you missed reading my blog on a given day and don't have an RSS feed or follow me on Twitter, you'd have to go searching in the archives to find it.  I don't think that's good enough.  I should make it easy for you to read what I write.  Hopefully, this week in review will help you find something new while you enjoy your coffee or tea.

1/28/2010

Seeing Value From The Customer Perspective

I don’t care if you’re using Agile, Waterfall, or other methods to deliver value.  What is important is you understand your process and what mechanisms provide the greatest value to the customer.  Just because a process does not appear valuable to you, it does not mean the process does not provide value...

1/29/2010

Refine Your Process If You Must Deviate From It

If you’re looking for a free Microsoft Visio template of a Sprint process workflow, which you can edit at will, you can download it here.  As I mentioned in my post Seeing Value From The Customer Perspective, if you think you need to deviate from a documented or understood process, rewrite or refine your process to account for the deviations...

1/30/2010

The Impact Of Social Networking On Project Management

Good leaders do not operate in a vacuum. They exchange ideas and information with people. Offer free information and it will come back to you tenfold. Listen to knowledgeable people and then make a more educated leadership decision... In this post I compared the traditional communication paths and how that process is turned on its ear, thanks to social networking...

1/31/2010

This Is How You Know When To Kill A Project

A personal rant about paper telephone books and how I never realized, until now, who the real customer was. There is a very similar parallel between the newspaper industry and the printed phone book industry.  They both believe or promote the scarcity of information.  That scarcity justifies cost.  To the contrary, we now live with an abundance of information.  That information is freely distributed and reaches a broader audience...

2/1/2010

The December Numbers Are In For PMPs

Yes, the December numbers are in.  December 2009 numbers for Project Management Professional (PMP®) certifications were published and it looks like there will be over 400,000 holding the certification in 2010...

	December Totals
New PMPs (December 2009)	5,403
New PMPs (YTD)	75,107
Total Active PMPs	361,238

2/2/2010

And The Best Methodology Is

I recently commented on two blogs that address similar topics.  Jesse Fewell wants to empower teams to succeed, equip managers to lead, and enable executives to unlock the secrets of high performing organizations.  Jesse wrote a blog post offering the real reasons behind the methodology wars.  It’s an insightful post and I would recommend you go and read it...

The other blog post was from Mike Cottmeyer, someone I turn to on a regular basis to find inspiration and wisdom within the industry.  Mike wrote a blog post asking Why is Agile so hard to sell? Again, it is a very good read and you should set aside some time to read some of his writings...

The Pain Of IE6 And Application Development

There are legacy applications out there that were built on IE6 and it’s not an easy migration.  There are some Agencies which ONLY use IE6 and the users don’t have permissions to install a new browser.  So, what do you do?...

2/3/2010

Updated 10 Step Help To Submit PMP PDUs

All PMPs need 60 PDUs during a CCR cycle so don’t put it off until the last minute.  I document the process on how to claim your require 60 PDUs...

2/4/2010

Using Common Sense With Documentation

Though I really love good documentation, going heavy on it does not guarantee a successful project.  My recommendation is you spend a little time identifying documentation that truly meets your needs.  More importantly, identify documentation that truly meets your customer’s needs...

2/5/2010

Managing Risks and Opportunities

Washington DC is in the process of getting 20-30 inches of snow, over the next 24 hours.  Though I know you can’t foresee all possible issues which may occur over the course of a project, you should make an honest attempt to identify them in order to open a dialog with your stakeholders.  Has weather ever delayed your project or pushed it over budget?...

Using Common Sense With Documentation

Though I really love good documentation, going heavy on it does not guarantee a successful project.  At my last engagement a product manager asked why she had to go back and complete a business case, a feasibility study, and a charter when her team was already several months into development of  the current release.  She was being consumed by back-filling this documentation.  I believe this was a poor business decision by someone higher in the organization.  They did not "get it".  Documentation is nothing more then a communications tool.  When improperly used, a tool will not necessarily give you the benefit you need.  Need to drive in a nail?  You wouldn't use a screw driver, would you?  Then why would you ask someone to use their valuable time and energy to create a document for the sake of creating the document?  Use the appropriate tool at the appropriate time to get the appropriate results.  If there was a 1 year project with a requirement stating there had to be a feasibility study, then you better have one.  You should have done it at the inception of the project.  But, if you have a project that is only 1 month long, use some common sense. My recommendation is you spend a little time identifying documentation that truly meets your needs.  More importantly, identify documentation that truly meets your customer's needs.  You're not impressing anyone with a SharePoint site or filing cabinet filled to the brim with documentation nobody ever looks at.  One good example of a document that provides value is a Project Charter.  I know, there are hundreds of you out there rolling your eyes.  You figure your stakeholders are not going to sign this document (though they should), formally authorizing a project or a phase.  But, this same artifact does document initial requirements that satisfy the stakeholder’s needs and expectations.  Having this document and answering those questions is going to increase the probability of you having a successful project.  Use it as a communication tool!

Since a majority of the search results coming to this website are from people looking for Free Project Management related templates and worksheets, I decided I better give my readers what they are looking for.  You are my customer!  You have expressed a need or want for templates and worksheets.  I should make it my goal to satisfy those needs.

I'm currently working on a new business case template. What will be in it, you ask?

Project Overview

1. Problem Statement
2. Project Description
3. Project Goals and Objectives
4. Project Scope (what's included and what's excluded)
5. Critical Success Factors
6. Assumptions
7. Constraints

Authority and Milestones

1. Funding Authority
2. Project Oversight Authority
3. Major Project Milestones

Project Organization

1. Project Structure
2. Roles and Responsibilities
3. Responsibility Matrix
4. Project Facilities and Resources

Points of Contract

Glossary

Revision History

Appendices

Did I miss anything?  Give me a few days and I'll have it done.

I welcome any feedback or comments.  Just post them below.

Regards,

Derek

Refine Your Process If You Must Deviate From It

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, Seeing Value From The Customer Perspective, if you think you need to deviate from a documented or understood process, rewrite or refine your process to account for the deviations. Merriam-Webster defines process as a series of actions or operations conducing to an end.  If you are unwilling to modify your process, the deviation is unworthy of being done. I've had a vendor tell me they didn't need to document their processes because they were agile.  (Notice the lack of an uppercase A in Agile).  Leveraging Agile concepts does not mean a lack of documented process.  IF the customer tells me they see the greatest value in delivering documentation, what is this vendor going to respond with?  Sorry, we won't deliver value?  If you use Waterfall, you may be used to generating more paper.  You have to consider documentation on a case by case basis.  Some customers have legitimate needs for documentation and other have wants.  Now go back and read that last sentence again.  Needs...Wants...

I personally like to go light on documentation.  What I need and what the customer needs are usually two different things.  That being said, I like to understand the rules (governance) before I start anything.  The Microsoft Visio document I included in my last post was a good example of a high level governance (functional flowchart) document. After completing the flowchart, I then detail each activity in a separate document.  What is the input and output?  Is there a formal deliverable associated with the activity? The idea behind the separate document is you won't need the flowchart to describe the process.  For those who have successfully navigated a SOX audit, you know what I'm talking about.  But I digress.  The flowchart activities I documented are not groundbreaking.  The process in this case is an Agile Scrum process with a few defined quality assurance decisions points.  You do not need to go into the Nth degree to understand this process.  Identify some touch points where the vendor and customer interface.  Identity some decision points.  That's it!

I've done these flowcharts for several customers.  I've created them for both Waterfall and Agile development approaches.  If you're looking for a free Microsoft Visio template, which you can edit at will, you can download it here. I zipped it to make downloading easier.  If you're looking for other free templates or worksheets to use on your project or program, you can download them there.

What do you think?  To document or not document.  That is the question. I welcome your comments or feedback.

Regards,

Derek

Free Report from WBS Coach Josh Nankivel

I just reread my free copy of Top 7 WBS Mistakes Project Managers Make.  Though I am now a paid affiliate of WBS Coach, I had to first review the products.  I reviewed WBS Coach multiple times (just to be sure).  At $39.99, I wasn't sure if it would meet my expectations.  Well, it did and then some.  I got 5+ hours of video, audio, and textual training and a 68 page PDF textbook.  It even included a one-year unconditional money-back guarantee.

The WBS Coach product includes:

• Core Lessons: 8 Lessons on WBS concepts, tutorials, and applications
• Instructor Interviews: 3 interviews, approximately 2 hours
• Q&A Sessions: Bonus video and audio based off student feedback
• WBS Checklist: Practitioner checklist for immediate real-world use
• PDU Credit: Course qualifies for 5 PMI PDUs
• PDU Reporting Guidebook: Claim PDUs without guesswork

If you're not sure about spending the money, get this free report first.  It's informative and...did I already say it was FREE?

1 of 100 PM Related Questions I Ask Myself

Hmmmmm

Question 1: In the hope to help the Project Management industry mature, should project management related templates and worksheets be freely distributed to the project management community or should there be a reasonable fee charged? I am a strong believer in the wisdom of crowds.  If there was a consortium of types with diverse backgrounds in Waterfall, Spiral, RUP, Agile, Scrum, XP... don't you think they could come up with some pretty good stuff?  In this case, all templates would be freely distributed.  I have to admit, the majority of my traffic is from people looking for free templates and worksheets.  It's tempting at times to put them behind a pay wall and ask for 99 cents.

What do you think?

Image courtesy of misallphoto on Flickr