What Scares You?

Tomorrow is Halloween, and in the spirit of the season, I thought it was time to address some of my irrational (but very real) fears head on.  OK, some of them are not necessarily fears, but things that make me go ugh, ew, hmmm, or jinkies.  So here they are, in no particular order:

1. Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson
2. Our society's fixation on Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson
3. "Intuitive" software
4. Salespeople who work for "Intuitive" software companies
5. People who wear carnivore prints
6. The words "we have a mandate" in a two-party political system
7. Employee Benefits (the business world's biggest oxymoron)
8. Kinko's
9. Stephen King Novels
10. Abuse of the Constitution
11. Attorneys as members of project teams
12. Eating Contests on "Fear Factor"
13. Unearned authority
14. Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve
15. People who equate proficiency on MS Project with Project Management
16. Societal Apathy
17. Gas Prices
18. Lack of Accountability
19. Corporate Zombies
20. Not accomplishing something great
21. Unnecessary harm that may come to my family
22. Gratuitous violence, sex, or profanity
23. Spam (both the "meat" and the internet variety)
24. Misuse of process
25. Individuals who sit at the cross section of myopia, dogma, and irrationality

What about you?  What are you afraid of?  BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (as close to an evil laugh as I can achieve on the internet)!

Add a Dash of Time; Bring To a Boil

I've been thinking a lot about time this week, for a variety of reasons.  Yeah, there are a lot of great posts and articles out there about time management (for example, see the recent Life Hacker referral), but my thoughts seem to be embracing something larger than just time management.

For starters, we received the Eddie Bauer spring preview catalog this week.  Here in the Upper Midwest, I just got out the coats, gloves, hats, and scarves in preparation of winter.  I've been passing the "desparation clearance racks" of spring and summer fashions, marked down 75-90%.  Why?  Because nobody is thinking about them now.  Well, almost nobody.  To the wonderful folks at Eddie Bauer, I truly love your products and purchase from you regularly.  I have but one request:  THINK!!!  "Timing is everything," as the old saying goes.  Sometimes the best ideas, products, or actions can be waylaid by poor timing.  Everything from project rollouts to determining when to confront somebody about office politics are all functions of timing.  But hey - I wish you folks at Eddie Bauer all the luck in the world at pushing your new spring line.  Now... where did I pack away my long underwear?

Also this week, my older daughter had an assignment at school.  Her first grade teacher asked the students to create a time line of their life.  They had a poster board that was about 12 inches tall by 36 inches long on which to document the key milestones of their lives.  Since my wife is buried knee-deep in end-of-quarter grading, I became the supervising parent for this project.  It was interesting to search for meaningful photographs and talk about the stories behind each one.  It was also a challenging experience to whittle all of those photos down to the relevant few that would fit on the paper provided.  And it was a hair-raising experience (OK, if I still had hair, I'm sure it would have been raised) to work with a first grader to lay out the pictures, draw the time line, and label all of those events.  It made me realize how precious time is, and whether one is looking backward or forward, building an inventory of events showing how time was (or is to be) spent is a critical skill.

Finally, we're moving the clocks back this weekend as daylight savings time ends.  We gain a full hour!  So, how did you spent this time?  Sleeping?  Partying?  Working?  Playing?  Relating?  Talking?  Loving?  Who - me?  What did I do?  I chose to take a long leisurely stroll to the post office to mail a letter that I could have taken in my car and been done in 5 minutes.  Sometimes the gift of time needs to be savored.  Efficiency needs to be thrown out the window, and life just needs to be experienced.

Just some thoughts for the weekend.  How are you using your time (and your timing) to accomplish something great?

A Time To Give Back - Part 2

I have become very fond of these three organizations.  Talking to the directors before class, watching them share their passion with my students, and listening to my students as they share their skills with the organizations - it's all been very rewarding.  As I said, these directors have invested a lot of time in my students as well, and have helped to make this semester a great learning experience.  I want some way to thank them for making this semester great.

So, here's the scoop:  For each copy of Race Through The Forest that sells on Amazon between now and the end of November, my publisher, Tiberius Publications, and I will be donating a dollar each ($2 total) that will be split among the three United Way affiliated agencies mentioned in my last post.  For those of you who are familiar with publishing and selling through Amazon and profit margins, it doesn't take a lot of math to figure out I'm not getting rich from this offer.

It's a win-win.  You get a pretty darn good airplane read on project management, and three organizations (and the hundreds of children they serve) get some great benefits.  Pass the word, OK?

A Time To Give Back - Part 1

This semester, my students are trying something a little different than the standard team research project.  Since we're in a project management course, I figured that the best course of action would be ... well... a course of ACTION.  So, they've become not-for-profit consultants this semester.  We have three amazing agencies with whom we're working, all of whom are affiliated with the United Way of Central Iowa.  The directors of these agencies have been gracious and patient with my students, adding time into their already strenuously busy schedules so that my students can learn project management in a value-enriching environment.

The first agency is one that is very familiar with most people:  Big Brothers Big Sisters.  Althea Holcomb is a bundle of passion, whose love for children extends beyond the person she sees in front of her all the way to the future that person has in front of him or her.  I joked that she "trades in futures":  she and her hundreds of volunteers trade their time for the future of the hundreds of children who - now more than ever - need an adult role model to guide them in the path to adulthood.  My students are helping her reconfigure some office space for optimal use.  They are also helping her extend her marketing presence into another county.

One does not merely meet Ed Barnes; one experiences Ed Barnes.  You come away exhausted after a conversation with this man (but, trust me, it's a "good" tired).  Ed is the director of the Willkie House, which focuses on "at risk" children.  The organization began 85 years ago as the Negro Recreation League and has evolved over the years to help children from all backgrounds with very effective after-school and summer programs.  Ed's view of life and society is that we're all connected:  one can't look at a group of minority children and think of just "them" - because it's all about a collective us.  We're all related some how, some way, and it's up to all of us to make a difference.  My students are helping him launch a program that will target 50 at-risk seventh graders and get to them before other influences have a chance to take hold.

There's an intersection where nature meets nurture, and it occurs precisely in the heart of Marylou Garcia, the director of Wildwood Hills Ranch.  Her organization also works with kids from challenging backgrounds to provide them with something many could never fathom:  a week in the outdoors, running, swimming, riding horses, and just being loved and looked after.  The impact her organization has on these kids is inspirational, and it springs from a love and vision that she carries like a torch.  My students are planning three projects for her:  an updated website, a new Equestrian Center, and a strategy for hosting corporate retreats.

There's something very special going on in my class this semester.  We put in very long hours in class sessions due to the condensed schedule.  The students have a lot of reading in their text as well as responding to a class blog.  The first night of class, I warned my students that they would work their tails off, and I don't think I misrepresented that expectation.  But amazingly, the energy level from my students - in person, on the phone, and through email - is very high this semester.  I think Ed is right:  we are all connected, and when we reach down to raise up even one person, it raises us all.  The student presentations will be on November 4th.  I feel like a kid right before Christmas.  But there is one more thing...

Project Hokey Pokey

Let's all sing along, everybody:

"You put Fred in, you take Tom out, you put Sam in, then you shake the team about.  You do the 'Hokey Pokey' moving people in and out.  That's what it's all about.  Yeah!"

Hey, wait just a dog-gone second here - that is NOT how the song goes!  Maybe not, but that's how we tend to play the game with respect to project management staffing, isn't it?  After all, project resources are just WUHOTS, right?  Aren't they all just interchangeable parts which management can manipulate as they please?  (OK, you and I know the right answer to that; now we just need to tell the executives.)  Maybe they think they have a valid reason; perhaps there is a critical resource shortage that requires some shuffling around.  Could it be they view the "project hokey pokey" as a quick fix for other organizational problems?

Regardless of the reasons, let's look at some of the impacts of random project resource backfilling:

1. Going back to Square 1:  If you look at the normal form-storm-norm-perform life cycle of team development, shifting resources in or out of a high performing team can undermine cohesive dynamics and create unnecessary sniping.
2. Rounding the Learning Curve:  All of the people on your team will be impacted by the learning curve with new resources.  The new resources need to learn what it is you're doing; the other resources need to train them.
3. Losing the beat:  In an earlier post, projects were compared to a rhythm.  When the team is moving forward, switching project team members is like switching instruments in the middle of an orchestration.  You lose rhythm, and people need to regroup.  Either way, you divert attention from completing the project.

In my workshops, I do an exercise which drives this point home of "project resources as interchangeable parts."  And I have to tell you, my workshop participants start hating me (at least until I start the exercise debrief).  Project managers generally tend to be a hard-charging, high-achieving lot.  Anybody who prevents a project manager from achieving carpe factum is considered the enemy.

So before you start playing "project hokey pokey" ask if it's really worth it   Do the long term costs alleviate the short term benefits (if any)?  Is it a fair trade off to damage a well-run project to move people to a struggling project?

And that's what it's all about.

This Ain't No Walk On The Beach

OK, wait, so maybe it was.

I just returned from an overnight trip to Huntington Beach, CA to make a presentation to my client regarding their AS IS current state analysis.  For those of you not familiar with process improvement projects, this is the part where the consultant tells the client all the things that are wrong with their department or team or organization.  Generally, these are painful messages to deliver, and they can set a client on edge if not delivered with the right balance of honesty and tact.

At the end of the presentation, the client applauded.  They had invited me to stay for a lunch with their broader team, and when I left for the airport, I even garnered a few hugs.  What?!?!  Applause and hugs for telling my clients what they're doing wrong?  No, I didn't slip anything into the water pitchers when they weren't looking.

This really isn't a trick, tip, or technique as much as it is just a fundamental truth.  If you've invested the time getting to know PEOPLE, building a level of TRUST with them, and showing them the RESPECT they deserve and that they've earned - regardless of their title or level in the organization - you can deliver tough messages to clients and still maintain a positive relationship.  I'm grateful to be working with a dynamic and motivated staff to help alleviate some process-related pain in their department.  Applause and hugs aside, their improved work environment will be all the internal reward I'll need to know I did my job.

The sunset walk on the beach didn't hurt either.

Never Weakened By a Weekend

In a 24-hour duration, what can one really accomplish?  Well, one could paint a room.  One could do some major yard work.  One could finish up some paperwork.  One could watch two full seaons of the Simpsons on DVD.  One could tackle a fairly substantial book (reading or writng... your pick).

Or...

One could spend 60% of his time with 34 MBA students (the other 40% driving home, sleeping, and driving back the next morning).  This was the second weekend (out of three weekends this semester) that I taught the Project Management elective for Drake University.  I feel very fortunate to work with this group of young professionals.  In reality, they continue to teach me more about resiliency and the human spirit than I teach them about project management.  As I alluded in an earlier post, we've had a few hiccups since the start of the semester.  However, their sense of humor, their maturity, and their insights continue to inspire me to be my best.

As if spending time with them wasn't enough reward, we had two amazing guest speakers in our class.  While I like getting "geeky" with MS Project, my friend Terri is utterly amazing at presenting a working, practical, and entertaining demonstration of the tool.  She is nothing short of amazing, keeping their attention for two hours right after lunch.  Then, we were able to spend an hour on the phone with the passionate and witty Kevin Brady, who graciously agreed to dial into conference with my class to share his views on Agile, Scrum, and IT strategy in general.  My students enjoyed hearing his insights and stories, and he added tremendous value by sharing his experience with them.  Thanks, Kevin!

Again, one could be brought down by the little things.  Or one can be very thankful for people who mitigate the little things.  Kent Sovern, the director of the Des Moines Higher Education Collaborative, is Mister-Rise-Above-The-Small-Stuff-And-Go-Above-And-Beyond-The-Call-Of-Duty.  He played a critical role behind the scenes on many of the issues my class encountered recently.  Thanks, Kent!  (You deserve a raise.)

Now there is another big week ahead ... complete with a lot of activity, some travel, and plenty of hustle-and-bustle.  The energy and fun and interaction from this weekend will propel me through anything I have to deal with in the coming week.  Tonight, however, there are a couple of pillows with my name written all over them.

Ogres Have Layers... So Do Project Plans

"Tim, can you help us?  We have a project plan we need you to look at."

It wasn't the first time I'd received that request, and I always enjoy looking at a project plan to help troubleshoot.  Keep in mind, MS Project is my favorite tool.  I realize that there are challenges, and those who are unfamiliar with the tool can easily fall into many of the pitfalls that the software offers.  One of those challenges is simply in how the basic entry screen is set up.

The tool asks for too much information too quickly for many project managers.  It lends itself to asking for information that should not be input into a project plan.  For example, adding in start and finish dates on tasks creates unintended constraints.  Adding in resources automatically calculates work effort and duration... without the user often realizing it.  Even the folks at 37 Signals are anti-Project.  I don't know that I'd go so far as to call MS Project an "enemy," but I can certainly agree with the opinion that the tool... ANY TOOL... should focus more on facilitating communication that generating charts and graphs.

Because of these software pitfalls, I tend to recommend the "Shrek Approach" to project planning.  Instead of attacking all task information requested on the "entry screen" on the first pass, I recommend creating custom tables and views to allow for an iterative approach to project planning:

1. WBS Pass - The first pass on a project plan is simply building the tasks associated with the work breakdown structure.  Start with deliverables and then "back into" the tasks needed to achieve those deliverables.  Include milestones and notes.  Add in the WBS numbering column so you can see how the plan structure is developing.
2. Dependency Pass - This pass is about building in dependencies and constraints.  (Hint:  use the "Split Screen" function to add in lag and lead times.)  Focus only on identifying how tasks are related to each other rather than on the duration of tasks.  Avoid constraining tasks to specific dates unless absolutely necessary (i.e., don't enter dates in the start or finish fields).
3. Resource Pass - Build the resources for the project team.  In order to avoid scheduling WUHOTs to staff your project, the first pass of building the resource pool might be best accomplished by identifying skill sets rather than names of people (e.g., enter "JAVA Tester" rather than "Joe Bob Smith").  Add in other relevant information about your resource pool:  rates, calendars, etc.
4. Assignment and Estimation Pass - Here is where you actually assign resources to tasks, determine how long (in both work effort and duration) each task will take, and perform an initial "reality test" to see if it will float.
5. Leveling Pass - By the time you are at this pass, names should have replaced skill sets in your resource pool.  Ensure that these resources have reviewed their own tasks and verified the reality of them.  Also be sure that resources are not overloaded (MS Project can be fickle in how it defines overallocated resources; email me if you have questions on how to mitigate this problem).  If your project is part of a larger program, this is where that integration occurs.
6. Approval and Baseline Pass - Obtain the approval of the needed stakeholders and baseline your plan.

Diana Lindstrom once compared a project plan to a musical score, a very good analogy (and certainly "prettier" than comparing it to an ogre like Shrek).  As some musical scores are longer and more complex than others, so are some project plans.  Determine the level of complexity that is appropriate for your plan and is custom to your project.  Then just choose the right "layer" of complexity for your ogre... er... um... plan.

Pruning The Overachievers

That mulberry tree was a nuisance.  While it had been "nice enough to stand there and pose" last fall for the cover of my book, Race Through The Forest, it was becoming an overgrown, shaggy mess.  Its branches were falling all over the place with every storm that came along.  It was also hogging sunlight and nutrients from two other younger trees - a Canadian Cherry and a Maple - who were vying to mature in the forest otherwise known as my back yard.  The problem was that the tree belonged to my neighbor; hence, the neighborly thing to do was to ask him before I called the tree service.

"That thing?  Sure!  Whack off as much as you want.  It's pretty much a pain to me as well."  His response relieved me on the neighbor-relations front.  Then he continued, "Did I ever tell you that was supposed to have just been a bush?"

I looked at the 40-foot tall behemoth that had taken over both of our yards.  "Looks like it overachieved," I stated the obvious to his acknowledging chuckle.

Sometimes we have people on our teams who are like that mulberry "bush."  They are very talented overachievers, but eventually they reach a plateau where their growth - and the growth of the team - stagnate under the weight of their own ability.  It then becomes time to take on the seemingly unpleasant task of pruning the overachiever.  I'm not talking about getting rid of them, but pruning out things from their performance or personality which seem to be holding them back.

Before you get out the chainsaw and start whacking away at branches, it would probably serve everyone's best interest to answer some questions about why the need to prune the overachiever exists:

1. Will it allow for the growth of the overachiever?  Just as pruning a tree or bush allows it to grow back ever more beautiful and fuller than before, pruning an overachiever can allow him or her to grow in new and exciting ways she or he did not think possible before.  Pruning can free up overachievers to learn new skills and go in new directions.
2. Will it allow for the growth of the others on the team?  The mulberry had overachieved to the point that it was negatively impacting the growth of the two trees in my back yard.  While the mulberry didn't think it was doing anything wrong, the other two trees were struggling to grow.  Pruning sometimes comes with the message that "You're expendable."  That's not a bad message to hear.  One of the most insulting things a person can say is "You are indispensible to our team."  When you hear that, it is time to prune yourself to allow others to grown
3. Will it allow for for the ridding of unnecessary clutter?  Often we are so caught up in the busy-ness of our life, that we don't even recognize there are some dead (or very sickly) branches just hanging around soaking up resources.  Identifying and pruning the dead weight, be they hobbies or unnecessary tasks or administrative junk, can be one of the healthiest things to do.

Once you have identified the need to prune your overachievers, how do you go about pruning them without leaving an ugly stump?  A few things to look for when pruning your overachievers that are fair game for the saw:

1. Skills - it might be breadth of skill (unnecessary time robbers that have been assigned to the person) or depth of skill (busywork that goes along with a critical component), but finding the core competencies of the overachievers and focusing on those will allow for greater growth
2. Ego - I just finished re-re-reading Steve Farber's book, The Radical Edge.  The "antagonist" in this book is a 26-year-old overachiever named Cam Summerfield.  In the book, Cam's ego was closely tied to his ability to overachieve, and some unpleasant decisions were faced in separating the performance from the ego.  (A side note:  promoting an overachiever to management based on job prowess is one of the worst things you can do to a team or organization.  I once worked for a manager who was a talented systems analyst, but her leadership skills were pathetic at best.  Her team was not happy.)
3. Relationships - Sometimes overachievers need to prune other people from their lives.  This is hard, because it takes a lot of introspection to realize when somebody has become toxic to us personally, and a lot of tact to sever the relationship in a spirit of grace and humility for all parties.  Sometimes it takes tough love, but there are times that relationships - personal or professional - can suck the life out of us without our knowing it.

The tree is looking pretty bare this fall.  I suppose the side benefit is that there will be fewer leaves to rake.  However, I'm looking forward to seeing the end result and how much nicer the whole yard will look when the benefits are realized.

Milestones in Project Life

"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  -Thomas Jefferson

"We're sorry, but the pregnancy is not viable.  I'll pass you over to our front desk, and they'll help you schedule a D and C."  That one comment carried all of the emotional weight of a body slam from one of those bulky entertainment wrestlers.  How could this be happening... again?  It was our third miscarriage since our first daughter, Lauren, was born less than four years prior.  Despair was setting in.  Hope was waning.  Questions were persisting.  After my wife finished the phone conversation, we both just sat there.  I could surmise how she must be feeling.  Others we knew had struggled with multiple miscarriages, and there are not words to describe the grief that expectant parents experience when the pregnancy ends unexpectedly.  After our third strike, I was feeling like God's Little Chew Toy, and the look on Shannon's face told me that she was right there with me.

"I'm so sorry, Tim," were the first words out of her mouth.  Here was a woman who was experiencing her third miscarriage and her first words were an apology to me.  That left me dumbfounded.  She continued, "You didn't need to have this on your birthday."

True.  It was my birthday.  And it was a day that I determined at that point in time would probably be marred from there on out.  Sure, maybe some day I would be able to smile and enjoy the day again, but nothing would probably ever wipe away the grief that my wife and I shared at that exact moment.  Maybe some day.

Fast forward exactly one year.

I was dressed and ready to leave for my morning workout at the Y by 4:45.  After all, it was my birthday (big whoop) and I wasn't getting any younger, so the need to stay in shape was impressing upon me even more as each year passed.  As I was quietly trying to slip out the bedroom, my wife stirred.  She was still having backaches, which had been a recurring complaint for the last 3-4 weeks.  I encouraged her to get some rest, and I would be home in just over an hour.  At least it was Friday... we'd both be able to get caught up on some rest.  For some reason, I was just not in the mood for abdominal crunches that morning, so I headed straight for the exercise bikes.  I was feeling tense and irritable, the way I usually do when I feel I'm about to get hit by something big.  I wouldn't have to wait long to find out what it was.

The cell phone rang at 5:40, just as I was huffing and puffing my last pedals on that blasted bike.  The voice on the other end of the call was terse, yet calm.  "Those backaches are coming in five minute waves, so if you want a shower before we leave for the hospital, get home NOW."  Bidding adieu to my gym-buddies, I beat a hasty retreat home.  I showered and dressed in record time before my sister-in-law and my mom arrived to tag-team assistance with Lauren.  Shannon was utterly serene, which to this day astounds me.  "You may want to eat something," she admonished.  "We have no idea how long this will take."  I inhaled a breakfast bar and - after everything was in order at home - helped my wife into the car for a quick (yet safe) trip to the hospital, where we arrived just before 7.

"Believe it or not, we're out of rooms.  We'll have to put you in the outpatient testing room."  The orderly was nice, and even apologetic.  We really didn't care.  The next three hours were a blur of doctors and nurses and machines and advice and suggestions and orders and issues and movement and... at 9:47 AM Abigail Meredith arrived (13 days before her due date).

A little over an hour later, all of the nurses and doctors had left, and my wife and I were enjoying the first moments of peace with our newest family member.  I was sitting in a chair near my wife's bed.  She looked over at me with a little grin and merely said, "Happy Birthday.... hope you like your present."  We both know how random birthdays are... or can be... so to have our daughter arrive on my birthday, given the significance of the day from the year prior was nothing short of a small miracle, a 6 pound 14 ounce miracle.

"You do realize what the name Abigail means, don't you?" I had suggested the name a few weeks prior, but it was always my wife who had to see what a name meant.  After I prompted her for the answer, she informed me that Abigail meant "my father's joy."  A chill ran down my spine at the exact same speed a tear rolled down my cheek.

Abby turns two today, which means it's also my birthday.  It's a great time to reflect back.  I'm not a believer in coincidence.  Now that I'm celebrating the milestone ending my fourth decade on this whacky little terrestrial ball, I've noticed that life runs in patterns, and that there is a synchronicity to events.  You can call it fate or faith (I prefer the latter), but it just seems like, in retrospect, things fall into a well-executed master plan.  Some of you out there may be experiencing a period in your life similar to my birthday three years ago.  Thomas Jefferson's words hold true.  Sometimes life is just about hanging on.  There's no amount of doing, thinking, planning, demanding, cajoling, or carpe-factum-ing that is going to get you out of a slump.  Stay objective about your current situation.  See what you can learn about yourself and others from it.  Maintain your health (both physical and emotional) while you're going through it.  And when you do come out of your slump... Watch Out World!!!  It may not seem like much encouragement now, but trust me on this one:  the wait is worth the reward.  Sometimes patience is our greatest accomplishment.