Monthly Archives: March 2011

News, Side Notes, and Observations

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Every once in a while, I like to write about current events and (briefly) ruminate on what I’ve learned recently, and the vernal equinox is all the excuse I need.

  • Samad Aidane has completed the upload of the recordings of the PM Telesummit.  If you registered, he’s already sent you an EMail with the details; if you didn’t get it, let him know. samad@pmtelesummits.com
  • Sally Elatta interviewed Rory McCorkle, the business owner of the recently announced Agile project management certification (which still does not have an official name) on Thursday, March 17.  While no earth-shattering developments were discussed, it’s a really detailed explanation of what PMI has released about the pilot program so far, and if you have an hour or so, the recording is available.  Note: you need to be a PMI member to access the recording.
  • If you’re thinking about pursuing a Master’s degree, check out “The Definitive Guide to Master of Project Management Degrees.”  It’s the clearest explanation I’ve read yet of the difference in the various flavors – MBA, MS-PM, MS-IT/PM, MPM, and so on – and they conclude with a list of fourteen schools and the degrees they offer.  My alma mater, Capella, is on the list, and I recommend it highly if you’re a working professional in search of a good distance learning alternative.
  • It’s worth remembering that the subject of the legendary 2001 conference of seventeen software developers at Snowbird, Utah that resulted in the Manifesto for Agile Software Development was lightweight development methods.  While the collection of methodologies we refer to as “Agile” are certainly well suited for that purpose, I don’t want to drive over a suspension bridge built using an Agile approach.  Your mileage may vary, and so should your approach to managing projects.
  • Having said that, the Agile project management Declaration of Interdependence, which was written in 2005 by many of the same folks who were at Snowbird in 2001, is a set of principles that will benefit nearly any project.  Maybe even those that involve a suspension bridge.

Here’s to the start of spring, when all things are made new again!

New PM Articles for the Week of March 7 – 13

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New project management articles published on the web during the week of March 7 – 13, 2011.  We read all of this stuff so you don’t have to!  Recommended:

  • PMI confirmed that the new Agile Project Management credential pilot program examination content outline and reference list will be released on April 15.
  • Elizabeth Harrin took last week off, and had two weeks of lectures to listen to on her Villanova University course.  She reports on lessons learned in dealing with resistance and assigning people to tasks.  While you’re visiting her site, check out her report on women in project management.
  • The PM Telesummit this week was a resounding success!  Samad Aidane reports, “My team and I are working hard to process recording files of all the presentations and getting them ready for upload.”  He’ll Email the links as soon as they’re ready.
  • Derek Huether manages to invoke both Dilbert and Fred Brooks in assessing a vendor’s proposal to catch up to the original schedule by adding a lot of people.  As Fred pointed out, software development ain’t like picking cotton.
  • Getting up to speed on Agile?  Craig Brown writes about “user stories” and provides a link to a template.
  • While we’re on the subject, Bill Krebs offers some criteria that will tell you if your team is self-organized.
  • Chuck Morton continues his series of articles on The Project Manager’s Cycle – this week, it’s “review issues and action items.”  He recommends reviewing risks before reviewing issues in status meetings.  “We can get so overwhelmed by current brush fires that we fail the due diligence that limits future bonfires.”  Good point!
  • Kathlika Thomas shares her formula for an executive summary for primary stakeholders, also known as a project status update in some circles.
  • Bas de Baar is writing a book, to be called, “TEMPORARY TRIBES: Interaction and Collaboration in a Digital and Mobile World.”  He’s been sharing sections of it with us over the last couple of weeks, and this week he shares a bit more about cues and context.
  • On my white board, I have the note, “Multi-taking is the enemy of focus.”  Bill Balcezak addresses the enemy with time-boxing, to-do lists, and a pomodoro – no, not the pasta dish – “a schedule-structuring practice consisting of short, uninterrupted increments of work.”
  • Glen Alleman writes about the best management movie ever – “Twelve O’Clock High.”  Lessons learned include, “Leading teams of qualified staff toward the goal of the mission. Managing the resources of personnel, machines, infrastructure, politics, and emotions along the way.”  And the coolest real crash landing in movie history, by stunt pilot Paul Mantz.

Enjoy!

Studying Leadership (for project managers)

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Twice during the last week, I’ve had the subject of leadership come up in conversations with project managers, and today I read a post by a respected project management blogger that made the assertion, “Leadership can’t be taught.”  Of course it can – it’s been taught for centuries.  If you’re serious about pursuing a career where you have to influence others with only limited authority, you need to study leadership.

Classic texts such as Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” have gained a whole new level of popularity in the west in the last few years, and the Chinese are starting to re-discover the teachings of Confucius, which were the basis for the Imperial examination system for government officers for over two thousand years.  The Instruction of Ptahhotep, a vizier under King Isesi of the Fifth Dynasty, to his son is a collection of maxims dealing with human relations, touching on the leadership virtues of kindness, justice, truthfulness, moderation and self-control.  More recently, humanistic approaches to leadership have been studied by both academics and practitioners, from the military to the clergy.

Much of what we talk about in business leadership involves leadership style.  Three well established approaches to leadership style include laissez faire, which implies low control, the autocratic style, which implies high control, and the participative style, which lies somewhere in between, and is frequently most effective when used with a highly skilled and motivated team.  Of course, people being people, they tend to exhibit a more or less constant style of leadership over time.  In the 1950s, a group of management theorists from Ohio State University and the University of Michigan published a series of studies to determine whether leaders should be more task-oriented or relationship-oriented.  Their research discovered that there is no one best style: leaders must adjust their leadership style to the situation as well as to the people being led.  Thus began the development of Situational Leadership.

Daniel Goleman’s model of situational leadership is a relatively recent view that based on the application of emotional intelligence to leadership. His article in the Harvard Business Review, “Leadership That Gets Results,” argues that effective bosses vary their leadership style based on the situations at hand.  Goleman describes six styles a leader can use:

  • Coercive – the leader wants the follower to “do as I tell you,” which can be useful in a crisis but is generally the least effective of the six.
  • Pacesetting – the leader wants the follower to “do as I do,” focusing on doing things better and faster.  This is the second least effective style, but can be useful in combination with other styles.
  • Coaching – the leader offers feedback and challenging assignments; the task is a learning opportunity.
  • Democratic – the leader works to build trust and commitment by soliciting ideas and buy-in.  Good for morale and productivity in the long term, but requires extra time.
  • Affinitive – the leader tends to his employee’s emotional concerns, offers ample praise, and gives followers great freedom in doing their jobs.  Produces fierce loyalty and trust, but best used in combination with authoritative style, as commonly practiced by the military.
  • Authoritative – the leader states a clear vision and motivates followers by making clear to them how their work contributes to that vision.  Not “authoritarian,” which is associated with long-term use of Coercive behaviors.

Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard argue in their book, “Leadership and the One Minute Manager,” that leaders should adapt their style to how ready and willing the follower is to perform required tasks, based on their competence and motivation.  They describe four approaches:

  • A “Telling,” or directive approach for those followers with low competence and low commitment
  • A “Selling,” or coaching approach for followers with some competence and variable commitment
  • A “Participating,” or supporting approach for followers with high competence and variable commitment
  • A “Delegating,” or observing approach for followers with high competence and high commitment.

I’ve added a section to the Bookstore for leadership books – if you think I should add one of your favorites, let me know in the comments.