Hyperbole

Hyperbole is the downfall of requirements, proposals, and status reports.

Posted by: William W. (Woody) Williams

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For most business endeavors, too much success is just as disastrous as complete failure.

Posted by: William W. (Woody) Williams

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I am a project manager

I am a project manager: At its most basic, that means knowing "how" to get things done. That "how" stands, primarily, for "process." Many, but not all, my thoughts here share that focus on process.

I am deeply involved in both program and portfolio management. That means not just"how" but "what" and "why" and "when." "What" is to be accomplished could be referred to as "the ends." "How" the thing is accomplished, then, refers to "the means." "Why" is the strategic framework. "When" is about organizing the various "what's" into a logical sequence of events.

Standing outside the context of business and business technology I often speak to social, political, or cultural issues. Not here on this forum but on others. We (myself along with other project managers) have something to share; it's important. Important in the context of business, technology, and important in the larger context of getting things done in life.

Regardless of how carefully and rightfully the vision is crafted, goals defined, and success factors enumerated, if the methods, techniques, processes, and people employed are imperfect, those imperfections become realized in the outcome. In a sense, the end becomes the means.

We never achieve greatness (success) through flawed means. The most brilliant strategy is brought to naught by tactical failure. No amount of individual effort can overcome it; no amount of shiny rhetoric can gloss it over; neither advertising nor marketing can salvage it.

Posted by: William W. (Woody) Williams

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Quotable: Disaster

Disaster Quotes Page 2 - BrainyQuote

"If a sufficient number of management layers are superimposed on top of each other, it can be assured that disaster is not left to chance." ~Norman Ralph Augustine

Posted by: William W. (Woody) Williams

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Why do projects succeed?

We've all seen "top ten" lists and read "why projects fail" rants. Here, we've discussed project failure as well as on Twitter #pmot, and LinkedIn. It may be (creating another "top ten") the number one item of discussion among project professionals. If not, it's certainly near the top.

Projects fail for every reason... all reasons. At some level there may be value in knowing what all those reasons are but--let's face it--when the list is written, it is everything.

Question is: When we have the list in front of us, what do we do with it? How valuable is that data? How do we know which particular item on the failure list is applicable to any given project... and especially the project we're starting now?

A lot of effort and analysis can go into crafting answers to that question. The answers are largely project specific. The answers are treated like any other project risk. If we're good at risk management, that effort might be useful. If we're bad at it, the effort is wasted.

The biggest obstacle (e.g. risk, failure point) we will face in a project is the one we did not anticipate. If we're good at handling unanticipated obstacles, we may go on to succeed. If not, we won't. The list won't help if the biggest threat is something not on the list.

So... Why do projects succeed?

That may be the more important question. The answer may lie in how well we handle unanticipated events.

Posted by: William W. (Woody) Williams

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Similarity and Success

In my work with large corporations, I began to realize remarkable similarities among organizations. In fact, there were more remarkable similarities among successful, large corporations than remarkable differences.

In smaller organizations I found this not to be the case at all; quite the opposite. The differences among younger, smaller organizations and particularly between them and their larger cousins were considerable.

After decades of monitoring the progress and outcome of many businesses of all sizes, I came to understand that the successful outcomes were much more related to those similarities than the differences.

At the organizational and meta-process level, the more alike you are to other successful enterprises, the higher your chances of success.

Posted by: William W. (Woody) Williams

  

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People or Process

Committed people can succeed despite a flawed process. A world class process without committed people can fail.

Process Improvement Opportunity

Common business plan: Hare-brained Idea > Foregone Conclusion = Instant Wealth

Contact with the enemy...

Planning is often followed by blind adherence to a plan. The first leads to success; the second to failure. Plan accordingly.

Friday Epiphany

Friday Epiphany: The biggest obstacle you will face is the one you never expected.

Engage

Talk isn't cheap when it leads to understanding. Engage.

Complexity and risk

As system complexity increases, predictability--even of a small change--decreases while probability of its harm increases.

People Problems

"People problems" are caused by people, not technology. People are also the solution.

Be careful who you wish for...

A group -- no matter how well formed -- of managers and sales people nodding agreement to requirements should not make you feel safe.

Fill the gap

Projects fill gaps between organizational goals and current status. If not, question why.

Change yourself and change the world

The ability to change yourself is precursor to effectively changing others.

Do it all yourself... or be a leader.

Those who must do everything themselves never become great leaders.

Influence or control?

Influencing is not "controlling."

Social Studies

Innovation, transformation, and change are fundamentally social.

Changing

To change, we must overcome peoples fear of losing status, power, control, security, and comfort in newness.

Is it a plan... or a schedule?

A schedule is not a plan but a plan always has a schedule.

So... it's been a while

So... it's been a while. One of the "features" of blogging, I suppose. Perhaps one of the traps. The ability or need to walk away sometimes. Need, in this case.

I've been *doing* a lot of project management over the past several months. And program management. And portfolio management. As the "Senior" in the Enterprise Program Management Office for a smaller organization, the hats change constantly. Sometimes so fast they rip your hair out.

So, I focused on hat changes and left the blog idle for a few months.

That is changing.

More to come.

---woody

Simple Problems...

Simple problems can be made confusing, complex and insoluble if enough meetings are held to discuss.

Instant Destruction

Credibility and trust take a long time to develop; are destroyed in an instant.

Focus for Accountability

IT projects focused on implementing a system instead of a business goal lack accountability.

Change and Choice

The forces of change are constant. Helping make change occur in a positive manner is a choice.

Delivering Matters

When a project fails to deliver what it's supposed to deliver, little else about the thing will matter.

Complexity

Complexity is not sophistication - anything incomprehensible should cause suspicion rather than admiration.

First things first...

The ability to change yourself is a precursor to effectively changing others.

Organization change first

Using a methodology or approach unsupported by the current organizational culture will fail.

Goals and Clarity

The biggest obstacle to progress and primary time waster on projects is confusion about goals.

Priorities

Prioritize in this order: Goals, features, and then work items. A project can run on these 3 lists alone.

Looking for a silver bullet?

"Silver Bullets" are found in people, values, and communications not methodologies.