|
|
Friday, February 14, 2003
P-Logs for Project Teams
Here's my Proposal for a P-Log (Project Weblog) Specification.
Why the Interest in Weblogs?
I've been curious about the role blogging could play on projects. In October I did a posting Project Klogs: Changing Paradigms on John Udell's view of weblogs for projects. Udell claimed our tools and practices don't attend to the story of the project.
Projects fail. This is the usual case. We all know this. Attempts by the PMI to address this have not succeeded. It's time for something completely different.
Why A Specification?
We've been designing and redesigning the same collaboration tools for years. Ten years ago I used an early Lotus Notes database for project management. Back then and today the collaboration environments do the same things: provide status, track issues, and discussion. We can do those things with a p-log. But there are three critical issues that need attention that haven't got attention:
- Uncertainty - the future unfolds influenced by actions of the team and the world that is unfolding around the team. Planning is the conversation for participating in the infolding.
- Learning - the vast majority of knowledge is tacit. Projects are one-of-a-kind opportunities to share, deepen, innovate, ...
- Mood of the team - enthusiasm beats complacency, cooperation beats (internal) competition, determination beats resignation, and wonder beats arrogance. Yet, when mood is left unaddressed we get what we get.
P-logs are about the story of the project and the team. P-logs are for the team to take charge of the conversation of the project.
What's Next?
Perhaps this is too ambitious. Perhaps nothing short of audacious ambition will get at the underlying sources of project failure. I propose we do this together. How about a project conducted with a weblog for developing the p-log? (Thanks Joe for the proposal.) In the next few days I'll write about aspects of the p-log specification. Please join in with your comments and questions, suggestions and criticisms, and offers to build and use a prototype p-log.
posted by Hal at 9:58 AM
| link
|
|
| Google It!
| Email This
|
Thursday, February 13, 2003
Are Weblogs Tools for Business? How about Projects?
Weblogs, like Reforming Project Management,
have proliferated. In a popular discussion group on Scrum Development, the proposed use of daily status logs attracted some of the best postings in quite some time. Many commented on the shortcomings of collaborative environments while others spoke of the value for enhancing knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and improved coordination.
In November 2002, Network World Fusion hosted a debate of the legitimacy of weblogs as business tools. Bill Keaggy argued favorably.
Using Weblogs in your business environment can increase employee communication and knowledge, save time and resources, and build reputation and confidence.
A blog can keep everyone up to date on projects without clogging in-boxes. It also can provide an archive of mistakes and milestones that could be shared with other teams undertaking similar projects.
Speaking for the other side was Mark Hurst.
There's nothing inherent in blog technology that will transform a business. A page of online posts, sorted reverse chronologically, just doesn't by itself change a corporation. If anything, the blog is inherently less effective than a more popular tool that companies have used for years: the e-mail newsletter.
One reader commented:
...the blog becomes a true knowledge management system. It's an archive of all the news and information that's relevant to them, which is searchable and sortable - including their comments and annotations.
When companies set up their own internal blogs, they need to convince people to take time from their daily work to put stuff into it.
Mike Masnick, President, Techdirt Corporate Intelligence
Or, should we really be considering a project management information system? George Sifri answered that question in December 2002 in a Builder.com article. Sifri says, "(P)roject managers often fail to deliver the types of information needed to ensure project success." Good start. Unfortunately, he adds, "(A PMIS) is able to provide upper management with adequate information about all the projects in the organization's portfolio." He offers these seven objectives for a PMIS:
- Enable the project team to identify and isolate sources of significant variances and determine the reason why a project deviated from its plan.
- Allow the project team to track the status of the work packages in order to determine the work that is completed and the work that is still pending.
- Help the project team manage project schedules by providing the basis for work package resource allocation and work timing.
- Interface and be compatible with larger legacy information systems.
- Help the project team forecast the impact of certain risks on time, costs, and quality baselines.
- Give the project team insight into what revisions to the baselines they need to implement, when they should implement these revisions, and why they are implementing these revisions.
- Integrate with the work breakdown structure (WBS), which provides the capability to report the status of the work packages throughout the project's life cycle. These reports include identification of the work package, its associated cost code and schedule, and the individual responsible for the work.
Sounds to me like Sifri supports the more structured heavy-weight approaches. The vast majority of projects lie in the middle between the unstructured use of email and the formal project management information systems. Let's explore a solution for the rest of us.
Tomorrow, look for my proposal on what a p-log should contain.
posted by Hal at 4:43 PM
| link
|
|
| Google It!
| Email This
|
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
The Intellectual Factory We Knew as 'T'
 |
A friend, mentor, and inspiration died last night. Thomas Leonard, founder of Coachville, has been the most influential person for the development of professional coaching. I know Thomas through his continuous stream of emails announcing yet another tool, program, course, event, book, and a few hare-brained ideas. Each time he invited his R&D Group to offer their views and contribute to the success of the idea.
The Reforming Project Management weblog was inspired by T's views on knowledge, innovation, and communities of practice. The following is from a foreword to Simply Brilliant, 1800 Success Tips and Life Lessons from America’s Top Personal and Business Coaches.
What is wisdom today?
Is wisdom a set of principles or laws?
Does wisdom come to the lucky individual with
good genes and smart memes?
Does wisdom come from a group with special
access to “the truth?”
Or, is wisdom something that is alive, constantly
developing and evolving as we humans evolve?
Thomas J. Leonard
April 26, 1999
Thomas -- the ultimate intellectual factory.
Farewell.
|
posted by Hal at 2:59 PM
| link
|
|
| Google It!
| Email This
|
Tuesday, February 11, 2003
Construction Summit 2003
I am booked to be lead a panel of leaders who are implementing a lean approach to construction project delivery. The summit will be held March 9-11 at Amelia Island Plantation, Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to the reprieve from bitterly cold northeast weather, I am looking forward to interacting with these leaders. They have years of experience delivering projects on-time or early AND at or below budget by taking a lean approach. And they have the battle scars to show for it. One person carries the title VP of Production & Process Innovation. Another is the head architect of an integrated design-build firm. The last member is VP of Operations for the Automotive Construction Group and he's an architect.
We will be discussing issues with implementation starting with doing the first pilot to rolling out across the company. I'll share the questions I'm using to prepare the panelists next week. I'll give you another update following the event.
posted by Hal at 5:01 PM
| link
|
|
| Google It!
| Email This
|
Monday, February 10, 2003
How Stupid Questions Can Lead to Smart Answers
We've all heard the expression, "The only stupid question is the one not asked." Patrick Andrews puts his own spin on that in the article How stupid questions can lead to smart answers. Patrick is writing for technical project managers, but his comments apply more broadly. He tells us to admit our weaknesses.
When I ask for help in understanding some technological subtlety that underpins a project management decision, the experts on my team know that I trust them to explain things. They very much like being questioned as this gives them a special status, allows them to demonstrate their knowledge, and provides them with a way to contribute to the project in a novel way.
Patrick offers us 8 stupid questions to get us going. (Like I needed help)
- Why are we still using this tool?
- Can you remind me why we decided on this approach?
How much does this procedure actually cost us?
- Can anyone explain this problem to me in simple terms?
- Who’s our best person at dealing with this kind of problem?
- What does that acronym actually stand for?
- If you were in my shoes, what would you do?
- Why is your idea better than the way we usually do things?
Not to be one to leave well-enough alone I propose two additions to his list:
- Do we need to be doing this now?
- What would the customer think of this?
Leave your suggestions for dumb questions as a comment to the posting.
Patrick leaves us with this thought, The trick for effective project management is to really listen to the answers—and never ask the same "dumb" question twice. Oh no...there's that L-word again!
posted by Hal at 3:53 PM
| link
|
|
| Google It!
| Email This
|
Visit the Archives for more postings
|
Blogroll Me!
Reference Papers 
Project Resources
Books
Top Blogs!
Bookmark These Weblogs
Blogroll Me!
Yahoo! Groups
RecipRoll
|
Reforming Project Management
|
