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Hear Susan
Speak
Listen to her
20 minute interview with David Wolf on 9/28/07
(.MP3 format, 14.5 MB)
Susan Junda
Dynamic Solutions
Albuquerque, NM
(505) 888-4786
the Dynamic Solutions Electronic Newsletter
July/August 2008
What's
Going On Out There - a message from Susan
Hope this finds you all doing well and getting to enjoy the "lazy days of summer" at least for a bit - for the hint of summer waning is on the horizon!
I am finding as I travel about, that while people are concerned about the economy and where things are headed, there are many that are optimistic, too. Worrying about the future does absolutely nothing except to ruin your "present moment," put you in a down mood and maybe even ruin your day.
The question becomes "What can I do today to minimize the effect the economy might have on me in the future?" (or "is having on me right now?") Reflecting on this question is a MUCH more beneficial use of your mental time and energy than worrying! Stay open-minded about it, be willing to "listen within" and keep that "nay-sayer" out of the way!
"Like attracts like" and negative thinking attracts negative "stuff." Do your best, in whatever way works for you, to control your fears and think positively about your life, circumstances and future! As my wise mother used to say "Everything usually works out for the best!" even if you might not be able to see it in this moment!
I will be "bi-coastal" again over the next few months, including a trip "across the pond" to the UK for a client of mine. Know that I would be more than willing to meet with you if I am in your area to discuss your specific project and team/staff development challenges and needs. Check out the "Where's Susan?" section at the end of the e-newsletter.
Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Susan
Project Management World
The Problem...
Renegade Team Members
This is a real scenario I got from a participant in a course I taught a few months ago for a client of mine. Her name has been changed to protect the innocent! If you would like to see your project or team issue addressed in a future e-newsletter, please click here.
Marie is a Senior Programmer/Analyst in an IT Department who is starting to manage projects. Her problem is that a team member, let's call him Ray, is ignoring the scope and tasks on a project and keeps implementing things (via code) that are not relevant to the project. He makes unilateral decisions without seeking advice from the project manager, the team or the system/business owner. He also keeps overstepping into other team members' tasks in the process which is causing them to lose their "sense of ownership" on their tasks, and thus, the project.
To quote Marie, "It is hard to believe one person can have such a drastic affect."
Yes, one bad apple CAN (and probably WILL) spoil the whole bunch, baby!!
Does any of this scenario sound familiar to you? I call people like Ray the "creative rebels" on a team, those whom we might really need due to their "technical" abilities AND who, at times, are the hardest to keep within the scope, and maybe even the timeline, of a project.
Scroll down to see the solution from all three perspectives or jump to the Project Manager, Team Member, or Senior Management perspective (we're changing the order this month to better address the issue).
The Solution...
From the Project Manager Perspective...
I coached Marie and suggested that she have a one-on-one meeting with Ray. There are circumstances in which it is advisable to PLAN the communication you are going to have with someone before having it, and in this case, it was really important to do this BEFORE speaking with Ray. Marie wanted to do her best not to put him on the defensive or have him quit the team. The brief outline to planning a communication is as follows:
- Start by complimenting Ray...let him
know that you value his work, that he is a key team member, etc. (AND it
has to be AUTHENTIC, so only say what is true for you).
- Fill in the blanks here:
- "My intention for talking to you is ______________________." It could be to clear up an issue that has come up, to improve our working relationship, etc.
- "When you ________________" - state the OBSERVABLE FACTS
- "the impact to the team and project is __________________."
- "What I/we prefer (or want or need) is ___________________."
- Ask for his feedback "Would this work for you?"
Basically, Marie is asking Ray for a CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR...and letting him know the impact of his current behavior on the project and the team (which, in my experience in working with people, he probably does not see at all).
Marie also knows that if this does not work with Ray, she might have to go to his boss and have a discussion about what is going on. She is giving Ray the benefit of speaking with him first with the hope of coming to a viable agreement or solution without bringing his boss into it.
So Marie prepared for her conversation with Ray. Once it was over, she wrote to tell me that it went "great!" Ray was very amiable and willing to focus on the items that really needed to be done. Also, what came to light, was that Ray was trying to please a "wishy-washy" sponsor (see below: From the Senior Management Perspective). Ray didn't realize that many of his actions were not supported by the business or the team. After the discussion, Ray stopped feeding new ideas to the sponsor and the number of changes declined significantly.
See what can happen when you DO NOT AVOID having a critical conversation with a team member that is not on track? Is there anyone you need to have a discussion with "now?" A good motto is: DO NOT AVOID SHORT TERM PAIN FOR LONG TERM AGONY!!! Take a deep breath, plan the communication and then execute it! You will be glad you did!
From the Team Member Perspective...
In Ray's defense, he thought he was doing the right thing by trying to get a wishy-washy sponsor to make decisions by feeding him many ideas and then going off and implementing them without the team's or business's input or approval.
He had no clue about the impact of his behavior on the team.
He also responded well to the communication with Marie. I cannot guarantee that will always happen AND it is still important for Project Managers to address specific behavioral issues with team members as they arise. All you can do is PLAN the communication, be direct and deal with the issue. You CANNOT control how a team member responds, but if you are honest and deal only with the current issue, chances are it will go well.
And the team member will respond well, right team members?!?!?
From the Senior Management (or boss/stakeholder) Perspective...
It seems like this team has a sponsor (or stakeholder) who is not sure what he or she really wants. This could be the result of a poorly defined Project Charter and Scope of Work document, or lack of a formal change control process.
Or it could be the result of a project that includes tasks that have a lot of uncertainty in them.
Either way, it should not be easy to change a project plan once it is under implementation. In the above scenario, once Marie found out that most of the changes Ray was making were due to a sponsor's request, she got the appropriate signatures on the requirements documents and insisted that no more changes would be made unless change orders, along with the appropriate signatures, were submitted to HER (not directly to team members). She said this policy has really curbed the changes coming from the sponsor, making the project much more manageable.
WOW! So for those of you who are stakeholders to project teams, can you see what can happen if you don't get clear UP FRONT about what your wants and needs really are on a project?
Remember, it is a Project Manager's job to get a well defined Project Definition about WHAT the project is really about BEFORE taking action with the team, to utilize the company's time, money and resources (people) as wisely as possible right out of the start box.
And Project Managers cannot do this without your input, time and support.
Where's Susan?
Want to meet?
August 14-18 - Central NJ area
August 19-22 - Denver, COSeptember 9-12 - San Francisco, CA
September 14-23 - Cambridge, England, UKOctober 2-5 - Boulder, CO
October 6-8 - Chicago, IL
October 16-21 - North Jersey, NYC areaNovember 2-5 - Chicago, IL
November 18-21 -Garden Grove, CA (LA area)
Ask Susan
If you want more information on what we can do to help your Project Teams be more successful, please click here to visit my Project Management page or click here for my Team Development page.
Do you have any questions, comments, suggestions for improvement? If you do, I'd love to hear them. Your feedback will help make this e-newsletter better. To send me your feedback, .