By now we are well into autumn. Even though it’s been a slow(er) year for many, the time still seems to be flying by! I sometimes feel like I am still back in JUNE watching the calendar just whiz by! And for the record, I DID skip publishing the summer newsletter! And I am back...

I had 2 speaking engagements this month. It is exciting to be getting into public speaking again. One talk was for the Women Making a Difference luncheon with the topic “Maintaining Your Feminine Energy in a Masculine World” (no, it’s NOT a gender based thing!) and the other was for the New Mexico American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) conference with the topic “Building Team Spirit – Taking Your Team to a Higher Level of Performance.” Had a great time at both of these! Please think of me if you need a speaker for an event!

On another note, I often get asked by people what Project Management software I recommend. I usually do NOT make recommendations in this area (but will discuss it!) but my friend and colleague Gary Chin has developed an easy to use project software tool that I actually could use myself (versus cumbersome software that is used to manage humungous projects).

It’s called ClearVue-360 and it is SO much more than just another Gantt chart tool - it also helps you manage assumptions, requirements, budget, risks, action items, issues, decisions, meeting minutes, and more. The best part is that all the data is kept in ONE place and updates are integrated across all reports! WOW!

I'd love to tell you more about it, but perhaps it's easier to just watch a short video at www.clearvuepm.com. I'm also excited to say if you decided to purchase the software, you will receive a 20% discount on the ClearVue-360 license at $199 (retail price is $249) - just use the code "SJ2288" when making a purchase.

The topic for this newsletter is Conversations We Could (or SHOULD) be Having. Certainly, we are ALL busy at work, for a variety of reasons....downsizing, added responsibilities, more innovative projects, etc. But are we TALKING about the RIGHT things to create a sustainable future for our companies, departments, teams and ourselves?

Do take some time to enjoy the remaining “warm” days, the brilliant colors of autumn... take a walk, go to an outdoor sports game, hike in the mountains...breathe in the crisp air deeply and know that ALL IS WELL, no matter what it looks like!

All the best,

Susan

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Project Management World

The Problem...

Conversations We Could (or SHOULD) be Having!

We are busy, busy, busy...but are we engaging in the RIGHT conversations? Or has it just been the same old “stuff”?

Just as being busy does not equate to being productive, likewise, talking does not mean we are discussing the really pertinent issues in our workplace, ones that will create a culture of trust, empowering and caring about employees, and creating a sustainable business and workforce.

So what are some things we could (or SHOULD) be talking about? Let’s address this issue, as always, from 3 levels in the organization.

Scroll down to see the solution from all three perspectives or jump to the Senior Management, Project Manager, or Team Member perspective.

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The Solution...(or ideas for one!)

From the Senior Management Perspective...

Ask managers how well they thing they are doing at managing their employees (NOT just the work!) and most will likely respond with a resounding “GREAT!”

Yet ask employees how well they think their managers are doing, and well, the answers get a bit, shall we say “diversified” at this point.

According to a Wall Street Journal survey, while 92% of managers say they are doing a “good to excellent” job of managing their employees, only 67% of workers agree with 23% saying they are doing a “fair” job, and 10% find them doing a “poor” job.

While this is actually better than I would have predicted, the gap between how managers rate themselves and their employees rate the manager suggests a cause for concern.

Business is a complex network of conversations....think about it! Communication, via conversations, is really the way actions get prioritized, decisions get made, and problems get resolved. So at this point, what are some conversations a Management Staff or Leadership Team should be having?

• Are we shooting our selves in the foot by continuously trying to do more with less? Is it time to do less with more? And do it exceptionally well?
• Are we overloading our employees with so much work that we induce a level of “it’s good enough” work or even substandard work?
• Is it time for us to stop doing MORE and trying to play every game and FOCUS our efforts on a CORE business/product/service?
• How can we create a better relationship between the management of our organization and the employees that work here?
• How can we free up resources to dedicate them to 1-3 projects rather than either having them work on 6-8 projects and/or do a “regular” department job too?
• Is it time for us to consider employing FULL TIME project managers instead of having them work out of functional departments (and try to get work done horizontally across the organization from that place – not easy in most cases!)
• How can we REALLY support project teams to be more successful, not only in bringing a project in on time and budget but in the way they work with each other and communicate with us?

Here’s a great facilitation tip – ANYONE on a staff or team can ask these questions!! And don’t worry about NOT having the answers. There truly is “collective wisdom” within a group – in that they can come up with possibilities, answers and solutions that no one could ever do in a vacuum alone. TRUST that! TRY it!

....and let me know what happens!

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From the Project Manager Perspective...

From the vantage point of project manager, there are conversations you could be having with the stakeholders, team members, functional managers – all directions!! Your job is truly one of communication, and therefore starting the right conversations with the right person(s) is an ability you want to possess! Let me give you a few to ponder asking in each area:

STAKEHOLDERS

• How does this project fit in with the company’s Strategic Plan?
• What would it look like if this project was a success?
• What are the business conditions prompting the urgency behind this project?
• What have you/we tried before in this area?
• Are you willing to dedicate the resources necessary to bring this project in when you want it?

TEAM MEMBERS

• How do we best maintain communication between each other between meetings?
• How should we collect and report status against the baseline project plan?
• What is our responsibility to each other as team members on this project?
• How do we want to handle lateness at meetings?
• How to we want to handle distractions at meetings (i.e., people doing other “work” at meetings, including texting, emailing, etc.)?
• What agreements to we need to make in order to have a productive meetings? To make the project a success? To make this team a success?

FUNCTIONAL MANAGERS (who “own” the resources on your team)

• Have you seen the Project Plan? Signed off on it?
• Do you agree with the scope and quality of the work needed from your employee (on the team)?
• Can you insure his/her availability at the level needed for the project to make its commitments (time, quality, cost)?
• Do you have a backup in case the team member for some reason gets taken off the project?

If these questions don’t do it for you, you can always start with the open-ended question “What conversations should we be having?”. This list is just a start. I am sure you can think of many more! In fact, let me know YOUR questions that you’d add to this list!

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From the Team Member Perspective...

Besides working with your colleagues on the tasks on the project, your other conversations will be with your Project Manager and your direct line boss. Here are a few ideas on questions that are conversation starters:

PROJECT MANAGER

• What are your expectations of me as a team member?
• What criteria are you going to use to measure me by when you give feedback (or inputs to my review) to my boss?
• How (and when) do YOU like to be given feedback?
• What do you suggest I do if and when I start falling behind?
• If I want to use the float in my task, how do I go about that?

BOSS

• Can we sit down and discuss my workload? (have a list of all you are working on at the time you get asked to add a project to the list)
• How do you suggest I prioritize my work? My suggestion is to......
• How do you suggest I balance my “regular” work with my project “work” as a team member? (This is if you play both roles.)
• Have you thought about dedicating full time resources to work on project teams only?
• What are your thoughts about the project you’ve assigned me to work on?

Many a team member’s stress comes from an overloaded plate and fear of discussing it with their boss. And who suffers if you don’t? YOU DO! Write it all down, prioritize it and then go have that honest conversation with your boss. It’s YOUR job to keep your sanity!

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Where is Susan?

Want to meet?

November 1-4, 2009: Houston, TX
November 17-20, 2009: San Francisco, CA
November 30-December 3, 2009: Tucson, AZ

Early December, 2009 (Date TBD): St. Louis, MO

January 3-5, 2010: North Jersey/NYC area
Late January, 2010 (Date TBD): North Jersey/NYC area

March 7-10, 2010: Houston, TX