Tags |
|
|
Links |
|
|
Casual Articles - How to Keep Projects From Spinning Out Of Control
In recent years, many companies are putting increased emphasis on project management techniques as a result of lessons learned on past project performance. After experiencing project delays, overruns, missed quality goals, communication barriers, “scope creep”, and a general perception of projects being out of control, these companies are scrambling to implement good Project Management practices to prevent these types of problems. As part of these best practices, many companies have established project review and audit programs, periodically reviewing the status of projects and their alignment with individual and corporate goals. While worthwhile, in many cases these reviews and audits are performed by senior managers with either a stake in the project outcome or no real experience and training in project management. Several companies have found that these management reviews have not succeeded because senior management and project managers may be speaking a different language and viewing the projects from completely different perspectives.Audits and reviews require preparation to be fruitful. Pre-defined project review and audit protocols can help focus both the project manager and the reviewer/auditor on the important aspects of the project. Basing these protocols on proven philosophies from the Project Management Institute (PMI®), the world’s foremost authority for the project management profession,
• Champion, champion, champion. Carolyn backed away from directly working with Mike, and she involved her department heads in decisions about the project. She also recognized their contributions publicly during meetings and later in writing.
• Set clear goals, time frames, and measurements of success. Carolyn created clear SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time frame) with each department head, including the expectations for developing staff.
• Be a problem solver. In the sponsor-role, she allowed the doers (implementers) to accomplish tasks and stopped taking them over herself. She eased up on micromana
It’s your first day in a new job.This is the job that you really wanted. The one that you saw advertised and immediately knew was for you. The one that you spent hours crafting an application letter for. The one that required you to beat all the other applicants at interview. The one where you anxiously awaited the postman to see if you’d been successful.New suit. Clean shirt and your favourite tie. Shoes freshly polished. Hair cut just the way your Mum would like it.You’re keen. You arrive early. You greet each new person with a warm smile. Trying hard to build rapport without seeming to be over confident. You go out of your way for customers. There’s a spring in your step and a friendly ring to your voice.Now look around. No matter what job you’re in and no matter how long you’ve been there. Does everyone around you have the energy and enthusiasm of new starters? Or has their energy and enthusiasm dwindled? Are they still there because they love what they do or are they simply there because they haven’t been able to escape yet?Is there a link between leadership, customer service and business success? Absolutely! Research by the Strategic Planning Institute found that businesses which gave good service grew twice as fast as those with poor service. And, in all my years of researching customer service, I’ve yet to find a business with weak leadership giving
Change usually happens in an organization through projects, which can take many forms, and may not always be called projects. The easiest to recognize is the traditional type, with a beginning, middle and end, such as the launch of a new product or the implementation of a system. Other projects involve developing people and are ongoing, without easily identified phases.
The key to keeping projects from spinning out of control is to know the roles that you and others play. Although individuals can play more than one role, it is critical that they clearly understand which role they are occupying at any one time, and that they work within the appropriate boundaries of that role.
Often projects fail because these roles are not aligned with each other. The consequences range from:
· underutilization of some people while others burn out
· resentment
· people working inefficiently
· work stagnating
· all of the above
In other words, the status quo reigns.
CASE STUDY
Carolyn is the VP of Sales in a software development organization, with a number of department heads reporting to her. One of the department heads hired Mike, a technical salesperson, to provide as much sales coverage as possible for the launch of a new software product. Sales for this new product were proving difficult.
Mike had been a successful salesperson in another software company and, it was hoped, would have very little trouble opening doors. However, he had been struggling since he joined the organization, and Carolyn decided to directly intervene to bring him up to speed
All of her efforts were either ineffective, annoyed the department heads who report to her, led to confusion, or infringed on someone else’s territory. For instance, she approached Mike directly about getting him sales training without involving his boss. She also reassigned some of his work to others sales staff, hoping to relieve him of some of the more complicated work. The strategy backfired – Mike was unsure to whom he was reporting and felt paralyzed; the salespeople who got more work became resentful, and sales in general started to tank.
Carolyn then hatched a new idea that, upon reflection, was headed for disaster. She even considered moving him to another department without the department head’s consent. That would have taken him off the launch and had him selling core products.
Carolyn needed to define the roles of each person involved in Mike’s situation, and to clarify the boundaries for everyone. When she figured out which role each individual was playing in trying to bring Mike up to speed, and in launching the product, she was able to defuse the situation, go through the proper channels to get him help, and clarify what constituted stepping-on-toes. Her change in behaviour had very positive results. Mike is learning quickly, and Carolyn’s relationships with her department heads are stronger. Sales projections for the launch are on target.
Below are the five key roles people play when working on project teams, and the do’s and don’ts of each role.
1. SPONSOR ROLE
The sponsor has the authority to make the change happen. Good sponsors clearly articulate the vision, champion the change, and identify measurable goals. They control the resources and have direct line authority over the people who will implement the change. Carolyn decided that this was her role in both the development of the employee and in the launch of the product.
When she figured out the boundaries of her role, and behaved within those boundaries, the project flourished.
DO'S
• Create a compelling future. Remember to tell people the benefits of change for them and for the organization. For example, during the launch Carolyn let each member know how he or she fit into the larger picture, and how their work mattered. To develop sales people, she created a vision for continuous learning and support, and painted an exciting picture of possibilities.
• Champion, champion, champion. Carolyn backed away from directly working with Mike, and she involved her department heads in decisions about the project. She also recognized their contributions publicly during meetings and later in writing.
• Set clear goals, time frames, and measurements of success. Carolyn created clear SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time frame) with each department head, including the expectations for developing staff.
• Be a problem solver. In the sponsor-role, she allowed the doers (implementers) to accomplish tasks and stopped taking them over herself. She eased up on micromanag
If you understand the importance of a sales funnel in your business, then you will have a good tool at your disposal to enable you to analyze your sales procedures. Those of you who do not know what a sales funnel is are missing out on a technique that is commonly used in business, both online and offline, to indicate where in the sales procedure prospects are being lost, and where bottlenecks are occurring.Visualize a funnel, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Into the top you pour all of your leads, wherever they have come from. At various stages in their progress down your funnel, these leads become more and more qualified until at the end those falling out of the bottom of the funnel are completed paid for sales.At various stages in the journey through the funnel you should have certain qualification stages for your leads, and you should know exactly how each stages qualifies them. Thus, you should know at what point the leads are contacted directly, when samples are provided, when quotations are given and even where offers are turned down. Sometimes you will find some leads spending too much time in the funnel and decide to eject them yourself, but the most important aspect of the funnel is that you know what is happening at each stage.You should manage the flow through the funnel so that it proceeds smoothly without blockages. Perhaps it slows down because it full of slow
· work stagnating
· all of the above
In other words, the status quo reigns.
CASE STUDY
Carolyn is the VP of Sales in a software development organization, with a number of department heads reporting to her. One of the department heads hired Mike, a technical salesperson, to provide as much sales coverage as possible for the launch of a new software product. Sales for this new product were proving difficult.
Mike had been a successful salesperson in another software company and, it was hoped, would have very little trouble opening doors. However, he had been struggling since he joined the organization, and Carolyn decided to directly intervene to bring him up to speed
All of her efforts were either ineffective, annoyed the department heads who report to her, led to confusion, or infringed on someone else’s territory. For instance, she approached Mike directly about getting him sales training without involving his boss. She also reassigned some of his work to others sales staff, hoping to relieve him of some of the more complicated work. The strategy backfired – Mike was unsure to whom he was reporting and felt paralyzed; the salespeople who got more work became resentful, and sales in general started to tank.
Carolyn then hatched a new idea that, upon reflection, was headed for disaster. She even considered moving him to another department without the department head’s consent. That would have taken him off the launch and had him selling core products.
Carolyn needed to define the roles of each person involved in Mike’s situation, and to clarify the boundaries for everyone. When she figured out which role each individual was playing in trying to bring Mike up to speed, and in launching the product, she was able to defuse the situation, go through the proper channels to get him help, and clarify what constituted stepping-on-toes. Her change in behaviour had very positive results. Mike is learning quickly, and Carolyn’s relationships with her department heads are stronger. Sales projections for the launch are on target.
Below are the five key roles people play when working on project teams, and the do’s and don’ts of each role.
1. SPONSOR ROLE
The sponsor has the authority to make the change happen. Good sponsors clearly articulate the vision, champion the change, and identify measurable goals. They control the resources and have direct line authority over the people who will implement the change. Carolyn decided that this was her role in both the development of the employee and in the launch of the product.
When she figured out the boundaries of her role, and behaved within those boundaries, the project flourished.
DO'S
• Create a compelling future. Remember to tell people the benefits of change for them and for the organization. For example, during the launch Carolyn let each member know how he or she fit into the larger picture, and how their work mattered. To develop sales people, she created a vision for continuous learning and support, and painted an exciting picture of possibilities.
• Champion, champion, champion. Carolyn backed away from directly working with Mike, and she involved her department heads in decisions about the project. She also recognized their contributions publicly during meetings and later in writing.
• Set clear goals, time frames, and measurements of success. Carolyn created clear SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time frame) with each department head, including the expectations for developing staff.
• Be a problem solver. In the sponsor-role, she allowed the doers (implementers) to accomplish tasks and stopped taking them over herself. She eased up on micromana
I have been involved with MLM and home based business for over 15 years now. I have been fortunate enough to build several large organizations that, to this day, still continue to pay me.I have noticed several stages that people go through when the originally get started with a MLM.If you can identify which stage that you (or your downline) are in, it may be helpful to you to grow your business.The First stage is Initial Excitement.We all remember that time that we were first excited when we got that starter Kit in the mail. That initial excitement of the possibilities. We were flying on the air.The Second Stage is Friends and Family.This is the stage where we finally get up excitement and courage and we actually go out and start talking with some of our family and friends about the opportunity that we have just gotten involved with. Some people never even make it to this stage. Many people if they do reach this stage get shut down quick because their friends or family are not interested in their product or service.The Third Stage is Lead Generation.This is when people have started to realize that maybe the friends and family thing isn't enough. They come to the conclusion that they are going to have to present their opportunity to literally hundreds if not thousands of people. Most people (if they even reach this stage) are actually purchasing leads from
Carolyn then hatched a new idea that, upon reflection, was headed for disaster. She even considered moving him to another department without the department head’s consent. That would have taken him off the launch and had him selling core products.
Carolyn needed to define the roles of each person involved in Mike’s situation, and to clarify the boundaries for everyone. When she figured out which role each individual was playing in trying to bring Mike up to speed, and in launching the product, she was able to defuse the situation, go through the proper channels to get him help, and clarify what constituted stepping-on-toes. Her change in behaviour had very positive results. Mike is learning quickly, and Carolyn’s relationships with her department heads are stronger. Sales projections for the launch are on target.
Below are the five key roles people play when working on project teams, and the do’s and don’ts of each role.
1. SPONSOR ROLE
The sponsor has the authority to make the change happen. Good sponsors clearly articulate the vision, champion the change, and identify measurable goals. They control the resources and have direct line authority over the people who will implement the change. Carolyn decided that this was her role in both the development of the employee and in the launch of the product.
When she figured out the boundaries of her role, and behaved within those boundaries, the project flourished.
DO'S
• Create a compelling future. Remember to tell people the benefits of change for them and for the organization. For example, during the launch Carolyn let each member know how he or she fit into the larger picture, and how their work mattered. To develop sales people, she created a vision for continuous learning and support, and painted an exciting picture of possibilities.
• Champion, champion, champion. Carolyn backed away from directly working with Mike, and she involved her department heads in decisions about the project. She also recognized their contributions publicly during meetings and later in writing.
• Set clear goals, time frames, and measurements of success. Carolyn created clear SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time frame) with each department head, including the expectations for developing staff.
• Be a problem solver. In the sponsor-role, she allowed the doers (implementers) to accomplish tasks and stopped taking them over herself. She eased up on micromana
IntroductionI was interviewed recently by someone writing a book on expatriate businessmen. One topic that came up when I was sharing business experiences with her, was the topic of business thinking. What goes on through the thoughts of a business person, that makes him different from any other run-of-the-mill employee?My buddy Joe and I share the same belief regarding this - a successful businessman is driven by passion. Pure passion for what he does drives him on, making him sleep 4-6 hours a day, eating and drinking and sleeping his life away for the passion in his life. That is something most employees cannot achieve. In fact, if you get such entreprenuerial employees, you have better make sure you love him and treat him well before the competition gets him!Unlike Joe, however, I believe a successful businessman can be driven by two types of passion.Intrinsic PassionThe first is an intrinsic passion in the business - an educator who runs his series of schools, a technical person marketing his inventions, or a hedge fund manager running his clients' money and growing them in the financial markets. Making money (while important) is secondary to growing his business. The best thing to ever happen to his company is for it to become a world leader in its field. Anything that might hint at him losing control of his company is scary.I suspect many founders o
Below are the five key roles people play when working on project teams, and the do’s and don’ts of each role.
1. SPONSOR ROLE
The sponsor has the authority to make the change happen. Good sponsors clearly articulate the vision, champion the change, and identify measurable goals. They control the resources and have direct line authority over the people who will implement the change. Carolyn decided that this was her role in both the development of the employee and in the launch of the product.
When she figured out the boundaries of her role, and behaved within those boundaries, the project flourished.
DO'S
• Create a compelling future. Remember to tell people the benefits of change for them and for the organization. For example, during the launch Carolyn let each member know how he or she fit into the larger picture, and how their work mattered. To develop sales people, she created a vision for continuous learning and support, and painted an exciting picture of possibilities.
• Champion, champion, champion. Carolyn backed away from directly working with Mike, and she involved her department heads in decisions about the project. She also recognized their contributions publicly during meetings and later in writing.
• Set clear goals, time frames, and measurements of success. Carolyn created clear SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time frame) with each department head, including the expectations for developing staff.
• Be a problem solver. In the sponsor-role, she allowed the doers (implementers) to accomplish tasks and stopped taking them over herself. She eased up on micromana
Networking groups are a great way to build your business, make new friends, and gain support. Join groups that your prospects would attend or that have similar business interests to yours. By joining groups with your direct and indirect competitors, you can form strategic alliances. Two people may be providing the same service but target different markets; e.g., two writers may be vying for the business market, however, one may prefer promotional writing while the other favours technical writing.Some people say that they joined a networking group but it did nothing for them – they received no leads or referrals. But it's not enough to join a networking group – you must get involved. Volunteer your time on a committee, become an executive member, and attend gatherings regularly. By becoming known to the group, you'll reap the rewards.When meeting someone for the first time, be prepared. You have thirty seconds or less to get your message across before losing their attention. Don't get into the nitty-gritty of your work unless asked, but a quick and informative response to "what do you do" can lead you to new business opportunities. Thirty seconds is the attention span of the human race, so if you want your listener to give up other thoughts and pay attention to you, do it quickly. And don't forget to listen. At times, we tend to follow our own thoughts and put words into other people's m
• Champion, champion, champion. Carolyn backed away from directly working with Mike, and she involved her department heads in decisions about the project. She also recognized their contributions publicly during meetings and later in writing.
• Set clear goals, time frames, and measurements of success. Carolyn created clear SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time frame) with each department head, including the expectations for developing staff.
• Be a problem solver. In the sponsor-role, she allowed the doers (implementers) to accomplish tasks and stopped taking them over herself. She eased up on micromanaging, and helped untangle issues when they were brought to her. Carolyn also began to work more closely with other departments to troubleshoot potential problems.
• Be as generous as possible with resources. Carolyn increased the training and coaching budget, hired part-timers to help during the crunch, and proactively looked for creative ways to help remove obstacles for the implementers.
• Find a coach to help you stay within the boundaries of your role. Carolyn found an external coach to help her align her behaviour with the organizational goals. It took time for her to clearly define the role boundaries, and her coach helped her to stay within them.
DONT'S
• Don't do the doers’ (implementers') work. Carolyn frequently took over others’ work, particularly when the launch was faltering. However, with the help of a coach, she was able to see that she was undermining the project by constantly re-doing and/or reassigning work.
• Don't undervalue implementers' feedback. Carolyn started to actively seek information from the sales teams’ about their experience with customers. In previous launches, she hadn’t asked for their observations, relying instead on second-hand information from department heads. Implementers are closest to the impact of the change and can keep you from being surprised.
• Don't drop the ball on openly promoting the change. Carolyn openly promoted the legitimacy and necessity of developing sales people. She worked cross-functionally to help salespeople get the training, mentoring, and coaching they needed. Without the sponsor’s continued, visible support, change becomes the “flavour of the month”.
2. DEPARTMENTAL SPONSOR ROLE
Departmental sponsors only focus on the change in their own departments. They commit to understanding the depth, breadth and implications of the change. In this example, the departmental sponsors were the Directors of Sales and Branch Managers.
DO'S
• Ask the sponsor lots of questions so you fully understand the need for the project/change and can back the decision.
• Remove obstacles for the implementers.
• Keep the sponsor informed of successes and challenges.
DON'TS
• Don't panic if there is resistance from your team.
• Don't weakly comply with the sponsor's vision if you do not agree with it. Keep challenging the vision for change until you can fully accept and promote it.
• Follow the don'ts of the sponsor (above).
3. IMPLEMENTER ROLE
These people accomplish the tasks of the project. Mike is one of the implementers on the launch of the new software. He is responsible for sales and reporting.
In the sponsor role, Carolyn asked Mike’s boss to design a developmental plan for him (departmental sponsor-role). As part of the plan, Mike’s boss accompanied him on sales calls to observe his selling skills (coach role). To stay in the coach role, his boss didn’t take over when Mike struggled. By quietly watching, his boss got a good idea of Mike’s strengths and areas for improvement.
DO'S
• Listen, inquire, and clarify your questions and concerns at the beginning of a project.
• Regularly give feedback on what you are experiencing.
• Tell the sponsor when he or she is overstepping a boundary (i.e. taking over your work; telling you what to do rather than coaching you).
• Ask for help when you get stuck.
DON'TS
• Don't withhold bad news.
• Don't withhold good news.
• Don't undervalue your opinion and experiences.
4. ADVOCATE ROLE
Advocates have ideas for projects/change, but need a sponsor to help make these ideas a reality. In this case study, a salesperson had the original product idea based on a conversation he had wi
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.casualarticles.com/article/38849/casualarticles-How-to-Keep-Projects-From-Spinning-Out-Of-Control.html">How to Keep Projects From Spinning Out Of Control</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.casualarticles.com/article/38849/casualarticles-How-to-Keep-Projects-From-Spinning-Out-Of-Control.html]How to Keep Projects From Spinning Out Of Control[/url]
Related Articles:
Discover How To Turn Your Real Estate Business Into A Cash Machine - Using Other Peoples Money
Three Ways to Transmit Loud and Clear
Unforgettable First Impressions Part 2: It's All About Them!
Bookmark it:
|