January 10, 2007 – Evil Alter Ego #5: Ms. Meetings

We’ve beaten Mr. Genius, Ms. Bellows, Mr. Promise and Mrs. Process. But what chance do we have against Ms. Meetings? She is very sweet. As a matter of fact, she brings donuts to all of her meetings. And she certainly has a lot of them. Any time there is a question she calls a meeting. She has regularly scheduled Status Meetings, Team Meetings, Progress Meetings and Recap meetings. During testing there is a meeting at 7:00 AM to determine the daily schedule, a meeting at noon to check on status and one at 6:00 PM to review results. Then every hour on the hour she meets with the individual areas to make sure progress is being made. She even had a couple of meeting to determine why productivity was so low.

Meetings are like vegetables and exercise: good in moderation but overdosing becomes boring and painful. If you find you are attending or calling too many meetings consider the following advice.

Make a list of all meetings. Go through your calendar for the past month and write down all of the meetings you lead or attended. You may be surprised by the total number.
Document each meeting’s purpose. Every meeting originated to fulfill a need. That sole objective of calling a meeting should not be to discuss, review or consider. You will certainly do those things but meetings need to have a point. Add focus by setting a goal like “to determine,” “to finalize [task list, assignments, report, etc.]” and “to approve” [change request, deliverable, document, etc.].

Eliminate redundant meetings. Review your list and narrow it down to the unique purposes. If you have three different meetings scheduled to address testing, you may only need one.

Combine similar meetings. If you have two status meetings with the same individuals but for different projects, combine them. Perhaps it makes sense to have the Issues meeting combined with the Risks meetings. An effective status meeting technique for mid-level managers is to hold one meeting with multiple project managers discussing their projects as a group. This eliminates scheduling half hour meetings with each and the wasted time between sessions. It also makes other PMs aware of the efforts, issues and risks others are facing.

Use other communication methods. If your meeting is simply to relay information you might be able to accomplish it better by sending well written emails or documents. To eliminate the need for one of your testing meetings use a tool like SharePoint, a document on a share drive or even a project web site that can be updated by the team as they complete each step.

Thus ends our first round of evil alter egos to combat. I’m sure our super-hero gene will spawn others to plague us in the future, but until then remember: “with great power comes great responsibility” (quote from Spiderman’s Uncle Ben).

January 9, 2007 – Evil Alter Ego #4: Mrs. Process

Fighting alter egos can be tough work. Like Dr. Jekyll striving against Mr. Hyde it can seem like a loosing battle. Especially when a particular alter ego seem so helpful in the beginning. Take the case of Mrs. Process. She starts by figuring out how things are done and documents the procedures. Working with others she identifies faster and better ways of getting things done and incorporates them. By performing audits and making sure that the procedures are followed she can spot problems before they become issues. The problem starts when she becomes inflexible and intolerant. As she turns over to the dark side her focus become the letter of the law. Forms become static and any alterations are denounced vociferously.

Don’t misunderstand me. As a former Software Quality Assurance Analyst and Project Officer I am a big fan of process. It is when we become slaves of process that this alter ego wins. It isn’t limited to QA people, either. Project managers can become mired in process. How do we stop this insanity?

Question the process. Processes are meant to speed up development by being consistent in the way tasks are performed. Over time they should evolve and improve. That doesn’t always happen. If a process you or your team is being asked to perform doesn’t make sense, question it. Find out the purpose behind it and determine if it is going to help or hinder you from achieving that goal.

Focus on purpose. Once you understand the spirit of the law make that the focus. If the process needs to be bent, bend away. Very few processes were intended to be rigid. Granted, if you are working with nuclear materials there are some specific process you need to follow. But when you are managing a project the letter of the law is not always required. Do what makes sense using the processes as guidelines.

Allow for exemptions. Sometimes it just makes sense to bypass a process. If you have a strict Quality Assurance group or are subject to Sarbanes-Oxley requirements it is important that you get permission, usually in writing, to do so. Corners can be cut, but you need to ensure that the project and company are not placed at risk by slicing too much.

January 8, 2007 – Evil Alter Ego #3: Mr. Promise

So far we dealt with Mr. Genius by clueing him in to what everyone else already knows: he doesn’t have all the answers. Then we overcame Ms. Bellows by dealing with the root causes and calming down. But Mr. Promise seems like he would be a great guy to have around. How could he possibly be evil?

Unfortunately, Mr. Promise is extremely dangerous, both to his own career and to his projects. The only thing worse than not keeping all of the promises he makes is when he actually attempts to. If he breaks a promise people get mad and he will eventually get fired. In an attempt to keeps every promise his project is likely to either go way over budget or far beyond schedule. To curb this alter ego you need to pick, protect, track and close.

Pick your promises appropriately. Just because something sounds like a good idea doesn’t mean it should be tackled. Even if a task needs to be done it doesn’t mean it should become your responsibility or be dded to your project. Granted, if you are the expert and have the time, go ahead and volunteer. If not, allow someone else to step up. One trick is to simply wait quietly. The silence may encourage someone else to take it on.

Protect the project. Check the request against the scope of the project. If it passes that test then check the budget and schedule to see if it can be included. Depending on the size of the request use the Change Management process to authorize and fund it.

Track your promises. The big items that are handled through Change Management are easy to track. It is those annoying little ones that are made during meetings and in casual conversations that tend to trip us up. Make sure you document and track them as action items. For meetings, use minutes with a section for recording action items for the group. Assign both a resource and a due date for each action item and check the progress at the next meeting.

Close them out. When a promise is met, make sure to loop back and let the person know it is completed. In some cases they may not even remember asking for it. The follow up will give them a chance to verify it is what they expected and will bring closure to the request.

Mr. Promise’s desire to help is honorable and with these simple steps we can keep him from destroying himself.

January 5, 2007 – Evil Alter Ego #2: Ms. Bellows

The superhero gene inherent in project managers can mutate and become something ugly. Such is the case with Ms. Bellows. Instead of discussing, she yells. People leave her office in tears. Behind her back people call her Yelly Kelly.

The problem is that she is successful. People jump when she says to and projects get done on time. This makes upper management happy and she is rewarded, reinforcing the original problem. Eventually no one willingly works with her and some of the best resources leave the department, company or even country.

If you see this trait in you, how can it be stopped?

This is a tough problem because there are so many factors tied in to it. Family origins, bullied as a child and inferiority complex are prime examples. I’m sure through psychoanalysis Freud would determine that she was deprived of Starbucks in junior high. Some of the blame obviously falls on the environment that allows or even fosters her behavior. Because everyone expects this attitude the cards are stacked against change. But if you see some of Ms. Bellows in your actions and want to break out of it, there is hope. Here are a few things you can implement to reduce the volume.

1. Acknowledge that it is a problem. Look at the negative impact it is having on your team and your ability to lead. Your feelings are legitimate. There are things that make us all mad. The problem is the action.

2. Address the causes. Sit down and make a list of the things that really tick you off, like dropped commitments, missed dates and unforeseen issues. You know what your hot buttons are. Now train yourself and your team to deal with the root causes of these problems before they happen. Record action items in meeting minutes so commitments are clear and expectations are set. Refine estimation techniques to set realistic dates and track to them. Use risk mitigation to identify potential issues and address them before they happen.

3. Take a deep breath. When you are ready to let fly with a verbal barrage take a hearty breath in through your mouth. This does 2 things for you. First, it is very hard to make your vocal cords yell when you are breathing in. Second, it gives you a brief chance to relax and change what you are going to say.

4. Replace yelling with a catch phrase. Instead of yelling, imagine if you said something like “I would normally be yelling by now, but….” Most people hear better when they are not being yelled at. The natural tendency is to become defensive or tune out. Catching them off guard like that may help them listen this time and do things differently next.

NOTE: Screaming is abusive and doesn’t belong in the work place. If you are a victim of a yeller and feel like you are in a hostile environment, speak to your HR department. If you recognize it in yourself, seek help.

January 4, 2007 – Evil Alter Ego #1: Mr. Genius

There is a certain gene in the DNA of a project manager that results in a superhero complex. We are the ones that find leadership voids and itch to fill them. If there is chaos, we long to tame it. When things are wrong we strive to right them. Where there is no org chart…well, you get the idea.

Unfortunately there is also a dark side to this gene. The side that urges us to become bosses instead of leaders, engrossed in schedules instead of managing and concerned with process over people. These next entries are dedicated to fighting those tendencies and overcoming our Alter Egos.

The first Alter Ego that needs to be dealt with is the Mr. Genius. He is prevalent among new or weak project managers that have moved up the ladder from a technical background. He thinks that since he is in charge he must be the brightest and have the best ideas. Their ideas are presented as facts and the team had better fall in line behind them or else.

There are several downfalls to this concept. First, as you transition from the technical realm to project management you can’t stay current on the latest and greatest. Naturally your ideas start to become old school technically. Second, it stifles any ability of your team to bounce ideas around and make them better. Third, you begin to realize that there are brighter bulbs on your team than you. Finally, your team will eventually find people to work for that value their abilities to think.

The only way to overcome this is through my 4-step program.

1. Repeat the following: “My idea is not the only idea and sometimes it isn’t even the best one.” If you struggle saying that then keep repeating it until it sticks. Eventually you may realize that you want people on your team that are smarter than you. It increases your odds of success and allows you to concentrate on managing.

2. When you present an idea make it the starting point and not the final decision. Be the first ones to point out a flaw that needs to be addressed. This encourages others to either replace your idea or make it better.

3. Don’t stubbornly hold on to an idea that has been bested. You will only build animosity with your team.

4. Appreciate the final product. Acknowledge the team’s success and refrain from muttering “my idea still rocks” under your breath.

Following these steps will result in a more productive team and keep you from burning out trying to be the brightest one in the bunch and the evil Mr. Genius can be sent packing.