Welcome
Welcome to the Foresight Newsletter, a free monthly publication of Prevoyance Group Inc. This newsletter shares tips for high performance projects and observations that we hope will prove informative and enjoyable.
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Contents
CONTENTS
Foresight is published by the Prevoyance Group, and this month contains four sections:
Project: Death by Deliverables
Life
Heard in the Hallways
Travels with Patrick
Project
Spend about four minutes with a project team and you will likely hear a reference or two to a “deliverable” of some sort. Contrived in the dark days of auditors with huge folders filled reams of financial data and pencil scratching, they have become the de rigueur of the project environment. A “deliverable” in its most noble form advances some objective of the project, or represents a physical output from the project. Where deliverables go wrong is when they become disconnected from the actual objectives of the project, and an end in themselves.
Distilled to their essence, a deliverable should be regarded like any other output of your corporation. They have cost associated to their generation, and should have a corresponding, quantifiable benefit. They must also advance the project towards its ultimate objectives and the corresponding return associated with completing the project.
Often projects become obsessively focused on deliverables rather than the end game. Hoards of otherwise intelligent people scramble around leaving a wake of PowerPoints and spreadsheets slicing and analyzing deliverables every which way, focusing all attention on components of the solution, rather than the solution itself.
How does one avoid death by deliverables? Distill your project into several critical success factors, each with a measurable value to the company. Link each deliverable to one of these critical success factors rather than focusing on the different types of deliverables in an aggregate state. “83% of all functional specifications complete” paints a far different picture than “14% of work required for $1.9M organizational value complete.” Focusing on the end game and the critical factors to get there also maintains momentum throughout the project team. Rather than pushing to get a deliverable done, which may add zero value to the organization, the team focuses on objectives that provide true, measurable value to the organization.
Life
When I reflect on my life and career, the mentors, leaders and colleagues I respect the most shared a common trait: they were my biggest cheerleaders and also my most unforgiving critics. Never hesitant to compliment a job well done, they were also able to quickly gauge my capabilities and never thought twice about saying “you could have done better” when my efforts were not reflective of my abilities. I had far less regard for bosses and others who, in the zeal not to offend or under auspices of “fairness” strove to pat everyone on the back, and shower people with banal platitudes rather than truly earned congratulations or occasionally harsh, yet always constructive criticism.
Seek to be one of those mentors. A genuine concern for the individual, and an even hand in dealing both compliments and ideas for improvement goes a long way with most people, especially those who perform at the highest level. You bring out the “A game” of most people by demanding it, and reserving reward for performance at that level. Regular “verbal applause” for a substandard effort engenders more of the same.
Heard in the Hallways
Summer is the season of travel, and hallways around the world seem a little quieter this time of year as many of us take to the highways, railways or air. All aspects of travel rarely go 100% according to plan, and as many a more eloquent writer than I has said: the journey is often the most satisfying part of the trip. Despite traffic jams, delays, etc., do not forget to savor the journey, whether it is spent with a good book while stuck in a crowded airport, or gazing at the scenery from your car window, rather than focusing on the bumper ahead.
Travels with Patrick
I recently visited one of my favorite parts of the Walt Disney World theme park in Orlando, Florida. Amidst all the tacky tourist stops, Disney “magic” and screaming children is the International Pavilion, a part of the EPCOT theme park that contains small pavilions for twelve countries. Despite the abundance of merchandising, and the somewhat tacky distillation of amazingly diverse countries like China into a few hundred square meters, what sets this park apart is that the majority of the staff in each country are “imported” from their home country. From Moroccans in the Moroccan pavilion, to Norwegians in the Norwegian pavilion, a short walk lets you spend a few minutes talking with, and experiencing people from twelve different countries.
Many employees initially stick to their indoctrination by “the Mouse” and avoid discussions of politics, or their true feelings about US culture, but with an open ear and some gentle prodding, you can get a glimpse into a multitude of cultures smack in the middle of Americana in its most concentrated form.