Welcome
Welcome to the Foresight Newsletter, a free monthly publication of Prevoyance Group Inc. This newsletter shares project management tips and observations that I hope will prove informative and enjoyable.
Contents
Foresight is a monthly newsletter published by the Prevoyance Group, and this month contains four sections:
Project: Closing Time
Life
Heard in the Hallways: Think Before you Speak
Travels with Patrick: Battles with the Shower
Project
There is nothing more exciting than ramping up a new project. Long hours in tense meetings over budgets, scope and timelines are finally passed, and coffers are teeming with funds allocated to the endeavor. New challenges and promises of glory await, and we rise to the occasion, issuing bold emails proclaiming the objectives of the project and recruiting staff for the mission at hand.
Far less fanfare occurs at the completion of a project, especially one that was not successful or is being prematurely cancelled. In the case of successful completion, employees of all ranks jockey for position to capitalize on the “success halo,” and consultants and vendors quickly move on to the next project, adding ammunition to their marketing arsenal with tales of the latest victory. In the case of failed projects, the project is often regarded as something of a “corporate leper;” no one wants to be too close, and those tasked with picking up the pieces make every effort to dispose of it quickly.
Equally important whether the project was a rousing success or a spectacular failure is conducting some form of post-mortem analysis. There is a risk that success or failure is attributed to some superficial specter, such as “leadership” or “team dynamics.” After cobwebs from the celebration party or final commiseration session have cleared, a concerted effort to capture accumulated knowledge and document what worked and what did not should be undertaken, rather than gambling with the success of future projects by not learning from past mistakes or accomplishments.
At a minimum, a small committee consisting of project sponsors, project and team managers and a few line level employees and vendors should be assembled to conduct this “post mortem.” Focus on processes that were surprise helps or hindrances. Did the process for capturing requirements work? Was there a formal decision making and issue resolution process? Did any departments or business functions present particular challenges? Were team and reporting structures efficient? Document the answers to questions like these, and then investigate project spend. Did the project cost more or less than expected? Why? Were monies allocated to a particular process or phase overspent due to a deficiency in another area?
While the appetite to spend more money on the two to four weeks it takes to conduct a proper analysis may be lacking after spending millions on the project, especially when looking at a failed project, there are valid and demonstrable returns to be gleaned. When the post mortem is complete, present findings to the rest of the stakeholders, C-level executives and any PMO or project management competency center that exists in your corporation to ensure the knowledge is effective dispersed rather than sitting in a dusty binder on a shelf somewhere. Projects are expensive endeavors, it would be a shame to not extract the maximum return from successes, and at least garner some value from the failures.
Life
Always strive to be smarter than you were last week. If you consistently find you are not learning new things, or developing as a person: evaluate your job, relationships and general position in life. Sometimes all that is needed is a fresh perspective and a willingness to open your mind; other situations may call for more drastic measures. If nothing else, sometimes this periodic evaluation can show you that your situation is not as dire as previously thought. This change in viewpoint can inject a new vigor into your work and life without changing a thing, other than your perspective.
Heard in the Hallways
Thinking before speaking can be a powerful technique, both for delivering your message more effectively and for capturing the audiences’ attention. Listeners can sense a thoughtful pause, and become intrigued as to what comes next. Similarly, composing your thoughts will make what you say all the more concise and effective. Avoid the urge to fill any silence in a conversation with a half-baked thought or platitude.
Travels with Patrick
While I’ve commented on the nuances of European hotel bathrooms in this newsletter in the past, I recently encountered a new twist on the old hotel shower. Most of the hotel showers I’ve encountered in the “old country” come in one of two general configurations. All include a handy knob with temperatures printed rather than the “helpful” American-convention of “H” and “C” temperature designations, and include a small “clutch” to prevent accidentally turning the knob from warm to “broil.” The first camp then provides a knob to control the flow of the water, and some form of switch to convert from bath to shower. The second camp has two knobs: one for water to the bath, and one for water to the shower. Simple.
At the Sheraton Skyline at Heathrow airport, I found the two knob configuration, but no switch for bath versus shower. Slightly confused I set the temperature, and turned the other knob and on came the shower. After enjoying the morning cleaning routine, I twisted the knob in the opposite direction, only to have water switch to the bath. I twisted again, slightly more slowly in the other direction, and was rewarded with another soaking from the showerhead. This scene played itself out in comic fashion for what seemed like several minutes, as I contemplated the reaction from the front desk when I called to request instructions on how to stop the flow of water in the shower/bath. Alternatively, I pondered the ecological impact leaving the shower on all day would have, in an effort to prevent the aforementioned and assuredly embarrassing call.
Finally, I turned the knob ever so slowly to a tiny “sweet spot” where all activity stopped. Apparently there was a small clutch built into the knob that should have stopped it at the sweet spot, requiring a press to switch from shower to bath. This clutch mechanism had been broken, providing this gringo with several moments of confusion to begin the day.